| National Hockey League | |
|---|---|
| First played | January 25, 2014 |
| Times held | 11 |
| Teams participated | 14 |
| Most appearances | 3: Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Most recent | 2025 |
TheStadium Series is one of the series ofregular season outdoor games played in theNational Hockey League (NHL). This event is distinct from the NHL's other two series of outdoor games, theNHL Winter Classic, played in a different NHL city every year, and theNHL Heritage Classic (played occasionally at different Canadian stadiums). Games in the Stadium Series are usually played in February or early March, and are typically played in eitherNFL orcollege football stadiums in the United States when both leagues are in their offseason. In the past,MLB ballparks in the United States were also used, though it has been mainly utilized for the Winter Classic. Thefirst Stadium Series was held in2014 and consisted of seven teams participating in four games held in three venues; this was also the only Stadium Series to have taken place in January. Since2015, only one Stadium Series game has been played each season,[1] except in2016 and in2024, when two games were held.[2][3]
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The uniforms worn in the Stadium Series are unique in that they feature enlarged logos, letters and numbers in order to increase visibility for spectators who sit in the upper deck seats (as the Stadium Series is typically played in NFL or college football stadiums). Whereas the Winter Classic and Heritage Classic focused on vintage hockey uniform designs intended on celebrating ice hockey history, the Stadium Series focused on more futuristic and experimental looks showcasing the modernization of the sport.
While a majority of the participating teams were able to create radically new looks for the event, theNew Jersey Devils in the2014 Stadium Series refused to do so, instead wearing their throwback red and green uniforms during the game. This was due to general managerLou Lamoriello's refusal to adopt thethird jersey trend at the time. However, for their2024 Stadium Series appearance, the Devils wore a different uniform design akin to the game itself, having embraced the third jersey concept following Lamoriello's departure in 2015.
To date, only two teams have promoted its Stadium Series uniform to fullthird jersey status: theNew York Islanders' blue-and-chrome "NY" uniform from the 2014 Stadium Series (used only in the2014–15 season), and thePhiladelphia Flyers' black uniform from the2017 Stadium Series (used since the2018–19 season). Meanwhile, theCarolina Hurricanes'2023 Stadium Series uniform served as the inspiration for the team's road uniform they started wearing in the2025–26 season.
In the United States, the Stadium Series was broadcast onNBC Sports from 2014 to 2020, as they held the U.S. national NHL rights during that period.NBC aired the majority of the Stadium Series games on Saturday nights; the exceptions being the 2014 Ducks–Kings game in Dodger Stadium (aired onNBCSN), the 2014 Islanders–Rangers game in Yankee Stadium (held onWednesday night on NBCSN), and the 2015 Kings–Sharks game in Levi's Stadium (aired on NBCSN).
From 2022 to 2028, the U.S. national rights are split between theESPN family of networks andTNT, with the former producing the weekendHockey Saturday package onABC. Scheduling conflicts have largely dictated which of the two broadcasters have aired Stadium Series games. The 2022 game aired on TNT, marking a return to cable television for the first time since 2015, while ABC was committed toairing the NBA on that day. In 2023 and 2024, the Stadium Series was scheduled at the same time as TNT's broadcasts ofNBA All-Star Weekend, thus ABC has covered these games, with the 2023 game originally scheduled to air on ESPN before being flexed to ABC. The 2025 game was moved to ESPN due to prior NBA and AEW commitments by both ABC and TNT respectively. The 2026 game, which falls on the Sunday beforeSuper Bowl LX (and is traditionally scheduled aPro Bowl week, though the2026 Pro Bowl Games was moved to Tuesday, February 3), is slated to air on ESPN, with ABC instead committing to acollege basketball doubleheader while the Stadium Series will serve as a lead-out program toESPN's NBA coverage.
In Canada, the first two 2014 Stadium Series games were aired onCBC, whileTSN simulcast NBCSN's broadcast of the Islanders–Rangers game. The Penguins–Blackhawks game did not air in Canada due to CBC's prior commitment to broadcast aCanadiens–Maple Leafs game. Since the 2014–15 season,Rogers Sports & Media has been the sole rightsholder of NHL national games in Canada, taking overHockey Night in Canada in a sublicensing agreement with CBC. However, with the exception of the 2015 game, Sportsnet has generally simulcast the American broadcast feed of the Stadium Series. They would still provide their own broadcast crew if a Canadian team is involved, as was the case in 2018 with the Maple Leafs–Capitals game.
