QUICK HITS
* The NHL will stage outdoor hockey in the state of Florida for the first time, with the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic set to be the southernmost regular-season game in League history – but maybe not the warmest puck-drop temperature for an outdoor game.
* To date, the League’s regular season outdoor games have attracted a total of 2,240,068 fans, including sellouts for each of the previous 16 Winter Classic games.
* Many players across the two rosters have NHL outdoor experience, including Panthers teammates Brad Marchand, Sergei Bobrovsky and Sam Reinhart – the latter two having faced New York in a previous Winter Classic – and Rangers forwards Artemi Panarin, J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad.
* Crucial points are up for grabs in the Winter Classic, as the Panthers (21-15-3, 45 points) and Rangers (19-18-5, 43 points) are separated by only two points in the Eastern Conference standings – with the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions sitting as the first team outside the playoff bracket on New Year’s Day.
QUICK CLICKS
* Outdoor Game List
* Outdoor Game Standings
* Outdoor Game Skater Records
* Outdoor Game Goaltender Records
* Outdoor Game Team Records
* Outdoor Game Skater Register
* Outdoor Game Goaltender Register
SUNSHINE STATE READY FOR FIRST TASTE OF NHL OUTDOOR ACTION
The state of Florida has seen a team reach the Stanley Cup Final six years running and is home to four of the past six Stanley Cup champions, with the Panthers and Lightning each making three straight Final appearances and claiming back-to-back Stanley Cup wins since 2020. The clubs will now take the roof off for a different sort of back-to-back, hosting the League’s next two outdoor games – with the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic set to be the first NHL regular-season outdoor game ever in the state of Florida. The historic first on Jan. 2 will see the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers contest their first outdoor game, against the Rangers who are a perfect 5-0-0 in the great outdoors.
* With an average high of 76°F/25°C on Jan. 2 (according to AccuWeather.com), it was thought the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic could be the warmest puck-drop temperature for an outdoor game in League history – however, the current forecast for Friday night predicts a temperature of 61°F/16°C around puck drop. The current benchmark for warmest outdoor game is 65ºF/18ºC, set at the 2016 Stadium Series at Coors Field in Denver. Click here to see the temperature for every outdoor game in League history.
* Florida will become the 19th state to host an NHL regular-season outdoor game and the fourth to host multiple in the same calendar year, following New Jersey (2024), Nevada (2021) and New York (2014). The only Canadian province to host two in the same year is Ontario (2017).
* While they have a fierce rivalry on the ice – aided by four head-to-head playoff series since 2021 (after never meeting in their first 26 seasons together in the NHL) – the Panthers and Lightning will be part of a month-long celebration of the explosive growth of the game of hockey in the Sunshine State.
* The NHL, NHLPA, Panthers, and Lightning will celebrate hockey from mid-December through the beginning of February with numerous community events and initiatives including two NHL Unites Legacy Projects, an all-day NHL STREET ball hockey championship, a high school pep rally, a hockey-themed business case competition for Florida college students and NHL in ASL alternate broadcasts for both outdoor games.
* This season marks the 32nd campaign of NHL play for the Panthers franchise, which joined the League for the 1993-94 season, and the 33rd season of NHL play in the Sunshine State, since the Lightning made its debut in 1992-93.
* The 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic is set to be the southernmost NHL regular-season contest in NHL history (indoors or outdoors). loanDepot park in Miami sits at latitude 25.77 degrees north, narrowly eclipsing Miami Arena (+25.78) – the home rink for the Panthers between 1993 to 1998.
* Hockey registration in Florida is up 49.63% in the span between the Panthers’ inaugural season in 1993-94 and the 2024-25 season. Last season, there were 22,888 registered hockey players in the state of Florida, including 1,876 female players and 27 Division 1 high school teams.
* The Panthers’ recent success on the ice has been accompanied by strong growth numbers in the youth ranks. USA Hockey reports that overall hockey registration state-wide increased by +7.97% from 2023-24 to 2024-25. During that same span, the state of Florida also saw hockey registration numbers increase by +13.01% among girls and women and +10.28% among players age 10 or younger.
