2026 NHL Winter Classic - Miami
The NHL Pulled Off an Outdoor Game in Miami. Still, Haters Going to Hate
MIAMI — You cannot please everyone all the time. If you doubted that, just check the social media comments left after the NHL Winter Classic, an outdoor ice hockey game in Little Havana.
Sure, the game itself was not great.
The actual hockey in these outdoor games rarely is.
But, for a moment, just consider what we saw on Friday night: An ice hockey game played under the Miami sky.
That, apparently was not good enough for some people.
The social media hate on the NHL bringing an outdoor game to LoanDepot Park was fairly understandable before the 2026 Winter Classic was, you know, actually played.
Seems like a lot of people with a keyboard did not seem to understand that this, barring rain, Friday’s game between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers was never going to be an ‘indoor’ Winter Classic.
The NHL always planned on opening the large windows on the east side of the ballpark and the retractable roof above it to make it at least feel like an outdoor game.
Yes, the ballpark was sealed up almost the entire time the ice was being built on the field the Miami Marlins usually play on.
The NHL did open things up when it was right chilly in Miami (for us, anyway) on Tuesday night just to check things out and make sure the building worked the way it was designed to.
It did.
After warmups under the closed roof Friday, the windows were rolled back to reveal a sparking Miami skyline to the east — and then the roof slowly crawled back to open the ballpark to the elements.
There was no rain, low humidity. The ice did not turn into a swimming pool as many keyboard warriors predicted.
It was, in a word, spectacular.
Fireworks went off, fake snow fell from the overhang and swirled in the night air — with help of the blower fans from air conditioning units which, wisely, never shut off.
Was this Buffalo?
Minnesota?
No, it was not.
And it never pretended to be.
This was an ice hockey game played in the relative outdoors of Miami, Florida.
Literally the tropics.
Friday’s Winter Classic was the southernmost NHL outdoor game in history.
It will likely hold that distinction forever.
The NHL proved it could play a hockey game outside in Miami sans roller blades and will now move on.
Keyboard warriors were quick to espouse the game never should have been played here.
A safe bet is these are the same folks who do not think the game of hockey should be played anywhere south of Pennsylvania, either.
Well, too bad.
It is.
And the game is thriving.
The Panthers — and Tampa Bay Lightning, by the way — are pretty good and have become part of the fabric of their communities despite many only knowing ice as something you put in your drinks before the NHL came to town.
Just because your team has to trudge through crappy conditions in January to get to practice instead of being able to drive a golf cart in tank tops and flip flops is a you problem.
Just move on down here like most of your friends and family have.
Now, the NHL would love to play every outdoor game out in the snow, but you cannot do this premier game at Fenway or Wrigley every year without it being welcomed with a yawn.
Some mentioned how bad the TV ratings would be for this game.
Maybe they will be crummy.
But it will not be because the game was played in South Florida.
Last year’s outdoor game between bluebloods Chicago and St. Louis at Wrigley Field of all places drew the lowest (920,000 estimated) viewing audience of any Winter Classic in its brief history.
Having the game broadcast on cable instead of an over-the-air network as it had been in the past might have more to do with ratings than the venue.
The NHL stepped outside its comfort zone to put a game in Miami and should be praised for trying something different.
Instead, the same folks who complained that the Winter Classic was getting stale by going to the same places with the same teams every year complained that the league had the audacity to try something new.
It was something few thought could ever be done.
Again: The NHL played a regular season ice hockey game in Miami on Friday night.
Think about that.
It was far from a failure. It was a blast.
Yeah, they pulled it off.
It was the Great White North meets Latin America. You had your choice of Tim Hortons or a Cafecito, a cold Molson or a Presidente.
They even had a latin-inspired poutine for sale at the ballpark.
Who could ask for anything more?
The Winter Classic has always been about the spectacle of the thing, not the quality of the game — or viewing pleasure of those in the building.
You think fans at the first Winter Classic in Buffalo had a good view of the ice?
How about those fans freezing in Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium?
They did not.
But it sure looked good on TV for those watching from the comfort of their home whether the heat was blasting or you were chilling poolside.
The Winter Classic is about the experience of being there and for the optics of the thing.
And this one was a little chilly, but comfortable.
Want to hate on hockey being in places like Florida, North Carolina, or Tennessee?
Go ahead.
Doesn’t change anything.
The game is growing whether you like it or not, the NHL likely expanding back to Atlanta and Houston in the coming years.
Hate away.
Oh, and get ready to really get mad when you see what the NHL had planned for the Stadium Series on Feb. 1 in Tampa.
ON DECK: GAME No. 41
COLORADO AVALANCHE at FLORIDA PANTHERS
- When: Sunday, 5 p.m.
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (Naples/FTM)
- Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
- Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- Last Season: Avalanche Won 2-0
- This Season — At Colorado: Avalanche 6, Panthers 2 (Dec. 12). At Florida: Sunday
- All-time Regular Season Series: Colorado leads 30-14-5, 3 ties
- Postseason Series: Colorado d. Florida 4-0, 1996 Stanley Cup Final
- Up Next for the Panthers: Tuesday at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m.
