When Gary Bettman took command of the National Hockey League 33 years ago, the idea of major league hockey succeeding in The Sunshine State was iffy, to say the least.
The Tampa Bay Lightning had just been born and from one season to another the Bolts' players couldn't tell whether they'd be playing in a makeshift arena or a baseball field or – with
cockamamee ownership – if they'd wind up playing at all.
Flash forward to January 2, 2026 and the Lightning have become one of the league's most successful franchises artistically, monetarily and ownership-wise.
Drive across Alligator Alley to beautiful Downtown Sunrise and there you'll find yet another Floridian success story, the two-time Stanley Cup champion Panthers.
But tonight, the title-holders will take a sentimental journey of sorts to Miami, the Panthers original home, and face the Rangers on, of all places, a baseball field – LoanDepot Park.
Bettman, Inc. is pulling off what once was considered an impossibility, an outdoor NHL game surrounded by the sheltering palms of the Florida Marlins home field. So, how amazing is this?
Floridian author-beat writer for Florida Hockey Now – who grew up at old Madison Square Garden – Alan Greenberg, puts it best:
"This game is a tribute to how hockey has grown in Florida in recent years," says Big Al. "With the Panthers or the Lightning having been in the Stanley Cup Final for six straight years, hockey interest has grown exponentially, especially on the Panthers side which had lagged for years."
If it takes Two to Tango, the franchise also needed player support to make this work.
Greenberg: "The players love it. Even guys like Brad Marchand and Jeff Petry, plus head coach Paul Maurice, have been here twice before. This Winter Classic is unique because of the Florida venue."
The NHL creative geniuses showed their worth, dividing the stadium into a winter wonderland right out of Northern Ontario on one side and, as for the Floridians, I'll let Greenberg explain:
"On the other side, the decor simulates the Tropics with beach chairs and a mural of the ocean. It's a perfect contrast to the fake snow and simulated ice for the Canadian sport of curling on the cold side."
Credit for this amazing event goes to the league's leaders, Commissioner Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and their make-the-seemingly-impossible-happen, NHL President of Content and Events, Steve Mayer.
Let this most astonishing Winter Classic begin!