The thing on everyone's mind for the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic: The weather.
You're not going to get snowfall or players being able to see their own breath at this year's event, which will be played at loanDepot park in Miami on Jan. 2.
"I don't think we'll need the heated benches this year," joked Panthers defenseman Seth Jones, right at the opening of Episode 1 of "Road to the Discover NHL Winter Classic presented by Enterprise."
The critically-acclaimed show returns as a four-part docuseries, premiering tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT and simulcast on truTV and HBO Max.
Jones was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks for last season's Winter Classic, held at Wrigley Field on Dec. 31 against the St. Louis Blues. Temperature at puck drop was 36 degrees.
While that was pretty mild for Chicago in the winter, the players are all expecting it to be a little different this time around with Miami being known for its year-round warm temperatures.
"It will be cool to do it in the warm weather. Unique," said Panthers forward Brad Marchand, who played in Winter Classic games at historic Fenway Park (2023) and Notre Dame Stadium (2019) while with the Boston Bruins.
But for all the buzz surrounding this season's Winter Classic, it's still a regular season game and one that counts in the standings. And the players are playing to win, as episode 1 shows us.
The Panthers may be back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, but this season are trying to stay above water without captain Aleksander Barkov (lost for the season due to injury) and all-star forward Matthew Tkachuk (yet to play this season while recovering from offseason surgery).
The Rangers may be celebrating their Centennial season, but they are doing with a new coach, Mike Sullivan , and some major changes this offseason including the trade of longtime forward Chris Kreider.
The show also brings us along for the Panthers "Dads Trip" to Nashville and brings us into the home of veteran Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad.
The episode ends with the Panthers still on the mend and a big victory for the Rangers as each team tries to heat up before the big warm game in Miami.
