Florida Panthers hosting Winter Classic game 1/2/26

[varsaku]

Attending an outdoor game is on a lot of fans bucket lists so I think they still have a few more markets to hit before they pause it. Someone suggested maybe they negotiate with the union on having this as a standalone game on Boxing Day, makes sense to me. The players supposedly love to play in them so why not do that?

On Boxing Day a lot of people are back at work. Unless they have it at night, ratings would be pretty poor.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Not quite sure why fans would jump to pay a premium price to sit a mile away from the ice, though.

Because an outdoor game is a fun experience. I've only ever been to one but thoroughly enjoyed it despite the inflated prices. I'm probably good for another 10-20 years before going to another.

I think a lot of the people that like outdoor games are the same people that think sitting on the glass is actually a good seat and worth paying a ridiculous premium.

Sitting right at the glass is another worthwhile experience at least once.

No, you don't have perfect sightlines. It's going to be very hard to see in the corners. But it gives you a sense of the size, speed and physicality of NHL players and NHL hockey that you'll never get sitting further up in the stands. Definitely another one for the hockey fan bucket list.

 

[willy702]

On Boxing Day a lot of people are back at work. Unless they have it at night, ratings would be pretty poor.

You mean like New Years Eve?

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Seems like it's gonna be Panthers vs Rangers. Again the NHL doesn't get the ratings they've been getting this season. I would move the Winter Classic to the sunday after the SB and make it a two or three game day with multiple venues make it a spectacle again.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Seems like it's gonna be Panthers vs Rangers. Again the NHL doesn't get the ratings they've been getting this season. I would move the Winter Classic to the sunday after the SB and make it a two or three game day with multiple venues make it a spectacle again.

OK, but this year that's when they're holding the 4 Nations Face Off. Other years that's when they hold the All-Star game.

From the NHL perspective they want to add events.

New Years Day worked for them because they traditionally wouldn't play on Jan 1. NYE didn't work because traditionally lots of teams do play on NYE (it can be a fun way to celebrate NYE - go to a game, they set of fireworks

 

[QuizGuy66]

Blackhawks had other plans I guess so it's the Rangers . Good to see fresh blood like them get a chance.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

OK, but this year that's when they're holding the 4 Nations Face Off. Other years that's when they hold the All-Star game.

From the NHL perspective they want to add events.

New Years Day worked for them because they traditionally wouldn't play on Jan 1. NYE didn't work because traditionally lots of teams do play on NYE (it can be a fun way to celebrate NYE - go to a game, they set of fireworks

Move the All Star game I mean you hit the 41 games mark early in the calendar year. You can have the All Star game before february or hell even hold the All Star Game and the restart make it with the Winter Classic.

 

[TGWL]

Leave us out of it! Panic move my the NHL after such a bad showing.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Move the All Star game I mean you hit the 41 games mark early in the calendar year. You can have the All Star game before february or hell even hold the All Star Game and the restart make it with the Winter Classic.

Another thing is they went Blackhawks when they were going to rebuild and now they go Rangers in the middle of their worst season in a while.

 

[jkrdevil]

January 2 is the date. It’s a Friday no NFL or CFP games. Assuming a night game.

Feb. 1 date for Tampa. That’s the Sunday between NFC/AFC Chanpionship games and the Super Bowl. Olympics begin the following week. Wonder when the ASG will be.

 

[GKJ]

I don't understand how they'll keep the ice decent in 80+ degree weather...?

Technology has evolved since the last time they did it 34 years ago

 

[GKJ]

January 2 is the date. It’s a Friday no NFL or CFP games. Assuming a night game.

Feb. 1 date for Tampa. That’s the Sunday between NFC/AFC Chanpionship games and the Super Bowl. Olympics begin the following week. Wonder when the ASG will be.

The all star game is supposed to be a big sendoff for that.

 

[jkrdevil]

The all star game is supposed to be a big sendoff for that.

I guess the ASG would be the Feb. 7. That’s before the Men’s tournament starts. But it is also the day of the Olympics overall and a day before the Super Bowl. That’s a right spot. Unless the they want to go back mid-week that week (say Thursday).

 

[Major4Boarding]

I don’t think that can work. Raymond James has to be held open for Jan. 25 in case the Bucs make it and host the NFC Championship. That would in theory only give them 6 days to build rink and set-up. More time is usually needed I believe. Last time the had a Winter Classic in an NFL stadium was 2016 and the Patriots were on the road the week before and after giving the league time for set-up and tear down.

Plus, I’m assuming they will do what they had planned in 2022 and have the ASG that weekend (Jan 31) and then go off to the Olympics. The ASG is a contractual obligation to ESPN so they have to have it unless they replace it with something else like they are with the 4 nations (They can’t give away Olympic rights).

I’m thinking Saturday, March 1 the weekend following the Olympics.

So it’s the day (Feb 1st) after the main Gasparilla Day parade. Gasparilla is always held the last Saturday of every January. Gasparilla is essentially a month long event broken up into different segments. Children’s parade then the main parade and other events trickled in between and even after those two events.

It’s smart to have it centered around Gasparilla. Tons of people already in the area. Hell the Lightning already have jerseys ready-made for such an event. Should they choose to use them that is

 

[Reaser]

Feb. 1 date for Tampa. That’s the Sunday between NFC/AFC Chanpionship games and the Super Bowl. Olympics begin the following week. Wonder when the ASG will be.

ABC/ESPN have the Pro Bowl which likely means Stadium Series will replace the post-Pro Bowl "NBA Sunday" game(s) on ESPN which start at 6pmET.

 

[Tawnos]

Leave us out of it! Panic move my the NHL after such a bad showing.

