The National Hockey League has increased its schedule to 84 games next season, and this will be the last season of 82 games. On Wednesday, the NHL announced its regular season schedule. The season will begin on October 7 with games featuring Chicago at Florida (where they will unveil the Stanley Cup banner), Pittsburgh at New York Rangers and Colorado at Los Angeles. Here are some games and moments to keep in mind.
Olympic Break
Thank goodness the NHL is returning to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo. It is basically official now. The 2025-26 schedule is out and the NHL will break from February 6-24. The NHL should have made more of an effort to break for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang and the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. At this time, the Russians or Belarusians will not be competing. However, it will be interesting to see what might happen if the war in Ukraine is over in the coming months.
Outdoor Games in Florida?
Hockey will indeed take place in Florida outdoors to begin the 2026 calendar. This is not a misprint. The Florida Panthers will host the New York Rangers at LoanDepot Park in Miami (houses the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball) for the Winter Classic on January 1, and the Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay (houses the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League) exactly a month later on February 1 for the NHL Stadium Series
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers
The first game of the Stanley Cup rematch the last two years will be on November 22 in south Florida. The second game of the Stanley Cup rematch will be on March 19 in Edmonton.
Winnipeg Jets @ Chicago Blackhawks–January 19
Here we have the Blackhawks hosting the Jets in Jonathan Toews’s return to Chicago. Toews was the heart and soul in Chicago for 15 years from 2007 to 2023, before taking a leave of absence from hockey due to health concerns. In that time, Toews won the Selke Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, and three Stanley Cups for Chicago. He returned home in the offseason and signed a contract with his native city of Winnipeg.
Vegas Golden Knights @ Toronto Maple Leafs–January 23
This game will be a hot ticket in Toronto after the Maple Leafs traded Mitch Marner to Vegas in the offseason. Marner had a breakout season for Toronto last year as he had a career-high 102 points in 75 games, and then was traded to Vegas for Nicolas Roy on June 30.
