Gretzky swaps stories, reminisces ahead of Winter Classic

MIAMI -- Wayne Gretzky looked out from the stage during the Discover Face-Off Panel and marveled at the sizeable crowd of Florida Panthers and New York Rangers fans in front of him outside loanDepot park on Friday.

“This is amazing how our sport is growing,” Gretzky said. “I’ve said this to people all the time. It’s great when you go into Buffalo and Minnesota and Boston and Chicago, but hockey is big down in Florida and in California. People play the game, and they love the game and it’s great to see the turnout today.”

The fans were primarily there to see the Panthers host the Rangers in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic. It was the first NHL regular season outdoor game in Florida, demonstrating the growth of the game Gretzky talked about during the panel, which was part of the 2026 Enterprise NHL PreGame Outdoor Fan Festival.

Gretzky, the NHL’s all-time leader with 2,857 points, swapped stories with retired former Rangers forward Nick Fotiu during the discussion, which was hosted by former goalie Darren Pang, an analyst for the "NHL on TNT." Fotiu, who grew up in Staten Island, New York, played 13 seasons in the NHL (1976-1989), including eight during two stints with the Rangers (1976-1979, 1981-1985).

His only outdoor experience in the NHL was an alumni game against the Philadelphia Flyers before the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

“It was unbelievable,” Fotiu said. “They had Bernie Parent. It was like the old Flyers. It was unbelievable. … And (coach) Mike Keenan wanted to win so bad. I said, ‘Let the Flyers win. What are you kidding me?’ This is unbelievable. It’s great for hockey.”

Gretzky experienced opposite ends of the spectrum in NHL outdoor hockey during and after his 20-season NHL career (1979-1999) with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and Rangers. He played in the heat during a preseason game with the Kings against the Rangers in a rink built in the Caesars Palace parking lot in Las Vegas in 1991, and in the extreme cold in the alumni game before the 2003 Heritage Classic between the Oilers and Montreal Canadiens at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

“I had 100 degrees (in Las Vegas), and I had a minus-40 (in Edmonton), so I played in both of them,” Gretzky said. “Trust me, the 100 degrees was a lot more fun.”

The game-time temperature was expected to be about 60 degrees Fahrenheit at loanDepot park on Friday. Fans enjoyed the sun during the pregame festivities outside the stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins.

In addition to the Discover Face-Off Panel and the "NHL on TNT" pregame show, there were plenty of activities for fans, including hardest shot, the accuracy challenge and bubble hockey challenge. The Stanley Cup, which the Panthers won the past two seasons, was also on display.

Nick Arbia, a Panthers fan from Orlando, waited in line with his wife Janice and their 11-year-old daughter Emma for about half an hour to have their photo taken with the Cup. They were excited to see Florida host an outdoor game.

“I think it’s great,” Arbia said. “This is my first time. I’ve only been a hockey fan for about four years now and I’m in love with it now. We got some merch. We were shooting pucks at the net. It was a fun time. Great time.”

Fotiu recalled sleeping outside Madison Square Garden to wait to buy Rangers tickets for the Stanley Cup Playoffs when he was 16 years old. He said going on to play for the Rangers was “like a dream come true.”

“And I was playing with the greatest players around,” said Fotiu, who also played for the Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames, Flyers and Oilers. “I played with Gordie Howe. That’s like a gift from God when you play with Gordie Howe. And not only did I play with him, when I got traded back to the Rangers, he came to see me play, a kid from New York.

“So, what more could I ask for?”

Howe was Gretzky’s favorite player when he was growing up in Brantford, Ontario. He went on to break Howe’s previous NHL record of 1,850 points. Gretzky also broke Howe’s mark of 801 goals and retired in 1999 with 894, which stood as the NHL record until Alex Ovechkin (912) broke it last season.

“Gordie was so nice to everybody,” Gretzky said. “He was incredible. As great of a player that he was, he was a better person.”