Miami (v)ice!

That’s a wrap on the 2026 NHL Winter Classic! Our crew kicked off the year at loanDepot park (home of the Miami Marlins) for the southernmost Winter Classic in league history featuring the home team Florida Panthers and visiting New York Rangers. We worked in conjunction with both the league and the Panthers’ broadcast partner Scripps Sports to provide AV for several areas around the ballpark for the big game.

The first area we loaded in, four days prior to game day, was the press conference room. This room was in use for player interviews the day before the game, and during event day (pre- and post- game). We provided a speaker system, mult box, and a microphone package for the desk from which the players and coaches would take questions from the media.

We did ample testing to ensure good signal and audio levels both in the room and feeding out remotely.

Next up was the broadcast set, as they were scheduled to do a special hour-long pregame show before the game. We built a 16’ x 16’ stage, skirted with guard rails, that we dropped during an additional load-in day. On the day of the show, we completed the set that morning with crank-up light towers for front-, and back-lighting, using wireless Astera AX9s as the fixtures.

We also provided a display monitor and small sound system to which they sent their program feed, so fans in attendance could watch and hear the show.

On the other side of the west plaza, we set and programmed a widespread PA system shooting down the street from which the players would be making their grand entrance into the ballpark before the game. The street was lined with fans to watch their arrival, so we pumped music to hype the crowd, and also enlisted a wireless mic complement so their live host could make announcements.

It was an awesome experience getting to work this historic event, bringing outdoor hockey to South Florida for the first time ever. We were on site for four days, including a 16-hour show day, so there was a lot of pre-production and flexibility necessary. It was definitely a memorable way to start the new year!