NHL Announces Panthers and Lightning Outdoor Games

The NHL has made official their plans for outdoor games hosted by the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Apr 29, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers shake hands following game five of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. The Panther won the series 4-1 and advance to the second round. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

It had been unofficial chatter for a few weeks now, but the NHL has finally confirmed that the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning will host outdoor games during the 2025-26 season. The Panthers are slated to host the New York Rangers at the 2026 Winter Classic and the Lightning will welcome the Boston Bruins at the 2026 Stadium Series.

For the Panthers, this will be their first outdoor game and the southernmost outdoor game ever hosted by the NHL. The 2026 Winter Classic will be hosted at loanDepot Park, the home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins.

The Lightning will be featured in their second outdoor game in franchise history, previously taking on the Nashville Predators at the 2022 Stadium Series. The Lightning will host the Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Fans often scoff at hockey in Florida, but the Panthers and Lightning have proven that not only can the sport work in one of the hottest climates in the United States, it can thrive. They have a combined three Stanley Cup championships, all happening within the last five years.

Beyond the two outdoor games, the NHL plans on having a month-long celebration of hockey throughout Floirda.

“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,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release. “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 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 Stadium Series.”

At the time of this announcement, the Panthers are one of three teams in the NHL to never play in an outdoor game. The other two being the Utah Hockey Club and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets are scheduled to host the Detroit Red Wings at the upcoming 2025 Stadium Series. After the Panthers drop the puck on their Winter Classic, Utah will be the last team to never play outside.

After the lowest-viewed Winter Classic in the history of the event, the NHL is surely looking to revitalize the novelty of outdoor games.

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