The event took place in Edmonton'sCommonwealth Stadium in front of a crowd of 57,167, despite temperatures of close to −30 °C (−22 °F) with wind chill.[2] It was held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Edmonton Oilers joining the NHL in 1979 and the 20th anniversary of their firstStanley Cup win in1984. TheCBC television broadcast drew 2.747 million viewers in Canada, the second-highest audience for a regular-season NHL game.[3] This was the first NHL game broadcast inHD on CBC.[4]
First, theMegaStars game was played between some of the best former players from both clubs. The Oilers were represented by the best players from their 1980s dynasty, led byWayne Gretzky. The Canadiens were represented by players from their 1970s dynasty, led byGuy Lafleur, and a few members of the 1986 and 1993 championship squads. Both teams were composed of players who had won Stanley Cups with the Oilers or Canadiens, except for the Oilers' first NHL captain,Ron Chipperfield, and the Canadiens'Russ Courtnall, whoRejean Houle said was selected for his speed.[5]Cam Connor andMark Napier were the only players that played for both the Oilers and the Canadiens during their NHL careers; both played for the Canadiens during the game.Mark Messier, the only active player at the time, received special permission from theNew York Rangers front office to compete for Edmonton in the game.[6] TheMegaStars game consisted of two 15-minute halves rather than three 20-minute periods, and was won by the Oilers by a score of 2–0. After the game, Messier jokingly called the low-scoring contest "a typical Oilers win," a reference to the numerous high-scoring games of the Oilers' heyday in the 1980s.
The second game was an official NHL regular season contest between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal won the game 4–3.Richard Zednik of the Canadiens scored the firstgoal of the game, and also scored the game-winner. GoaltenderJose Theodore wore a Canadienstuque over the top of hisgoalie mask.[7]
The game was released toDVD by the CBC, and included special features such as player interviews.
Following the success of the 2003 Heritage Classic, the league moved forward with the periodicNHL Heritage Classic series, which – as of the2023 Heritage Classic (in Edmonton, to mark the 20th anniversary of the original) – have each been hosted by a Canadian NHL team, at a venue in or near the host team's city.
In 2008, the league began theNHL Winter Classic series, an outdoor regular season game played annually onNew Year's Day, which to date have all been hosted by an American NHL team, at a venue in or near the host team's city.
In 2014, the league instigated the semi-regularNHL Stadium Series, an outdoor regular season game, which to date have all been hosted by an American NHL team, at a venue in or near the host team's city.
^1 Steve Valiquette dressed for the Edmonton Oilers as the back-up goalie and did not enter the game. ^2 Mathieu Garon dressed for the Montreal Canadiens as the back-up goalie and did not enter the game.
