When the NHL goes outdoors for its seventh annual Winter Classic next season in Washington, D.C., reports indicate that the Capitals will faceoff with the Chicago Blackhawks.
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According to ESPN, it was revealed that the game will likely be played at Nationals Park, which houses the Washington Nationals MLB franchise, and that the Blackhawks were revealed as the Caps' opponent.
It was announced on Jan. 1 that the Capitals would host the Winter Classic in 2015, but an opponent and venue wasn't revealed during the initial announcement.
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While the venue has yet to be finalized, Nationals Park is the front-runner over RFK Stadium and FedEx Field after the NHL visited all three venues recently. Due to possible scheduling issues with the Washington Redskins, it is likely that Nationals Park will win out over FedEx Field. Nationals Park opened in 2008.
This would mark the second time each franchise will participate in the NHL's annual Winter Classic. The Blackhawks hosted the event at Wrigley Field -- home of the MLB's Chicago Cubs -- in 2009 in what was a losing effort to the rival Detroit Red Wings in the second annual event.
The Capitals visited the Pittsburgh Penguins at Heinz Field -- home of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers -- in 2011, and defeated the Pens 3-1 in the first night game in Winter Classic history in the fourth version of the game.
The NHL has made efforts to expand the popularity of the sport by offering the outdoor games. It added more outdoor games to the schedule this past season.
In addition to the Winter Classic, the NHL had four Stadium Series games that saw the New York Rangers host the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders in two separate games at Yankee Stadium, the Blackhawks host the Penguins at Soldier Field in Chicago and the eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings host the Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium.
There was also the Heritage Classic that saw the Ottawa Senators visit the Vancouver Canucks.
The Capitals are coming off of a season where the team missed the postseason with a 38-30-14 record while the Blackhawks failed to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, but made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals in a losing effort to the Kings.
While it isn't much of a rivalry, the Blackhawks and Capitals will likely be taking it outside in 2015.
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