| NHL Stadium Series | |
| Headerstyle: | background:#ccf; |
| Label2: | First played |
| Data2: | January 25, 2014 |
| Label3: | Times held |
| Data3: | 11 |
| Label4: | Teams participated |
| Data4: | 14 |
| Label5: | Most appearances |
| Data5: | 3: Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers |
| Label6: | Most recent |
| Data6: | 2024 |
| Belowstyle: | background:#ddf; |
The Stadium Series is one of the series of regular season outdoor games played in the National Hockey League (NHL). This event is distinct from the NHL's other two series of outdoor games, the NHL Winter Classic played on New Year's Day in a different NHL city every year, and the NHL Heritage Classic (played occasionally at different Canadian stadiums). Games in the Stadium Series have been held in either late January, February, or early March in a football or baseball stadium in the United States. The first Stadium Series was held in 2014 and consisted of seven teams participating in four games held in three venues. In 2015, only one game in the Stadium Series was held, while in 2016 and in 2024, two games were held.[1] [2] From 2017 to 2023 and again in 2025, only one game was scheduled per year.[3]
| Year | Date | Primary team at venue | Venue | Location | Visiting team | Home team | Score | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 25 | Anaheim Ducks | 3–0 | 54,099 | ||||||
| January 26 | New York Rangers | 7–3 | 50,105 | ||||||
| January 29 | New York Rangers | 2–1 | 50,027 | ||||||
| March 1 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1–5 | 62,921 | ||||||
| February 21[4] | Los Angeles Kings | San Jose Sharks | 2–1 | 70,205 | |||||
| February 21 | Minnesota Wild | 1–6 | 50,426 | ||||||
| February 27 | Detroit Red Wings | 5–3 | 50,095 | ||||||
| 2017[5] | February 25 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2–4 | 67,318 | |||||
| 2018[6] | March 3 | Washington Capitals | 2–5 | 29,516 | |||||
| 2019[7] | February 23 | Philadelphia Eagles | Philadelphia, PA | Philadelphia Flyers | 3–4 (OT) | 69,620 | |||
| 2020 | February 15 | Air Force Falcons | Los Angeles Kings | 3–1 | 43,574 | ||||
| 2022 | February 26 | Tennessee Titans | Nissan Stadium[8] | Tampa Bay Lightning | 3–2 | 68,619 | |||
| 2023 | February 18 | NC State Wolfpack | Carter–Finley Stadium | Raleigh, NC[9] | Washington Capitals | Carolina Hurricanes | 1–4 | 56,961 | |
| 2024 | February 17 | New Jersey Devils | 3–6 | 70,328 | |||||
| February 18 | New York Rangers | 6–5 (OT) | 79,690 | ||||||
| 2025 | March 1 | Ohio State Buckeyes | Ohio Stadium | Columbus, OH | Detroit Red Wings | Columbus Blue Jackets | N/A | N/A |
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. 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, the New Jersey Devils in the 2014 Stadium Series refused to do so, instead wearing their throwback red and green uniforms during the game. This was due to general manager Lou Lamoriello's refusal to adopt the third jersey trend at the time. However, for their 2024 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.
See main article: List of NHL outdoor games broadcasters.
In the United States, the Stadium Series was broadcast on NBC 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 on NBCSN), the 2014 Islanders–Rangers game in Yankee Stadium (held on Wednesday 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 the ESPN family of networks and TNT, with the former producing the weekend Hockey Saturday package on ABC. 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 to airing the NBA on that day. In 2023 and 2024, the Stadium Series was scheduled at the same time as TNT's broadcasts of NBA All-Star Weekend, thus ESPN/ABC has covered these games.
In Canada, the first two 2014 Stadium Series games were aired on CBC, while TSN 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 a Canadiens–Maple Leafs game. Since the 2014–15 season, Sportsnet has been the sole rightsholder of NHL national games in Canada, taking over Hockey 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.