The 2026 Winter Classic Journey, PART II – Welcome to South Beach
One of my favorite Billy Joel songs is called “Miami 2017,” and the first line of the song is, “I’ve seen the lights go out on Broadway.” The song has nothing to do with hockey, but it serves as a metaphor for the Rangers’ desire to put an abysmal 2025 behind themselves and start fresh in… Miami.
Things are bleak for the Broadway Blueshirts right now. They are riddled with injuries (JT Miller, Noah Laba, and Conor Sheary) and are clinging to a winning record by a single game. Their .512 points percentage is the worst in the Eastern Conference. They have been shut out in eight of 42 games, and they have scored the second-fewest goals per game in the league.
The Rangers’ power is being turned down. They are being driven underground.
It feels like there’s a looming cloud of darkness over Rangerland right now, despite the Florida sun in which the players get to bask. If things go awry in the next few weeks, the Rangers may make significant roster changes, which could mean dismantling the current roster and breaking ground on an extended rebuild.
The lights could go out on Broadway.
“There are only so many games before the Olympic break, and maybe the standings start to sort out a little bit, and some teams have to make decisions on which direction they’re looking to go,” Adam Fox said.
But the Rangers are ready to go right on with the show. They only sit three points out of a playoff spot, and the Florida Panthers are one of the teams they must catch.
“It’s a new year, it’s the first game of the new year, and we have lost three in a row,” Igor Shesterkin said. “So for us, it will be a huge game.”
Call it “Miami 2026.”
Mika Zibanejad believes this Winter Classic has arrived at just the right time for the Rangers to turn things around. Individually, he is 3-0-0 in outdoor games, and in the 2024 Stadium Series, he scored the late game-tying power play goal that helped the Rangers achieve a historic comeback win over the Islanders.
“Obviously, you don’t want to be in that position to have this as a moment, but we’re in it now, and obviously, having this opportunity to play an outdoor game with all the families here, a special time like this, the two points mean a lot,” Zibanejad said. “But the two points add a lot more to the experience, too. You’re going to remember this way more and in a completely different way and with a different feeling when you win.
“That’s the plan.”
Carson Soucy agreed with Zibanejad’s sentiment. “I think honestly, a win right now against anyone in any building would jolt us, but on a big stage, playing in front of your family, playing in front of your kids, there’s a little extra to it.”
The Rangers also have a league-best 5-0-0 outdoor record to defend, and it’s something the team has discussed in the locker room. The players are motivated to keep that streak alive. It’s an exciting statistic, something the Rangers are proud of, and a core identity pillar of the franchise.
“You have to remind yourself that it’s two points that are important, too. The same two points that you play for in any other game,” Zibanejad said. “But it becomes a special game. So, yeah, when you win a game like this, there’s a different type of emotion to it.”
Meanwhile, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are energized by the opportunities with which this Winter Classic presents them. Without Matthew Tkachuk or Aleksander Barkov this season, they’ve struggled to establish their usual, effective, physical brand of hockey. With the NHL’s first-ever outdoor game in Florida, and the southernmost NHL game ever played, the Panthers want to make history, too.
“Somebody’s leaving here with a good feeling, somebody’s not, so the team that’s not going to will learn how to deal with it,” said Panthers head coach Paul Maurice. “We’ve had a few games we’ve had to deal with, but there is that bonding, right? There’s that idea that you need to change the context to increase the bonding. If that makes sense. If you went to McDonald’s every day with your team, there’s no team bonding.”
Maurice knows what it takes to win in the NHL, so if he believes playing in the Winter Classic can only benefit a team, then he is probably correct. There is something special about playing outdoors that has a positive impact on a team’s camaraderie. The Rangers really need to drink that camaraderie juice right now.
“Events like these are a great opportunity for teams to embrace the camaraderie with a lot of activities and the events that take place off the ice,” said Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan. “And when you have those types of opportunities, it can only help the camaraderie and what we’re trying to build here.”
The Rangers will be wearing these jerseys tonight:
The jersey is designed to mesh the Rangers’ centennial season with South Beach. The jersey incorporates the Rangers’ centennial colors but inverts them for a road jersey. The centennial apple logo on the left shoulder has become the Rangers’ alternate logo for this Winter Classic. The vintage Rangers shield is their primary logo.
Tonight in Miami, the Winter Classic begins. The Rangers will face off against the Florida Panthers at 8 PM (TNT, TruTV, MAX). The roof at LoanDepot Park will be open.
Half of the stadium is going to experience warm temperatures, like a sunny beach. The other half will freeze in a blizzard. The NHL has gone all out for the first outdoor game in the Sunshine State.
The theme: “Snowy Winter Comes to Sunny Florida.”
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
