It’s been officially announced by the NHL that the 2026 Winter Classic will see the Florida Panthers host the New York Rangers at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida on January 2nd, 2026.
The NHL’s scheduling in recent years suggested that the Panthers would likely play the Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, or the Montreal Canadiens – matching up with all-three teams around the end of December, early January.
This will be the first time the Panthers have participated in the event, the third time for the Rangers (2012, 2018).
While the Los Angeles Kings have competed in three Stadium Series outdoor games (including the inaugural event on January 25th, 2014, at Dodger Stadium), they have yet to play in the Winter Classic. What differentiates the two events are primarily the jerseys and venue decorations – the Winter Classic an homage to the past and the Stadium Series a dreary view of the future with a musical soundtrack by KISS.
In the last four seasons, the Kings have played: the Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New Jersey Devils around the beginning/end of the calendar year.
Of that group, Vegas, Philadelphia, and Toronto have participated in a Winter Classic.
All-three Canadian teams (Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto) have competed in the Heritage Classic – a Winter Classic-esque event featuring Canadian franchises.
Vancouver, Philadelphia, Colorado, Toronto, and New Jersey have all competed in a Stadium Series game.
In summary, every team the Kings could face have competed in some form of an outdoor event.
Every original six franchise has competed in a Winter Classic game, as have five-of-the-six 1967 expansion teams (Oakland and Minnesota merged, later moving to Dallas). The only team who hasn’t is… you guessed it… the Los Angeles Kings.
LOS ANGELES KINGS vs. COLORADO AVALANCHE
We saw these two play one another at the 2020 Stadium Series, held on February 15th, 2020, in Colorado at Falcon Stadium – home of the United States Air Force Academy Falcons. For that reason, this rematch is unlikely to happen any time soon.
Falcon Stadium is one of the older venues in Colorado, which would have made it an ideal candidate for the Winter Classic. The NHL hasn’t shied away from double dipping on the use of venues, Michigan Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Park, and Target Field all having hosted the Winter Classic…