
NHL invades Tampa ahead of Stadium Series between Lightning, Bruins
Key Points:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium on February 1, featuring a unique outdoor game in Tampa's warm climate.
- NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman highlighted the engineering challenge of creating and maintaining ice in Tampa's heat and humidity, including building a massive air-conditioned tent to make the ice before removing it for the game.
- The NHL will install a 34-foot-high, 124-foot-wide, and 248-foot-long steel-framed structure with engineered membrane material to facilitate ice-making, with a tight six-hour window to prepare the field before the game.
- The outdoor game will coincide with Tampa’s annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest, adding




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