SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Outdoor hockey is coming to Utah.
The Utah Mammoth will host the 2027 Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium against the Colorado Avalanche. The date has not been announced for the game at the home of the University of Utah football team.
It’s set to be the first outdoor game for the franchise formerly known as the Phoenix and Arizona Coyotes and before that the Winnipeg Jets. The other 31 active teams had all taken part, making Utah the last to participate.
Owners Ryan and Ashley Smith have been praised by Commissioner Gary Bettman for just about everything they’ve done since buying the team and relocating it to Salt Lake City in 2024.
“This is a dream,” Ryan Smith said. “We actually came up here early in the process of even getting the team because we said this is what we want. We wanted our players to be able to have it.”
Rice-Eccles Stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics and is scheduled to do so again when the Games return to Salt Lake City in 2034. It has a seating capacity of 51,444.
“This stadium sets up very well from a sight line perspective,” Bettman said. “There’s an intimacy here. We expect to have 50,000-plus here.”
Colorado is making its fourth outdoor appearance. The Avalanche are 1-2-0 in previous outdoor contests.
“The Avalanche organization is always proud to be in consideration for marquee events like this," Colorado president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said in a news release. "We’re looking forward to being matched up with a great team and represent the Rocky Mountain region in a game that appeals to these two markets in this part of the country.”
Utah’s legacy as a winter sports destination makes the Winter Classic a natural fit for the state and a natural draw for the community, according to Ryan and Ashley Smith.
“We don’t hide from the winter here. Ashley Smith said. “We live in the mountains. It’s what we breathe. It’s very authentic to us and all of Utah.”
Alcohol sales will be permitted in the stadium during the Winter Classic because it is considered a private event. Athletic events involving the University of Utah prohibit alcohol from being sold inside the stadium during those events.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) celebrates with teammates after scoring his second goal of the game in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Mammoth, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.
The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.
A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.
“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”
The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”
Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.
“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”
Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.
Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.
The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.
“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”
FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
