The NHL spotlight will be shining brightly on the Florida Panthers again this week.
It’s something the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions are probably getting used to.
On Friday, the Panthers will host the New York Rangers for the 2026 Winter Classic at loanDepot park in Miami.
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It will be the southernmost outdoor game the NHL has hosted yet, featuring the league’s budding dynasty against one of its Original Six franchises celebrating its centennial.
It’s a big deal for the Panthers, who will be playing the first outdoor game in franchise history, while the Rangers will be playing in their sixth outdoor game and third Winter Classic.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the majority of Florida’s current roster has been acquired over the past several years, there are quite a few Panthers players who have previously participated in an NHL outdoor game.
Let’s go down the list and see how they all did, shall we?
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We’ll start with Sergei Bobrovsky, who played in the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park with the Philadelphia Flyers. He made 30 saves on 33 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Rangers.
In 2017, Jeff Petry and the Montreal Canadiens faced off against the Ottawa Senators in the NHL100 Classic in 2017. Petry finished with two shots, two blocks, three hits, two giveaways, and a minus-2 on-ice rating in Montreal’s 3-0 loss to Ottawa at Lansdowne Park.
A pair of current Panthers were on the ice at Citi Field for the 2018 Winter Classic with the Buffalo Sabres.
Sam Reinhart scored a power play goal on two shots, adding a block and two hits, while Evan Rodrigues logged a pair of shots in Buffalo’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers.
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The following year, a trio of Cats played in the 2019 Heritage Classic between the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets at Mosiac Park in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Suiting up for Calgary were Matthew Tkachuk (six shots) and Sam Benentt (one shot, two penalty minutes) while Dmitry Kulikov played for the Jets, finishing with a shot, two blocks five hits and a giveaway in Winnipeg’s 2-1 win.
Brad Marchand played in his first of three outdoor games during the 2019 Winter Classic when the Boston Bruins took down the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 at Notre Dame Stadium. He had a goal on five shots and two hits in the win.
Marchand also played at the 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe, a 7-3 Boston win over the Flyers, and at the 2023 Winter Classic when Boston took down the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 at Fenway Park.
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In those two games, Marchand combined for three assists, four shots, two blocks and three hits.
Luke Kunin skated in the 2022 Stadium Series with the Nashville Predators, logging three hits in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nissan Stadium.
Also in 2022, Niko Mikkola picked up a pair of penalty minutes, three blocks and two hits for the St. Louis Blues in their 6-4 Winter Classic victory over the Minnesota Wild at Target Field in Minneapolis.
Skating with Marchand and the Bruins at the 2023 Winter Classic was Tomas Nosek, who recorded a shot and two hits. Nosek also played in the 2024 Stadium Series with the New Jersey Devils, logging a shot and two hits again, this time in a 6-3 win over the Flyers.
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A.J Greer took part in the 2023 Heritage Classic between the Flames and Edmonton Oilers, picking up a goal, two blocks and three hits in a 5-2 Calgary defeat at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
The following year, Seth Jones and the Blackhawks hosted St. Louis for the second Winter Classic played at Wrigley Field. Jones logged an assist, four shots, a block and two hits as Chicago lost 6-2 to the Blues.
Current Panthers backup goaltender Daniil Tarasov had a great seat for last year’s Stadium Series matchup between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium, serving as the backup for Elvis Merzlikins in the Jackets’ 5-3 win.
As for former Florida first round pick Mackie Samoskevich, while this will be the 23-year-old’s first NHL outdoor game, he did play in the 2024 Queen City Outdoor Classic with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He had a fun time at Truist Field in Charlotte, picking up the game-winning goal on two shots.
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Now we can’t forget about Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.
He’s been a part of two Heritage Classic games, both with Winnipeg. He coached the Jets in their 3-0 loss to Edmonton in 2016 and then again when they defeated Calgary 2-1 in 2019.
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Photo caption: Jan 2, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) walks onto the ice before a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2023 Winter Classic ice hockey game at Fenway Park. (Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images)
