Panthers, Lightning to host NHL outdoor games in 2026

Two of the NHL’s premier events are about to heat up…literally.

On Thursday, the league announced that the 2026 NHL Winter Classic will see the Florida Panthers host the New York Rangers. The annual outdoor game will take place at LoanDepot Park, home of MLB’s Miami Marlins, on January 2, 2026.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will also host the Boston Bruins in the Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on February 1st.

“Stanley Cups, streaks of sellouts and the exponential growth of youth and high school hockey throughout the state have demonstrated that Florida is a hockey hotbed,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release. “Outdoor NHL games in the Sunshine State? Never let it be said that our league isn’t up for a challenge.”

Next year’s Winter Classic will be the southernmost outdoor game played in NHL history, surpassing the 2020 Winter Classic, when the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators met in the Cotton Bowl.

It will be the first time the Panthers have ever played in an outdoor game. Florida Hockey Now George Richards first reported that Florida would host an outdoor game last week.

The Rangers have played in a few of these unique matchups. The Original Six franchise has played in five outdoor games in the past and stands with a perfect 5-0 record. A sixth outdoor contest for both the Rangers and Bruins would tie them for second-most all-time with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.

The Blueshirts first played in the 2012 Winter Classic before playing both games at Yankee Stadium during the 2014 Stadium Series. The Rangers also played in the 2018 Winter Classic in Queens and one of the 2024 Stadium Series games in New Jersey.

The Bruins played in the third Winter Classic, hosting the Flyers at Fenway Park in 2010. This will be the first time they have played in the Stadium Series, as Boston appeared in the 2016, 2019 and 2023 Winter Classics, along with one of NHL games in Lake Tahoe in 2021. Bruins are 4-1 in outdoor games.

While this will be the Cats’ first contest played without a roof, their in-state rivals the Lightning have appeared in one before. The Bolts beat the Predators in Music City in a Stadium Series game in 2022.

With the Panthers playing in next year’s Winter Classic and the Columbus Blue Jackets set to host the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL Stadium Series on March 1, the only franchise in the NHL that has yet to play an outdoor game is Utah Hockey Club.

The league is banking on the location of the Rangers, along with the exotic location of playing an ice hockey game in the Sunshine State, which will hopefully drive television ratings. 2025 Winter Classic, which saw St. Louis Blues hammer the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field on New Year’s Eve, drew one disappointing average of 920,000 viewers in the United States on TNT and truTVthe lowest viewership south of the Canadian border in the game’s history.