NHL Winter Classic heading to Florida



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NHL Winter Classic 2026 Image: Miami Marlins Park, Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0

The National Hockey League (NHL) is shaking things up with its Winter Classic Stadium Series outdoor events by hosting them in Florida in 2026.

CNN said the NHL revealed the league’s unique idea by announcing a 2026 event will be played in South Florida at loanDepot park, the home of MLB’s Miami Marlins, on January 2, 2026.

The game will pit the Florida Panthers, winners of the 2024 Stanley Cup, against the New York Rangers in the first NHL game held outdoors in the elements in Florida.

The 36,742-capacity loanDepot Park is a retractable roof stadium located in Miami, Florida. It is the home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins. It is located on 17 acres of the former Miami Orange Bowl site in Little Havana, about two miles West of Downtown.

And the league is doubling down on its Sunshine State initiative by hosting another outdoor game a month later in Tampa.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said, “It’s going to be a little unusual. It’s going to be a little more unique – some people will think we’ve lost our minds.

Stanley Cups, strings of sell-outs and the exponential growth of youth and high school hockey throughout the state have demonstrated that Florida is a hockey hotbed. Outdoor NHL games in the Sunshine State? Never let it be said that our League isn’t willing to accept a challenge.”

In the second match, Boston Bruins will play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at Raymond James Stadium, as part of the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.

The 75,000-capacity Raymond James Stadium is a multipurpose stadium in Tampa, Florida (US) that opened in 1998 and is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL).

The clash will mark the Bruins’ sixth NHL regular-season outdoor game and first Stadium Series appearance.

The Bruins have previously played in four NHL Winter Classics (2023, 2019, 2016, 2010) as well as the NHL Outdoors game at Lake Tahoe in 2021.

Bruins President Cam Neely said, “The Bruins organization takes pride in being selected to participate in one of the National Hockey League’s marquee events.

“Similar to the NHL Winter Classics at Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium, and Notre Dame Stadium and the NHL Outdoors Game in Lake Tahoe, the 2026 Stadium Series in Tampa will be a meaningful opportunity for our players and entire organization to showcase the game of hockey on a grand scale.”

CNN further stated that the challenge will certainly be how the league handles the ice surface for both games.

On January 2, 2023, Miami’s high temperature was 83 degrees Fahrenheit, with a low of 68 degrees, according to Weather Underground. Last year, the high was 71 degrees.

Tampa’s high on February 1, 2023, was 79 degrees Fahrenheit and 66 degrees last year.

The warmest outdoor NHL game was played at the 2016 Stadium Series contest at Coors Field in Denver, home of the MLB’s Colorado Rockies. A pleasant 65 degrees greeted the players when the puck dropped between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche.

NHL executive vice president Dean Matsuzaki told NHL.com, “In Miami, the venue has a retractable roof which gives us some options and helps protect our rink build.

“In Tampa, the venue is open air, and the rink build is much more exposed. We are working closely with our Hockey Operations Department and key vendors on plans to protect our rink build for the Stadium Series.”

The two Florida-based NHL teams have been very successful recently. The Panthers earned the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship last year, while the Lightning have won three Cups, including back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021.

In less than two months, the NHL will host a Stadium Series game at the historic Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. Fans will pack the famed Horseshoe when the Blue Jackets host the Detroit Red Wings on March 1.

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