NHL Winter Classic 2026: TNT Sports Prepares for First NHL Outdoor Game in Sunshine State

NHL Winter Classic 2026: TNT Sports Prepares for First NHL Outdoor Game in Sunshine State Fridays signature event is the 17th Winter Classic in league historyBy Mark J. Burns

Friday, January 2, 2026 - 10:07 am

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The NHL's Winter Classic has long been defined as a signature event complete with colder temperatures, breath clouds, and the occasional snowflakes. The league's cold-weather tradition now heads to the Sunshine State for the first time ever on Friday at 8 p.m. ET as the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers play at loanDepot park, home of MLB's Miami Marlins.

Rendering of field design for Jan. 2 Winter Classic

What fans should take away and experience is the electric atmosphere in concert with the unique scope, scale, and creativity of the event, venue, and festivities, says Ivan Gottesfeld, NHL Executive VP of Broadcasting. It's going to be an extremely colorful event and an amazing atmosphere, celebrating the growth and importance of hockey in South Florida - and of course two critical points on the line for both clubs.

I think the goal is to lean into the theme of winter meets the beach, adds Chris Brown, VP of Sports Production and Tech Ops for Warner Bros. Discovery. You want the viewer to know that we are covering the game authentically, because the game counts, so it's important, but also to make it fun and also be mindful of the tradition that this event has become and how the players and teams are excited to be a part of this time-honored tradition.

WATCH: NHL's EVP, Entertainment Bob Chesterman on Taking the Winter Classic to Miami

The game, which will be broadcast on TNT and HBO Max in the U.S. and on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada, marks the 17th Winter Classic in NHL history. It's the first-ever regular season outdoor game for the Panthers, while the Rangers will make their sixth outdoor appearance.

There is so much more to capture and cover than just the hockey game and that's what makes these events so unique, says Gottesfeld, who added that the Road To The NHL Winter Classic four-part reality series, which first debuted in 2010, provides behind-the-scenes access of the two participating teams. Outdoor games always create opportunities to be creative problem solvers relative to the planning and adaptation of the production and operations for each specific stadium.

WBD's Brown notes that NEP's SS8 A&B mobile units are handling the Winter Classic game production, while Supershooter 64, a multifeed production truck, is handling the studio show production. For the pregame concert with artist Role Model, TNT Sports is utilizing TNDV's mobile production truck Vibration.

NEP's SS8 A&B mobile units are handling the game production for the NHL Winter Classic in Miami.

Meanwhile, the production compound sits across the street from loanDepot park. There's two cable bridges connecting all of the production elements between the game and studio show, according to Brown.

There are multiple remote components to the Winter Classic broadcast, including the headquarters for both the game graphics operation and the studio operation originating out of the Techwood Remote Ops Center in Atlanta. Studio production will be on-site in the Supershooter 64 truck. The studio show will have locations inside the baseball stadium in addition to outside the venue. For the pregame hour, the studio will be situated in the fan area adjacent to loanDepot park.

Inside the Camera Complement, Tech-Enabled BroadcastTNT's Skate Cam, featuring an on-ice shooter with a stabilizing gimble, returns for this year's Winter Classic. In addition, WBD Sports worked with the NHL to make cutouts in the dashboards for two low angle Nucleus cameras from Fletcher, according to Brown. Two Supracams, one for the outside set concert stage performance and another for game coverage inside of loanDepot park, will also provide unique aerial shots for the broadcast.

Behind the scenes of the TNT Sports studio show set outside of loanDepot park, home of the Miami Marlins.

Flying a cabled aerial camera in an arena has a host of challenges, but when you expand the footprint to a stadium, it changes how you can use it, says Brown. The ice is still the centerpiece, but the NHL does an awesome job of creating a visual experience around it, which allows production to use the camera in more dramatic ways.

There will be 24 cameras deployed for the Winter Classic game broadcast, and eight will be leveraged for the studio show. Brown said for this type of marquee event, it's about showcasing the ice effects and crowd sounds of the stadium.

He continues, The acoustics are bolder and brighter and not as sharp in a stadium vs. an enclosed arena. The open air makes the crowd sound bigger and the effects on the ice of the skates, puck and sticks reverberate differently. In all, you're still trying to do the same thing, bring the viewer into the stadium, but the sounds are dramatically different.

Adds Gottesfeld, The broadcast production is everything when it comes to sharing with the world the details and aspects of the breathtaking venue design, pageantry, entertainment, and atmosphere that are signature features of the Discover NHL Winter Classic.

More Production Notes:For the outdoor concert and other content and marketing activations, TNT Sports is working closely with the Solomon Group. Other technology and support vendors include SMT for the virtual power play clock, NEP, NEP Rentals (Bexel), Fletcher, and Supracam.

Between the Atlanta Techwood facility and on-site personnel in Miami, there will be nearly 225 operations, engineers, technicians, and production staff members. Director John Tackett and Producer Kevin Brown will oversee the game broadcast, while Director Morgan Wein

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/01/02/nhl-winter-classic-2026-tnt-spo...
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