On Tuesday, the NHL released the logo for this season's edition of the Stadium Series. Next year’s game will take place on February 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa between the visiting Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning. It will be the second outdoor NHL game in Florida in the span of one month, after the Winter Classic takes place between the New York Rangers and reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at Loan Deport Park in Miami.
This year’s logo takes the form of a pirate ship crashing against the waves on the high seas. Where the name of the ship would typically be, the host city “Tampa Bay” is spelled out. The NHL’s official release says the pirate ship comes from the “swashbuckling history and culture in Tampa Bay” and the wording is “typography inspired by hand-drawn treasure maps”.
A rip in the sails of the pirate ship are in the shape of the familiar logo of the Lightning in a detail that is easy to miss. A flag atop those sails announces the year of 2026 in a detail that’s much easier to spot. Little piles of snow and ice can be seen on the sails and ship. This is ice hockey, after all.
The Tampa Bay region has a long history with pirates. A popular legend has it that mythical pirate Jose Gaspar once invaded the area and that legend is now the basis for the world's largest pirate festival which is held in Tampa annually the “Gasparilla Pirate Festival”. The Lightning have worn special edition jerseys in the past to coincide with the popular pirate festivities. This year’s Stadium Series will also take place right after the 2026 festival concludes the day before on January 31st.
The area’s NFL team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also make use of the pirate ship in their logo and branding. The team has had an alternate pirate ship logo since 2020 and seen on the uniform’s shoulder. The most exciting feature in their stadium, the same one the Lightning are using for the Stadium Series, is that it has its own replica pirate ship. It’s in an area of the stadium called “Buccaneer Cove” and staffed on game days by about 30 employees working as pirates. The ship’s red sails usually feature a giant Buccaneers logo, but they should be swapped out for Lightning blue.
The 103 foot replica is just passed the north end zone and features working canons. Can we expect them to be used during February’s game? The cannons are specifically shown on the pirate ship logo, for what it’s worth. Looks like the Columbus Blue Jackets won’t be the only team with a cannon, even if it’s for one night only. Maybe we’ll get a two for one feature with cannons and tesla coils?
One notable difference between the Stadium Series version and Buccaneers version of the pirate ship is the color scheme. The Buccaneers is largely in their main color scheme of red and black. While the NHL’s features blue (a similar shade to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s home jerseys) and an orange like brown color. Maybe that color scheme will mix in easier with Bruins fans who will tried to invade Tampa in their famous yellow jerseys.