Well, you certainly can’t accuse the NHL of not being brave. Today they announced that the 2026 Winter Classic will be played on January 2 at loanDepot Park in … Miami. You know … Miami … that super wintery city with the long hockey tradition? Yeah … that one. It will have the host Florida Panthers playing the New York Rangers.
And after that, they’ll put the Stadium Series game in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium on February 1, when the Tampa Bay Lightning will take on the Boston Bruins.
We know you’re wondering, so let’s get the obvious question answered right away:
–The average high temperature in Miami on January 2nd is 78 degrees, and the average low temperature is 64 degrees.
–The average high temperature in Tampa on February 2nd is 68 degrees, and the average low temperature is 48 degrees.
Surprisingly, the Miami game will be played with the roof open. The stadium will keep the roof closed in advance of the game to keep the ice as frozen as possible, but will then open it for the game itself. That’s great, since the character of the NHL’s outdoor games is that they are played … outdoors.
Tampa won’t have the benefit of a roof to keep the ice cold, but will apparently build a temporary roof over the ice that will keep it cold as well.
For reference, the warmest outdoor NHL game was played in 2016 at Coors Field in Denver. The temperature was 65 degrees at game time, but the ice seemed to hold up fine. They’ve also held games in Dallas, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Raleigh – all of which aren’t exactly winter wonderlands.
How to get tickets
There’s no current info on tickets for these games, and we wouldn’t expect to see that information for quite a while. We would expect that season ticket holders for all four teams will receive special presale access, but given the size of the venues, there will likely be plenty of tickets available for a general onsale as well.
Making travel plans for these games
If you’re interested in traveling to the Miami game, our insider guide to loanDepot Park will have tons of advice for travel, lodging, and local transit. We’ll update the seating chapter specifically for the hockey game before tickets are made available.
For the Tampa game, we’ll have an insider guide for Steinbrenner Field (the temporary home of the Rays) in April, and since that stadium is right next door to Raymond James, the travel and lodging advice will apply for the Stadium Series game.
Stay tuned to TSI for more details as they are released.
