One of the best traditions the National Hockey League has churned out in recent years is the annual New Year's Day Winter Classic that has seen teams take their rivalries outdoors and provided some great memories along the way.
2015 should be no different as the NHL rings in the New Year with a clash out in the elements when the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Washington Capitals at Nationals Park in the nation's capital on New Year's Day.
The game will mark the seventh outdoor NHL game to fall under the Winter Classic umbrella and will be the second stadium game under that banner for each one of these teams.
The Blackhawks fell to the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field at the second annual event in 2009 by a 6-4 final while the Capitals topped the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 at Heinz Field in 2011.
The NHL has capitalized on the popularity by adding the Stadium Series, which will continue this year when the San Jose Sharks host the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings at Levi's Stadium in February.
The Blackhawks topped the Penguins 5-1 in a Stadium Series game last year.
Since the inaugural Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in the Buffalo area in 2008 there have been many great moments at this spectacle. CLICK START at the top right corner to begin the slideshow of Sports World News top 5 moments in NHL Winter Classic history and watch those iconic events unfold in the videos below.
If anything is certain heading into the 2015 edition of the game, more great memories will be made when the Blackhawks and Capitals step outside for the seventh annual Winter Classic at Nationals Park on New Year's Day.
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