The National Hockey League will take over the state of Florida next year, as the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning will be host to both outdoor games. The Panthers will host the 2026 Winter Classic on January 2nd, while the Lightning will host the Stadium Series on February 1st.
The Panthers will make their outdoor game debut at loanDepot Park, home of the MLB’s Miami Marlins. The defending Cup Champtions will face off against the New York Rangers, who will return to the outdoor stage for the sixth time. The Broadway Blueshirts are 5-0 in their outdoor history, their most recent victory a 6-5 overtime win against the Islanders in the 2024 Stadium Series.
The January 2 date is a first for the league, which has historically held the game on New Year’s Day before switching to December 31st this season. The date change comes after the 2025 Winter Classic featuring the Chicago Blackhawks versus the St. Louis Blues hit a new record-low for viewership.
The reigning Stanley Cup Champions’ outdoor debut will come 18 years after the NHL’s first Winter Classic 2008. The city of Miami will become the southernmost location to host a Winter Classic in NHL history. While the city’s 70-degree winters are a major concern for the host city, the Marlins’ ballpark does have a retractable roof, which will likely play a major role in keeping the ice held until game time.
The stadium, which first opened in 2012, holds a capacity 3of 7,000.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The stadium typically seats 65,000, but can be altered to hold up to 75,000. Their February 1st matchup date is the earliest the Stadium Series has been played since 2014.
While it is their first time hosting, the Lightning will be playing in their second outdoor game. They previously matched up against the Nashville Predators in the 2022 Stadium series, where they won 3-2.
Also no strangers to the open-air, the Bruins will be playing in their sixth outdoor game in the team’s history. Boston is 4-1 in outdoor matchups, with their most recent being a 2-1 victory over the Penguins in he 2023 Winter Classic.
With the Columbus Blue Jackets slated to play at Ohio Stadium on March 1st for a Stadium Series Game, the Utah Hockey Club is now the only franchise to never play outdoors.
Below is the press release per the NHL:
NHL Set to Make Florida the Center of the Hockey World with Two 2025-26 Season Marquee Outdoor Games to Be Played in the Sunshine State
NEW YORK (Jan. 8, 2025) – For the first time in League history, the National Hockey League (NHL) will host outdoor hockey in Florida. Celebrating the explosive growth of hockey in Florida over the last three decades, the League will stage two outdoor games in the Sunshine State during the 2025-26 season. The 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic will feature the Florida Panthers hosting the New York Rangers at loanDepot park, home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins, on Jan. 2, 2026 while the Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on Feb. 1, 2026.
“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. Outdoor NHL games in the Sunshine State? Never let it be said that our League isn’t willing to accept a challenge,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
“The Panthers and Lightning have told us repeatedly that they and their fans want this special experience. Beginning in Miami on Jan. 2, when the Panthers host the Rangers in the Discover NHL Winter Classic, we will stage a month-long celebration of hockey throughout Florida that will culminate in Tampa on Feb. 1, when the Lightning host the Bruins in the Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series. Florida, we’re bringing our unique events to you, and we can’t wait.”
In the more than 30 years since the NHL expanded into Florida – the Lightning’s first season was 1992-93, and the Panthers’ first season was 1993-94 – both franchises have enjoyed significant success, including most recently with each of the last five Stanley Cup Final series featuring one of the Florida franchises. The Panthers captured their first Stanley Cup championship in 2024 while the Lightning have won three championships in their history, including back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021.
Off the ice, both teams have inspired a generation of youth hockey players in the state. Ice hockey registration in Florida is up 212% over the 25-year span from 1999 to 2024, with the 21,199 registered players in the state last season, tripling participation from the levels at the turn of the millennium. Girls hockey participation is up 16.1% year-over-year and up 56% over the past eight years. This season, there are eight Florida-born players in the NHL, more than double the number from a decade ago.
The 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic and the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series will headline a month-long celebration of hockey in Florida next January, which will also feature grassroots events throughout the state.
Additional details for each of the two 2026 outdoor hockey events, including start times and ticketing information, will be announced at a later date when available. Fans can sign up for news and updates on the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic here and the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series here.
The 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic will mark the first-ever NHL regular-season outdoor game for the Panthers and the sixth for the Rangers, who hold an NHL-best 5-0-0 record in outdoor games.
The 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series is the Lightning’s second outdoor game appearance, and the Bruins’ sixth. Tampa Bay scored a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators at Nissan Stadium in Nashville at the 2022 NHL Stadium Series while Boston owns a 4-1 record in outdoor games dating back to the 2010 NHL Winter Classic, a 3-2 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park.
TNT will broadcast the 2026 NHL Winter Classic exclusively in the U.S. while ESPN will carry the 2026 NHL Stadium Series. Sportsnet and TVA Sports will deliver both games to fans in Canada.
The NHL Winter Classic continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year, with the 2026 edition marking the 17th NHL Winter Classic. The 2025-26 schedule will include the 44th and 45th NHL regular-season outdoor games overall.
