Ahead of the Florida Panthers hosting the NHL Winter Classic and potentially setting a record for the league's warmest outdoor game, we look at the highs and lows of hockey games in the elements.
The prestigious NHL Winter Classic returns on Jan. 2, 2026, when the Florida Panthers host the New York Rangers in sunny Miami.
Friday's matchup at loanDepot park will be the southernmost outdoor game in NHL history, with the weather forecast showing sunny skies and a high of 73 F (23 C) with light wind. The ice crew in Miami is keeping the retractable roof closed while setting the scene, but the roof is expected to be open for the big outdoor game.
Nearly one month later, the Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium for the NHL Stadium Series. It will be the 45th outdoor game the NHL has staged since the 2003-04 season, when the Montreal Canadiens beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in the Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium.
Whether you are a new NHL fan or want to know more about the games the league's staged in the great outdoors over the past two-plus decades, here are some fun facts. Since we mentioned the temperature expected in Miami, there's no better place to start.
Warmest Outdoor NHL Game Temperature: 65 F, 18 C
Feb. 27, 2016: The Colorado Avalanche played their first-ever outdoor game as hosts of an NHL Stadium Series matchup against a historic rival, the Detroit Red Wings.
With 50,095 fans in attendance at Coors Field for the late February game, the temperature at puck drop was unseasonably warm, at 65 F (18 C). That beat the previous record of 62 F (17 C) set on Jan. 25, 2014, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles between the Kings and Anaheim Ducks.
The wind was the bigger issue, however. With the event staff decorating the ground around the rink with fake snow made out of cotton strands, the wind picked up the decorations and sent them flying. Teams even had to switch halfway through the third period so one didn't have an advantage.
Detroit ended up beating the Avalanche 5-3, with Brad Richards scoring the game-winning goal with a minute left in regulation.
Coldest Outdoor NHL Game Temperature: -6 F, -21 C
Jan. 1, 2022: The Minnesota Wild hosted their second outdoor game, the 2022 NHL Winter Classic, at Target Field against the St. Louis Blues. The 38,619 fans in attendance had to bundle up for this contest in the State of Hockey.
The game-time temperature of -6 F (-21 C) broke a record that stood for nearly two decades. When the Canadiens and Oilers battled in the NHL's first regular-season outdoor game, it was -18 C (0 F). Habs goaltender Jose Theodore even wore a toque over his helmet.
"It was frickin' freezing," former Wild coach Dean Evason said this past February. "It was amazingly cold."
The Blues beat the Wild 6-4. It was Minnesota's first game in 12 days after four previous games were postponed due to COVID-19 outbreaks.
Highest Outdoor NHL Game Attendance: 105,491
Jan. 1, 2014: The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs put on a memorable NHL Winter Classic matchup under snowy skies and in front of the only crowd to exceed 100,000 fans for an NHL game.
The 'Big House,' Michigan Stadium, in Ann Arbor, Mich., hosted the Original Six matchup, which needed a shootout for the Maple Leafs to win 3-2. Tyler Bozak scored the shootout-winner.
"It was just, like, a perfect setting for a winter outdoor game that kind of reminded you of when you were a kid playing on the outdoor rink," Bozak told NHL.com in January 2020. "I think it added a lot to it that it was snowing so hard when we were playing. They had to bring the shovels out pretty quickly, I remember, because the amount of snow that was going on the ice was incredible."
Lowest Outdoor NHL Game Attendance: Zero
Feb. 20 and 21, 2021: The shortened 2020-21 NHL season and COVID-19 pandemic meant the league had to try something different if it wanted outdoor games.
That gave us NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe, which featured the Avalanche facing the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 20 and the Philadelphia Flyers battling the Boston Bruins on Feb. 21 on an outdoor rink at Edgewood Tahoe Resort in front of the picturesque Lake Tahoe. Each team wore its reverse retro uniform introduced that season.
There were no fans officially in attendance, though some folks brought their boats and kayaks to the edge of the lake to take part in the festivities.
Colorado and Vegas began play at 12:12 p.m. local time, but the sunshine was so intense that it was melting snow and seriously affecting the ice. After the first period, the game was delayed until 9:02 p.m., and the Avs won 3-2. The Bruins and Flyers matchup was pushed to the evening as well. Boston won 7-3.
As for the lowest attendance for an outdoor game that did have fans, Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont., brought in 26,119 fans to see the Buffalo Sabres beat the Leafs 5-2 in the 2022 NHL Heritage Classic.
Most Goals In An Outdoor NHL Game: 11
Feb. 18, 2024: The 2024 NHL Stadium Series had much more than actors pushing a doll in a stroller, hula-hooping, running with a dog and riding bikes.
The New York Rangers scored first before the New York Islanders put up four unanswered goals. Rangers center Vincent Trocheck then scored twice to reduce the deficit to one.
Alexander Romanov increased the Islanders' lead to two before Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad completed the comeback. Artemi Panarin was awarded the overtime-winner after his shot deflected off Noah Dobson and crossed the goal line after the left post came off its mooring.
Four outdoor games have had 10 goals each, but the Islanders and Rangers combined for the only game with more.
Fewest Goals In An Outdoor NHL Game: 3
Nine-way tie: At least no game had fewer than three goals.
Here are the nine outdoor matches that were low-scoring affairs instead of goal fests:
- Jan. 1, 2010: Marco Sturm scores in overtime to give the Bruins a 2-1 win over the Flyers in the 2010 Winter Classic.
- Jan. 25, 2014: Jonas Hiller makes 36 saves as the Ducks beat the Kings 3-0 at Dodger Stadium.
- Jan. 29, 2014: Daniel Carcillo scored the game-winning goal in the Rangers' 2-1 victory over the Islanders.
- Feb. 21, 2015: Marian Gaborik's slapshot goal gave the Kings a 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.
- Oct. 23, 2016: Cam Talbot's 31-save shutout carries the Oilers to a 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
- Dec. 16, 2017: Craig Anderson and the Ottawa Senators shut out the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 in the NHL100 Classic, which celebrated 100 years since the first NHL game.
- Oct. 26, 2019: Bryan Little gave the Jets a 2-1 overtime win over the Calgary Flames.
- Jan. 2, 2023: The Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 at Fenway Park on their way to breaking records for most wins and points in a season.
- Jan. 1, 2024: The Seattle Kraken beat Vegas 3-0, with Joey Daccord making 35 stops.
Most Career Outdoor Goals By A Player: 4
David Pastrnak and Tyler Toffoli: Both skaters recorded hat tricks in an outdoor game. Pastrnak got his against Philadelphia at Lake Tahoe, while Toffoli had a memorable game for the Kings against Colorado in 2020. Both players have played in three outdoor games and recorded one other goal to get up to four.
Most Career Outdoor Points By A Player: 7
Jonathan Toews, James van Riemsdyk and Henrik Zetterberg: Of the trio, Zetterberg played in only four outdoor games, while Toews played in seven, and van Riemsdyk has appeared in a whopping eight.
Most Outdoor Game Losses By A Team: 6
Chicago Blackhawks: The Hawks are 1-6-0 in outdoor games, being outscored 17-30. Their only win came on March 1, 2014, against the Penguins, with a 5-1 victory in front of nearly 63,000 fans at Soldier Field. Their biggest losses were 6-1 to Minnesota in 2016 and 6-2 to St. Louis on Dec. 31, 2024.
Most Outdoor Game Wins By A Team: 5
New York Rangers: The Blueshirts are a perfect 5-0-0 in their outdoor game appearances. They've outscored their opponents 21-13. Friday's matchup will put that 1.000 points percentage to the test.
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