The 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic puts the Utah Mammoth against the Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. The NHL lists the game for Thursday 31 December 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time (6:00 p.m. Eastern), an outdoor game on New Year's Eve in a football stadium. It draws fans from both teams, Avalanche supporters driving or flying in from Colorado, corporate hosts and visitors who combine the game with a ski trip.
Rice-Eccles is a campus stadium, a few miles east of downtown, and the NHL says parking information will be released later. Elly8.net books the game as fixed-price chauffeured cars: airport transfers from Salt Lake City International, a game-night car that drops you near the stadium and waits for the final horn, and evening cars for the New Year's Eve dinner that follows. Rides in Salt Lake City are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk.
How do you get to the NHL Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium?
Fly into Salt Lake City International Airport, take a fixed transfer to your downtown hotel, then book the evening out and event night package for the game: the chauffeur drops you near Rice-Eccles Stadium before puck drop and collects you after the game. SLC to downtown is US$125 in a Business Sedan and US$325 in an Executive Sprinter.
The stadium is about 3 miles (5 km) from downtown, roughly 9 minutes on a clear road, and about 11 miles (17 km) from the airport, around 22 minutes. Those times will not hold on game day: tens of thousands of fans head for the same campus in the same two hours, and leave together when the game ends. The value of a chauffeur is a confirmed drop-off, a car that waits for you, and a fixed price on a night when rideshare demand peaks across the city.
See Salt Lake City prices and reserve
The 2027 Winter Classic at a glance
- Teams: Utah Mammoth vs Colorado Avalanche.
- Date and time: Thursday 31 December 2026, 4:00 p.m. MT, according to the NHL's Winter Classic page.
- Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium, 451 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, on the University of Utah campus.
- Tickets: a fully mobile ticket event, sold through Ticketmaster, the NHL's official ticketing partner.
- Parking: the NHL says information will be released at a later date.
The NHL also notes that sight lines in a football stadium are not those of an indoor arena, and that the teams' shooting directions are set by the league. For transport, the more important point is the hour: a 4:00 p.m. start on 31 December means the game ends in the early evening, just as the city's New Year's Eve plans begin.
Flying into Salt Lake City International
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) is about 9 miles (14 km) from downtown Salt Lake City, roughly 18 minutes on a clear road. The terminal is large, and the walk from a far gate to baggage claim takes time. Your chauffeur tracks the flight number you give at booking and meets you inside arrivals at baggage claim with a name board. Complimentary waiting after a tracked landing is included, so a winter delay on the inbound flight does not change the price.
In holiday week, ski travellers and families arrive alongside hockey fans. Book the airport transfer early, and book the return at the same time: 1 January and 2 January departures will be heavy.
| Route or package | Business Sedan | Business SUV | First Class SUV | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLC to downtown Salt Lake City | US$125 | US$165 | US$200 | US$325 |
| SLC round trip | US$240 | US$315 | US$380 | US$620 |
| By the hour, as directed (3-hour minimum) | US$95 | US$120 | US$145 | US$190 |
| Evening out and event night (5 hours) | US$475 | US$600 | US$725 | US$950 |
| Full-day chauffeur (8 hours) | US$700 | US$885 | US$1,070 | US$1,400 |
| Park City ski resorts day trip (6 hours) | US$525 | US$665 | US$805 | US$1,050 |
Prices are per vehicle and all-in: chauffeur, vehicle, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet. Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. A First Class Sedan is US$220 from SLC to downtown. The price list does not change for the game; what changes is availability. A direct ride from the airport to the stadium, or from a hotel near the university, is quoted as a fixed price by the web booker. More on airport transfers.
Game night: the drop-off, the wait and the ride out
The pattern that works for a stadium game is the evening out and event night package: five hours, from US$475 in a Business Sedan to US$950 in an Executive Sprinter.
Before the game. The chauffeur collects you at your hotel with time to spare before the 4:00 p.m. start. Campus streets around the stadium are expected to be restricted on game day, so the drop-off is set at the nearest permitted point and you walk the last stretch to your gate. Send the desk your gate or seating section, and any parking or access instructions on your ticket or from your host, with the booking.
During the game. The chauffeur waits outside the restricted area, reachable by phone. An outdoor game in late December is cold; the car is a warm place to come back to.
After the game. Fans leave together. Agree a pickup point with the chauffeur before the game, a short walk away from the main exits, and call as you leave your seat. The car meets you there and takes you back downtown, to a New Year's Eve dinner, or on to Park City.
The five hours cover a normal game, the walk and the drive. If your evening continues to a dinner or a party, add hours at the hourly rate, from US$95 in a Business Sedan with a 3-hour minimum. See sports event transportation and hourly chauffeur service.
Groups, corporate hosts and visiting fans
Many fans will come as groups: a family party, a fan club, a company entertaining clients. An Executive Sprinter moves the whole group in one vehicle, US$325 from the airport or US$950 for the five-hour game-night package, which avoids several separate rides and several separate meeting points after the game. For larger groups, the desk schedules several vehicles under one booking reference. See group transportation and the Sprinter van with driver.
