While Dallas interim head coach Rick Bowness will be making his NHL outdoor game debut, assistant coach John Stevens served behind the Los Angeles Kings bench in a similar capacity for the Kings' Coors Light NHL Stadium Series appearances in 2014 (Dodger Stadium, ANA 3 at LAK 0) and 2015 (Levi's Stadium, LAK 2 at SJS 1). In addition, Stars GM Jim Nill acted as assistant general manager for the Detroit Red Wings when they traveled to Chicago's Wrigley Field for the 2009 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic against the Blackhawks (DET 6 at CHI 4).

PLAYOFF HISTORY

Dallas and Nashville met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 2018-19, with the Stars (First Wild Card) eliminating the Central Division champion Predators in six games. Bookending the series were memorable performances by Stars blueliners. Miro Heiskanen, 19, became just the second teenager to suit up for the Stars in a playoff game since the franchise relocated to Dallas in 1993-94 and posted 1-1--2 in the series opener, lifting Dallas to a 3-2 win in Game 1 at Nashville. John Klingberg scored at 17:02 of overtime in Game 6, becoming the first Stars/North Stars blueliner to score an overtime goal in a series-clinching game.

OUTDOOR GAME NOTES AND TRENDS

* There have been 28 total regular-season outdoor NHL games to date: 11 Winter Classics, 10 Stadium Series, five Heritage Classics, one Centennial Classic and one NHL100 Classic.

* The NHL’s 28 regular-season outdoor games have drawn total attendance of 1,492,877– an average of 53,317 per game.

* Seventeen outdoor games have taken place at football venues, 10 have been hosted by baseball parks and one has been staged in a soccer stadium.

* A total of 782 skaters, goaltenders and head coaches have participated in the NHL’s 28 regular-season outdoor games to date.

* Road teams are 16-8-4 in the League’s 28 outdoor games to date. Home teams are 12-13-3 overall, but 7-1-1 in the last nine.

* Fourteen of the League’s 28 outdoor games have featured a comeback win (50.0%), including each of the last three (Jets: 2019 HC vs. CGY, Bruins: 2019 WC at CHI, Flyers: 2019 SS vs. PIT).

* Seven of the NHL’s 28 outdoor games have required overtime, with five decided in the 5-minute extra session and two determined in a shootout.

WINTER CLASSIC LEGACY INITIATIVE

* As a legacy to the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, the NHL and Dallas Stars have invested in the students and mission at St. Philip’s School & Community Center. The inner-city private school in South Dallas serves 240 students from grades PK2 – Grade 6, and its Community Center serves more than 3,000 kids and their families each year. In April 2019, the Dallas Stars Foundation pledged $2 million to build a new multi-sport athletic complex and assist with funding for after-school and summer initiatives. The NHL joined the Dallas Stars Foundations’ efforts to make hockey, and all sports, more accessible to the community with the donation of a brand-new ball hockey court. As an additional gift to the St. Philip’s School & Community Center, more than 500 kids and their families from the South Dallas community will attend today's game.

DID YOU KNOW?

* The first regular-season outdoor NHL game took place on Nov. 22, 2003, at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. A sellout crowd of 57,167 braved extreme cold as the visiting Montreal Canadiens defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3.

* The 2003 Oilers-Canadiens clash also rates as the coldest regular-season outdoor NHL game. The temperature at puck drop was 0°F/-18°C, with severe wind chill.

* The highest temperature recorded at puck drop for an NHL regular-season outdoor game was 65°F/18°C, in Denver, Colo., for the 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series at Coors Field (DET 5 at COL 3).

* According to the National Weather Service, the average high temperature for Dallas on Jan. 1 is 56°F/13°C. The average low temperature is 35°F/2°C. The highest temperature recorded for the date was 83°F/28°C, in 2006; the lowest temperature was 10°F/-12°C, in 1928.

* The thousands of Predators fans making the trek from central Tennessee to Dallas for the Winter Classic are making a journey of approximately 660 miles each way: a 10-hour drive or two-hour flight. The only NHL club closer to the Stars than Nashville is another of their Central Division foes, the St. Louis Blues (approximately 630 miles from Dallas).

