The NHL is bringing outdoor hockey to the Sunshine State for the first time next season.
The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning will each host a regular-season outdoor game in 2025-26, the League announced Wednesday.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers will play the New York Rangers in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic at loanDepot Park in Miami on Jan. 2. It will be the first time outdoor hockey will be played in Florida.
One month later, the Lightning will host the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Feb. 1.
"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.
"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."
Neither can the players.
"It would be unreal. It really would be," Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "I played in one outdoor game in Regina, and it was freezing. But it was so cool to be out there.
"Us getting this game would be big for us, big for the franchise, and we're at the point where it is time. This is exciting."
Florida will become the southernmost host of an NHL outdoor game. To date, that distinction belongs to Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, which held the 2020 Winter Classic between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators. It welcomed 85,630 fans, the second-largest crowd ever at an NHL game.
It will also become the 19th U.S. state to host at least one outdoor game. Washington, D.C., and five Canadian provinces have also hosted.
This will be the first time the Panthers have played any NHL outdoor game.
"I think that is just awesome," Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "And I'll include Tampa getting a game as well for hockey in Florida. But for us, for our fans, it is an incredibly unique experience. I've been through two Heritage games up in Canada, but this is going to be outstanding. And you know, I like the idea, South Florida's getting two of these games. They are an incredible experience for the players but also for the fans.
"These are different. They're not like any other regular season game. It's a lot of fun for the players. The games are really competitive, it's not a no-hitter if they come to play, but all the families are there, there's just a huge crowd. It's a fantastic experience. I'm glad that I feel like these players here in their last few years have kind of earned the right for us to get a game. It's a little bit of a gift back to the fans."
It will be the second outdoor game for the Lightning, who defeated the Predators 3-2 in the NHL Stadium Series at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Feb. 26, 2022.
"Who would've thought you'd get outdoor games in Florida?" Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "I think it's a bit of a tribute to the success the Florida teams have had, especially in the past decade. This has become a hockey market and who would've thought that? And you get rewarded with one of the biggest events the NHL can present. I'm super excited, not only for myself, but for the city of Tampa and South Florida and the entire state."
The games also represent how far hockey has come in Florida since Tampa Bay joined the League as an expansion team in 1992-93 and Florida followed in 1993-94.
Florida has hosted the NHL Draft (2001 and 2015) and the NHL All-Star Game (2003 and 2023) twice each. Tampa Bay has hosted the NHL All-Star Game twice (1999 and 2018).
The Stanley Cup Final has involved one of these teams eight times, including each of the past five years. Florida made the Cup Final in 1996, 2023 and 2024, winning the Stanley Cup last season. Tampa Bay made the Cup Final in 2004, 2015, 2020, 2021 and 2022, winning the Cup in 2004, 2020 and 2021.
"It's going to be a great experience obviously, and to have two [outdoor] games here in the state goes to show how far hockey has come," Lightning captain Victor Hedman said. "Two franchises that have had a lot of success as of late. I'm sure the fans and everyone in the hockey world is going to be excited. For us to be able to pull it off and put one here, it says how far technology has come and how far the game has grown in the state of Florida."
