The NHL outdoor games in 2024 are behind us, and we now know what’s to come in 2025 in Columbus and Chicago. One city gets to experience hockey outdoors for the first time while another gets to run it back. While looking ahead, it got us thinking about what one of these games could look like in the Sunshine State, specifically on the Gulf Coast.
The Tampa Bay Lightning played in the 2022 Stadium Series in Nashville. They are very familiar with the event and what it entails. However, they have yet to host an outdoor game.
Nothing is scheduled beyond next season, at least officially, so it could happen as soon as 2026. But what would this event look like? An outdoor hockey game in Florida would be welcomed by many in the state and provide some nice storylines, but it would come with challenges too.
Here, we break down all the possibilities of how a Winter Classic or Stadium Series game hosted by the Lightning could look like. We look at possible locations and opponents to help paint multiple pictures of what this experience could behold. We also discuss the various challenges of what would be the most southern location for an outdoor game to date.
Local Options Where a Game Could Be Played
If they choose to stay in the Tampa Bay area for the event, they have two options. If they want the game in the biggest venue possible, then they’ll head up the road to Raymond James Stadium. The home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has 69,218 permanent seats, and it’s also expandable to 75,000. As part of the event, stars from the Lightning and Bucs would get together to hang out during the festivities. Fans would love shots of, for example, Brayden Point chatting with All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
There’s just one major obstacle: weather. Remember, this is an outdoor game where the ice has to be in a playable condition. It’s not a unique issue to Florida, but the state doesn’t get the same winters as Tennessee, Carolina or even Texas. A good amount of the time, temperatures can get cool enough that it’s not a problem, believe it or not. It’s not unheard of to be in the 20s or 30s Fahrenheit at night (this is between just below zero and in the low single digits Celsius). However, other times, it could be a warmer winter, 60s or 70s Fahrenheit, and trying to keep the ice frozen would be a nightmare. The lack of predictability could make “Ray Jay” impractical.
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This brings in the option of the domed Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays (MLB) and former home of the Lightning. While it’s been proven to host hockey, doesn’t this option defeat the purpose of an outdoor game? Well, by the literal concept, yes.
But it’s not like playing under a roof due to climate is completely unacceptable. Due to the climate in Seattle, the 2024 Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park would have been played with the roof closed had it been necessary.
One issue that can’t be avoided, but has a solution, is the fact that Tropicana Field’s days are numbered. There is already a redevelopment plan for the site once the Rays’ lease concludes after the 2027 MLB season. The solution here is they could play at the new stadium, which would be built in the parking lot of Tropicana Field. It would also have a roof on it, which allows for the same convenience of a larger, but still indoor venue more suitable for hockey.
Being realistic, should this be the location, it would likely be for the Stadium Series game and not the Winter Classic. The whole idea behind the latter is the sport goes back to its outdoor roots. The Stadium Series could have some leeway.
Other Options in Florida
If neither local option works, the Lightning are not totally out of luck. They just need to look further north. Two outdoor options on the Gulf Coast consistently get more viable temperatures for a game. These are Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville and Doak Campell in Tallahassee. For those who don’t follow College football, the first is the home of the Florida Gators and the second is the home of the Florida State Seminoles.
These cities consistently get temperatures near freezing in the winter. Then, there is the attendance advantage. Ben Hill Griffin can officially hold 88,548 people – attendance has gone over 90,000. The Doak currently holds 79,540 – but this is expected to dip a bit with upcoming renovations (from ‘How Will FSU Stadium Experience Change in 2024 Amid Renovations? Expect 24,000 Fewer Seats,’ Tallahassee Democrat, Feb. 11, 2024). By the time a hypothetical Stadium Series game is played, capacity is projected to be in the upper-60,000 to lower-70,000 range.
Notable former Gators QB Tim Tebow, who is now a part owner of an incoming ECHL expansion team, could partake in a ceremonial puck drop if the game is in Gainesville. Derrick Brooks could do the same should the game be in Tallahassee. Brooks, a college and pro football Hall of Famer, played for the Seminoles and Buccaneers. He makes for a good connection to both cities.
