CASE STUDY: Case of 2026 Winter Classic
It’s a monumental sport showcase for the NHL - the NHL Winter Classic is significant because it blends hockey tradition, spectacle, and marketing in a way no other regular-season NHL game does.
Hockey was originally played outdoors on frozen ponds and lakes. The Winter Classic recreates that heritage, connecting modern fans to the sport’s origins. The NHL Winter Classic isn’t just a game—it’s a celebration of hockey’s past, present, and future, designed to elevate the sport beyond the regular season.
When Temporary Tropics was looped in to supply live foliage and props - we were elated to support the Event Producers + Designers.
Live foliage rentals for such a large-scale production involves in-depth assessment of the plants that will thrive in the space while serving function + form within budget.
The 2026 NHL Winter Classic took place in Miami, Fl, in the open-air Loan Depot Park, where the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers competed for the win - organically, the theme developed to be a sand versus snow concept - witty and on-brand.
The theme was further entrenched in it’s setting with contrasting tones of pink + blues, which is also the prevalent colors for a Miami Vice theme.
It was imperative that we provide live foliage and props that fed into the theme seamlessly - and we answered to the call.
We styled the stadium with 12’ H Coconut Palms, Chinese Fan Palms, tall Adis, King Sago Palms and Pygmy Date Palms , Long-Leaf Pines and a variety of grass - together the plants perfectly emitted essences of New York winters’ and Miami summers’, in one space at one time.
As for props, we utilized our faux boulder rocks while jazzing them up to theme. Our talented production team treated the faux boulder rocks with sand and popcorn ceiling spray to give the effect of sand-covered rocks and snow-topped boulders.
Every detail of the 2026 NHL Winter Classic’s design was carefully curated by our Clients, we were honored to be called upon to supply the live foliage and props for an esteemed event such as the 2026 NHL Winter Classic
