No, there won't be a NAS-CAR Winter Classic NHL game at Bristol Motor Speedway

Guys, we really wanted it to be true as well.

No, Bristol Motor Speedway is not hosting the 2027 NHL Winter Classic. Social media started popping off on the basis of a single screenshot purporting to be from the NHL's website on Friday night, but something didn't pass the smell test.

While it's not unheard of for an event to be inadvertently leaked by someone putting a web page live too early, there was no follow-up from the organization or reputable reports confirming the leak was, in fact, real.

In fact, the follow-up reports several hours later have confirmed the opposite – wherever the Winter Classic will be held next year, it won't be Bristol, home of two NASCAR Cup Series races per year.

Bristol president: No Winter Classic here in 2027

The fabricated matchup was billed as being between the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes – both situated about 250 miles from Bristol and, as some pointed out online, could've created a NAS-CAR scorebug.

(Others noted that the Preds are standardized as NSH on scorebugs, and that the likely format would actually read 'CAR-NSH'. That doesn't stop us admiring whichever scamp came up with the theoretically perfect matchup for the fake event though).

Bristol Motor Speedway president Jerry Caldwell eventually confirmed the rumor for the fiction it was, saying: “BMS is always interested in unique large-scale events. The reports of a scheduled event with NHL at BMS are inaccurate, but we do look forward to welcoming fans back to The Last Great Colosseum for the Food City 500 on Sun., April 12.”

Bristol hosted the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds for the inaugural 'MLB Speedway Classic' last year, a game which eventually extended over two days due to rain. The attendance broke the major league record for a regular-season game at 91,032, although many who attended complained of poor organization, and concessions stands running empty with most of the game to go.