NBC’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with the 2020 Winter Classic between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET from Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas on New Year’s Day. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.
0 - Number of hat tricks in NHL outdoor game history. There have been zero shutouts in Winter Classic history.
1 - Total number of goals in a 1-0 Stars win over the Predators in their first ever matchup on Dec. 28, 1998 at Reunion Arena in Dallas. Shawn Chambers scored the goal and Ed Belfour recorded the shutout with 14 saves.
1 - Successful penalty shot in NHL outdoor game history scored by Derek Stepan (2014 Stadium Series). Two others, Danny Briere (2012 Winter Classic) and Anze Kopitar (2014 Stadium Series) were saved.
2 - Number of losses by Peter Laviolette teams in Winter Classics (2010 and 2012 Flyers).
3 - This will be the third Winter Classic to take place in a college football stadium. The previous two were held in 2014 at Michigan Stadium (Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs) and last January at Notre Dame Stadium (Blackhawks vs. Bruins).
3 - Goals scored by Eric Fehr (three games played) in outdoor games, the most in NHL history.
4 - Wins by Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in outdoor games, the most in NHL history.
5 - Decades that Rick Bowness will have been an NHL head coach for when puck drops at the 2020 Winter Classic. He’ll join Pat Quinn (1970s-2010s) and Scott Bowman (1960s-2000s) as the only coaches to ever do so.
5 - Teams that have played in the Winter Classic and Stanley Cup Final in the same season (Pittsburgh in 2007-08, Detroit in 2008-09, Philadelphia in 2009-10, Chicago in 2014-15 and Boston in 2018-19.)
6 - Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Arizona and Vegas are the only NHL teams that have not participated in an outdoor game.
6 - Number of Winter Classics that have been decided by one goal.
8 - Victories by Winter Classic road teams. Home teams have only won three times in the event’s history (Bruins 2010, Capitals 2015, Blues 2017).
11 – Number of players born in Texas to have played at least one NHL game (current and former). No goaltenders born in Texas have ever played an NHL regular season or playoff game.
11 - Number of Winter Classics to date. The first edition was held in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo between the Sabres and Penguins.
11 - Number of NHL teams, including the Predators, that have not won the Stanley Cup.
14 - Number of players in this year’s matchup (Stars - 6, Predators - 8) who have outdoor game experience.
29 - The 2020 Winter Classic will be the 29th outdoor game in NHL history. The Avalanche and Kings will be the 30th when they play at U.S. Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. in February.
1930 - Opening year of the Cotton Bowl, then known as Fair Park Stadium, which featured a capacity of 46,000. The Cotton Bowl now seats over 90,000.
10,000 - Number of gallons of water needed for each inch of thickness on an NHL outdoor rink. An NHL outdoor rink can be up to two inches thick to deal with various elements.
105,491 - Biggest crowd in NHL history sett during the 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium. The 90,000-plus that will fill the Cotton Bowl is expected to rank as the second-biggest crowd for an NHL game in the League;’s 102-year history.
Watch the 2020 NHL Winter Classic between the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars at the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday, January 1 at 1 p.m. ET only on NBC, NBC Sports and the NBC Sports app.
Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire and Brian Boucher will have the call from the Cotton Bowl. Mike Tirico will host the network’s on-site Winter Classic pre-game coverage alongside the NHL Live studio team of host Kathryn Tappen, and analysts Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp. Tirico will interview members of 1999 Stanley Cup Champion Stars team on-site during intermission of coverage on NBC.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.