The annual NHL Stadium Series is coming to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay on February 1, 2026 when the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Boston Bruins. This year’s event marks the 16th game of the NHL’s outdoor exhibition, which began in 2014.
The 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL #StadiumSeries will set sail in Tampa Bay on February 1. ⛵︎ pic.twitter.com/mqwJ310vXY
— NHL (@NHL) August 5, 2025
Background
The NHL’s Stadium Series is one of several outdoor events that the league holds during its regular season, usually during the wintertime in football or baseball stadiums. Since 2014, the Stadium Series has seen 16 matchups at 14 different venues. The most recent iteration saw the Detroit Red Wings face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium this past March.
At the time it’s played, this NHL Stadium Series matchup will be just the second outdoor hockey game ever played in Florida. But the first such matchup is set to take place between the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers on January 6 at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, which has a retractable roof. To us, though, that first game is, for all intents and purposes, an indoor matchup, particularly if the weather proves to be an issue, and stadium officials close the roof and rely on climate controls. This makes the Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium even more unique, with nowhere to hide from the Florida climate.
How to attend next year’s Stadium Series
Officially, tickets will go on sale on Thursday, September 18 at 10 a.m. ET on Ticketmaster’s site. However, as of publication, tickets are already available on StubHub, with the cheapest pair of tickets available at $165 each.
Hospitality packages are also available for purchase. The first, labeled “MVP” includes lower-level seating and offers two perks at different price points: a photo opportunity with the Stanley Cup costs $499, or post-game rinkside access costs $579. The second package is called “Draftee” and includes upper-level seating plus a photo opportunity with the Stanley Cup for $229. As of publication, the other hospitality packages are all sold out.
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Intrigue of outdoor (and warm weather) hockey
While next year’s iteration of the NHL’s Stadium Series is historic for outdoor hockey games played in Florida, such exhibitions are commonplace for the league as a whole. Since the 2003-04 season, the NHL has played 43 outdoor games at venues across the United States and Canada. During this stretch, most of these games were played in colder climates, but that hasn’t always been the case. In 2014, Los Angeles hosted the inaugural NHL Stadium Series at Dodger Stadium, with a game-time temperature of 62°F. This wasn’t the warmest game of this stretch, though. That title belongs to the 2016 Stadium Series between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche, when temperatures reached 65°F.
With next year’s game being held in Florida, will the record for the warmest NHL game be broken? According to the National Weather Service, the average high temperature for Tampa Bay on February 1 is 72°F, but the all-time high on that date is a whopping 85°F (in 1990). So, depending on the weather and the scheduled time of the game, there’s a real chance that this will be the warmest outdoor game in NHL history, adding an intriguing twist to this matchup.
Bottom line
The NHL Stadium Series has delivered plenty of exciting finishes over the years, and coupled with the historic nature of next year’s game being played in Florida, this figures to be a fun game for sports fans across the board. If you’re interested in attending, either be on the lookout for tickets once they go on sale via Ticketmaster this Thursday (9/18) or head over to StubHub and see what options are already available.
