NEW YORK -- The National Hockey League announced today that the Minnesota Wild will face off against the St. Louis Blues in the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®. Earlier this month, the NHL announced that the Wild would host the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 1, 2021; today the League announced the 2019 Stanley Cup champion Blues as the Wild's opponent for the outdoor game.

The 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year. The outdoor game on New Year's Day 2021 will be the 13th NHL Winter Classic and the 31st NHL regular-season outdoor game overall. For a complete history of NHL regular-season outdoor games, click here.

The 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® will be the Wild's first NHL Winter Classic and second NHL regular-season outdoor game, with their previous such matchup coming in the 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™, a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Feb. 21, 2016. The game will be the Blues' second regular-season NHL outdoor game, with their previous such matchup coming in the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, a 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Jan. 2, 2017.

Going into tonight's Blues-Wild matchup at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild and Blues have faced off in 76 regular-season games, with each earning 85 points in those games (MIN: 35-26-15--85; STL: 36-27-13--85). The Blues have won both matchups this season, including a 2-1 victory in St. Louis on Oct. 30, and a 4-3 overtime win at Minnesota on Nov. 2. The Central Division rivals have split a pair of best-of-seven series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the Wild taking the 2015 First Round matchup in six games and the Blues claiming the 2017 First Round series in 5 games.

Target Field is home to the Minnesota Twins and one of the premier sporting and entertainment venues in the Upper Midwest. The venue was named Sports Facility of the Year in 2011 by the Sports Business Journal and was recognized as having the best game day experience in all of sports by ESPN the Magazine in 2010. Over its first decade, Target Field has hosted Major League Baseball's Postseason (2010 and 2019) and All-Star Game (2014), multiple sporting events including Minnesota prep tournaments, an international soccer match (2016), NCAA football games (2017 and 2019), and several concerts and music festivals.

The 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® will be broadcast live on NBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. Game time, ticket information and other events surrounding the game will be announced when available. NHL Social™ will have exclusive coverage on all social platforms using the hashtag NHL #WinterClassic. Fans can sign up for news and information on for the 2021 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® at www.NHL.com/2021WinterClassic.