Yo Ho Yo Ho, it’ll be a pirate’s life for the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.
On Thursday, the League released jersey designs for this year’s Stadium Series, which will be hosted at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Feb. 1 (6:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).
When the Lightning take the ice, they will pay homage to Tampa’s maritime roots on their uniform, implementing pirate lore into the design.
The sweaters include an all-new pirate shoulder patch, as well as a jolly roger (the pirate battle flag) to tie the jerseys to the area’s history.
And – if you look closely at the inside of the collar – you’ll find a reference to a pirate necklace.
The game will be played the day after the world famous Gasparilla Pirate Fest in Tampa.
“We wanted to tap into these pirate heritage details and element of discovery within the jerseys,” Dom Fillion, senior creative director and vice president of design at Fanatics told NHL.com. “It’s really such a great nod to the culture of the city.”
The event will mark the first outdoor game played in a football stadium in Florida, and with that comes history, which is something Fillion wanted to highlight in the new jersey designs. It will also be the second outdoor game in Florida in the span of a month, with the New York Rangers and Florida Panters playing the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 2 at loanDepot park in Miami ((8 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SNW, SNO, SNE, TVAS) marking the first outdoor game in the Sunshine State
“When we learned that there’s going to be an outdoor game in Florda, to us it was such an energizing challenge,” Fillion said. “We wanted to make sure the region, the area, the location had a nod and influence.”
The Lightning uniforms also introduce a new, sky blue color, which was inspired by the energy at Benchmark International Arena on a typical Lightning gameday.
“When you sit in the arena and watch a Bolts game, they’ve got amazing in-arena graphics and entertainment,” Fillion said. “That energy of the lightning has multiple colors, and we thought, ‘What if we bring this to the Stadium Series?’ ”
The crest and numbers used for the 2026 Stadium Series are the same font that the Lightning used for the 2022 Stadium Series in Nashville, acknowledging the franchise’s continuity among its outdoor games.
“[The team] wanted to create some subtle continuity to how they showed up in the first Stadium Series,” Fillion said. “And that helped create some brand narrative on how they show up to the Stadium Series.”
On the other side of the ice, the Bruins will go with a bright yellow base and a sun motif on the sleeves, a tribute to the game’s location in sunny Florida.
The front crest includes a bold “Boston” front and center, with “Bruins” written on the bear logo that the team has used as a shoulder patch this season.
For the shoulder patch of this new design, the jersey will have the team’s “B” monogram with bear claw scratches across it.
On the collar, the uniform includes the abbreviations of all six states that make up New England. A little taste of home, if you will, and certainly a sense of pride for the area.
Fillion recognized that local pride and decided to showcase that on a national stage and give a “nod to New England and the New England fan.”
“We thought it would be a cool detail to represent Boston but as well represent New England in some capacity in Florida,” Fillion said. “It ties to a sense of pride, and a connection to where the team is from and making sure that they feel connected to the fan watching from home.”
The jerseys will be available for purchase starting on Monday, Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. ET.
“Stadium Series is a perfect place to create a new narrative and a new story,” Fillion said. “And stretch and extend the brand. These special events are really areas to try new stuff and offer a different point of view for the fan.”
Before these jerseys see action, Florida will also host the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 2 at loanDepot park in Miami (8 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SNW, SNO, SNE, TVAS), which will be the first-ever outdoor NHL game in the state of Florida.