* From 2020-21 to 2024-25, USA Hockey reports that participation in the state of Florida is +46.84% overall, +82.14% among girls and women and +67.96% among players age 10 or younger. That five-season stretch began just after the Lightning won their first of back-to-back Stanley Cups (September 2020) and spans through the Panthers’ third consecutive Final appearance and back-to-back championships (the sixth straight appearance in the Final for a team from Florida).
* There have been similar increases within the Panthers’ hockey programs as well. From 2023-24 to 2024-25, the Learn to Play initiative saw an +36.66% increase in participation. In that same timeframe, the Jr. Panthers saw a +20.8% increase in participation among girls – with the highest percentage growth (+39.3%) among girls ages 15-18 – and a +16.4% increase in overall youth hockey participation.
* On Dec. 11, Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler became the first Florida-born goaltender to play an NHL game. Montreal was the last opponent Florida faced before the Winter Classic.
* Through Dec. 30, a total of 10 Florida-born players have skated this season, guaranteeing a seventh straight campaign with at least eight Florida-born players. A dozen years ago, there had never been more than two in one season. Only three other seasons have had a double-digit count for Florida-born players (12 in 2021-22 & 2022-23; 11 in 2023-24).
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The 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic will be the 17th Winter Classic and the 44th NHL regular-season outdoor game. The Panthers will make their outdoor game debut, while the Rangers are set to make their sixth outdoor appearance (5-0-0) and third in a Winter Classic (2-0-0).
* Florida will become the eighth reigning Stanley Cup champions to play outdoors, following Chicago (2x; 6-1 L in 2016 SS and 5-1 W in 2014 SS), Vegas (3-0 L in 2024 WC), Tampa Bay (3-2 W in 2022 SS), Pittsburgh (4-2 W in 2017 SS), Los Angeles (2-1 W in 2015 SS) and Detroit (6-4 W in 2009 WC).
* New York will move into a tie with Pittsburgh (2-3-1 in 6 GP) and Philadelphia (1-4-1 in 6 GP) for the second most outdoor games, behind Chicago (1-6-0 in 7 GP).
* New York has won all five of its previous outdoor appearances – the most victories among all teams – with their most recent coming against the Islanders in the 2024 Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium (6-5 OT W). The Rangers are one of nine teams that have yet to lose an outdoor contest.
* The Rangers will become the fifth team to play in at least three Winter Classic games behind only the Blackhawks (0-5-0 in 5 GP) and Bruins (3-1-0 in 4 GP). The Panthers, meanwhile, will be the 17th club to play in a Winter Classic and 12th to serve as the home team. A win by New York would tie them for the most Winter Classic victories.
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* Brad Marchand has skated in three outdoor games – the most among all Panthers – and owns a perfect 3-0-0 record (2019 WC, 2021 LT-SUN & 2023 WC). Marchand can move into a tie for the second-most NHL outdoor wins among skaters.
* Marchand (1-3—4) also leads the Panthers in career outdoor assists and points. He is tied for sixth place in NHL history in terms of career outdoor assists, and for 10th place for career outdoor points.
* Marchand, 37, enters the Winter Classic with a nine-game point streak (7-7—14), his longest since joining the Panthers last season. A point outdoors would give him the fourth double-digit point streak of his career (13 GP twice in 2019-20 as well as 11 GP in 2024-25). The last player with a point streak of 10-plus games at age 37 or older was Sidney Crosby (12 GP in 2024-25).
* Earlier this season, Marchand recorded a point in every appearance from Oct. 21 to Nov. 17 (10-7—17 in 11 GP; maxed out at official 8-game point streak). He is now the third player at age 37 or older in League history to record a point in nine or more straight games played multiple times in a season, following Gordie Howe (2x in 1965-66) and Mario Lemieux (2x in 2002-03) who hit double digits in each of their stretches.
