Bruins Will Travel to Florida for Outdoor Hockey in 2026

Traveling to Florida in the winter sounds like a great escape for many on the SouthCoast. Next year, they can make the trip and cheer on their favorite team at the same time.

The NHL announced recently that they're bringing the 2026 Winter Classic and Stadium Series to the Sunshine State. These are two regular season outdoor games that take place at various baseball and football stadium across the country.

They've become an annual tradition, but the decision to take the games south is an interesting one. Many wondering if it's even possible.

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The Florida Panthers will host the New York Rangers on Jan. 2 in Miami at LoanDepot Park, home of the Marlins, for the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic. Just under a month later, the Boston Bruins will travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers, on February 1.

Fans have really taken to the Floridian teams since their inceptions in 1992 (Lightning) and 1993 (Panthers). They've had plenty to cheer for, too.

Tampa Bay raised the Stanley Cup three times: 2004, 2020 and 2021 while Florida are the reigning champs, taking home the cup in 2024.

The National Hockey League has held 42 outdoor games with a variety of temps and other weather conditions. The big threat for ice has been harsh sunlight (Lake Tahoe in 2021) and heavy rain.

However, the high temps in Florida have many skeptical. Miami's average high in January is 78 degrees with lows only dipping in the mid 60s. Tampa in February sees highs in the low 70s and lows in the 50s.

For the record, there have been some milder games even recently including Boston's Winter Classic at Fenway in 2023 with teams playing in 50 degrees at puck drop. Dallas hosted in 2020 while it was 57 degrees and a Stadium Series game in California in 2015 played at temps hit 62 degrees.

The Miami game does have one thing going for it, a roof.

“In Miami, we have every intention of playing with the roof open, but the retractable roof gives us some options and helps protect our rink build,” said Dean Matsuzaki, Executive V.P. of Events for the NHL. The roof can open or close in about 13 minutes.

As for Tampa where the field is exposed and doesn't have the option to cover, he said "we are working closely with our hockey operations department and key vendors on our plans to protect our rink build for the Stadium Series.”

Will Florida weather take a toll on the frozen fun? Will the Sunshine State shine too bright on the ice?

Possibly the biggest question: will the Bruins get win?