The NHL has hosted 11 Winter Classics since 2008, featuring a combination of just 11 teams. Most of the teams that have participated in the league’s marquee event have been in the league for a very long time:
Not only does the upcoming Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl buck the trend of hosting the league’s most widely-celebrated event in traditional markets, but it’s also the first time where relatively newere teams have been included. While the Stars technically joined the league as the Minnesota North Stars in 1967, they’ve been in Dallas only 26 years (since 1993).