Fans misled by false 2027 Winter Classic announcement.

Hockey fans have been left feeling duped after an image that purported to reveal the National Hockey League's plans for the 2027 Winter Classic went viral over the weekend.

The image, which appears to have originated from a thread on social media website Reddit, looked very much like an image that originated from the NHL's official website, with information pertaining to an upcoming Winter Classic game between the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.

You can see the viral image just below:

The news has been shared far and wide by multiple accounts across social media, but unfortunately it appears that this announcement was a complete fabrication. Predators reporter Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean is now disputing these reports citing one of his sources and calling the entire thing a fabrication. Daugherty does admit that it could be a possibility in the future, but rules out 2027 entirely according to his sources.

Update: Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports has also confirmed that, according to his sources, this report is false.

Sadly many fans were very excited by the fake announcement and unfortunately it seems they will have their hopes dashed, at least for now. It is an important reminder however to not always believe what you see on social media, even if it does appear to be rather convincing as was the case with the screenshot above.

Now only time will tell what the NHL actually intends to announce when it comes to the 2027 Winter Classic.