The NHL announced the next venue for the 2026 NHL Winter Classic. Who's getting the luxury of hosting the annual outdoors contest? Drumroll, please!
Next season's host of the winter spectacle will be...
The Florida Panthers will host the game at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. Weather-wise, it seems out of sorts. It snows as much as Dubai in the summer, making it unorthodox to traditional hockey fans. Plus, the Panthers aren't the biggest draw in terms of television audience. Normally, teams like the Boston Bruins or Detroit Red Wings are bigger draws.
However, the Panthers do have an exciting team consisting of players like Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart. That's why they're the reigning Stanley Cup champions, after all. The NHL has been keen on expanding the annual contest outside of traditional markets like Chicago, Boston, and Pittsburgh, too. Why not showcase other markets such as Miami or Dallas and give them some love?
Dabbling into such markets provides hope for cities like Las Vegas to host the New Year's game, too. Before you suggest Allegiant Stadium as a possible venue, it's out of the question considering it's indoors (although it'd be cool and hilarious). Early renderings also show that the new baseball stadium for the Athletics will have a fixed roof, putting that venue out of the equation (D*** you, John Fisher!).
However, fans shouldn't lose hope because there's one location that could be the host of the Winter Classic. Why not Sam Boyd Stadium? If Gary Bettman wanted an outdoor game in Sin City, heading to the former home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels would be a logical choice. Or does it?
But there's a problem with the Vegas Golden Knights hosting the Winter Classic at Sam Boyd Stadium
According to Las Vegas Review-Journal, Clark County approved buying back Sam Boyd Stadium on Tuesday for $5 million. The 69-acre venue's future hangs in the balance, with options such as a total shutdown and teardown on the table (the most likely option). The last renovation of the 36,000-seat stadium came in 2015, jeopardizing its future further.
So what should the city of Las Vegas do? Turn the new Athletics stadium into a retractable roof venue? Sadly, that's not the case since the new stadium will come with a non-retractable roof. That's another problem with getting a Winter Classic in Las Vegas.
The summer heat of triple digits will melt the faces off of many tourists. That's why the new A's pwrk and Allegiant Stadium are closed-roof venues. Allegiant Stadium also doesn't have a retractable roof, complicating matters further. You don't want fans roasting on a skewer like a Costco rotisserie chicken in triple digits, do you?
Without a retractable roof, that throws the outdoor game possibility out for both stadiums.
But when there's a will, there's a way
On September 27, 1991, the NHL had a crazy idea of an outdoor preseason game between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers. Sure, there were some hang-ups with the idea, such as the hot temperatures and general interest in hockey. However, it was out of the box and established NHL roots for the league in Las Vegas.
Why not pay tribute to that bizarre game, specifically at a time when it's much colder? Contrary to popular belief, Las Vegas tends to be colder during the winter than Los Angeles. The average high tends to hover around 58 degrees Fahrenheit, making it a surprisingly good candidate.
Plus, the NHL hasn't been shy about adding more marquee events in Las Vegas since the Vegas Golden Knights joined the league. Last season saw the NHL Draft being held at the Sphere and T-Mobile Arena hosted the 2022 All-Star Game. It's safe to say Gary Bettman has a new favorite spot for his various events, lying in Nevada's largest city.
There's an old saying that goes a little something like this:
"When there's a will, there's a way."
If Bettman and company want a throwback to a corny outdoor exhibition game, they'll get one by any means. It'll involve Bill Foley and his crew working a deal with one of the casinos to have the Winter Classic hosted in Las Vegas. Sin City has always been a town to steer from traditional means (like the Florida Panthers at loanDepot Park next season). What's to say there can't be a redux of the infamous Caesar's Palace game?