* The end of 2025 and start of 2026 has been a memorable stretch for Marchand: he was honored Dec. 30 for reaching 1,000 NHL points, named to Team Canada’s Olympic roster Dec. 31 and will play in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2. From February 2025 to February 2026, Marchand will also have: won the 4 Nations Face-Off championship, been traded to the Panthers, won his second Stanley Cup and make his first Olympic appearance.
* Marchand, Sam Reinhart and A.J. Greer are the only Panthers with an outdoor goal. Greer scored his in the 2023 Heritage Classic (w/ CGY), while Reinhart netted his against the Rangers during the 2018 Winter Classic (w/ BUF). Evan Rodrigues skated alongside Reinhart in that game (his lone outdoor appearance), while Kyle Okposo – who won a Cup with the Panthers in 2024 – assisted on Reinhart’s goal (and on both BUF goals in the 2018 WC vs. NYR).
* Sergei Bobrovsky’s only outdoor game was with the Flyers, against the Rangers in the 2012 Winter Classic. The 14 years between outdoor game appearances for Bobrovskywould be the longest by any NHL player (he would best the current 12-year mark shared by Jordan Staal and Andrei Markov).
* In his last game before the Winter Classic (Dec. 29 vs. WSH), Bobrovsky claimed his 446th career win to overtake Terry Sawchuk (445) for sole possession of eighth place in NHL history. Bobrovsky now sits eight victories back of tying Curtis Joseph (454) for seventh place and 13 from equaling Henrik Lundqvist (459) for both sixth place and for the most NHL wins among goaltenders born outside North America.
* Seth Jones will suit up in his 900th career regular-season game, with this set to be his second outdoors. Jones is set to become the first player to reach the 900 games milestone outdoors. Others to reach a notable games played benchmark outdoors include Cam Fowler (1,000 GP) and Claude Giroux (800 GP).
* Paul Maurice (1-1-0 in 2 GC) is set to become the 10th head coach to serve in at least three outdoor games, following a loss to the Oilers in the 2016 Heritage Classic and win against the Flames in the 2019 Heritage Classic (both w/ WPG). Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett made their lone outdoor appearances in that contest (W/ CGY), while Dmitry Kulikov played in his first of two.
* Fifteen current Panthers players have played in at least one NHL regular-season outdoor game, plus Daniil Tarasov who served as the Blue Jackets’ backup in the last NHL outdoor game (2025 SS). Their statistics in those contests are listed in the attached PDF.
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* Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Jonathan Quick each have skated in three outdoor games, tied for the most on the Rangers. Panarin (1-3—4) has the most outdoor assists and points among current Rangers, while Zibanejad has one goal along with a perfect 3-0-0 record in his appearances (2014 HC, 2018 WC, 2024 SS) and can move into a tie for the second-most NHL outdoor wins among skaters. Quick is tied for the second-most outdoor appearances among goaltenders and for third in outdoor wins by netminders.
* Panarin scored 10 seconds into overtime of the 2024 Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium to set the record for fastest goal from the start of any period in an outdoor game (helping the Rangers improve to a perfect 5-0-0 outdoors).
* Panarin (595) enters the Winter Classic five shy of 600 NHL assists and four back of tying former Rangers forward Alex Kovalev (599) on the all-time list. Panarin (793 GP) is tracking toward becoming the fifth-fastest player born outside North America to 600 career assists; the current top five: Peter Stastny (628 GP), Peter Forsberg (670 GP), Nikita Kucherov (767 GP), Jaromir Jagr (769 GP) and Jari Kurri (815 GP).
* Zibanejad is one of two current Rangers who played for the club in their last Winter Classic appearance. The other is J.T. Miller who scored the overtime winner for the Rangers in the 2018 Winter Classic at Citi Field to defeat Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues and the Sabres.
* Zibanejad (115) needs one to tie the franchise record for career power-play goals, a mark currently shared by Camille Henry and Chris Kreider (116).
