Clocking in at a chilly -5.7 °F at puck drop, the 2022 NHL Winter Classic is the coldest outdoor game in league history!
The identity for the 2022 NHL Winter Classic takes the sport back to its roots: to the outdoor hockey matches on frozen ponds played in frigid temperatures. The logo itself is inspired by vintage pond hockey tournament patches, and to really capture the scenes of snow bank rinks, blustery winds, and early-afternoon sunsets, we created a series of knit scarf and toque patterns, wood paneling backgrounds, and a collection of old-school hockey patches made specially for this event. As an additional tie to the host venue, the beige secondary color is inspired by Minnesota’s Platteville limestone used in many of the buildings in the Twin Cities, including Target Field where the game took place.
The 2022 NHL Winter Classic featured the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 1, 2022, outdoors at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The outdoor game, originally scheduled for New Year's Day 2021, marked the second NHL regular-season outdoor game for both the Wild and the Blues. The game continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year, with the 2022 edition marking the 14-year anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic in Buffalo. — NHL Press Release
In the initial phases of designing the 2022 NHL Winter Classic identity, we were inspired by all things frozen: frozen pond hockey, ice sculptures, cold weather gear, vintage ice hockey patches, and the scenes of frigid Minnesota winters. Additional local influences included the Twin Cities abundant limestone architecture and typography and knitting patterns, which eventually lead to the custom scarf and toque snowflake patterns in the program.
