A Stanley Cup title. A superstar-laden roster. A packed, boisterous arena. And now, the 2026 Winter Classic. Here's how a hotbed was created.

The NHL announced Wednesday that the Florida Panthers will host the 2026 Winter Classic, facing the New York Rangers on Jan. 2 at loanDepot park, home of the Miami Marlins. “Our time has come that we deserve an outdoor game,” Panthers president and CEO Matt Caldwell said. “We’re fired up to have it right here locally.”

SUNRISE, Fla. – The National Hockey League announced today that the Discover 2026 NHL Winter Classic will feature the Florida Panthers hosting the New York Rangers at loanDepot park, home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins, on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. TNT will broadcast the 2026 NHL Winter Classic exclusively in the U.S.

The Rangers’ 2025-26 schedule will include another outdoor game, with the Blueshirts set to face the Panthers in the Winter Classic at loanDepot Park in Miami on Jan. 2, 2026, the league announced Wednesday.

The NHL announced today that the Discover 2026 NHL Winter Classic will feature the Florida Panthers hosting the New York Rangers at loanDepot park, home of Marlins, on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.

Multiple sources have confirmed that the Panthers will be hosting the 2026 Winter Classic. It will not be a Stadium Series game, but instead the big kahuna of NHL outdoor games. This will be the 17th Winter Classic, with Florida becoming the 17th different team to participate.

It’s been officially announced by the NHL that the 2026 Winter Classic will see the Florida Panthers host the New York Rangers at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida on January 2nd, 2026. The NHL’s scheduling in recent years suggested that the Panthers would likely play the Rangers,

After hosting the NHL All-Star Game in 2023, the Florida Panthers followed that up by achieving a dream 30 years in the making when they won their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2024. In 2026, the organization’s golden age will continue with the Winter Classic.