Tim McGraw to headline Tampa Bay Lightning’s outdoor game at Raymond James Stadium

TAMPA, Fla. - Country music superstar Tim McGraw will be performing during the Tampa Bay Lightning’s outdoor game at Raymond James Stadium in February.

What we know:

The Tampa Bay Lightning will take on the Boston Bruins on February 1 at 6:30 p.m. on a rink that will be carefully constructed on the field inside Raymond James Stadium.

It will become the league's 45th stadium event in over two decades and, along with this year's Winter Classic in Miami, will be the furthest south the league has ever hosted outdoor games.

McGraw will lead the first intermission performance during the game.

He has sold more than 106 million records across the globe and has had 49 No. 1 singles, including ‘Don’t Take the Girl’, ‘Something Like That’ and ‘Just to See You Smile.’

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 20: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Tim McGraw performs onstage during the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

How will the Tampa Bay Lightning play outdoors? 

The NHL began exploring the possibility of bringing an outdoor event to Tampa three years ago. Part of the league's recon involved checking out the outdoor rink at the center of downtown Tampa's annual Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park.

Beyond temperature concerns, the average high in Tampa on February 1 is approximately 71 degrees. The humidity also presents a problem.

Excess moisture in the subtropical air promotes the formation of frost, which slows down pucks and skates.

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They plan to keep the rink covered as long as they can, but the tent will take six hours to deconstruct on game day. Once it's down, combating Tampa's warm, wet, and salty air will keep the crew on their toes.

And should they face an especially stormy or sweltering day, Derek King, NHL senior director of hockey operations, says they have a plan for that as well.

"We always have a weather date held, so if, for some reason, we can't play the game when it's scheduled, we'll delay as long as we can, and then we do have a backup date," King explained. "Our goal is to play when it's scheduled, and we'll make those changes closer up to game time."

What you can do:

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.