For the first time in the event's history, the Winter Classic will be headed to South Florida. Per an announcement from the NHL, the league announced the Florida Panthers will take on the New York Rangers in the 2026 Winter Classic on Jan. 2 at loanDepot Park, which is the home of the MLB's Miami Marlins
In addition to the Winter Classic, the Stadium Series will also be occurring in Florida in 2026. On Feb. 1, 2026, the Tampa Bay Lightning will face off against the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, which is the home stadium of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"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," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "Outdoor NHL games in the Sunshine State? Never let it be said that our League isn't willing to accept a challenge."
The Lightning and Panthers have called the Sunshine State home since the early 1990s. The Lightning's inaugural season took place in 1992-93, while the Panthers made their NHL debut in 1993-94.
The last five Stanley Cup Finals have featured a team that hails from the state of Florida with the Panthers most recently capturing the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 2024. Meanwhile, the Lightning have won three Stanley Cups in the team's history, including back-to-back crowns in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
The 2026 installment will mark the first time the Panthers have competed in the Winter Classic in team history, while the Rangers will participate in their sixth Winter Classic. The Rangers last took part in the Winter Classic in 2018 when they recorded a 3-2 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field.
On the other hand, the Lightning will be playing in their second outdoor game appearance. Tampa Bay recorded a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators at Nissan Stadium in the 2022 Stadium Series. The Bruins will be competing in their sixth outdoor game, and have a 4-1 record in outdoor games. Boston last played outdoors in the 2023 Winter Classic, when they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 at Fenway Park.
The 2026 Winter Classic and Stadium Series matchups will be uncharted territory for the NHL. The Winter Classic has never been played in the southern region of the United States.
However, the Stadium Series has seen warmer temperatures become a factor in past outdoor games. In the 2021 Stadium Series, the Colorado Avalanche faced the Vegas Golden Knights in Lake Tahoe on Feb. 20 in an afternoon tilt, but ended up having to suspend play after the first period due to the ice melting after being exposed to sunlight.
The game was postponed until 9:02 p.m. PT (12:02 a.m. ET) when the sun went down, and didn't wrap up until about 10:50 p.m. PT (1:50 a.m. ET). The Avalanche won the game 3-2 with star forward Nathan MacKinnon tallying a goal and two assists.
