There was hockey weather. A rare goalie fight. Eleven goals. Overtime and a shootout. And a gaggle of Gasparilla pirates.
“The game had everything,’’ Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “That one’s going to go in the memory bank. It was a special occasion.”
It helped that Cooper’s team won Sunday night’s NHL Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium, overcoming a four-goal deficit to beat the Boston Bruins in a shootout, 6-5.
The temperature was 41.8 degrees at faceoff, but it did not deter the sellout crowd of 64,617 at the first outdoor hockey game in Tampa.
“It had the weather in a state which doesn’t usually get weather like this. It was a phenomenal atmosphere, perfect ice hockey playing conditions,” Cooper said.
The city’s annual Gasparilla holiday was front and center, from field decor to faux pirates handling team introductions. ESPN joined in, providing four hours of priceless pirate publicity that included its pregame hosts dressed in krewe garb.
Meantime, Lightning players arrived at the stadium wearing the Creamsicle-colored uniforms of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – helmets and pads included – and were led from the buses by Bucs players Baker Mayfield and Tristan Wirfs.
“We get to use their stadium, so we wanted to return the favor,” said the Lightning’s Victor Hedman, who returned to the lineup after having elbow surgery in December. “It was great having Baker and Tristan lead us out.”
Cooper brought his own bench fashion: white suit and matching brim, with an open-neck crimson collar, gold chain and a billowing cigar. Compared on social media to an outfit worn by Al Pacino in "Scarface," Cooper explained it as "a tip of the cap to the heritage of Tampa."
"Our staff, we've been know to hit Ybor City a little bit and smoke some cigars at staff outings, so we thought it apropos to go down that road," he said. "Then it grew into gold chains and canes and rings. This event doesn't come around very often, and probably dressing like this doesn't come around very often."
Cooper's mention of the conditions was relevant as well. After months of concern by the NHL about rink maintenance in the Florida elements, workers had to “warm” the ice to prevent cracking in the cold conditions, according to ESPN.
The game itself didn’t disappoint:
- Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel scored 11 seconds in was the fastest goal in NHL outdoor game history and also matched the Lightning mark for fastest goal to start a game.
- Nikita Kucherov’s one-timer from the left circle with 8:10 left in the third period finished the biggest comeback in an outdoor game and largest comeback victory in Lightning history.
- A 3-on-3 overtime that included two penalties on the Bruins. Tampa Bay failed to score with the man-advantage, but Jake Guentzel tallied the only goal in the shootout to win it.
However, what most will remember was the first goalie fight in outdoor game history, when Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Boston’s Jeremy Swayman exchanged blows at center ice in the second period.
THAT'S. OUR. BIG. CAT. pic.twitter.com/bxVyR5dcPN
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) February 2, 2026
The Lightning said it sparked their rally when they were down 5-2.
“That was a game-changing moment for our team, and that’s what we needed,’’ Guentzel said. “That was definitely cool to watch.’’
Hagel tapped a loose puck between Swayman's pads as a whistle blew, and the Boston netminder jumped on Hagel and struck him with his blocker. Then, Vasilevskiy crept toward the red line in anticipation of defending his teammate.
They dropped the gloves, with the Lightning goaltender landing the most punches – fighting southpaw, to the surprise of his teammates.
The @TBLightning secure the treasure at the #StadiumSeries 💙 pic.twitter.com/Yo4XVZ3I7e
— NHL (@NHL) February 2, 2026
“It was one of the biggest moments for me personally because I never fought in the NHL. Thanks to him for that,” Vasilevskiy said.
Afterward, the pair smiled at each other and exchanged “nice words,” Vasilevskiy said.
“I knew he was gonna beat the wheels (off) Swayman right away,” a smiling Kuchearov said of Vasilevskiy. “We call him Mike Tyson now. … He had to wake us up.”
Kucherov finished with a goal and three assists.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
