Vincent Trocheck will face his former team, the Florida Panthers, as a member of the New York Rangers in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic at loanDepot park in Miami on January 2. The game marks the NHL's first outdoor contest in Florida, with the retractable roof planned to be open. Trocheck, who began his NHL career with the Panthers, reflects on the personal significance of returning to South Florida.
The 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic pits the New York Rangers against the Florida Panthers at loanDepot park, home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins, on January 2 at 8 p.m. ET. Broadcast on HBO Max, truTV, TNT, SNW, SNO, SNE and TVAS, it will be the league's first outdoor game in Florida, with the venue's retractable roof set to open for the occasion. This marks the Rangers' sixth outdoor game—they have won all five previous ones—while it is the Panthers' debut in such an event.
Vincent Trocheck, now a Rangers forward, spent his first seven NHL seasons with the Panthers from 2014 to 2020, accumulating 282 points (111 goals, 171 assists) in 420 games. He debuted at age 20 on March 7, 2014, and played his last game for Florida on February 22, 2020, at age 26, already married and a father to son Leo. Traded to the Carolina Hurricanes two days later, Trocheck signed a seven-year contract with the Rangers on July 13, 2022. His best season came in 2023-24 with 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists), aiding a run to the Eastern Conference Final. This season, he has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 25 games and is a candidate for Team USA at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina.
"I mean, I grew up as a person there," Trocheck said. "I was 20 years old when I got there. I played there for six and a half seasons. My son was born five years into it. I started my career there. I bought a house there. I went from being a kid to being a dad. I played 400 games there. So it holds a special place in mine and my family's heart."
Off the ice, Trocheck and his wife Hillary welcomed second child Lennon eight months after the trade. Returns to Florida evoke nostalgia: "My son was there for the first two years of his life... We go back to see where we lived. It just brings back some nostalgia a little bit."
Only three Panthers from Trocheck's era remain: center Aleksander Barkov, defenseman Aaron Ekblad and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, core members of the team that won back-to-back Stanley Cups after reaching the 2023 Final. During Trocheck's tenure, Florida made the playoffs just once, in 2016, losing in the first round to the New York Islanders in six games.
The Panthers aim for a third straight Stanley Cup this season, a feat not achieved since the Islanders' four in a row from 1980-1983. Forward Matthew Tkachuk, sidelined since August 22 surgery for a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia, may return in time. Trocheck praised Florida's growth: "It's great for hockey obviously... I think (owner) Vinny Viola has just done a great job." Yet he admitted mixed feelings: "You leave a team and then they win a couple Cups, it's not always fun. I'm still happy for the people that I was with down there."
