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.
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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.
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2008 game: Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins
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2008 game: Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins
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2009 game, Chicago Blackhawks
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2009 game, Detroit Red Wings
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2010 game: Philadelphia Flyers
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2011 game: Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins
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2012 game, Philadelphia Flyers
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2012 game: New York Rangers
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2014 game, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs
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2015 game, Washington Capitals
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2015 game, Chicago Blackhawks
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2017 game, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks
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2018 game, New York Rangers
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2018 game, Buffalo Sabres
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2019 game, Boston Bruins
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2019 game, Chicago Blackhawks
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2020 game, Dallas Stars
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2020 game: Nashville Predators
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2022 game, St. Louis Blues
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2022 Winter Classic: Minnesota Wild
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2023 game, Boston Bruins
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2023 game, Pittsburgh Penguins
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2024 game: Seattle Kraken
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2024 game: Vegas Golden Knights
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2025 game: St. Louis Blues
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2025 game: Chicago Blackhawks
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2026 game; New York Rangers
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2026 game: Florida Panthers
“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.
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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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Injured Lightning owner Jeff Vinik to miss outdoor game vs Bruins
