These Need To Stop

The NHL announced today that New York Rangers will spend New Year's Eve in Miami, Florida before meeting the Florida Panthers at LoanDepot Park, home of MLB's Miami Marlins, on January 2, 2026 for next season's Winter Classic. Forgive me for sounding like a broken record, but this is another game I won't be watching because it makes no sense. There's zero rivalry between these teams, and no reason for the Rangers to be in this game when they appear to in a rebuild. Frankly, this is another game that has zero appeal to me.

If you're wondering how many times the Rangers have been in outdoor games, this will mark their third Winter Classic and sixth outdoor game overall. The good news for hockey fans is that the Rangers are 5-0 outdoors, but the bad news is that streak may come to an end next January. Plummeting down the standings, it seems pretty clear that the Rangers are a mess, and I can't see them improving to become a contender within the next twelve months.

Florida will take part in their first outdoor game, and it seems that Gary Bettman is a little giddy with what the NHL will offer in Miami, saying, "It's going to be a little unusual. It's going to be a little more unique. Some people think we've lost our minds, but we're not ready to announce it. We will soon, and it's going to be good."

Foreshadowing aside, how about you just give us a competitive game between two teams who have a little dislike for one another? Is that too much to ask for what is supposed to be a marquee event?

You might be thinking that Tampa Bay should play in the game for that natural rivalry, but it would appear they've been excluded because they're playing in their own outdoor game as part of the Stadium Series next season. On February 1, 2026, the Lightning will host the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as they become the second outdoor game in the state of Florida less than a month after Florida's game.

Bettman was quick to praise what the two Florida franchises have done, stating, "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."

Like the Florida-New York game, the Lightning-Bruins game would have been epic television five years ago. Instead, the Lightning are retooling once more while the Bruins have danced with wild card spots all season long as these two teams could both make or miss the playoffs depending on how their seasons go. There could still be some animosity between the two clubs after a handful of heated battles, but finding it in February on slushy, sloppy ice might be tough.

If you were wondering about that foreshadowing that Bettman was teasing, CBS News New York reported,

"The Marlins' loanDepot Park has a retractable roof and that will play a big role in getting that stadium ready for hockey. The air conditioning will be cranked up - way up - and the Panthers-Rangers game will be played at night with the roof open. For the Lightning-Bruins game inside the open-air stadium in Tampa, the NHL will build a temporary roof over the ice surface and remove it just a few hours before game time."

Is that the "unique" and "unusual" that Bettman was teasing? It sounds like it could be part of the equation, but this covered rink becoming an open air rink seems underwhelming if that's the announcement. At the end of the day, though, I just want to see a good hockey game.

If there are more tricks and spectacles that the NHL will bring out for these games, I'll wait for the announcements. After being part of the majority who didn't watch this year's Winter Classic leading to the worst viewership in the 17-year history of the event, it's going to take a lot to bring me back because I'm not excited for either of these matchups. It doesn't matter how many roofs come off the rinks.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!