The NHL’s Florida outdoor swing continues this Sunday in Tampa, as the league, once again, leaned hard into local flavour for its upcoming 2026 NHL Stadium Series rink layout, to be played between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium.
In a field rendering released this afternoon, the stadium will be treated like a full-sized treasure map, built around Tampa’s pirate history and the city’s annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest. The map artwork stretches wall-to-wall across the football field, with the rink dropped right in the middle as if it’s the “X marks the spot” centrepiece. Dotted routes, shipwreck remnants, sea creatures, and a handful of pirate-themed floats are scattered throughout the stadium floor.
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The two end zones are turned into “bodies of water,” with one labelled “Boston Harbour” and the other “Tampa Bay,” in recognition of the two opposing clubs. The league also had some fun coming up with location names thrown around on the map surrounding the rink: Bear’s Den, Thunder Alley, Guentzel’s Grotto, Cirelli Cliffs, Lightning Lagoon, Brayden’s Point of No Return (nice), Thunderbug Cove, Vinik’s Voyage, Hedman Reef, and (ugh) Bettman’s Bay. I mean, if we ain’t gonna have fun, then why bother doing something like this?
At centre ice sits the 2026 Stadium Series logo, which features a silhouette of a pirate ship in navy blue, with highlights in various shades of orange developed by the NHL’s Creative Services Department and Fanbrandz. A “STADIUM SERIES” wordmark cuts between the hull of the ship and the main sail, with typography “inspired by hand-drawn treasure maps” in shades of white and blue. A lightning bolt appears in the corner of the sail as a nod to the home team, and “TAMPA BAY” is written out on the side of the hull. The neutral-zone sponsor marks around the logo include Expedia, Honda, CAT, and Verizon.
Country singer Tim McGraw will perform on a wooden dock-style stage during the first intermission; Hunter Hayes will perform the U.S. National Anthem before the game.
Being the first outdoor game in Florida played in a venue without any roof whatsoever, the NHL had to come up with a way to keep the ice in good condition. The solution was to construct a steel-framed, air-conditioned structure present only during the time leading up to puck drop, before being dismantled.
The Tampa Bay Lightning 2026 Stadium Series uniform, unveiled back in December, features a royal blue base paired with a sky blue accent. The front of the jersey is dominated by a large “TBL” wordmark in sky blue with white trim, intersected by lightning bolts that also appear through the back numbers. The number font matches the style previously used by the Lightning in the 2022 Stadium Series game in Nashville.
A thick sky blue stripe with white trim wraps around the waist and sleeves. The sleeves also include debossed detailing inspired by Gasparilla beads, mixed with skull and lightning bolt imagery. A round shoulder patch features the team name alongside a skull-and-crossed-swords design, referencing Tampa Bay’s pirate history. Additional bead detailing appears inside the back collar, while “2026 NHL Stadium Series” is added inside the lower back hem. A tattered lightning bolt pirate flag is included on the hem loop.
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The Lightning will wear matching royal blue pants with a sky blue lightning bolt down the side, royal blue socks with the same striping as the sleeves, and a royal blue helmet. The helmet includes a large sky blue Tampa Bay Lightning logo on one side and the player’s number on the other.
Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins’ 2026 Stadium Series uniform gives us a taste of the Bruins under the Florida sun as it introduces a brighter-than-usual shade of yellow the club is calling “Sunshine Gold.” The jersey features “BOSTON” across the chest in black letters with white trim, with the black bear logo from their usual shoulder patch placed below. Large black and white stripes encircle the waist; the collar is white.
A new black “B” shoulder logo is layered over white bear claw slashes, and subtle sun-ray embroidery is incorporated into the sleeves. Player names and numbers are black with white trim. Inside the back collar are the postal abbreviations for the six New England states, while a sunset behind the Bruins logo appears on the hem loop.
The Bruins will pair the jersey with black helmets featuring gold bear claw marks on one side and gold player numbers on the other. This bear claw mark is repeated on the side of the black pants, yellow socks with black and white striping, and white gloves.
The Stadium Series game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins is scheduled for Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium.
