Hockey. Open air. In Florida.
Subsequent season, the NHL is making it occur — two times.
The NHL introduced Wednesday that the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will play host to the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park in Miami — house of baseball’s Marlins — on Jan. 2, 2026, within the Iciness Vintage, with the Tampa Bay Lightning enjoying host to the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 1, 2026, in a Stadium Collection sport.
“Stanley Cups, strings of sellouts and the exponential expansion of teenage and highschool hockey right through the state have demonstrated that Florida is a hockey hotbed,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated.
“Outside NHL video games within the Sunshine State? By no means let it’s stated that our league isn’t keen to just accept a problem.”
It’s a very long time coming, however the Panthers and Lightning have represented the Japanese Convention in each and every of the ultimate 5 Stanley Cup Finals and so they’ve constructed closely engaged fan bases.
And each franchises have requested the NHL to carry an outside sport — or two, on this case — to the Sunshine State for a few years.
The league listened.
“So to have a good time those two franchises in opposition to nice Authentic Six groups, I believe, is exceptional,” Panthers President Matthew Caldwell stated. “And I believe our time has come. We deserve that out of doors sport and we’re fired as much as have it proper right here in the neighborhood.”
The Marlins’ ballpark, situated a couple of 45-minute pressure south of the Panthers’ house enviornment in Dawn, can cling about 37,000 enthusiasts. Raymond James Stadium — house of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers — can cling about 65,000 for many occasions, and capability can also be larger a little if important.
“We couldn’t be extra excited for this landmark match to in spite of everything arrive for Bolts Country and the Tampa Bay neighborhood,” Lightning CEO Steve Griggs stated.
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“This second has been a very long time coming, and we’re extremely joyful to peer this dream grow to be a fact.”
Those may not be unusual out of doors video games.
The prime in Miami on Jan. 2 this yr was once 78 Fahrenheit, or 25 Celsius.
The prime in Tampa ultimate yr on Feb. 1 was once 66 F, or 19 C.
The ones temperatures, clearly, aren’t conducive to discovering ice outdoor.
And the prime game-time temperature for any of the former out of doors video games in NHL historical past, the league stated, was once 65 F (18 C) for a sport in Denver in 2016.
“We are aware of it’s dangerous,” stated Steve Mayer, the NHL’s president of content material and occasions.
“I believe we love it. And it’s no longer a problem. It’s in fact a possibility for us.”
The Marlins’ loanDepot Park has a retractable roof and that can play a large function in getting that stadium in a position for hockey. The air con will likely be cranked up — means up — and the Panthers-Rangers sport will likely be performed at night time with the roof open.
For the Lightning-Bruins sport within the open-air stadium in Tampa, the NHL will construct a brief roof over the ice floor and take away it only a few hours ahead of sport time.
“We wish to carry a little bit little bit of a iciness wonderland to Florida,” Mayer stated.
The video games in 2026 would be the forty fourth and forty fifth regular-season out of doors contests in NHL historical past. The Rangers are 5-0-0 of their earlier out of doors video games, Boston has received 4 of its 5 out of doors video games and the Lightning prevailed of their handiest out of doors contest. The Panthers have by no means performed any such sport.
“We get to increase our nice game,” Panthers basic supervisor and hockey operations president Invoice Zito stated.
“Now we have a possibility to have 100,000 other people gazing hockey are living, outdoor, in Florida. That’s unthinkable.”
“And the thrilling section and the thrill section is it’s rising. It’s getting larger. An increasing number of persons are turning into hockey enthusiasts in Florida.”
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