A corporate account gives your company fixed airport fares, monthly invoicing and a named contact, which suits hosts entertaining clients in a suite or a hospitality area. Travel agents and tour operators selling Winter Classic packages can book through travel-agent accounts. Guests who value discretion can ask for a non-disclosure agreement; Elly8.net is a transportation service, not a security company.
TRAX, rideshare or a chauffeur: the honest comparison
Salt Lake City has a light rail line that runs right to the stadium, and for many fans it will be the right choice.
| Option | Price | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRAX Red Line to the stadium | US$2.50 one way, US$5.00 day pass | stops directly in front of Rice-Eccles; trains wait after events | Fans travelling light from downtown or the valley |
| TRAX Green Line from the airport | US$2.50 one way | airport to downtown, change to the Red Line for campus | Solo travellers with a carry-on |
| Rideshare | varies with demand | pickup where permitted after the game | Small groups with flexible timing |
| Elly8.net game-night package | from US$475 for 5 hours | drop-off, wait and return | Groups, families, hosts, fixed budgets |
The University of Utah's stadium transit page says the TRAX Red Line drops off directly in front of Rice-Eccles Stadium and that trains wait at the platform after events to take guests home. It also describes UTA's Ticket As Fare program, which lets event tickets act as fares on approved events; check whether the Winter Classic is included before you travel. UTA's TRAX page describes the Red Line from South Jordan to the University of Utah and the Green Line from West Valley to the airport, and UTA lists the adult one-way fare at US$2.50 and a day pass at US$5.00.
For a fan with a backpack, TRAX is cheap, direct and well organised, and we would say so. Rideshare will work, but demand will spike at the end of the game and again for New Year's Eve, and pickup areas on a closed campus are not where you want to wait in the cold. A pre-booked car makes most sense for groups and families, for anyone hosting guests, for travellers with mobility needs, and for evenings that continue after the game. See chauffeur vs Uber and Lyft and Uber Black vs a pre-booked chauffeur.
Hockey, skiing and New Year in Utah
The Winter Classic falls in the middle of the ski holidays, and many visitors build a week around it. The signature Salt Lake City package is a six-hour day to the Park City ski resorts, from US$525 in a Business Sedan to US$1,050 in an Executive Sprinter. For the Cottonwood Canyons resorts, Utah's canyon traction law can apply in winter, and chauffeurs plan vehicles and timing around it.
The Mammoth's regular home is the Delta Center downtown, at 301 S. Temple, and the Salt Lake City car service page covers it alongside the convention centre, Temple Square and the downtown hotels. Avalanche fans travelling from Colorado can arrange their Denver legs through our Denver car service. The desk also books cars to Jackson Hole and Boise, and to Las Vegas by quote. Flights and hotels can be booked through our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net; Elly8.net books the car.
How booking works
- Enter the pickup and drop-off: SLC and your flight number, your hotel, or Rice-Eccles Stadium for game night.
- Choose the vehicle, from Business Sedan to Executive Sprinter, or the evening out and event night package.
- Press Reserve now on the Salt Lake City price list, or use the web booker for any address. Confirmation arrives by email, with the chauffeur's details before pickup.
Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory. Game night falls on New Year's Eve, the busiest night of the year for chauffeured cars, so reserve now.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is the 2027 NHL Winter Classic?
The NHL lists the 2027 Discover NHL Winter Classic, Utah Mammoth vs Colorado Avalanche, for Thursday 31 December 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time, at Rice-Eccles Stadium, 451 South 1400 East, on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City.
How much is a car for the Winter Classic?
The evening out and event night package covers five hours with a drop-off near the stadium, the wait and the ride back: US$475 in a Business Sedan, US$600 in a Business SUV and US$950 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle and all-in. SLC airport to downtown is US$125 to US$325.
Can the car drop us at the stadium gate?
The car goes as close as the game-day traffic plan allows. The NHL says parking information will be released later, and campus streets are expected to be restricted. Send your gate and any access instructions with the booking; the chauffeur sets the nearest permitted drop-off and an agreed pickup point.
Is TRAX a better option than a car?
For a fan travelling light, often yes. The University of Utah says the TRAX Red Line stops directly in front of Rice-Eccles and that trains wait after events. A car is better for groups, families, hosted guests, mobility needs and evenings that continue after the game.
How far is Rice-Eccles Stadium from the airport?
About 11 miles (17 km), around 22 minutes on a clear road, and about 3 miles (5 km) from downtown. Game-day traffic around the campus will add time, so the desk sets the pickup with margin before the 4:00 p.m. start.
What is the cancellation policy?
Free more than 72 hours before pickup; 10% at 72 hours or less; 50% at 48 hours or less; 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show. Refunds go to the original card.
Do you provide child seats for families?
Yes, on request at booking. Tell the desk the age and weight of each child and the seat is fitted before pickup, for the airport run, game night or a day in Park City.
