When the NHL announced plans for an outdoor hockey game in Tampa, the Florida heat was the obvious concern for the ice pros responsible for rink management.
Turns out the conditions will be more shinny than shiny Sunday night, when the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins meet in the 2026 NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium.
The faceoff forecast calls for 43 degrees and clear — conditions so cooperative it seems like the league brought them along with the climate-controlled tent erected to shield the ice from the elements this week.
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Obviously, the Canadian air is more serendipity than planning, not that the NHL hasn’t been working on contingencies to maintain elite game conditions and player safety. This is, after all, the Sunshine State, and ice melts.
“I think that with all the technology now that we have, and all the information that we've gained, from the weathermen to all the way down to the ice floor, everything that we've done, it's kind of preparation for the last three years to make this happen,” Patrick Jesso, the Lightning’s ice operations manager, told “Florida Matters Live & Local.”
The state-of-the-art tent – 34 feet high, 125 feet wide and 240 feet long – will be dismantled hours before the bundled-up crowd of about 60,000 pours in.
The setting will be anything but ordinary. A regulation-size NHL rink — enveloped by a football field-sized "treasure map" designed in celebration of Gasparilla — sits where fans typically watch the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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The end zones have been transformed into “Boston Harbor” and “Tampa Bay,” complete with shipwrecks, sea creatures — and eventually floats rolled in from Saturday’s pirate parade.
"We've got props everywhere," said Steve Mayer, the NHL's president of content and events. "There's 120 barrels coming. We've got boats coming. We've got a lot of pieces you'll see in the far side of the field, behind both benches. It's a shipwreck that will actually be the identifiers of both the Bruins and the Lightning."
Some of the “map” destinations include names familiar to local hockey followers, such as Vasilevskiy Bay, Guentzel’s Grotto, Kucherov Cove, McDonagh Marsh, Hagel Cove, Cirelli Cliffs, Brayden’s Point of No Return, ThunderBug Cove, Cooper Cliffs, Vinik’s Voyage and Hedman Reef.
And, of course, there's the watchful presence of the Bucs' iconic, skull-bowed, cannon-armed, 103-foot-long pirate ship.
“This is a special moment for the community and for our fans,” Jesso said. “With Gasparilla going on, it makes it very unique.”
Jesso, who has attended previous NHL outdoor games, said the atmosphere for hockey inside a stadium adds a different energy to the game.
“It was very loud — think college football atmosphere, with hockey in the middle of it,” he said. “It makes it more special.”
Not lost in the pageantry is a matchup with real history. The Lightning and Bruins share a long-running Atlantic Division rivalry, with both teams currently on outstanding runs.
Tampa Bay (34-14-4) leads the division, is 17-1-1 over its past 19 games and has won of seven straight at its regular home, Benchmark International Arena. Since New Year’s, the Bruins have pulled back into playoff contention, winning 12 of 15.
"As a team, we've been playing great hockey lately,” said Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has won 13 of his past 14 starts.
Surrounding the spectacle is a full day of activity. NHL Pregame, an interactive fan festival for ticket-holders, takes place throughout the afternoon until game time.
Country music star Tim McGraw will perform during first intermission from a dock built into the “treasure map” — between Lord Stanley Point and Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla — that will serve as the stage.
“It's one of my favorite events to do, especially now [that] I get to host it,” Jasso said. “It's going to be a cool and unique experience.”
If you’re going
- When/where: 6:30 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.
- Tickets: Sold out. Verified resale available at Ticketmaster.
- Parking: Lots open at 12:30 p.m.; stadium gates open at 5 p.m.
- TV: ESPN, with Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan and Kevin Weeks, and interviews by Jason Kelce from ice-level “best seat in the house.” Also, American Sign Language telecast on ESPN+.
- NHL Pregame: Fan festival open to those with game tickets from 1 to 6:30 p.m. in Lots 5 and 7, along Dale Mabry Highway south of the stadium. Features interactive hockey activities, Stanley Cup, bobblehead creator, giant human claw for prizes, and NHL partner-related giveaways. Country music group Locash performs.
- Related entertainment: Tampa native and standup comedian Bert Kreischer performs at 7 p.m. Friday at Benchmark International Arena. Indie alt-rocker Kings of Leon concert starts at 8 p.m. Saturday at Benchmark International Arena after the Gasparilla parade.
- National anthem: Sung by Hunter Hayes (deaf performance by Ivan Jarama). University of South Florida Naval ROTC color guard will present the colors.
- Concert: Grammy-winner Tim McGraw performs during first intermission.
