2015 Winter Classic will be held at Nationals Park; Capitals uniforms to be unveiled Sept. 23

The NHL officially announced Wednesday what’s been an open secret and a foregone assumption: the 2015 Winter Classic between the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks will be held at Nationals Park in the Nation’s Capital on January 1.

Nationals Park was the only true option all along. The home of MLB’s Washington Nationals, the stadium is the only modern option in the District of Columbia. RFK Stadium, the former home of both the Nationals and Washington’s NFL team, would have provided DC fans with nostalgia, but it’s essentially a run down dump and not really in the condition to host much of anything anymore.

FedExField in nearby Maryland, the current home of Washington’s NFL team, has other events scheduled around the turn of the year and wouldn’t have been able to host the Winter Classic or its surrounding week of events. Other options included stadiums in Baltimore or perhaps at the University of Maryland, but felt more like pipe dreams for those who wished to see hockey against the backdrop of the beautiful Camden Yards, home of baseball’s Orioles.

We all wanted to see the game on the National Mall, of course, but constructing a temporary stadium that can seat enough people for the NHL to make money on the game was never a feasible idea.

In addition to the official announcement of the location, the Capitals announced that they will unveil their Winter Classic jerseys on September 23 at noon at Nationals Park. We don’t yet know when the Blackhawks will unveil their uniforms for the game.

In 2011, the Caps wore their old white 1980s-style threads against Pittsburgh in the Winter Classic. Those jerseys became an alternate option for the team that they wear regularly in regular season action, and chances are they could wear the red version now that they’re hosting the outdoor game. Here’s one mockup: