The Tampa Bay Lightning are taking things outside in 2026 for one of the NHL’s most unique annual showcases. As part of the Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series, the perennial Eastern Conference contenders will face off against their division rivals, the Boston Bruins, under the open sky. In a latest update, NHL.com has revealed the new update on Stadium Series.

In the new update, the NHL, along with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins, has officially revealed the logo for the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series. With a hand-drawn treasure map in the background, the logo features a blue and orange pirate ship that has a lightning bolt hidden in its tattered sail—an obvious nod to the home team.

Set for February 1, 2026, the Lightning will host the Bruins at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, making history as the first outdoor NHL game ever held in a football stadium in Florida. The event will serve as the grand finale to a month-long celebration of hockey throughout the Sunshine State. 

Per NHL data, to this date, more than 2.24 million fans have attended the NHL’s 43 regular-season outdoor games. Florida is set to host not one, but two outdoor games as part of the series. The first of these matchups is scheduled for January 2, when the current Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, face off against the New York Rangers at loanDepot park in Miami, the home stadium of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins. 

On February 1, the Tampa Bay Lightning will face the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Pretty wild, right? It’s just another sign of how fast hockey’s been blowing up in Florida. Over the past 30+ years, the Panthers and Lightning have built themselves into serious contenders. So much so that at least one Florida team has made it to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last six seasons.

Sure, announcing two outdoor games in Florida sounds like a bold, historic move for the NHL. But not everyone’s thrilled about it. Yeah, people are hyping it up as a big win for growing hockey in the Sunshine State, but the fan reaction? Pretty much the same as earlier. The biggest complaint? Florida’s warm weather. Kinda hard to sell an outdoor hockey game when the sun’s beating down, right?

With average temperatures in January and February often warmer, fans are questioning the league’s ability to maintain quality ice conditions in such weather. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, however, sees it as a challenge worth taking. “Stanley Cups, strings of sellouts, and the exponential growth of youth and high school hockey throughout the state have demonstrated that Florida is a hockey hotbed. Outdoor NHL games in the Sunshine State? Never let it be said that our League isn’t willing to accept a challenge,” he said after the games were announced. If only fans agreed.  

NHL fans are fuming over the outdoor Stadium Series game in Florida  

The announcement got roasted online pretty fast, with tons of fans calling out Florida’s crazy heat and unpredictable weather as big red flags. One fan even joked about the Bruins-Lightning matchup as the logo looks like the Islanders, saying, “When will the NHL learn that no one wants to watch the Islanders?” Yikes. The Islanders will actually host the All-Star weekend in the 2025-26 season.

Another chimed in, “It seems pretty dumb to play outdoor hockey games in Florida.” And honestly, a lot of people agreed. Between the blazing temperatures and sketchy weather, folks were seriously questioning the NHL’s decision here. Concerns popped up about the ice holding up, player safety, and whether the game would even be any good. To a lot of fans, it felt like the league went for flash over logic, and yeah, they were not shy about letting the NHL know it.

One of the fans, however, assured that things may not be as bad as many are making them out to be. “February in Florida’s basically the 50s—it’s not freezing, but it’s chill enough. The ice isn’t gonna melt,” they wrote. Another fan took a playful shot at the NHL, saying, “We do dumb stuff all the time. It’s part of the vibe. Just relax.” Meanwhile, one more netizen took issue with the logo: “Why’d they use Islanders colors? Seriously?” And yeah, a few folks still aren’t sold on the whole weather situation either. Fan said, “I still don’t get how this works without, like, climate control?” But then one dude just shut it down with, “Chill, bro. You really think they didn’t plan for that? It gets cold enough at night. The ice’ll be fine.” What do you think about the series, though? Let us know in the comments.