The Tampa Bay Lightning are hosting an outdoor game for the first time on Sunday, Feb. 1 against the Boston Bruins.
But team owner Jeff Vinik won’t be able to attend the game that he helped bring to Raymond James Stadium because of a serious injury.
The Lightning announced Friday that Vinik had suffered a ‘major leg fracture’ when he had a snowmobiling accident while on a recent vacation with his children.
‘He is currently under the care of exceptional medical professionals and is expected to make a full recovery. While we are grateful he is doing well, the extent of the injury means he will unfortunately be unable to attend the Stadium Series game on Sunday,’ the team said in a statement.
‘As an organization, we are deeply thankful for his resilience and dedication and although we are heartbroken we will miss this historic moment for the Tampa Bay Lightning, we know he will be watching and taking immense pride in what Team Tampa Bay has accomplished.’
The game, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, will be the second this season in Florida. The New York Rangers beat the Florida Panthers on Jan. 2 in the Winter Classic.
Sunday’s game, though in Florida, is expected to have temperatures in the 40s.
The Lightning are 1-0 in outdoor games, beating the Predators in Nashville in the 2022 Stadium Series game. The Bruins are 4-1 in outdoor games.