miami >> 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.

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

It’s a long time coming. 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.

The loanDepot Park 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.

The high in Miami on Jan. 2 this year was 78. The high in Tampa last year on Feb. 1 was 66. 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.

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.