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<\/p>\nAfter years of planning, the National Hockey League will be hosting its first game at a football stadium in Florida Feb. 1. The Tampa Bay Lightning are scheduled to face the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Discussions about the project began after the 2018 NHL All-Star Game, which took place at Amalie Arena (now known as Benchmark International Arena).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Right after the event, the Tampa Bay Sports Commission created a billboard which said \u201cnext time, let\u2019s go outside the box.\u201d It showed an artistic conception of a rink at Raymond James Stadium \u2013 the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This sparked an idea that NHL representatives could not ignore. <\/p>\n
The organization has hosted games at football stadiums in other states. However, creating a rink in an open-air environment in Florida was a challenge that almost prevented the experience altogether. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fear back then, and I\u2019ll very much admit it, was that ice and Tampa were probably not the best mix. We were always just nervous about the weather,\u201d said NHL president of content and events Steve Mayer. \u201cOur ability to make ice back in 2018 was a lot different than our ability to make ice in 2026. We talked about it, but were never quite comfortable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois and chairman Jeffrey Vinik were persistent and championed the project, he added. The team\u2019s Stanley Cup victories in 2020 and 2021 certainly didn\u2019t hurt their case.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The billboard erected by the Tampa Bay Sports Commission after the 2018 NHL All-Star Game. Photo provided.<\/p>\n
After the NHL eventually agreed to host a game at Raymond James Stadium, it had to figure out a way to build a rink that would stay cool. A tent would become the solution to the problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n