* Mike Sullivan (1-1-1 in 3 GC) is set to become the seventh head coach to serve in at least four outdoor games, after Peter Laviolette (1-3-1 in 5 GC), Joel Quenneville (1-4-0 in 5 GC), Alain Vigneault (3-1-0 in 4 GC), Mike Babcock (2-1-1 in 4 GC), Claude Julien (2-2-0 in 4 GC) and Todd McLellan (2-2-0 in 4 GC). Sullivan made his other appearances with the Penguins (2017 SS, 2019 SS, 2023 WC).
* Sullivan (498) needs one win to tie former Panthers bench boss Terry Murray (499, including 79 w/ FLA) on the all-time wins list among head coaches. Sullivan is set to become the 30th head coach in League history with 500 wins. Sullivan will serve as head coach of Team USA at the upcoming Olympics, with the roster to be unveiled the morning of the Winter Classic.
* Seventeen current Rangers players have played in at least one NHL regular-season outdoor game, including 12 that dressed in their most recent such contest: 2024 Stadium Series. Their statistics in those contests are listed in the attached PDF.
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In honor of the 12 grapes New Year’s tradition in Miami, here are 12 #NHLStats you need to know ahead of the Rangers-Panthers showdown in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic:
14,596 – Sellout crowd at Miami Arena on Sept. 21, 1990, during the first NHL game ever played in South Florida. Wayne Gretzky had three assistsduring the preseason contest to help the Kings to a 6-4 win against the Rangers. After the game, Gretzky said: “The fans were tremendous. They were as good as anywhere I’ve been. Somebody in Florida is going to get a franchise, I hope. It would be nice for hockey.” Four seasons later, the Panthers began play at that same venue, Miami Arena.
13,007 – Sellout crowd at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Sept. 27, 1991, when Wayne Gretzky and the Kings again played a first-of-its-kind game against the Rangers. The first outdoor game between two NHL teams saw the Kings emerge with a preseason victory.
1993 – The year that both the Panthers and Miami Marlins entered the NHL and MLB, respectively. The 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic will be played at loanDepot park, home of the Marlins.
71 – Number of players who have skated for both the Rangers and Panthers, including current Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck and Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola. Trocheck played parts of his first seven NHL seasons with Florida (read more on NHL.com) and recorded his 600th NHL point in his last game before the Winter Classic (Dec. 31 at WSH).
44 – Regular-season outdoor games in League history, including the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic. The total is set to reach 45 with the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium (Feb. 1).
31 – The number of franchises to participate in an NHL regular-season outdoor game, including the Panthers who will make their debut Jan. 2. After the Winter Classic, Utah will be the only active NHL franchise yet to participate in an outdoor game.
15 – The number of regular-season outdoor games that have been played in baseball parks including the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic.
11 – Overall selection by the Panthers in the 2015 NHL Draft, the last time it was held in Florida. The club picked Lawson Crouse and while he never suited up for the Panthers, he has gone yard at loanDepot park. Crouse and fellow first-rounders Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Connor McDavid, Dylan Strome, Noah Hanifin took batting practice at the field before their names were called at the draft (with Crouse the only one to hit a homer – the day after his 18th birthday, no less).
7 – Goals scored by the Rangers in their first game of the 2014 Stadium Series at Yankee Stadium, which set the outdoor record for most goals in a game by one team. The mark has since been tied by the Bruins in the 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe, with a roster that featured current Panthers Brad Marchand and Jack Studnicka as well as current Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen (who all contributed at least one point).
5 – The number of one-goal games during the 2024 Eastern Conference Final, which saw the Panthers claim their first playoff series win against the Rangers – en route to claiming their first Stanley Cup. The score was tied or within one goal for 95% of playing time, one of the most tightly contested Conference Finals/Semifinals matchups in NHL history.
5 – Players from the Panthers or Rangers named to Olympic rosters to date: Brad Marchand (Team Canada), Sam Reinhart (Team Canada), Matthew Tkachuk (Team USA; injured), Aleksander Barkov (Team Finland; injured) and Uvis Balinskis (Team Latvia). Others could be added before the Winter Classic.
2 – The number of championships the Panthers and Marlins have both captured, with Florida having hoisted the Stanley Cup each of the past two seasons while Miami’s World Series wins came in 1997 and 2003.
