Outdoor hockey is coming to Florida. The NHL will have games in Miami and Tampa next season

MIAMI (AP) — Hockey. Outdoors. In Florida.

Next season, the NHL is making it happen — twice.

The NHL announced Wednesday that the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will play host to the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park in Miami — home of baseball’s Marlins — on Jan. 2, 2026, in the Winter Classic, with the Tampa Bay Lightning playing host to the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 1, 2026, in a Stadium Series game.

“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,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Outdoor NHL games in the Sunshine State? Never let it be said that our league isn’t willing to accept a challenge.”

It’s a long time coming, but the Panthers and Lightning have represented the Eastern Conference in each of the last five Stanley Cup Finals and they've built heavily engaged fan bases. And both franchises have asked the NHL to bring an outdoor game — or two, in this case — to the Sunshine State for many years.

The league listened.

“To be able to celebrate these two franchises against great Original Six teams, I think, is phenomenal,” Panthers President Matthew Caldwell said. “And I think our time has come. We deserve that outdoor game and we’re fired up to have it right here locally.”

The Marlins’ ballpark, located about a 45-minute drive south of the Panthers' home arena in Sunrise, can hold about 37,000 fans. Raymond James Stadium — home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers — can hold about 65,000 for most events, and capacity can be increased a bit if necessary.

“We couldn’t be more excited for this landmark event to finally arrive for Bolts Nation and the Tampa Bay community,” Lightning CEO Steve Griggs said. “This moment has been a long time coming, and we’re thrilled to see this dream become a reality.”

These will not be ordinary outdoor games.

The high in Miami on Jan. 2 this year was 78. The high in Tampa last year on Feb. 1 was 66. Those temperatures aren't conducive to finding ice outside. And the high game-time temperature for any of the previous outdoor games in NHL history, the league said, was 65 for a game in Denver in 2016.

“We understand it’s risky," said Steve Mayer, the NHL's president of content and events. "I think we like it. And it’s not a challenge. It’s actually an opportunity for us.”

The Marlins' loanDepot Park has a retractable roof and that will play a big role in getting that stadium ready for hockey. The air conditioning will be cranked up — way up — and the Panthers-Rangers game will be played at night with the roof open. For the Lightning-Bruins game inside the open-air stadium in Tampa, the NHL will build a temporary roof over the ice surface and remove it just a few hours before game time.

“We want to bring a little bit of a winter wonderland to Florida,” Mayer said.

The games in 2026 will be the 44th and 45th regular-season outdoor contests in NHL history. The Rangers are 5-0-0 in their previous outdoor games, Boston has won four of its five outdoor games and the Lightning prevailed in their only outdoor contest. The Panthers have never played such a game.

“We get to expand our great sport," Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said. "We have a chance to have 100,000 people watching hockey live, outside, in Florida. That's unthinkable. And the exciting part and the fun part is it’s growing. It’s getting bigger. More and more people are becoming hockey fans in Florida."

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

FILE - a general view of Raymond James Stadium during an NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Doug Murray, FIle)

FILE - The roof is open during an interleague opening day baseball game between the Miami Marlins and the Detroit Tigers, Tuesday, April 5, 2016, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues face off at center ice during the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game at Wrigley Field, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Fans celebrate after a goal by the Chicago Blackhawks against the St. Louis Blues during the third period of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game at Wrigley Field, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) celebrates with teammates after the team defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight (30) celebrates with the team after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in a shootout at an NHL hockey game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

NEW YORK (AP) — Electric vehicle demand is expected to keep rising this year, but uncertainty over policy changes and tariffs is clouding the forecast.

S&P Global Mobility expects global sales of 15.1 million battery electric vehicles in 2025, which would mark a 30% jump. Battery electric vehicles are expected to make up 16.7% of the market share for light vehicles.

Tesla, BYD of China, and other manufacturers face big unknowns in 2025. Donald Trump's presidency could mean big policy shifts in tax and other incentives for both electric vehicle makers and consumers. The threat of tariffs on imports and retaliatory tariffs globally, could further complicate production and sales for electric vehicles.

“There's just a lot of uncertainty in the air,” said Stephanie Brinley, associate director of auto intelligence at S&P Global Mobility. “It's not an environment where you want to necessarily go gangbusters.”

In the U.S., consumers can currently claim a federal tax benefit of up to $7,500 for certain new electric vehicles. Carmakers also benefitted from some federal support for electric vehicle production and infrastructure. It's possible for all of that to get cut under President Trump.

Trump condemned the federal tax credit for electric vehicles while campaigning for the presidency. He called it part of a “green new scam” that would would hurt the auto industry. Still, the incoming administration is expected push for broader deregulation of industries, which could potentially help carmakers.

Some of the larger electric vehicle makers had a mixed 2024 even with benefits for consumers and manufacturers. Tesla sales slipped 1.1%, its first annual sales drop in more than a dozen years. Rivian's deliveries rose 2.9%.

Tariffs are another threat to the industry. Production takes place globally, with parts getting imported and exported throughout the process. Trump has threatened to tax imports from Mexico, Canada, China and elsewhere, which would likely result in retaliatory tariffs.

China is the largest market for electric vehicles, followed by the U.S. Within the U.S., Tesla is the dominant electric vehicle maker, with about 50% of the market share.

Automakers are in a wait-and-see position along with many other industries to see whether Trump carries out the threat of rescinding tax credits and implementing tariffs.

The broader auto industry is proceeding with caution. Overall, S&P Global Mobility expects that light vehicle production will have slid 1.6% in 2024 and will fall another 0.4% in 2025.

That's a result of automakers better matching production and demand. Overall light vehicle sales are still expected to rise 1.7% in 2025.

The ongoing transition to electric vehicles also plays a role in more tempered production. Companies like Ford and General Motors are shifting production capacity to electric vehicles in some cases instead of adding more capacity.

FILE - Tesla Cybertrucks are displayed at the AutoMobility LA Auto Show, Nov. 21, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)