Winter Classic: Building An Ice Rink In Miami

The 2026 NHL Winter Classic will take place in Florida for the first time on Friday evening.

This annual outdoor hockey game held around the New Year's holiday is just one of several NHL games that have been held in the elements this century.

Let's take a look at the numbers behind the NHL's outdoor games.

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(MORE: How Did The NHL Build An Outdoor Ice Rink In Miami)

43

The number of outdoor NHL games played over the past 22 years, since November 2003, according to league statistics.

0

The game time temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, in Edmonton, Canada, for the league’s first regular season outdoor game, the Heritage Classic, between the host Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 22, 2003.

38

The game time temperature in the most recent Winter Classic, Dec. 31, 2024, at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

2014

The year of the league’s first outdoor game played in a warm weather site, Jan. 25, 2014, at Dodger Stadium between the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. The game time temperature was 62 degrees.

65

Game time temperature for the warmest outdoor NHL game, a Feb. 27, 2016, matchup at Denver’s Coors Field between the host Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings. The high during the day before the game at Denver International Airport topped out at 72 degrees.

77

The average high temperature for Jan. 2 in Miami. Its average low is 62 degrees.

(FORECAST: Miami)

-6

Game time temperature for the coldest outdoor NHL game on record, the Jan. 1, 2022, Winter Classic in Minneapolis between the host Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. Given the cold, water bottles were filled with chicken broth according to the NHL.

38,619

The attendance at Target Field in Minneapolis for the 2022 Winter Classic, a sellout, despite the bitter cold.

13

The number of outdoor NHL games played in temperatures below freezing. That’s only 30% of the league’s outdoor games in 22 years.

7

The number of games played in temperatures of 50 degrees or warmer. Those include games in Boston (Jan. 2, 2023; 51), Dallas (Jan. 1, 2020; 55), Winnipeg (Oct. 23, 2016; 50), Santa Clara, California (Feb. 21, 2015; 57), and Pittsburgh (Jan. 1, 2011; 50) in addition to the previously mentioned games in Denver and Los Angeles.

2

The number of iconic outdoor NHL games with significant falling snow. During the first New Year’s Winter Classic in Buffalo in 2008, 2 to 3 inches of snow prompted delays to clear snow from the ice.

105,491

The attendance at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the Jan. 1, 2014, Winter Classic between the host Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, the other iconic snowy outdoor NHL game. It remains a record attendance for a hockey game. The game time temperature was only 13 degrees and wind chills were near zero. Ann Arbor picked up 4 to 5 inches of snow on New Year's Day 2014.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.