2026 NHL Winter Classic
Rangers beat Panthers 5–1 in Miami's first outdoor NHL game.
The 2026 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League game played on January 2, 2026, at LoanDepot Park in Miami. The New York Rangers defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 5–1, with Mika Zibanejad recording the first hat trick in Winter Classic history. It was the first outdoor NHL game in Florida and the southernmost game in league history.
Quick Facts
- Visitor
- New York Rangers
- Home
- Florida Panthers
- Attendance
- 36,153
- Date
- January 2, 2026
- Arena
- LoanDepot Park
- City
- Miami
Facts from the source article.
Background
The league announced the game on January 8, 2025, together with the 2026 NHL Stadium Series, which was scheduled at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. These were the first outdoor NHL games played in Florida. The Winter Classic marked the Florida Panthers' first game in Miami since 1998, their first outdoor game ever, and the southernmost NHL game to date; the Utah Mammoth remained the only team without an outdoor appearance. The Rangers were chosen as the opponent to attract a large traveling fanbase, given the many New Yorkers living in South Florida, while the defending champion Panthers provided a quality opponent, addressing complaints about the 2025 event where the last-place Chicago Blackhawks hosted. This was the second consecutive year the league scheduled the Winter Classic away from its traditional New Year's Day slot, as part of a gentlemen's agreement between TNT and ESPN, who share American NHL and College Football Playoff rights. TNT moved the game out of the windows used by the Playoff quarterfinals, which now occupy all of New Year's Day afternoon and evening and prime time New Year's Eve. The previous season's attempt to move the game to December 31 had been unsuccessful due to factors including viewers being at work on a non-holiday, unawareness of the date change, and competition from non-Playoff bowl games; the 2026 attempt to schedule it on January 2 posed many of the same issues. Because of Miami's warm climate, the NHL modified the rink construction: the ice sheets were 2½ inches thick, 1 inch thicker than standard, and two mobile refrigeration units were used instead of one. The retractable roof of LoanDepot Park remained closed during construction to maintain optimal ice conditions; the NHL planned to open it at puck drop, with a contingency to keep it closed if outdoor temperatures rose.
Entertainment
The fan festival and first intermission featured singer-songwriter Role Model, joined by Panthers players Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk as the "Sally." Latin singer Luis Fonsi performed while players were introduced. Florida National Guard Sgt. Emily Nichols delivered the national anthem, with Joshua Rodriguez signing. During the opening, the NHL announced the Rangers and Panthers would compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Roberto Luongo, the only Panther with a retired number, handled the ceremonial puck drop.
Broadcasting
In the United States, TNT held broadcasting rights, with sister channel TruTV simulcasting and streaming on HBO Max. In Canada, Sportsnet held rights with streaming on Sportsnet+; this was the last Winter Classic covered under the NHL's current English Canadian broadcast contract with Rogers Media, which expires in 2026. The game averaged one million viewers across all American platforms, an ostensible increase that would break the downward trend in viewership, peaking at 1.3 million at the end of the first period before declining to 826,000 by game's end. The apparent increase was caused by a change in methodology; viewership actually declined 11% compared to the previous Winter Classic when measured by the methodology in place for that game.
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