MIAMI (AP) — The NHL held its All-Star Game in Tampa in 2018, and as league officials left the city, they couldn’t help but notice the billboards created for the occasion.
“Next time,” it read, “let’s think outside the box.”
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The word play is obvious. A seed was planted. Over the next few years, the NHL, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers have been discussing how to bring outdoor games to the Sunshine State.
On Friday, the wait is over. A sell-out crowd is expected at Loon Depot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, for Florida’s first outdoor game as the Panthers host the New York Rangers. The ballpark’s retractable roof has been closed and plenty of air conditioning has been piped in to help ice makers create a hockey-friendly playing surface, but will be turned on shortly before puck drop.
“I know it’s cliche, but it’s like being a kid at Christmas,” Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said when asked to describe what it was like to play in the game. “We look forward to celebrating our game on every level with our families, our friends, new fans and our fans.”
Friday’s game will be the first of two in Florida this season; the Chargers will host the Boston Bruins on February 1 at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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In each of the past six years — 2020, 2021 and 2022 at Tampa Bay, then 2023, 2024 and 2025 at Florida State — Sunshine State teams have reached the Stanley Cup Finals, with both the Lightning and Panthers winning twice during that span.
“We’ve been discussing this,” said Steve Mayer, NHL president of events and content. “Then we got more comfortable with the ice and the temperature – we did a lot of research and it was just not going to happen – and now we’re here. I can’t believe we’re here, but we are.”
How icing occurs
By Miami standards these days are cold. The high temperature has been struggling to get out of the 60s, with the lowest temperature dropping to the 40s overnight.
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The NHL couldn’t have come at a better time with this cold snap.
The league’s equipment arrived at the Marlins’ ballpark in mid-December. A custom refrigeration unit was installed, from which thousands of gallons of coolant will flow through hoses to the field to cool aluminum pallets placed beneath the playing surface.
From that point on, the ice – which is about 25% thicker than usual – began to form in a long, slow, gradual process. Water-soluble paint was added to whiten the ice, and lines and logos were painted on the surface this week.
The process will be slightly different in Tampa; since Raymond James won’t have a roof, the league will put up a tent to help build the ice and then take it down before the Chargers’ game against the Bruins. The rink for the Panthers-Rangers game will be trucked to Tampa shortly after Friday’s game.
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“Our ice staff is great,” Mayer said.
The Panthers finally have a game
Florida State is one of two teams that has never played an outdoor game. The Utah Mammoth is another.
Some Panthers players have already participated in outdoor games — Brad Marchand is about to play in his fourth — but many are experiencing it for the first time. Marchand said the idea of playing in front of about 35,000 fans in Miami will only allow hockey to continue to grow throughout Florida.
“These opportunities don’t come often,” said Marchand, who is 3-0-0 in outdoor games against Boston. “They tend to be a little crazy, there’s a lot of chaos, but when you look back on your career, they’re your favorite moments. They’re the moments you always go back to and talk about. It’s a great opportunity for everybody… I just think the environment we’re going to be in is going to be very unique and special. It’s not often you get to play outside in a climate like this.”
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Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky played his first outdoor game 14 years ago and, until Friday, it was his only outdoor game. He is on the verge of setting a record for the longest time between two outdoor meets. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice will coach an outdoor game for the third time.
He said it was important to give a great show to the fans.
“This doesn’t look like anything we normally do,” Morris said. “For some people, it’s going to be the only game they’ve ever played. So, you want to make sure you appreciate it.”
From a numerical perspective
2 — Golf carts will be used to transport goaltenders from the ice to the locker room because the distance is so far that it would be impractical for them to walk as usual.
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5-0-0 — The Rangers’ record in outdoor games.
15th – Loan Depot Park will become Major League Baseball’s 15th stadium to host outdoor games.
44 — This will be the 44th outdoor game in NHL history, dating back to 2003. In 1991, Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings played an outdoor preseason game in Las Vegas against the Rangers; the Kings won, but it is not part of the official outdoor game record.
65 — The temperature was 65 degrees (18 degrees Celsius) during a 2016 game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings in Denver. It was the hottest game temperature in the history of an NHL outdoor game (excluding the 1991 preseason game in Las Vegas, when the temperature exceeded 90 degrees). Forecasters don’t expect Friday’s game to break the 65-degree mark.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL