Renderings Show Pirate-Theme For NHL Stadium Series in Tampa

The most distinctive feature of Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium since it’s opening in 1998 has been the 103-foot long pirate ship hovering behind one of the end zones in what is known as Buccaneer Cove.

As the home of the two-time Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepares to host its first NHL game, it is no surprise that the league and the venue are leaning into that history, making pirates the theme for the field design and game presentation for the Stadium Series game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins on February 1 at 6:30 p.m.

The rink will sit on a treasure map featuring hockey-themed landmarks that celebrate the Gasparilla Pirate Fest, an event that has taken place in Tampa since 1904. One end zone will be called “Boston Harbor” and the other will be renamed “Tampa Bay,” featuring such locations as Cross Check Cape, Lightning Lagoon and Slapshot Shoals. The rink will also be surrounded by sea creatures and the remains of shipwrecks.

Country music star Tim McGraw will perform during the first intermission on a wooden deck located between Lord Stanley Point and Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.

This will be the first open-air game in Florida in NHL history. This year’s Winter Classic, which took place on Jan. 2 between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers, took place at Miami’s loanDepot Park, but the retractable roof was closed as the temperature at 8:00 start time was 61 degrees. So this game will mark the debut of a steel-framed, air-conditioned structure that is 34 feet high, 125 feet wide and 240 feet long to help keep the ice cool. It will then be dismantled when the game starts. The forecasted temperature for Sunday in Tampa is a high of 48 degrees and a low of 30 degrees.

Next year’s games will be back in cooler climates, as Salt Lake City will host its first Winter Classic and Dallas will host the Stadium Series at AT&T Stadium.