As part of NHL's Stadium Series Yankee Stadium will be the host of two outdoor hockey games in 2014. The first game will be played on Sunday January 26 at 12:30 pm between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils. The second game will be on January 29 at 7:30 pm between the Rangers and the New York Islanders. The Rangers will be designated as the road team in both games.
The Winter Classic was started in 2008 and has already taken place in several major league ballparks, including Wrigley Field (2009), Fenway Park (2010), and Citizens Bank Park (2012). This coming series will will also have a game between the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings at Dodger Stadium.
One factor that could have gotten in the way of the Winter Classic being played at Yankee Stadium is that the Pinstripe Bowl will be played on December 28, the final year of the four-year contract. The Pinstripe Bowl is a college football game that pairs the fourth place team from the Big East Conference with the seventh place team from the Big 12 Conference. The inaugural game was played in 2010 and has seen Syracuse win twice (2010, 2012) and Rutgers win once (2011).
Seeing as how I don't follow hockey, this news means very little to me. I am strongly against non-Yankee events taking place at Yankee Stadium during the season, but this is in the offseason, so it's not too bad. Concerts held in baseball stadiums have a tendency to destroy the field and so will hockey games and football games, but at least there's time for the grass to get better. I eagerly await the day that Yankee Stadium hosts a basketball game between the Knicks and the Nets.