The Dallas Stars will host the 2027 NHL Stadium Series at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.
The game in the retractable-room stadium will take place on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027, with the Stars’ opponent yet to be named.
“The National Hockey League is thrilled to bring the spectacle of an NHL Stadium Series game to Arlington and one of the world’s most spectacular sports settings, AT&T Stadium,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a news release.
“Ever since its opening in 2009, Jerry Jones has been advocating for an outdoor game at this amazing venue. And we are delighted to partner with the Cowboys and Stars – two franchises dedicated to the fans of North Texas – and to create another unique fan experience for a market that has long been a hockey success story and welcomed us so enthusiastically when the 2020 NHL Winter Classic was played at the Cotton Bowl.”
Dallas has only played one outdoor game since relocating from the Minnesota North Stars ahead of the 1993-94 season. They hosted the Nashville Predators at the Cotton Bowl Stadium on New Year’s Day of 2020. The Stars defeated the Predators 4-2 in that Winter Classic affair.
That game drew the third-largest crowd in NHL history, with a total of 85,630 fans in attendance.
AT&T Stadium seats around 80,000 fans but can fit up to 100,000 with standing room. In addition, the Cowboys are averaging an attendance of 93,061 so far this NFL season.
With that, only two NHL games have had crowds larger than 90,000.
When the Columbus Blue Jackets took on the Detroit Red Wings in last year’s Stadium Series matchup, Ohio Stadium seated 94,751 fans.
In 2014, the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Red Wings at Michigan Stadium in a Winter Classic contest. That game holds the record for the largest crowd at an NHL game with 105,491.
With AT&T Stadium’s capacity, this game, including the Stars and an unknown opponent, could challenge those all-time attendance numbers.
“Hosting the NHL Stadium Series with the Dallas Stars is another great example of the vision we’ve always had for what AT&T Stadium could be beyond football,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.
“The game will be another proud moment for us and being able to provide a world-class fan and team experience in partnership with two outstanding organizations, the NHL and the Stars, will be very special.”
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