The Florida Panthers will host the 2026 Winter Classic against the New York Rangers at LoanDepot Park in Miami next season, the NHL announced Wednesday. The game will take place on January 2, 2026.
“It’s going to be a little unusual,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said last week before the official announcement. “It will be a little more unique, some people will think we have gone crazy. … And it will be good.”
The 2026 Winter Classic will mark the first time the NHL has played an “outdoor game” in the state of Florida. It will also be the first involving the Panthers, making the Utah Hockey Club – formerly the Arizona Coyotes – the only team never to participate in the event. The Chicago Blackhawks led the way with seven appearances after competing in this season’s Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.
In the press release, Bettman cited the recent spate of Stanley Cups won by the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers as part of the reason for holding the Classic in Florida, as well as the growth of youth and high school hockey.
“Outside NHL games in the Sunshine State? Let it never be said that our League is unwilling to take on a challenge,” Bettman said.
No intrastate matchup vs. Lightning
The Rangers will serve as the visitors in the Stadium Series game, leaving many wondering why the NHL didn’t go with the Panthers’ natural rivals in the Tampa Bay Lightning. That’s because the Lightning get their own game on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“The Panthers and Lightning have repeatedly told us that they and their fans want this special experience,” Bettman said in the release. “Starting Jan. 2 in Miami, when the Panthers host the Rangers in the Discover NHL Winter Classic, we will do just that. host 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.