* The crowd at Cotton Bowl Stadium for the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic is expected to rank as the second-largest for an NHL game in the League's 102-year history. It is set to eclipse the current #2 (76,126), set on New Year's Day a year ago in the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium. The biggest crowd in NHL history remains the 105,491 that packed Michigan Stadium for the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

* Five clubs have skated in the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and the 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.

* Twenty-nine skaters and goaltenders – including current Dallas forward Alexander Radulov and current Nashville defenseman Dan Hamhuis – have competed for both the Stars/North Stars and Predators (no head coaches have). Four of those 29 have appeared in at least 200 regular-season games with each franchise: Jason Arnott (236 w/ DAL, 275 w/ NSH), Vernon Fiddler (366 w/ DAL, 325 w/ NSH), James Neal (214 w/ DAL, 219 w/ NSH) and Mike Ribeiro (461 w/ DAL, 209 w/ NSH).

* NHL hockey arrived in Dallas in 1993-94, when the North Stars relocated from Minnesota. Five seasons later, in 1998-99, the Predators played their inaugural campaign while the Stars captured the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

* The teams met for the first time on Dec. 28, 1998, at Reunion Arena in Dallas. Defenseman Shawn Chambers scored the game-winning goal in the second period and goaltender Ed Belfour stopped all 14 shots as Dallas blanked Nashville 1-0. Belfour was among six future Hockey Hall of Fame inductees in the Stars' lineup, joining Guy Carbonneau, Brett Hull, Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk and Sergei Zubov. The head coaches, Dallas' Ken Hitchcock and Nashville's Barry Trotz, currently rank third and fourth, respectively, on the NHL's all-time coaching wins list.

* This is the seventh consecutive season the Stars and Predators are competing as Central Division rivals (since 2013-14). While Nashville has been in the Central each season since joining the NHL in 1998-99, the Stars had a 14-year run in the Pacific Division from 1998-99 through 2012-13.

* In the teams' first meeting this season, on Dec. 14, the Stars spotted the Predators a 1-0 lead but tallied four unanswered goals in the second period for a 4-1 victory at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Blake Comeau, Roope Hintz, Jamie Oleksiak and Andrew Cogliano scored, Alexander Radulov notched two assists and Anton Khudobin made 37 saves for the winners.

* Following their New Year's Day clash, the teams will play each other two more times in 2019-20: a home-and-home series March 5 at Nashville and March 7 at Dallas.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

The Stars and Predators' active rosters feature players born in nine countries: Canada (16), Czech Republic (2), Finland (6), Kazakhstan (1), Russia (3), Slovakia (1), Sweden (6), Switzerland (2) and United States (8).

Dallas: CAN (9), FIN (3), CZE (2), RUS (2), SWE (2), USA (2), KAZ (1), SVK (1)

Nashville: CAN (7), USA (6), SWE (4), FIN (3), SUI (2), RUS (1)

FAIR PARK AND COTTON BOWL STADIUM

Cotton Bowl Stadium sits in Fair Park, where over five million visitors come every year to explore its diverse array of venues and landmarks. Opened in 1886 and host of a world’s fair commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Texas Republic in 1936, Fair Park was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

Cotton Bowl Stadium opened in 1930 as a 46,000-seat venue known as Fair Park Stadium. Over the years, the stadium has served as the home of football teams including the Dallas Cowboys and SMU Mustangs. The Cowboys called Cotton Bowl Stadium home for the first 12 years the team competed in the NFL, from 1960 through 1971. They played the first two games of the 1971 season at the Cotton Bowl before making their debut at Texas Stadium in Irving on Oct. 24, 1971.

The annual tradition of a New Year’s Day bowl game in Dallas began on Jan. 1, 1937, when TCU defeated Marquette 16-6 in the first Cotton Bowl. The annual fixture was moved from Cotton Bowl Stadium to Arlington, Texas, in 2010 -- making the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic the first major New Year's Day game at the Cotton Bowl since 2009.

Each year, beginning the final Friday of September, Fair Park in Dallas is home to the State Fair of Texas. Since its establishment in 1886, the fair has promoted Texas agriculture, education, and community involvement. At 24 consecutive days, it is the longest-running fair in the United States. The annual "Red River Rivalry" college football game between the University of Texas Longhorns and University of Oklahoma Sooners, played during the run of the State Fair, has been held at Cotton Bowl Stadium since 1932.

