Dave Hyde: NHL's Winter Classic is a wonderland of hockey fun -- yes, in Miami

Dave Hyde, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Jan 1, 2026

Published in Hockey

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MIAMI — Oh, the weather outside is frightful …

“Actually, it’s kind of nice,” Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said.

It’ll be in the 50s for Friday night’s Winter Classic hockey game between the Panthers and New York Rangers at loanDepot park. The only way for a native South Floridian to sit comfortably in that for three hours is with a blowtorch.

“It’s hockey weather for us,’’ said the Finnish Forsling.

Yes, they didn’t just bring winter’s game to be played in a fun and festive atmosphere Friday night. They brought winter, too, at least as we Nanooks of South Florida define it.

There’s even “snow” in the forecast at the game, though the NHL isn’t saying how they’re pulling that off. But this regular NHL event has become so popular around the league in actual cold-weather cities the league brought it to this battleground of their sport and our subtropics.

The Miami Marlins’ stadium has been transformed with beach chairs and sand symbolizing South Florida in left field and snow and ice depicting the Rangers’ climes in right field. Some entertainers will wear beach clothes. Others, parkas.

There, where the infield typically sits, is a regulation ice rink that passed the most important test of all during the Panthers’ practice Thursday afternoon.

“The ice is fantastic,’’ Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

Wait until he gets the electric bill.

You’ve heard of the Miracle on Ice? This is the Miracle of Ice. Getting it right is part of the charming challenge of playing the Winter Classic with the stadium’s roof open, so the game is outside.

The concept of this regular game around the league is to re-create the outdoor atmosphere these players and coaches grew up on. This Maurice’s third Winter Classic and he’s enthralled with the idea.

“Maybe it’s just the fact that they’re going to open the roof, and you’re actually on an outdoor rink — ODR, in Canada,’’ he said. “That’s how these guys started, the ones from the north anyway.

“So, there’s a certain amount of feeling that in these games that’s not in the regular season grind and snarl.”

Playing in the snow some years back with Carolina is a moment frozen in time for him. Of course, some youthful memories of outdoor play are left behind. Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky grew up in Siberia and remembers playing in minus-22 degrees.

“We were literally freezing,’’ he said. “We lost 10-0. The next day it was like (23 degrees) and we won 10-0.”

With consecutive Stanley Cups, all of South Florida is past the point of wondering when they talk about ice if they mean one cube or two.

It’s not past the point wondering what it’s like to sit outside in mid-50s weather as forecast. That’d be a balmy January night in Boston.

In South Florida, people will dress like they’re robbing a 7-Eleven in Manitoba. Parka. Scarf. Long johns. Winter hat. Fleece-lined boots. Thick mittens.

“It’ll be cool,’’ Panthers veteran Brad Marchand said.

He didn’t mean cool as in cold but as in wonderful. His two previous Winter Classics showed how special the atmosphere could be.

“One of my favorite parts about these games is the walkout,’’ he said. “When you’re walking out to the rink, and you get to take all that in and get to see the scenery. Hopefully, we’ll see the city in the background.”

Once the puck drops, he said, it’s another game for the players. It’s an important game for both teams trying to keep a foothold in their season.

The Panthers showed what’s coming as injured Matthew Tkachuk skated in practice Thursday wearing a non-contact jersey and captain Aleksander Barkov skated lightly before practice.

Their appearance in the season is ahead. Friday is here with this fun and ambitious turning of the subtropics into a Winter Wonderland. You could see at Thursday’s practice how the players enjoy a quirky change to their season.

Now comes Friday’s outdoor game that will really feel outdoors.

Then, when it’s over, let’s hope the heat gets turned back on.