The Tampa Bay Lightning are set to take it outdoors when they host the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union™ NHL Stadium Series on February 1, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, the National Hockey League and the Lightning announced today. Additional details for the event, including start time and ticketing information, will be announced at a later date when available. This landmark event will be part of a month-long celebration of hockey in the state of Florida, which will kick off on January 2, 2026, in Miami at loanDepot park, home of the Miami Marlins, with the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers taking part in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic. To sign up for further updates, fans are encouraged to visit TampaBayLightning.com/StadiumSeries.
"We couldn’t be more excited for this landmark event to finally arrive for Bolts Nation and the Tampa Bay community," said Lightning CEO Steve Griggs. "This moment has been a long time coming, and we’re thrilled to see this dream become a reality. I want to thank our incredible partners at the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, the Tampa Sports Authority and all of Team Tampa Bay for their tireless efforts and unwavering belief in making the impossible possible. We also express our gratitude to Commissioner Bettman and the NHL for their innovative thinking and for bringing this event to Tampa Bay."
“Hosting an NHL Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium has been our ‘white whale’ as a community for the last decade and we’re excited for our collective and unprecedented dream to finally become a reality,” said Rob Higgins, Executive Director, Tampa Bay Sports Commission. “We could not be more grateful to our friends at the NHL, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Sports Authority, as well as all of our other Team Tampa Bay partners for the collaboration and vision to help make this happen. Tampa Bay is a truly special place that is consistently capable of pulling off what many think is impossible.”
“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,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
The Panthers and Lightning have told us repeatedly that they and their fans want this special experience. Beginning in Miami on Jan. 2, when the Panthers host the Rangers in the Discover NHL Winter Classic, we will stage a month-long celebration of hockey throughout Florida that will culminate in Tampa on Feb. 1, when the Lightning host the Bruins in the Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series. Florida, we’re bringing our unique events to you, and we can’t wait.”
The Lightning and Bruins have contested 118 regular season games, including 58 in Tampa Bay, with the Bolts posting a 25-24-3-6 record on home ice. Captain Victor Hedman leads all current Lightning players in points against Boston, posting nine goals and 30 points in 53 games, while Nikita Kucherov ranks second with 11 goals and 29 points in 36 contests.
Tampa Bay and the Bruins have faced off in three playoff series, with the Lightning winning the last two. In all, the two teams have played in 18 Stanley Cup Playoff games, with the Bolts posting a 12-6 record. Brayden Point (5-11=16) and Hedman (4-12=16) pace all Tampa Bay skaters against Boston in the postseason, while goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has posted a 9-2 recording with a .924 save percentage and a 2.06 goals-against average.
The 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™ will be the first outdoor regular season game in Tampa Bay. The Lightning have appeared in one previous outdoor game, the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™ in Nashville, Tennessee, where they defeated the Nashville Predators, 3-2. The Bruins have skated in five total outdoor games, posting a 4-1 record.
Hockey across the Tampa Bay Area, and the state of Florida as a whole, has seen exponential growth in the past decade at all levels of the game. The state of Florida is approaching 10,000 registered youth hockey players, ranking first overall in the Southeast District and 11th in the country. With contributions from the Lightning and community partners, the Bay Area has seen a 70 percent increase in new USA Hockey ice hockey registrations since the 2016-17 season.
The Bolts’ Learn to Play program has introduced more than 6,000 new players to ice hockey since 2016. Operated by the team, the Lightning High School Hockey League boasts 778 registered players across 21 varsity and junior varsity teams, up 77 percent since the 2016-17 season. The Lightning Female Hockey Program has exploded, working with more than 1,000 females annually. The Lightning also provide Disabled Hockey programming and teams for all ages and disabilities to ensure everyone can play the game. Overall, on-ice training hours for children aged 5-18 is up 183 percent since 2016, with over 2,000 Lightning-operated training hours each year.
Off the ice, the Lightning’s Community & Hockey Development team has distributed more than 240,000 street hockey sticks and balls to over 1,120 schools, with 65 percent of those qualifying as Title 1, since 2015. The team has constructed 10 outdoor ball hockey rinks in a five-county area. The Community & Hockey Development’s home base, the Lightning Made Training Center, plays host to 2,500 families of all ages in varying ball hockey and off-ice programming each year. They also host numerous ball hockey tournaments, leagues, and clinics throughout Central Florida.
The Lightning and Tampa Bay have also hosted a pair of NHL All-Star Games, in 1999 and 2018. They have also hosted NCAA Frozen Four tournaments in 2023, 2016 and 2012.
2026 Navy Federal Credit Union™ NHL Stadium Series will air on ESPN.
