Stadium Series rink build getting huge boost from cool Florida weather, structure

TAMPA -- The crew building the ice rink for the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series feels it has hit the lottery despite it being one of the trickiest projects in the NHL’s 23-year history of outdoor games.

“This is the jackpot for us. Low to mid-60s [temperatures] is just fantastic for us, humidity is down,” said Andrew Higgins, NHL senior manager of facilities operations. “We couldn’t have asked for anything better. The conditions inside the [structure] are even better for us. We have had no delays, no stoppages in building ice. Couldn’t ask for better.”

With weather in central Florida typically hot and humid this time of the year, the rink at the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been covered by a large, air-conditioned structure to ensure the ice is ready for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins to practice on Saturday and to play the game on it Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).

But historically cool temperatures have negated much of the risks of playing outdoors in the Sunshine State.

The temperature reached a high of 66 degrees Fahrenheit at 3 p.m. on Thursday. It’s expected to be slightly warmer Friday, but the high on Saturday is expected to be 56, with forecasters calling for a high of 46 on Sunday. At puck drop, the forecast calls for 41 degrees.

Because of that, the ice crew and NHL executives have even started to explore the possibility of removing the protective structure earlier than planned.

“We have looked ahead to what weather we are going to see [this weekend],” said Derek King, NHL vice president of hockey operations. “It’s going to be cooler than we expected, so that’s really good for us. It allows us to dial in the refrigeration units outside. We’ll look at what we can do to get ahead for game day.”

King said it’s not just the condition of the ice that will affect the timetable of the structure’s removal, but it is a piece.

“If we could move up the dismantle, that is something we are definitely going to look at,” he said.

Right now, the ice builders couldn’t ask for anything more. They installed lines and logos Thursday and now need to build another inch of ice to get to a desired depth of 21/2 inches. They didn’t lose any ice when it rained earlier this week, the precipitation drumming off the fabric of the structure and not hitting the painstakingly cultivated ice surface. Similarly, they are non-plussed about the possibility of rain Saturday.

“It’s been a long time in the making and planning,” Higgins said. Today’s really a big day for us as the ice is fully taking shape and we are 72 hours away from game day, only 48 hours away from practice day. We are really excited to get the teams out here and have them work in the ice before the game.”

Unlike in the past, the workers are not weather-beaten or worn down at this juncture.

In fact, because of the structure, this has more closely resembled building ice in an NHL arena instead of the great outdoors.

“This is a little different for us,” King said. “We are used to the outdoor games in the stadiums where we are at the mercy of Mother Nature. We’ve taken that out of the equation with this one.

“Conditions have been great inside so that’s really helped us stay on track with the build. We’ve stuck with the plan. We’ve had this plan in place for a number of years and we haven’t deviated from that plan, so we are feeling really good.”