The NHL will "create a ranch-like aesthetic" at the Cotton Bowl for the Predators-Stars Winter Classic on Jan. 1, according to Matthew DeFranks of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. This season's Winter Classic will be the "southernmost outdoor game in NHL history," as well as the first outdoor game for both franchises. NHL Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer said that the game will draw "at least 83,000 people" and will be the "second-highest attended NHL game in league history." The NHL will "transform the Cotton Bowl's look with wood-textured trim," and it also will "attempt to bring the State Fair on the field." Mayer said that there will be "animals in an arena of the field dedicated to the State Fair and a theatrical element that comes to life during pregame, timeouts and intermission." Mayer said the game will have a "house band to play during timeouts instead of strictly canned music played over the speakers." He said that the league would announce the musical performers in the "coming weeks," but added that the two acts were "country artists with ties to Dallas and Nashville" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/23).
