The 2026 Winter Classic Journey, PART I – A Look Back in Time
The 2026 Winter Classic is here! The New York Rangers have touched down in Miami.
The New York Rangers are 5-0-0 all-time outdoors. They look to continue their undefeated record tomorrow night. The Winter Classic against the Florida Panthers begins live from LoanDepot Park tomorrow at 8 PM (TNT, TruTV, HBO Max).
In this report, I will take you on a trip down memory lane as we look back at past Rangers outdoor games. Then, in a later report, I will preview tomorrow’s game and what to look for.
2012 Winter Classic, Citizens Bank Park: January 2, 2012 – NYR vs. PHI; W; NYR: 3, PHI: 2
In the fifth-ever NHL Winter Classic, the New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in their first outdoor regular-season game. The game was delayed by two hours because of high temperatures and glare from the sun.
The first period was scoreless. In the second period, the Flyers came out with a bang to make it 2-0 with 5:39 remaining. But 30 seconds later, Mike Rupp received a pass down the middle, fired a shot, and scored.
Rupp celebrated his goal with the “Jagr Salute” as Jaromir Jagr, who played for Philadelphia at the time, watched in agony.
In the third period, Rupp scored again to tie the game, and three minutes later, Brad Richards netted the eventual game-winner for the Rangers, but it was going to be close. With 19 seconds left in regulation, Ryan McDonagh was penalized for covering the puck in the crease, and Philly’s Danny Briere received a penalty shot.
With 46,967 people in attendance watching anxiously, in what became an iconic moment for the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist swooped down to make the save. The Rangers were victorious.
“There was such a big buildup to the game,” Lundqvist said. “It was our first outdoor game, and I also remember we had the TV crew (from HBO’s show “24/7 – Road to the NHL’s Winter Classic”) following us around for a few weeks. There was so much anticipation and excitement going into that game. It was a lot of fun to have that first experience playing outdoors; it was a lot to take in. The game was great and had a dramatic finish with that penalty shot in the end. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.”
2014 NHL Stadium Series, Yankee Stadium: January 26, 2014 – NYR vs. NJ; W; NYR: 7, NJ: 3
The Rangers played outdoors twice during the 2013-14 season. Both games took place at Yankee Stadium in front of over 50,000 fans. The first of these two games was on a Sunday afternoon against the New Jersey Devils. The start of this game was also delayed due to inclement weather, but unlike the game in 2012, this one was a high-scoring affair.
New Jersey took a 3-1 lead with just under four minutes to play in period one. But, less than one minute after New Jersey scored their third goal, Marc Staal lit the lamp for the Rangers to make it 3-2 at intermission.
Early in the second frame, Mats Zuccarello tied the score for the Rangers at three, and he scored again 10 minutes later to put the Rangers ahead 4-3. Carl Hagelin and Rick Nash also scored for the Rangers before the second period concluded, and the score was 6-3 after three periods.
New Jersey was forced to remove goaltender Martin Brodeur from the game, and Cory Schneider was called in to replace him. The Rangers earned the extra point with a penalty shot goal against Schneider, scored by Derek Stepan.
“I remember for many years we talked about how it would be so cool to get the opportunity to play at Yankee Stadium,” said Henrik Lundqvist. “When it finally happened, it was very exciting. What I remember about the game against the Devils was that there was a delay because of the sun and the glare, so I went in to take a nap since I thought we had a couple of hours before it would start. Then someone came running in and said the start time was moved up again and that we would be on the ice in 20 minutes, so it was scramble mode to get out on the ice. My start wasn’t great, but I felt better as the game moved on, and we were able to win.”
This is one of my favorite Rangers photos of all time:
2014 NHL Stadium Series, Yankee Stadium: January 29, 2014 – NYR vs. LI; W; NYR: 2, LI: 1
The Rangers played this game on a cold January night. At 7:45 PM in 22º weather, the Rangers and the Islanders tipped off what would result in a tight, low-scoring game.
With 1:27 remaining in the second period, Long Island’s Brock Nelson scored the first goal of the game, but 40 seconds later, Benoit Pouliot scored for the Rangers. At the end of the second period, the score was tied.
