During the Discover Face-Off Panel held outside loanDepot park in Miami on Friday, Wayne Gretzky addressed an audience composed of Florida Panthers and New York Rangers fans. The event was part of the 2026 Enterprise NHL PreGame Outdoor Fan Festival, preceding the announcement of the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic, which will feature the Panthers hosting the Rangers in the first NHL regular season outdoor game in Florida.
Gretzky, the NHL’s all-time points leader with 2,857, discussed the expansion of hockey, noting its presence in regions such as Florida and California.
Panel Discussion
The panel featured Gretzky and retired former Rangers forward Nick Fotiu. Darren Pang, an analyst for the 'NHL on TNT' and former goalie, hosted the discussion. Fotiu, who played 13 seasons in the NHL from 1976-1989, including eight stints with the Rangers (1976-1979, 1981-1985), shared his experience from an alumni game. His only NHL outdoor experience was an alumni game against the Philadelphia Flyers prior to the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Gretzky recounted his own outdoor hockey experiences, which included a preseason game with the Los Angeles Kings against the Rangers in a rink built in the Caesars Palace parking lot in Las Vegas in 1991, where temperatures reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit. He also participated in an alumni game before the 2003 Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, experiencing minus-40 degrees Fahrenheit conditions. Gretzky noted a preference for the warmer playing conditions.