A rumor that the 2027 NHL Winter Classic will be held at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) between the Nashville Predators and the Carolina Hurricanes has been debunked.
On Saturday, a Reddit post shared a screenshot from NHL.com advertising the Discover NHL Winter Classic in Bristol, Tennessee. The photo illustration on the right of the announcement shows the BMS finish line with the Predators and Hurricanes logos on the wall.
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Fox Sports motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass posted on X/Twitter that BMS President Jerry Caldwell has denied the claim that the Winter Classic will be held at the speedway.
“BMS is always interested in unique large-scale events. The reports of a scheduled event with the NHL at BMS are inaccurate, but we do look forward to welcoming fans back to The Last Great Colosseum for the Food City 500 on Sun., April 12.”
The post that originated on Reddit shows an NHL.com ad stating that the 2027 Winter Classic would be held in Bristol, Tenn.
The news comes a day after the NHL hosted the 2026 NHL Winter Classic between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Fla. The Rangers won 5-1.
The rumor isn’t too far-fetched. Back in August, when the MLB hosted a game between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds at BMS, it was reported that NHL officials were in attendance, and the speedway had expressed interest in hosting NHL games and WWE events.
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The speedway has hosted multiple sporting events, including an NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins in 1961, and two college football games between Tennessee and Virginia Tech, and East Tennessee State and Western Carolina in 2013.
If a hockey game were hosted at the speedway, it could set a record for the most-attended match in league history, as the venue holds nearly 150,000.
Bristol is located four hours east of Nashville.
The Predators have played in two outdoor games: the 2022 Stadium Series at Nissan Stadium in Nashville and the 2020 Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
