NEW YORK – The rich history of the Tampa Pirates will be the theme of the field design and game presentation for the highly anticipated 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series, the Feb. 1 outdoor game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, SN, TVAS; NHL in ASL on ESPN+, Sportsnet+).
In the rendering released today by the NHL, the rink will be located atop a treasure map dotted with hockey-themed landmarks, trails and clues to celebrate the Gasparilla Pirate Fest.
As part of the NHL’s transformation of Raymond James Stadium, the NHL Treasure Map will cover the entire field. The end zones will become “Boston Harbor” and “Tampa Bay” with Bear’s Den, Guentzel’s Grotto, Cross Check Cape and Slapshot Shoals, Lightning Lagoon, Brayden’s Point of No Return, Thunderbug Cove, Vinik’s Voyage and Hedman Reef. Surrounding the rink are remnants of shipwrecks, sea creatures and, in a nod to the city’s biggest annual event, floats from the pirates’ Gasparilla parade.
A wooden dock between Lord Stanley Point and Ye Mystic Krewe in Gasparilla will serve as the stage for the GRAMMY Award-winning country music star Tim McGraw, who will be the headliner of the first intermission presented by Ticketmaster.
The American National Anthem will be performed by a GRAMMY-nominated, PLATINUM-selling multi-instrumentalist. Hunter Hayes. Hayes is the epitome of a musician who embraces evolution and redefines boundaries. The Louisiana native has amassed over 3 billion on-demand streams worldwide since his debut, with seven singles achieving Gold and 10x PLATINUM certifications.
The deaf singer of the national anthem is Ivan Jarama as part of the NHL’s partnership with PXP. The American flag will be flown by local military and veterans. THE University of South Florida Naval ROTC Color Guard will present colors.
All in-game entertainment will be produced by NHL Entertainment, along with NHL President, Events and Content. Steve Mayer as executive producer.
This year’s NHL Stadium Series is the most complex and ambitious outdoor game to date. To meet the challenge of an outdoor stadium in Florida for an outdoor game, the NHL built the regulation-sized rink inside a climate-controlled, steel-framed structure to protect it from the elements. Spanning 34 feet high, 125 feet wide and 240 feet long, the state-of-the-art tent will be dismantled before the teams compete in prime time.
