Aaron Ekblad has played his entire career with the Florida Panthers, and after over a decade, he’ll finally skate in his first NHL Winter Classic on January 2, 2026.
The Panthers will host the New York Rangers at LoanDepot Park in Miami; it’s the first time an outdoor game has ever taken place in the Sunshine State. And for Ekblad, it’s all about the two points.
“I want to win the game,” he said earlier this week, per NHL.com’s Nicholas J. Cotsonika.
The two-time Stanley Cup champion continued: “It’s exciting. I think certainly as a franchise and being here for so long and the way we’ve turned it around, the opportunity to show out in front of that many fans is going to be awesome.”
The Panthers are looking to become the first team to achieve the three peat since the New York Islanders won four straight between 1980-83. And even without Matthew Tkachuk and Sasha Barkov in the lineup, they’re still in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
But first, the focus is on improving their place in the standings against a desperate Rangers team that is looking to rectify last year’s postseason miss.
Aaron Ekblad defines heart and soul for Panthers
Ekblad has been a staple on Florida’s blue line since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. He won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2014-15, and signed a mammoth eight-year, $48.8 million contract extension back on July 1 to remain in Fort Lauderdale for the long haul.
Among Panthers defensemen, he’s the all-time leader in games (767), goals (119), assists (274) and points (393), per Cotsonika.
“If you could say that there’s a soul to our team, he owns some of it,” said general manager Bill Zito. “[Barkov] owns some of it, and everybody in their own way owns a little bit of it. But those guys who have been here, who lived through different times, who were willing to adapt to changes that needed to be made … it’s inspiring.
“He’s a guy that always wanted to stay. It was no secret. He said, ‘I want to stay. Let’s figure out a way.’”
Ekblad is reaping the benefits, now part of a modern day National Hockey League dynasty that might only be getting started. Zito and the front office have managed to lock up the core long-term, while adding key pieces like Brad Marchand and Seth Jones along the way.
You can never count the Panthers out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, especially as they’ve advanced to three consecutive Finals — and counting.
But Ekblad isn’t thinking that far ahead; he’s just focused on winning the 2026 Discover Winter Classic. Still, having the game hosted in Florida is special to the entire club, and shows how far both the state and the franchise have come.
More than 35,000 fans are expected for the contest, which gets underway just past 8:00 p.m. ET next Friday night from the home of the Miami Marlins.