Less than five minutes into the third period, Daniel Carcillo scored for the Rangers on a rebound from a shot by Dominic Moore, and he beat goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves in this game.
“What I remember about this game was that it was pretty cold,” Lundqvist recalled. “I had something along the lines of heating packs in both of my skates and my gloves, and I had at least three layers of shirts on. The game itself was a nice win for us, and it’s still a great memory that I have. It was definitely cool to play at Yankee Stadium, no question about it.”
2018 NHL Winter Classic, Citi Field: January 1, 2018 – NYR vs. BUF; W; NYR: 3, BUF: 2 (OT)
In 21º weather on a Monday afternoon on New Year’s Day, the Buffalo Sabres traveled down to Citi Field.
Mika Zibanejad was pretty cold.
The Rangers scored two quick goals in the game, courtesy of Paul Carey and Michael Grabner, within the first 10 minutes of regulation. But Buffalo scored in the first minute of the second and third periods, tying the game.
Henriq Lundqvist was sharp for the entire game, and he most notably stopped a shot between the circles by Buffalo’s Zemgus Girgensons with 2:15 remaining in regulation.
In overtime, the Rangers went on the power play, and JT Miller scored the walk-off goal on a net-front rebound.
“To win in overtime provided a little bit of extra excitement around the game,” Lundqvist observed. “By the time we played this game – the fourth time we played outdoors – you kind of know the process and what to expect. Your routines change so much when it’s a game like that because of the buildup, how you get there, and everything around the game. You have to just wing it a little bit. It was fun to win again. Obviously, in all of these games, you want to try to win, have a great experience, and have great memories to look back on years later.”
2024 NHL Stadium Series, MetLife Stadium: February 18, 2024 – NYR vs. LI; W; NYR: 6, LI: 5 (OT)
In the regular-season highlight of a Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign, the Rangers improved to 5-0-0 outdoors in comeback fashion.
The 2023-24 Rangers team totaled 28 comeback wins, and their power play was the third-best in the NHL.
Erik Gustafsson scored two minutes into regulation to put the Rangers on top, but Igor Shesterkin faltered in the net, allowing three first-period goals to the Islanders and another 63 seconds into period two.
Vincent Trocheck made it a one-goal game with two second-period goals, but momentum shifted back in the Islanders’ favor when they made it 5-3 with less than five minutes left in the final frame.
The Rangers emptied their net in the final minutes of the third period and scored two heroic power-play goals. Mika Zibanejad sent the game to overtime with a snazzy slap shot with 1.5 minutes left.
10 seconds into overtime, Artemi Panarin intercepted Noah Dobson’s pass in the attacking zone. Dobson dove behind Ilya Sorokin to stop Panarin’s shot, knocking the net off its hinges, but the puck trickled over the goal line.
The Rangers' bench erupted in excitement, and once the officials confirmed the goal, so did the Rangers fans in the 79,690-person MetLife Stadium crowd.
Jonathan Quick has been part of four NHL outdoor games, almost as many as the entire Rangers franchise. He was the starting goaltender in three of them, including the only other warm outdoor game in NHL history, the 2014 Stadium Series at Dodger Stadium.
“I definitely do think it’s something you’re lucky to be a part of,” Quick said. “You look at the number of people coming in, obviously you’re playing in front of big crowds. It’s a unique atmosphere and a unique experience. To be able to be part of it and experience it, it’s super cool.”
Schedule
Friday 1/2:
8:00 PM: 2026 NHL Discover Winter Classic (Live From MIAMI!) – NYR at FLA; TNT, TRUTV, HBO MAX
5:00 PM: Road to the NHL Winter Classic, Episode 1; TNT
5:30 PM: Road to the NHL Winter Classic, Episode 2; TNT
6:00 PM: Road to the NHL Winter Classic, Episode 3; TNT
6:30 PM: Road to the NHL Winter Classic, Episode 4; TNT
7:00 PM: NHL on TNT Face-Off, Live From the Winter Classic; TNT, TRUTV, HBO MAX
