Florida Panthers To Host Winter Classic

The Winter Classic is coming to south Florida. The Florida Panthers will host the New York Rangers at loanDepot park, home of the Miami Marlins, on January 2, 2026.

The NHL officially announced the plan on Wednesday, also confirming the Tampa Bay Lightning will play the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one month later.

The matchup in Little Havana will be the southernmost outdoor game in NHL history. In January 2014, the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium, which was the previous record.

The Panthers and Lightning are one of four teams to not play in an outdoor game. One of those teams, the Columbus Blue Jackets, are hosting the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium on March 1.

How can Miami possibly keep ice frozen outdoors? Let’s begin with the common misconception that the air in hockey arenas is below freezing. In reality, most NHL arenas are kept in the low 60s, sometimes in the upper 50s. According to Weather Underground, the average temperature for Miami in January is 70.6 degrees with an average low of 64.6. Early in the month, those digits go down a couple of notches.

According to the LA Times, during the Stadium Series at Dodger Stadium, workers laid down four-by-eight pieces of plywood over the infield, then placed eighty aluminum trays filled with glycol coolant over the wood. Pipes then carried the 3,000 gallons of coolant through the ice trays and circulated through a refrigerated truck outside. Water was then carefully sprayed on top of the trays and pipes to create the actual playing surface. With the pipes running supercooled water directly underneath the ice rink, the ice never melted.

The temperature was 63 degrees at puck drop that night, and the humidity climbed towards 75% later into the game. By all accounts we could find, the ice held up, and players enjoyed the game.

That was 10 years ago. It’s not clear exactly how they will keep the ice frozen this time, but it proves that there is a way to do it.

Of course, loanDepot park comes with a handy dandy retractable roof. So, should a warm front hit Miami, there is a back-up plan. 

This will be the latest in a string of big events hosted by loanDepot park. They hosted the World Baseball Classic in 2023, and Serie de Caribe and Choque De Gigantes in 2024.