"NOTHING like winter in Miami" "That's gonna melt": NHL fans react to Florida Panthers hosting 2026 Winter Classic at loanDepot Park

It's official - the Winter Classic is coming to Florida. The announcement was made on Wednesday that next year's Winter Classic will be played between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers, who met one another in the 2024 Eastern Conference Final at the home of the Miami Marlins, loanDepot Park.

It will be the first time that an event of its kind will be held in Florida - but that's not all. The annual Stadium Series game will be played between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins at the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raymond James Stadium.

While loanDepot Park has a retractable roof, Raymond James Stadium has no roof.

The interesting location choice had plenty of fans up in arms.

"NOTHING like winter in Miami," wrote @micahbocrypto.

"'Hey Gary, the numbers for the Winter Classic on NYE were down under 1mil viewers. How do we fix it?” “Put it the day after New Year’s Day and put it in Florida.' This league sucks so much. I don’t know why I’m even a fan anymore," wrote @letsgobuffalo8.

"Isn’t the winter classic supposed to be in cold weather? It could be 80 degrees here in January! "added @ladyk2222.

"So, I think all teams & their fanbases should experience an outdoor game/Winter Classic because honestly, it's a fun time BUT there is nothing Winter Classic about hosting a game in Miami," wrote @Jenna_TMLFan84.

"The Indoor ice in Florida is consistently soft and sucks. This is going to be terrible," opined @NFLFantasy_More.

"Ah yes, an outdoor hockey game in southern Florida, terrific," added @The_SamQuint.

"With all due respect, having an outdoor hockey game in Southern Florida doesn’t exactly have the same appeal for me as any actual real winter city. The idea of having an outdoor hockey game in the winter is that you’re actually playing in cold weather. But ok then," added @Bob989161536416

The NHL Winter Classic and Stadium Series are coming to Florida

Trying to capitalize on the recent success of hockey in Florida, the NHL is taking a calculated risk in hosting both events in a warmer climate.

The Winter Classic is scheduled to take place on January 2, while the Stadium Series is scheduled for February 1 next year.

The Lightning first entered the League as an expansion club in time for the 1992-93 NHL season, and won their first Stanley Cup in 2004 and followed that up with consecutive titles in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Meanwhile, the Panthers joined the League as an expansion club in 1993-94, and won the Stanley Cup for the first time with their thrilling seven-game series win over the Oilers this past spring.