UP-TO-THE-MINUTE: DALLAS STARS

* The Stars are tied for fourth in the League with 45 points since Oct. 19, posting the third-most wins in that span (21-7-3) after winning only one of their first nine games to begin 2019-20 (1-7-1).

* Prior to their game Nov. 13 against Calgary, the Stars held an 8-8-2 record (18 points) and sat three points back of both a playoff spot and the Predators (9-6-3, 21 points). Dallas began a seven-game winning streak that night – matching the longest in franchise history – to climb into second place in the Central Division by Nov. 25 (15-8-2, 32 points).

* The Stars leapfrogged the Predators into a playoff spot with a win Nov. 14 and have remained there since. Nashville has yet to reenter the playoff picture since that date but have been within three points of the second Wild Card spot since Dec. 17 (with games in hand).

* Tyler Seguin has five goals in his last six games and has collected a team-high 11-21—32 in 2019-20 (40 GP). The 27-year-old also has at least one point in seven of his last eight games dating to Dec. 13 (5-4—9).

* Seguin sits four points shy of becoming the 12th player to record 500 career points with the Stars/North Stars franchise (217-279—496 in 509 GP w/ DAL). Only five players have accumulated 500 points with the club since it relocated to Dallas in 1993-94, with captain JamieBenn (290-378—668 in 785 GP) ranking second on that list.

* Since Seguin joined the Stars in 2013-14, he and Benn each rank among the NHL’s top 10 in goals (Seguin 4th, 217; Benn 8th, 208). The Dallas roster features three members of that cohort following the offseason addition of Joe Pavelski (7th, 212); they are the only club with multiple players among the top 10 in that span.

* Dallas Stars interim head coach Rick Bowness will become just one of three coaches in NHL history to have held a head coaching position in five different decades when he steps behind the bench today at the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. Bowness will join Hockey Hall of Fame Honored Members Pat Quinn and Scotty Bowman as the only individuals in the League's history to accomplish this feat.

The native of Moncton, N.B., will have served as the bench boss during the 1980's (Winnipeg), 1990's (Boston, Ottawa, New York Islanders), 2000's (Phoenix), 2010's (Dallas) and 2020's (Dallas). Quinn served as head coach during the 1970's (Philadelphia), 1980's (Philadelphia, Los Angeles), 1990's (Vancouver, Toronto), 2000's (Toronto, Edmonton) and 2010's (Edmonton), while Bowman was behind the bench as head coach during the 1960's (St. Louis), 1970's (St. Louis, Montreal, Buffalo), 1980's (Buffalo), 1990's (Pittsburgh, Detroit), 2000's (Detroit).

Only two other coaches have served behind the bench for four decades, Jacques Lemaire and Jacques Martin.

* Ben Bishop holds a 13-9-3 record in 2019-20, highlighted by a 2.34 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and one shutout. Since being acquired by the Stars ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, Bishop leads NHL goaltenders (min. 75 GP) in goals-against average (2.27) and save percentage (.925).

* Twenty-year-old Miro Heiskanen – who ranks third on the Stars in scoring (7-15—22 in 40 GP) – is expected to be the youngest player in the 2020 Winter Classic. He has skated at least 21 minutes in all but one game this season (Dec. 7 vs. NYI: 19:51).

UP-TO-THE-MINUTE: NASHVILLE PREDATORS

* Roman Josi has 14-25—39 through 38 games this season to lead the Predators in goals (tied), assists and points. He is the only defenseman to lead his team in each of those categories in 2019-20; eight other blueliners sit atop their team in at least one of those stats, with Washington’s John Carlson (13-37—50 in 40 GP) the only other blueliner to pace his club in at least two of those categories (assists and points).

* Ryan Ellis ranks second on the club with 28 points (6-22—28 in 38 GP). This is the second time the Predators have had defensemen as the top two point-getters at this stage of a season (38 GP); the first was with Roman Josi and Shea Weber in 2015-16. The Stars (Philippe Boucher and Sergei Zubov in 2006-07) are one of three other clubs to have been in this circumstance.