The Rangers are easily the team that makes the most sense for an opponent if you're going to do a game down there. Also, there's no way this only came about after 12/31.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Move the All Star game I mean you hit the 41 games mark early in the calendar year. You can have the All Star game before february or hell even hold the All Star Game and the restart make it with the Winter Classic.

All Star game before February - conflicts with NFL playoffs.

HOlding the Winter classic and the All Star game around the same time - conflict with each other. NHL wants each to be a Big Event.

 

[Major4Boarding]

NHL.com says the ASG at UBS will be a “lead-in” to the Olympics and the dedicated page for it still says “February 2026”

Granted that article is from last year

Definitely interested how all this gets crammed in

 

[LadyStanley]

Florida Panthers to host 2026 NHL Winter Classic vs. New York Rangers

This will be the NHL's first outdoor game in Florida and first involving the Panthers.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[GKJ]

I guess the ASG would be the Feb. 7. That’s before the Men’s tournament starts. But it is also the day of the Olympics overall and a day before the Super Bowl. That’s a right spot. Unless the they want to go back mid-week that week (say Thursday).

They usually wait a few days before that starts as the women’s tournament starts early.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

All Star game before February - conflicts with NFL playoffs.

HOlding the Winter classic and the All Star game around the same time - conflict with each other. NHL wants each to be a Big Event.

Saturday night of the ACF/NFC conference championship or the saturday before the SuperBowl. Not saying it's ideal but the NHL should see that overall the "all star games" are trending down and fans in NBA/NHL/MLB are more intrested in the night before skills competitions. In the end all stars are just carrer resume you can live without them but the regular is far more important thus the league should work more and better in promoting the Winter Classic.

 

[Reaser]

the NHL should see that overall the "all star games" are trending down

Not you, lot of people say that, especially media and sports media (SMW, SBJ, etc.) but they're always comparing ASG's against themselves. Past viewership to current.

No one uses common sense and looks at that yes, the games usually suck, fans/we all complain about them, but in the end the ASG is either the most-viewed or near the top of the list for most-viewed 'game' during the regular season for each respective league.

So when the MLB ASG is the "2nd least-viewed ever!" Framed as a massive negative and tossed on the pile of "ASG's suck, get rid of them!" Meanwhile, it's still 7.6M which is still more than twice the amount any regular season MLB nationally broadcast game is getting.

Same with the NBA, the ASG was the most-viewed 'game' during the 2023/24 regular season.

NHL is slightly different, but in the U.S. the ASG still gives you a 1.0M+ # and last season was the 3rd most-viewed 'game' between opening night and the last night of the regular season.

 

[Voight]

Panthers are going to get the Winter Classic. Bettman said they would announce it next week and the Panthers have a TNT game next week.

Interesting the Orange Bowl is the next day. Hotel booking for media should be fun.

Friedman is also reporting Tampa getting an outdoor game. That has to be at Raymond James (given the Trop/Thunderdome in inhabitable right now). That stadium hosts a New Years Bowl so Tampa would have to be a Stadium Series game later on.

As an aside it’s amazing how many hockey reporters live in a bubble. Listening to 32 Thoughts it was clear Elliotte is unaware of the current state of Tropicana nor that Raymond James hosts a bowl game.

RJ hosting a game I'll give him (if he isn't a football fan, he wouldn't of known this) but the Trop's roof being torn off was a pretty big story as was the backup plan of the Rays now playing in a minor league park (maybe that got less attention because the A's are also doing that, but that itself is an entirely different situation)

 

[Yukon Joe]

Saturday night of the ACF/NFC conference championship or the saturday before the SuperBowl. Not saying it's ideal but the NHL should see that overall the "all star games" are trending down and fans in NBA/NHL/MLB are more intrested in the night before skills competitions. In the end all stars are just carrer resume you can live without them but the regular is far more important thus the league should work more and better in promoting the Winter Classic.

"Smart fans" will always poo-poo ASGs, and for good reason.

But I think the average fan is much more likely to tune into an ASG with all the stars of the league in one game, than they are to tune into a Winter Classic. The Winter Classic is fun, but it's till just a regular season game between two regular teams. If you're lucky you get some cool visuals of hockey played in the snow, but that's about the only appeal from a casual fan.

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Not you, lot of people say that, especially media and sports media (SMW, SBJ, etc.) but they're always comparing ASG's against themselves. Past viewership to current.

No one uses common sense and looks at that yes, the games usually suck, fans/we all complain about them, but in the end the ASG is either the most-viewed or near the top of the list for most-viewed 'game' during the regular season for each respective league.

So when the MLB ASG is the "2nd least-viewed ever!" Framed as a massive negative and tossed on the pile of "ASG's suck, get rid of them!" Meanwhile, it's still 7.6M which is still more than twice the amount any regular season MLB nationally broadcast game is getting.

Same with the NBA, the ASG was the most-viewed 'game' during the 2023/24 regular season.

NHL is slightly different, but in the U.S. the ASG still gives you a 1.0M+ # and last season was the 3rd most-viewed 'game' between opening night and the last night of the regular season.

I get that but at least in the NHL case the gap isn't that big between so you could get the Winter Classic and overall stadium games beating the All Star game.

"Smart fans" will always poo-poo ASGs, and for good reason.

But I think the average fan is much more likely to tune into an ASG with all the stars of the league in one game, than they are to tune into a Winter Classic. The Winter Classic is fun, but it's till just a regular season game between two regular teams. If you're lucky you get some cool visuals of hockey played in the snow, but that's about the only appeal from a casual fan.

Just my opinion I rather watch even the most meaningless regular season game over an All Star game since I get that plenty of people think otherwise just making moves in the season calender is my thought instead of saying cancel this or that.