 The Canadiens and Flames face off at the 2011 Heritage Classic in Calgary | |
| National Hockey League | |
|---|---|
| First played | November 22, 2003 |
| Times Held | 7 |
| Teams Participated | 8 |
| Most Appearances | 3:Calgary Flames,Edmonton Oilers |
| Most Recent | 2023 Heritage Classic |
| Most Recent Winner | Edmonton Oilers |
TheNHL Heritage Classic (French:La Classique Héritage de la LNH) is one of the series ofregular season outdoor games played in theNational Hockey League (NHL) that is held in football stadiums based in Canada. Unlike the NHL's other two series of outdoor games, theNHL Winter Classic and theNHL Stadium Series, the Heritage Classic has been held infrequently: only seven games have been played in the series so far, and the first five match-ups were exclusively between Canadian teams. Since 2014, the Heritage Classic usually takes place early (around late October) or later (around March) in the NHL regular season in order to avoid playing during harsh Canadian winters.
Theinaugural Heritage Classic, hosted by theEdmontonOilers atCommonwealth Stadium in 2003, was the first outdoor regular season game in NHL history and its success served as the precursor to outdoor hockey gamesplayed around the world. Thesecond Heritage Classic, played atMcMahon Stadium inCalgary in 2011, set sponsorship and revenue records.[1][2] Thethird Heritage Classic was hosted inVancouver'sBC Place stadium in 2014. Thefourth game was hosted byWinnipeg at Investors Group Field, now known asIG Field,[3] in October 2016.[4] Thefifth game was held on October 26, 2019, atMosaic Stadium inRegina, Saskatchewan.
Thesixth Heritage Classic for 2022 was played atTim Hortons Field inHamilton, Ontario. TheToronto Maple Leafs made their first Heritage Classic appearance (they were the only Canadian team who had yet to play in a Heritage Classic, although they had appeared in a Winter Classic, the Centennial Classic and in one Stadium Series game), and played against theBuffalo Sabres, the first U.S. team appearing in a Heritage Classic.[5]
Theseventh Heritage Classic was hosted by the Oilers for the second time, with their opponent being the Calgary Flames in the first outdoor hockeyBattle of Alberta.[6]
Thefirst Heritage Classic was played in 2003 and hosted by theEdmonton Oilers. The first regular season outdoor game in NHL history, it was held atCommonwealth Stadium between the Oilers and theMontreal Canadiens.[7] The Oilers had suggested the idea of hosting anoutdoor game as early as the mid 1980s,[8] but the genesis of the 2003 event was the "Cold War" outdoor game played two years prior betweenMichigan State University and theUniversity of Michigan.[9]
Demand for tickets to the game was unprecedented in the history of Edmonton sports events.[9] After sales to Edmonton's season ticket holders and league sponsors, the Oilers held a lottery for the remaining 7,000 seats that awarded 1,750 persons the opportunity to purchase four tickets each. The team received over 750,000 entries from around the world.[10] The game attracted a crowd of 57,167 that set an NHL single-game attendance record that more than doubled the previous mark.[11] The event featured an alumni game between past greats of the Canadiens and Oilers, includingWayne Gretzky andGuy Lafleur.[12] The game itself was played at a temperature of −25 °C (−13 °F); the Canadiens defeated the Oilers by a score of 4–3.[11]
The success of the Heritage Classic led to the2008 Winter Classic, which was played in Buffalo between theBuffalo Sabres andPittsburgh Penguins.[13] A new league record crowd of 71,217 watched the Penguins defeat the Sabres in a game that quickly became the NHL's showcase event.[14] TheWinter Classic became an annual event but focused on American teams. Faced with increasing criticism at the lack of Canadian participation in the Winter Classic, the NHL revived the Heritage Classic in 2011 and pitted the Canadiens against the hostCalgary Flames.[15] It marked the first time the NHL held two outdoor games in the same season, a decision that some commentators, includingESPN'sScott Burnside, argued would dilute the spectacle of the Winter Classic.[16]
Like the Edmonton game, the2011 Heritage Classic was a success, as the Flames defeated Montreal 4–0 in front of 41,022 fans atMcMahon Stadium.[17] The game achieved high television ratings in both Canada and the United States and, due to record sponsorship,[1] grossed the highest revenue for a single event in NHL history.[2]
Thethird Heritage Classic was played atBC Place inVancouver in 2014 between theVancouver Canucks andOttawa Senators. It was part of a six-game outdoor set during the2013–14 NHL season that included the2014 Winter Classic and the four-gameStadium Series.[18]
TheWinnipeg Jets played host to the Oilers in thefourth Heritage Classic on October 23, 2016, atInvestors Group Field, during the2016–17 NHL season. This game brought in 11,000 visitors and over $11.2 million in direct tourism spending for the city of Winnipeg.[19]
Thefifth Heritage Classic was played on October 26, 2019, during the2019–20 NHL season, with the Jets and the Flames atMosaic Stadium inRegina, Saskatchewan, a neutral site roughly between Winnipeg and Calgary.[20]
On September 16, 2021, the league announced that asixth Heritage Classic would be played on March 13, 2022, between theToronto Maple Leafs and theBuffalo Sabres atTim Hortons Field inHamilton, Ontario.[5] The Sabres won 5-2.
On January 1, 2023, the NHL announced that Commonwealth Stadium would return as host of the Heritage Classic in2023, this time showcasing theBattle of Alberta between the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers.[21] The Oilers would come away with a 5-2 victory over the Flames.
On December 6, 2025, it was announced that the Winnipeg Jets will host the Montreal Canadiens in the2026 Heritage Classic atPrincess Auto Stadium (formerly Investors Group Field), marking the second time that the venue hosted the Heritage Classic.[22]
Bolded teams denote winners
| Teams | Win | Loss | Total | Year(s) won | Year(s) lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2016,2023 | 2003 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2003 | 2011 |
| Calgary Flames | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2011 | 2019,2023 |
| Ottawa Senators | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2014 | |
| Vancouver Canucks | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2014 | |
| Winnipeg Jets | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2019 | 2016 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2022 | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
CBC'sHockey Night in Canada broadcast the 2003, 2011, 2014 and 2019 games. In the first three editions,CBC Sports solely produced the games, then in 2019,Sportsnet not only took over production, but also simulcast the game on their networks. In 2016, 2022 and 2023, the games were aired only on Sportsnet.
In the United States, the first Heritage Classic was not broadcast to then-rightsholdersESPN/ABC due to its prior commitments withcollege football. Instead, the game was aired to American audiences onNHL Center Ice via the CBC feed. In 2011, 2014 and 2019,Versus/NBCSN would air the Heritage Classic, with the network providing their own broadcast crews for the first two games, and the last game featuring a simulcast from Sportsnet. In 2016,NHL Network simulcast Sportsnet's broadcast of the Heritage Classic. Then in 2022,TNT aired the Heritage Classic with their own broadcast crews, as the game featured an American team for the first time. In 2023, TNT's sister channelTBS aired the Heritage Classic due to TNT's prior commitment to aUSWNT friendly match. This marked the first NHL regular season game broadcast by the network under their current deal.
Media related toNHL Heritage Classic at Wikimedia Commons