* The Predators’ defensive group has a history of contributing on offense, ranking among the top five highest-scoring defenses in each of the previous five campaigns – including first-place finishes in 2015-16 and 2017-18. Nashville currently ranks fourth in the League with 103 points by defensemen in 2019-20: one point behind Tampa Bay and Washington, and six behind the League-leading New York Rangers.

* Josi arrives at the Winter Classic on a seven-game point streak (7-6—13), one behind Bruins forward David Pastrnak's eight-game streak (3-10—13) for the League’s longest active run (Montreal's Max Domi and Carolina's LucasWallmark also have seven-game active streaks). Washington's John Carlson is the only NHL defenseman with a longer point streak in 2019-20 – he built his defensive scoring lead with point streaks of nine (Oct. 8-24) and eight (Nov. 7-20) games.

* Josi also had a five-game goal streak from Dec. 16-23, establishing a Predators record for the longest by a defenseman in franchise history (previous: 4 GP by Mattias Ekholm in 2017-18).

* Josi needs only one goal to match his single-season career high (15 in 2014-15 and 2018-19). His 107 regular-season goals rank second among defensemen who debuted in the decade just ended to Oliver Ekman-Larsson's 120.

* Filip Forsberg, who has played each of his 427 regular-season NHL games with the Predators, shares the team lead with 14 goals in 2019-20. Another 20-goal season would be the sixth of his career, which would break a tie with Craig Smith (5) for the most such campaigns in franchise history.

* Forsberg, who was acquired in a trade with the Capitals on April 3, 2013 after going 11th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, leads his draft class in career goals (159), points (332) and points per game (0.78; min. 50 GP).

* Entering 2019-20, Pekka Rinne has produced a 30-win season eight times in his career including each of the previous five campaigns. Only five goaltenders in NHL history have more career 30-win seasons than Rinne.

WINTER CLASSIC ENTERTAINMENT

The 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will salute to its iconic venue with appearances by Cotton Bowl Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Ricky Williams; a special celebration of the State Fair of Texas; and musical performances by GRAMMY Award-winning duo Dan + Shay (pictured, above), Texas band Midland and “The Voice” winner Jake Hoot.

The transformation of the Cotton Bowl Stadium football field for the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic includes the addition of an oversized ranch entry arch featuring the NHL Winter Classic logo flanked by the Stars’ NHL Winter Classic jersey crest and the Predators’ sabre-toothed tiger head logo. The wood motif in the hanging welcome sign is featured throughout the stadium.

Two-time, GRAMMY-nominated band Texas band Midland will open the game day festivities with a performance.

The formal anthem ceremony will begin with the on-field arrivals of the Stars and Predators, escorted by the Dallas Police Department Mounted Unit. Four horse riders carrying U.S., Texas, Predators and Stars flags will take the field, followed by a performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” by newly crowned “The Voice” champion Jake Hoot. The Corpus Christi, Texas native is currently living in Cookeville, Tenn., and will return to his home state after his big win on the four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series.

In a salute to the rich history of Cotton Bowl Stadium, Cotton Bowl Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Ricky Williams will take part in a ceremonial puck drop.

GRAMMY Award-winning duo Dan + Shay will perform in the first intermission presented by Ticketmaster. Dan + Shay continue their rapid rise and are taking the music world by storm. The last twelve months have seen GRAMMY, Billboard, ACM, CMT, Teen Choice, BMI, CMA and American Music Awards wins – most recently snagging two GRAMMY nominations for Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Country Song for “Speechless,” the accumulation of four billion career streams globally, several mega-hit, chart-topping songs and more.

During the second intermission, the NHL will pay homage to the biggest attraction in Texas and most Texan place on Earth - the State Fair of Texas. Fans will enjoy some Texas-sized fun as the NHL regulation-size rink shares the field with jugglers, a rodeo clown, a sword swallower, a fire breather, trick roping and horse riding, SMU Mustangs and Texas A&M Aggies dance teams and a rodeo show.

The boots belonging to Big Tex, the internationally known, 55-foot talking cowboy that welcomes the more than 2.5 million visitors to the State Fair of Texas each year, will sit alongside the rink, joined by a rodeo clown and longhorn steer.

Dallas/Fort Worth-band, The 8tracks, will serve as the house band with performances throughout the game.