Hockey in South Florida has long since stopped being a novelty. Now, it’s making history. On Friday night, the NHL’s signature outdoor spectacle arrives in Miami as the Florida Panthers host the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park in the NHL Winter Classic. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT, and a sold-out crowd is expected for the first outdoor regular-season game ever played in the Sunshine State.
By Miami standards, the timing couldn’t be better. A rare South Florida cold snap has settled in, with daytime highs struggling to climb out of the 60s Fahrenheit and overnight lows dipping into the low 40s. The NHL has been waiting years for the right moment to bring outdoor hockey to Florida — and the weather has finally cooperated.
Creating a sheet of NHL-quality ice in Miami is no small feat. League equipment arrived at the Marlins’ ballpark in mid-December, followed by the installation of custom refrigeration units beneath the field. Thousands of gallons of coolant are now running through a web of hoses, chilling aluminum trays laid under the playing surface.
From there, ice was built slowly and deliberately — about 25% thicker than a standard NHL rink to help combat warmer conditions. A water-soluble paint was added to whiten the ice, and lines and logos were painted on earlier this week as the surface neared completion.
The retractable roof at loanDepot Park has remained closed during the ice-building process, with air conditioning piped in to assist crews. The roof will be opened shortly before puck drop, transforming the ballpark into a true outdoor hockey stage.
Interestingly, this rink won’t be a one-off. Not long after Friday’s game ends, it will be trucked across the state to Tampa, where it will be reused for the Lightning’s outdoor matchup against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium. With no roof in Tampa, the league will construct a temporary tent to help build the ice before removing it ahead of that game.
The idea of outdoor hockey in Florida has been years in the making. When the NHL held its All-Star Game in Tampa in 2018, league officials noticed a clever billboard tied to the event. The wordplay stuck. A seed was planted.
Over the next several years, the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers continued conversations about bringing outdoor games to the state. The success of both franchises only strengthened the case.
For each of the last six seasons — Tampa Bay from 2020 through 2022, then Florida from 2023 through 2025 — a Sunshine State team has reached the Stanley Cup Final. Between them, the Lightning and Panthers have combined for four Stanley Cup titles in that span.
Despite all that success, Florida remained one of only two NHL franchises never to play in an outdoor game. The other is the Utah Mammoth. That changes Friday night.
Some Panthers have experienced outdoor hockey before. Brad Marchand is about to play in his fourth such game. Others will be seeing it for the first time, skating under the lights in front of roughly 35,000 fans in Miami.
Marchand believes the spectacle will only continue hockey’s growth in Florida, where the sport has surged in popularity over the past decade.
Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky last played in an outdoor game 14 years ago, giving him the longest gap between outdoor appearances in NHL history. Head coach Paul Maurice will coach an outdoor game for the third time in his career, and he’s emphasized the importance of putting on a memorable show for fans — both in the ballpark and watching nationwide.
One notable absence remains. Star forward Matthew Tkachuk will not play. He’s nearing his season debut after undergoing surgery in August to repair a torn adductor and sports hernia, injuries that lingered through Florida’s run to a second straight Stanley Cup title last season. Tkachuk practiced Thursday on the Marlins’ field, but Maurice confirmed he won’t be ready for Friday.
loanDepot Park becomes the 15th Major League Baseball stadium to host an NHL outdoor game. Friday’s matchup is the 44th outdoor game in NHL history, dating back to 2003. The warmest game-time temperature in official NHL outdoor game history (Denver, 2016). Forecasters do not expect Friday’s game to challenge that mark.
When the puck drops Friday night, it will mark more than just another Winter Classic. It will be a milestone — proof that outdoor hockey can thrive even in places once considered impossible.
In a city better known for beaches and palm trees, ice will finally take center stage. And for the Panthers, the Rangers, and the NHL, the wait is over.
