One team went with a pirate-themed jersey, while the other went for sun rays and vibrant gold. But the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins will wear colored uniforms in the NHL Stadium Series.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins will play a blue-on-gold jersey matchup at the 2026 NHL Stadium Series.
The NHL and Fanatics unveiled the uniforms both clubs will wear at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on Feb. 1. Not only do both teams' jerseys feature elements that reflect the game's setting, but they also reflect a new push to feature color-on-color matchups.
NHL chief branding officer and senior EVP, Brian Jennings, told The Athletic's Sean Gentille this week that most jersey sales are dark-colored, and the contrast from color-on-color matchups improves the visual product on television and in person.
While the New York Rangers will wear white against the Florida Panthers in the NHL's Winter Classic on Jan. 2, the Lightning and Bruins took a different approach.
The Lightning's front crest is a diagonal "TBL" wordmark in sky blue, reflecting the brightness of an outdoor game under the Tampa Bay sky. A realistic-looking lightning bolt strikes through the letters, while the team's traditional royal blue is the jersey's base color.
A new shoulder patch includes a pirate-inspired skull with a lightning bolt to commemorate what the league calls "Tampa's swashbuckling heritage."
More pirate-inspired accents include beads along the neckline and a battle flag with the Lightning logo that's "a high-flying nod to the jolly roger, the pirate life and a one-of-a-kind outdoor setting."
"This uniform weaves together three key themes: the uniqueness of playing outdoors in Florida, the rich heritage and culture of Tampa Bay and the proud history of our organization," Kevin Preast, chief venue officer for the Lightning and Vinik Sports Group, said in a statement. "It's a true tribute to our community and to Lightning hockey, honoring the deep connection between the two."
The Bruins' uniform, meanwhile, reflects the sunny setting of the Stadium Series contest.
With a vibrant gold as the base color and sun rays on the sleeves, the Bruins' uniforms will shine bright in the bay. But they also pay tribute to their home region's heritage.
The back neck collar displays the acronyms of the six states that make up New England – Boston's home state of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The front crest also features a New England Patriots-style "Boston" wordmark over the squad's crawling bear logo with "Bruins" in the body.
With the typical shoulder mark becoming the crest on this jersey, the new shoulder patch is a 'B' layered over bear claw slashes.
This will be the first time the Lightning host an outdoor game. The first time they played outdoors was in the 2022 NHL Stadium Series at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The Lightning beat the Predators 3-2.
Boston will play its sixth outdoor game and its first Stadium Series game, which tends to feature innovative, modern uniform designs over a traditional look often seen in the Winter Classic.
"Through multiple Winter Classics and of course our club's 100th anniversary, we've done a lot of retro and vintage style jerseys, but Stadium Series presented an opportunity to do something really unique," Bruins president Cam Neely said in a statement.
The Bruins are 4-1-0 in outdoor games, having last played in the 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park.
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