The downside to both is the distance from Tampa. According to Google Maps, Gainesville is 1 hour and 58 minutes from Tampa. Tallahassee is four hours. Not ideal for getting to the venue when both cities have smaller airports. That being said, there is precedent to why either could be an option. The Chicago Blackhawks hosted an outdoor game in South Bend at Notre Dame Stadium. South Bend, Indiana, is 1 hour and 42 minutes from Chicago. Gainesville has a fighting chance to host in this scenario. Tallahassee might be out of the way, but as mentioned before, the weather could keep it in the running.
A third option is Camping World Stadium in Orlando (formerly known as the Citrus Bowl). This hosts the Citrus Bowl Game, two other bowl games and concerts. Capacity can expand to 65,194. Orlando is also a very easy city to travel to with a major international airport. The Lightning also have an ECHL affiliate in Orlando, the Solar Bears, in the city. Maybe they participate in some way? The only issue would be the same with Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, and that is the weather. Orlando is typically warmer, so keeping the ice frozen could be an issue. The distance from Tampa, about two hours, could make it not worth it if there isn’t an improvement in climate.
A fourth option is EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, the home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. EverBank Stadium is expandable to 82,000 seats and is an NFL stadium. These could be attractive features for a game. But like with Gainesville and Tallahassee, distance is an issue. It’s over three hours away on the other coast. Furthermore, because it’s on the East Coast, it might be more fitting to host a game in which the Panthers are the home team as opposed to the Lightning.
So, the choice of stadiums comes as such: A location with more suitable weather but is harder to travel to, or a location easier to travel to but has less ideal weather and a dome. At least there are plenty of options to assess.
If we had to make a prediction, the two best candidates to host would be Tropicana Field/future Rays Stadium followed by Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
Potential Opponents for This Hypothetical Game
Now that we have an idea of where they could play, let’s look at who they could play. Let’s get one thing out of the way. The Lightning already played the Predators, so a rematch is extremely unlikely.
An obvious first choice is the in-state rival Florida Panthers. A Battle of Florida game would fit the rising tensions between the two teams over the last few seasons. Take the playoff madness and apply it to a historic regular-season game. Getting certain player matchups, such as Nikita Kucherov vs Sam Reinhart, would help get everyone excited for the game. The Panthers have never participated in a Stadium Series game, making them a prime candidate to go head-to-head with the Lightning. One team hosts for the first time while the other participates for the first time.
Other geographical options are the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars. Both are Southern hockey teams with some history with the Lightning. The Hurricanes used to be in the old Southeast Division with them from 1998 to 2013 and the two also have a previous playoff matchup during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs – the Lightning won in five games. The Lightning played the Stars in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, beating them in six games.
Both the Hurricanes and the Stars have played in an outdoor game. The Hurricanes hosted the Stadium Series in 2023, and the Stars hosted the Winter Classic in 2020. Their previous participation likely would not impact the decision to include either of them. If the league chooses not to have a game between both Florida teams, these opponents make a lot of sense.
If they choose not to stay exclusive to southern teams, there is another fun route they could go in. Enter their division opponent, the Buffalo Sabres. Why the Sabres? Their respective American Hockey League (AHL) teams, the Syracuse Crunch (Lightning) and the Rochester Americans (Sabres) are rivals in upstate New York. Maybe they make a doubleheader out of it. Have a game between the Crunch and Amerks and then the Lightning and Sabres. Sure, it makes more logistical sense to send the Lightning up to Buffalo, as they’re the only team in this group not on I-90, but who doesn’t want a reason to come to Florida in the winter?
There are several hurdles and forks in the road, but there is a path to an outdoor game for the Lightning. It’s going to take a couple of years to plan. In addition to seeing if either university or any of the professional stadiums are interested in coordinating the event, there’s also researching the technology and cost to make an outdoor game less of a headache with the weather, just to name a couple of things. But if it all comes together, everyone could be in for a unique experience.