‘Great Idea!’ NHL Alumni Game at Miami Winter Classic Would Be Epic

Moments after the NHL officially announced Miami would be getting the 2026 Winter Classic, Roberto Luongo tweeted a challenge to fellow Hall of Fame goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

Alumni game? Head to head vs @HLundqvist like the good old days! What says you? Playing an outdoor game was always a dream of mine 🫠

Luongo, of course, was supposed to play in an outdoor game in 2014.

The Vancouver Canucks played the Ottawa Senators at BC Place but coach John Tortorella famously benched Luongo in favor of Eddie Lack.

That was the end of Luongo’s time in Vancouver.

He was traded back to the Panthers a few days later.

Luongo should at least get on the ice at a ballpark in Little Havana, right?

Lundqvist, during the TNT pregame before Florida’s 4-1 win in Utah on Wednesday night, mentioned the possibility of putting a Winter Classic Alumni Game together in Miami to Florida general manager Bill Zito.

“Roberto Luongo is tweeting at me asking for an alumni outdoor game … any rumors or news about that?” Lundqvist asked.

Zito grinned.

“No, but if there is someone who could push that through,’’ he responded, “I suspect it’s Roberto. What a great idea. I suspect it would be the best-attended alumni game ever. What a great idea!”

Alumni game? Head to head vs @HLundqvist like the good old days! What says you? Playing an outdoor game was always a dream of mine 🫠 https://t.co/QMp6gJdSxZ

— Strombone (@strombone1) January 8, 2025

First off, the NHL has not announced any pre- or post-Winter Classic events at LoanDepot Park.

Many times, Winter Classic venues play host to college games and, yes, a charity game between NHL alumni of the teams represented.

If this were to go down, it would probably be before the Florida Panthers play host to the New York Rangers on Jan. 2, 2026.

With the NHL ice gurus needing all the time they have to get the ice ready in Tampa just a few weeks later, they will not stick around Miami too long after the game is complete.

It may take two weeks for them to get turn Marlins Park into a winter wonderland, but it will be back to being a ballpark within a couple of days.

Miami isn’t just hosing the Winter Classic; the World Baseball Classic is coming in the spring, so the ballpark needs to get ready for that as well.

But, like Zito said, if anyone can put together a killer Alumni Game, it is Luongo and Lundqvist.

They can make this work.

As part of the NHL on TNT crew, Lundqvist is going to be here anyway.

Luongo will as well.

So, we have our starting goalies.

Who else plays in this thing?

Lundqvist said he wants Jaromir Jagr and Keith Yandle — although both players did more with the Panthers than they did with the Rangers.

If those guys are game, and Yandle still lives down here, we’re throwing them on Team Florida.

Bryan McCabe is probably going to play, and he wore both sweaters. But McCabe was not only captain of the Panthers, but he still works for the team. Put him with Luongo & Co.

One would think the Panthers will also be able to secure a couple of the 1996 Eastern Conference champions who played their home games two miles away at Miami Arena.

Ray Sheppard coaches in the area and is on the ice all the time. He would play. Billy Lindsay, Radek Dvorak, Ed Jovanovski and Brian Skrudland could as well.

As was the case with McCabe, the Panthers traded Pavel Bure to the Rangers. Coin flip here, although it would be odd to see the Russian Rocket back on the ice in South Florida in anything but a Panthers sweater — only it has to be one of those 1990s era ones.

Who else?

It would be nice to see some of the players from the 2000-13 era get some love, especially guys like Stephen Weiss, David Booth, Tomas Fleischmann, Tomas Kopecky, Gregory Campbell (who works for the Panthers), and Mike Van Ryn.

Would Jay Bouwmeester come back to South Florida, even if it’s just for a couple of days?

If Olli Jokinen can get a couple days off to come back to Florida, make him a co-captain.

Or coach. Why not?

🍿 Youtube imorgon kl. 12.00…#timraik pic.twitter.com/6jsTokqkqq

— Timrå IK (@timra_ik) January 8, 2025

As far as backup goalies go, if John Vanbiesbrouck declines an invitation — or plays and joins the New York crew — perhaps the Panthers could give Jose Theodore a call. He still lives here, and was wearing a Marlins cap when spotted at the Montreal game a few weeks ago.

Would be cool to see Tomas Vokoun in the Florida net again, too.

As far as the Rangers go, they have plenty of alumni to choose from, many of whom live within a short drive of Miami.

Let King Henrik worry about that team.

Who would you like to see on the ice at the Florida-New York outdoor Alumni Game?

Leave your ideas in the comments.

Lu will see them.

He reads all this stuff.

ON DECK: GAME No. 43

BOSTON BRUINS at FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• National TV: ABC
• Streaming: ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• This Season (Panthers Lead 2-0) — At Florida: Panthers 6, Bruins 4 (Oct. 8); Saturday. At Boston: Panthers 4, Bruins 3 (Oct. 14); March 11.
• Last Regular Season: Bruins Won 4-0
• Last Postseason: Panthers Won ECS 4-2
• All-time Regular Season Series: Boston leads 64-39-7, 6 ties
• All-time Postseason Series: Florida leads 3-0 (1996 1st, 2023 1st, 2024 2nd)
• Up Next for the Panthers: Monday at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.