Images credited to NHL
There’s a bit of a twist to this year’s to the NHL’s annual Winter Classic.
Instead of playing the game in an outdoor hockey rink, the NHL has decided to host the game at a baseball stadium in South Florida.
On January 2nd, the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, will play the NY Rangers at Marlins’ LoanDepot Park to host the State’s first-ever outdoor game.
On Monday, the NHL released renderings of what the finished product will look like, and the images are pretty insane.
The NHL has revealed a first look at this weekend’s Winter Classic in Miami.
The first-ever outdoor NHL game in Florida will be at the home of the Miami Marlins. pic.twitter.com/qYAU4U0vov
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 29, 2025
Here’s what the rink actually looks like right now days before the event.
Good morning from Miami. The ice looks great, complete with the Winter Classic logo. The rest of the field is shaping up for the first NHL outdoor game in the Sunshine State. pic.twitter.com/OMApqGlEEP
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) December 30, 2025
To be clear, the roof will be open.
It might not be the warmest outdoor game in NHL history. The temperature is expected to be in the low 60s at face-off about 8 p.m. ET. It was 65 at Coors Field in Denver in 2016 and 62 at Dodger Stadium in L.A. in 2014 for the Stadium Series. https://t.co/h78J0VrgO0
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) December 30, 2025
Building ice for an NHL outdoor game is a painstaking process. The workers spray layer after layer of mist for hour after hour to build a dense, thick sheet. It’s about an inch thicker than in an NHL arena. It’s refrigerated underneath with glycol pumping through aluminum pans. pic.twitter.com/u3w1RFPQOO
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) December 30, 2025
Miami won’t be the only city to host an NHL game in Florida. A month later, on February 1st, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Boston Bruins. Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.