On Wednesday, big sporting news broke out in Miami. loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, will play host to the NHL Winter Classic Game. The Florida Panthers will host the New York Rangers on Jan. 2, 2026.
Brrr! ???? It’s cold in here, there must be some gatos in the atmosphere…(@loanDepotpark ) https://t.co/DtmEcZ2tlj
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) January 8, 2025
This is monumental as it is the first time the state of Florida has hosted the marquee NHL event.
The NHL has ventured into MLB ballparks before. The most recent Winter Classic was held at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.
Other ballparks hosting the Winter Classic include Fenway Park, Citi Field, Citizens Bank Park, T-Mobile Park, Target Field, Busch Stadium, and Nationals Park.
MLB venues are prime targets for the NHL to use for this game, considering baseball is out of season during the winter. In fact, MLB ballparks have hosted the Winter Classics more than any other type of sporting stadium.
Ballparks across America have not only held the Winter Classic, but they have also held the NHL Stadium Series games.
Dodger Stadium hosted the Anaheim Ducks in 2014. In that same year, Yankee Stadium hosted the Rangers along with the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils.
In 2016, the Coors Field hosted the Colorado Avalanche.
loanDepot Park joins a long list of MLB ballparks in hosting one of the NHL’s biggest games all season. This is a unique sports event: a professional hockey game will be played in South Florida.
