NHL Stadium Series


The Stadium Series is one of the series of regular season outdoor games played in the National Hockey League. This event is distinct from the NHL's other two series of outdoor games, the NHL Winter Classic, played in a different NHL city every year, and the NHL Heritage Classic. Games in the Stadium Series are usually played in February or early March, and are typically played in either NFL or college football stadiums in the United States when both leagues are in their offseason. In the past, MLB ballparks in the United States were also used, though it has been mainly utilized for the Winter Classic. The first Stadium Series was held in 2014 and consisted of seven teams participating in four games held in three venues; this was also the only Stadium Series to have taken place in January. Since 2015, only one Stadium Series game has been played each season, except in 2016 and in 2024, when two games were held.

List of NHL Stadium Series

  • Bolded teams denote winners
  • Italicized games are yet to be played
No.YearDatePrimary team at venueVenueLocationVisiting teamHome teamScoreAttendance
1st2014January 25Los Angeles DodgersDodger StadiumLos Angeles, CaliforniaAnaheim DucksLos Angeles Kings3–054,099
2nd2014January 26New York YankeesYankee StadiumNew York City, New YorkNew York RangersNew Jersey Devils7–350,105
3rd2014January 29New York YankeesYankee StadiumNew York City, New YorkNew York RangersNew York Islanders2–150,027
4th2014March 1Chicago BearsSoldier FieldChicago, IllinoisPittsburgh PenguinsChicago Blackhawks1–562,921
5th2015February 21San Francisco 49ersLevi's StadiumSanta Clara, CaliforniaLos Angeles KingsSan Jose Sharks2–170,205
6th2016February 21Minnesota Golden GophersTCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MinnesotaChicago BlackhawksMinnesota Wild1–650,426
7th2016February 27Colorado RockiesCoors FieldDenver, ColoradoDetroit Red WingsColorado Avalanche5–350,095
8th2017February 25Pittsburgh SteelersHeinz FieldPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia FlyersPittsburgh Penguins2–467,318
9th2018March 3Navy MidshipmenNavy–Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, MarylandToronto Maple LeafsWashington Capitals2–529,516
10th2019February 23Philadelphia EaglesLincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh PenguinsPhiladelphia Flyers3–4 69,620
11th2020February 15Air Force FalconsFalcon StadiumAir Force Academy, ColoradoLos Angeles KingsColorado Avalanche3–143,574
12th2022February 26Tennessee TitansNissan StadiumNashville, TennesseeTampa Bay LightningNashville Predators3–268,619
13th2023February 18NC State WolfpackCarter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, North CarolinaWashington CapitalsCarolina Hurricanes1–456,961
14th2024February 17New York Giants
New York Jets
MetLife StadiumEast Rutherford, New JerseyPhiladelphia FlyersNew Jersey Devils3–670,328
15th2024February 18New York Giants
New York Jets
MetLife StadiumEast Rutherford, New JerseyNew York RangersNew York Islanders6–5 79,690
16th2025March 1Ohio State BuckeyesOhio StadiumColumbus, OhioDetroit Red WingsColumbus Blue Jackets3–594,751
17th2026February 1Tampa Bay BuccaneersRaymond James StadiumTampa, FloridaBoston BruinsTampa Bay Lightning5–6 64,617
18th2027February 20Dallas CowboysAT&T StadiumArlington, TexasVegas Golden KnightsDallas StarsTBDTBA

Appearances

Winning and losing teams

Uniforms

The uniforms worn in the Stadium Series are unique in that they feature enlarged logos, letters and numbers in order to increase visibility for spectators who sit in the upper deck seats. Whereas the Winter Classic and Heritage Classic focused on vintage hockey uniform designs intended on celebrating ice hockey history, the Stadium Series focused on more futuristic and experimental looks showcasing the modernization of the sport.
While a majority of the participating teams were able to create radically new looks for the event, the New Jersey Devils in the 2014 Stadium Series refused to do so, instead wearing their throwback red and green uniforms during the game. This was due to general manager Lou Lamoriello's refusal to adopt the third jersey trend at the time. However, for their 2024 Stadium Series appearance, the Devils wore a different uniform design akin to the game itself, having embraced the third jersey concept following Lamoriello's departure in 2015.
To date, only two teams have promoted its Stadium Series uniform to full third jersey status: the New York Islanders' blue-and-chrome "NY" uniform from the 2014 Stadium Series, and the Philadelphia Flyers' black uniform from the 2017 Stadium Series. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes' 2023 Stadium Series uniform served as the inspiration for the team's road uniform they started wearing in the 2025–26 season.

Broadcasters

United States

In the United States, the Stadium Series was broadcast on NBC Sports from 2014 to 2020, as they held the U.S. national NHL rights during that period. NBC aired the majority of the Stadium Series games on Saturday nights; the exceptions being the 2014 Ducks–Kings game in Dodger Stadium, the 2014 Islanders–Rangers game in Yankee Stadium, and the 2015 Kings–Sharks game in Levi's Stadium.
From 2022 to 2028, the U.S. national rights are split between the ESPN family of networks and TNT, with the former producing the weekend Hockey Saturday package on ABC. Scheduling conflicts have largely dictated which of the two broadcasters have aired Stadium Series games. The 2022 game aired on TNT, marking a return to cable television for the first time since 2015, while ABC was committed to airing the NBA on that day. In 2023 and 2024, the Stadium Series was scheduled at the same time as TNT's broadcasts of NBA All-Star Weekend, thus ABC has covered these games, with the 2023 game originally scheduled to air on ESPN before being flexed to ABC. The 2025 game was moved to ESPN due to prior NBA and AEW commitments by both ABC and TNT respectively. The 2026 game, which falls on the Sunday before Super Bowl LX, is slated to air on ESPN, with ABC instead committing to a college basketball doubleheader while the Stadium Series will serve as a lead-out program to ESPN's NBA coverage.

Canada

In Canada, the first two 2014 Stadium Series games were aired on CBC, while TSN simulcast NBCSN's broadcast of the Islanders–Rangers game. The Penguins–Blackhawks game did not air in Canada due to CBC's prior commitment to broadcast a Canadiens–Maple Leafs game. Since the 2014–15 season, Rogers Sports & Media has been the sole rightsholder of NHL national games in Canada, taking over Hockey Night in Canada in a sublicensing agreement with CBC. However, with the exception of the 2015 game, Sportsnet has generally simulcast the American broadcast feed of the Stadium Series. They would still provide their own broadcast crew if a Canadian team is involved, as was the case in 2018 with the Maple Leafs–Capitals game.