Crosby & Ovechkin Face Off In 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic On New Year's Day

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced today at his annual Stanley Cup press conference that the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will be played at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field - home of the Pittsburgh Steelers - and will be broadcast by NBC Sports at 1 p.m. ET on New Year's Day.

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin will lead their respective teams in the outdoor classic when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Washington Capitals in the 2011 version, which Forbes magazine called the best new sporting event of the last decade.

The first three NHL Winter Classics have averaged 4.0 million viewers on NBC Sports. On January 1 this year, the Boston Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, in overtime at Fenway Park.