NHL to Host First Outdoor Games in Florida Next Season

The NHL will make history next season by hosting its first-ever outdoor games in Florida, with matchups scheduled in Miami and Tampa. The 2026 Winter Classic will feature the Florida Panthers against the New York Rangers on January 2 at loanDepot Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins. The 2026 Stadium Series will see the Tampa Bay Lightning face the Boston Bruins on February 1 at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the groundbreaking decision, emphasizing the growth of hockey in Florida. “We’ve done 42 games all over North America. We haven’t had one in Florida, and our teams have been there for three decades,” Bettman said. “This is a golden age of hockey in Florida when you look at fan engagement, big events like All-Star Games, Stanley Cups between the Lightning and the Panthers, and the growth of hockey at all levels of the game.”

This will mark the Panthers’ first outdoor game and the Lightning’s second, following their 2022 Stadium Series appearance in Nashville. The games will also leave the Arizona Coyotes as the only NHL team yet to participate in an outdoor game.

Hosting outdoor games in Florida presents unique challenges due to the state’s warm climate and humidity. NHL President of Content and Events Steve Mayer explained that loanDepot Park’s retractable roof will allow for controlled ice-making conditions, similar to T-Mobile Park in Seattle, where the 2024 Winter Classic was held. For Raymond James Stadium, the NHL is collaborating with a Dallas-based company to construct a climate-controlled structure to protect the ice during preparation.

Keith Wachtel, NHL President of Business, highlighted the significance of the games for Florida’s hockey community. “Hockey is now a preeminent sport in Florida,” Wachtel said. “The growth of hockey registration in the state has been up over 212 percent since 1999, with female registration alone increasing by 16 percent last year.”

The Panthers and Lightning have both enjoyed recent success, with the Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 and the Panthers claiming their first title in 2023. Both teams have also hosted NHL All-Star Games, further solidifying Florida’s status as a hockey hub.

The NHL plans to celebrate the month between the two games with a statewide grassroots tour, promoting hockey through events like ball hockey and synthetic ice activities. “We want to do things that really make it exciting for fans all over the world,” Wachtel added.

The decision to host two games in Florida reflects the league’s commitment to expanding hockey’s reach. “Stanley Cups, strings of sellouts, and the exponential growth of youth and high school hockey throughout the state have demonstrated that Florida is a hockey hotbed,” Bettman said. “Outdoor NHL games in the Sunshine State? Never let it be said that our league isn’t willing to accept a challenge.”