Pirates, Planks and a Shipwreck: Inside the Stadium Series Setup

Clear the decks — the pirates are taking over!

On Tuesday, the NHL unveiled its field design for the Feb. 1 outdoor Stadium Series game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, inspired by Tampa’s pirate history.

“We’ve leaned in, as we said we were going to do all along, to Tampa, to the Lightning, and to Gasparilla,” said NHL President of Entertainment & Content Steve Mayer.

The NHL says the event has been years in the making and is the most complex and ambitious outdoor game it has ever put together. Set pieces will include a shipwreck featuring the logos of the Lightning and Bruins, lit-up planks each team will use to walk onto the field, and a barge that will serve as the stage for Tim McGraw at the first intermission.

And because you can never have enough pirates, the field design will also feature real pirates and floats straight from the Gasparilla Parade, including the Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla float, as well as the Gillie Gaspar and Skeleton Cove floats.

Mayer said the display will ultimately lead to a real treasure.

"There will be. We will identify some things in the next few days."

The treasure map includes a number of Lightning-themed references, Thunderbug included: Vasilevskiy Bay, Kucherov’s Cove, Brayden’s Point of No Return, Guentzel’s Grotto, Cooper’s Cliffs, Hedman Reef, McDonagh Marsh, Cirelli Cliffs, and Hagel’s Cove.

With the game completely sold out, the NHL says sightlines inside the stadium are expected to be strong for a hockey game, even for fans seated in the upper levels. Every detail was considered when constructing the setup.

“A lot of people coming to the game wonder about the sightlines, what it’s going to be like to see it,” said Mayer. “What do you do to ensure that no matter where you are in the building, you’re going to get a good experience?”

"Everybody gets that from football. I want to be down low, I want to be in the 100-level sections. If you are in the 300-level sections, you've got an amazing seat for what we've got going on.”

Many of the props on the field will be set up on game day, right up to puck drop. At around 4 a.m. on Feb. 1, a crane will enter the venue to begin removing the climate-controlled tent. With temperatures dropping, the NHL considered taking it down earlier, but rain entered Saturday’s forecast, keeping the schedule intact.

Sunday’s forecast: high of 47, low of 33—one of the coldest Feb. 1 on record for Tampa Bay.