No Vice at Miami Winter Classic: NHL Unveils ‘Vintage’ Panthers, Rangers Uniforms

Some wondered if the upcoming Winter Classic would have a Miami Vice theme only the NHL chose to go even further back in time for inspiration when designing the Panthers and Rangers uniforms for the game at LoanDepot Park.

Both the Panthers and Rangers will wear uniforms inspired by styles from the 1930s and 40s, rather than the pastel colors made famous by the NBC crime drama.

Do not worry, Vice buffs: Aside from the uniforms, the league is leaning in hard to the pink and teal leading up to the NHL Winter Classic which will be played on Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. (TNT) from the home of the Miami Marlins.

Tickets to the game are still available on Ticketmaster.

The Rangers’ uniform design is familiar, since it draws inspiration from what the team has worn throughout its long history.

This season marks the Rangers’ 100th anniversary, and as one of the NHL’s Original 6 teams, their Winter Classic uniform looks like something they might have worn decades ago.

For the Panthers, who only started playing in 1993, designers got creative to imagine what the team’s uniforms might have looked like if they had played before World War II.

Why before World War II?

The Panthers look was inspired by the four-team Tropical Hockey League, which started in 1938 and lasted just one season.

Florida Panthers Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad model their team’s 2026 NHL Winter Classic uniforms. // Photos courtesy NHL/Fanatics

All games were played at the Metropolitan Ice Palace in Coral Gables, with four teams — the Miami Clippers, Coral Gables Seminoles, Miami Beach Pirates, and Havana Tropicals — competing.

The Panthers’ Winter Classic uniform closely resembles what the Pirates and Tropicals wore, with the stripes on the sleeves and socks directly copied from those teams.

Florida’s vintage-style secondary logo on the shoulder is a clear reference to the Miami Clippers crest with a cat replacing the clipper plane.

Now, what is up with that primary logo?

Panthers fans have wanted the team to bring back its original ‘leaping cat’ logo, and for the Winter Classic, they are getting a version that imagines what 1930s designers might have designed.

It is, indeed, the team’s leaping cat logo only one that traveled back in time.

The logo certainly would have looked right at home painted on a bomber plane during the war.

The main logo is made of felt and chain-stitched, adding to its vintage look.

Both sets of uniforms have little quirks.

In addition to the Panthers’ shoulder patch, the Rangers’ uniform features ‘NYR’ inside an apple.

New York Rangers J.T. Miller and former Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck model their team’s 2026 NHL Winter Classic uniforms. // Photos courtesy NHL/Fanatics

The Panthers’ alternate captains, with Sasha Barkov not playing in this game, will have their ‘A’ inside a blue felt patch on the front, as another tribute to Miami’s long military history especially during World War II.

A red tab with a black rat appears on the back of Florida’s jersey, referencing the tradition of throwing rats on the ice that began at Miami Arena in 1995, just a few miles from the ballpark.

The Winter Classic will be the Panthers’ first game in Miami since leaving the arena for Sunrise in 1998.

The Panthers’ pants will feature a stylized crest showing the outline of Florida, while the Rangers chose one of their vintage crest logos for their pant leg.

As for color schemes, the Rangers are sticking with what works.

The Panthers are also keeping their traditional colors, combining red and blue with the yellow they used before switching to the current shield logo and color scheme.

Florida’s current gold color is also included in the design, appearing on the logo, gloves, and pants to give the team a vintage look.

ON DECK: GAME No. 20

NEW JERSEY DEVILS at FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WPTV 5/WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• Streaming: Panthers+; ESPN+
• Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Season Series (Devils lead 1-0) — At Panthers: Thursday. At Devils: New Jersey 3, Florida 1 (Oct. 16); March 3.
• Last Season: New Jersey won 2-0-1
• All-time Regular Season Series: Devils lead 60-37-8, 7 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Edmonton Oilers, 7