Earlier this week, news that the Winnipeg Jets would host the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium on October 25, 2026, leaked online after a post on the Jets†official website announced the event, only to be taken down. Clearly, the league wasnâ€t ready to announce the news, but it is indeed happening.
Itâ€s been quite a few years since the Canadiens played outdoors. The last time they did it was in the leagueâ€s NHL 100 Classic back in 2017 when they took on the Ottawa Senators at Lansdowne Park. In front of 33,959 fans, the Habs were shut out 3-0 by the Sens. The temperature at puck drop was minus eleven Celsius, and it got colder as the game went on. Montreal was outshot 38-28 and could only win 29% of the faceoffs. Carey Price, who was making his 10th consecutive start, played well, but he couldnâ€t score any goals.
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The Habs†performance was a stark contrast with the 2016 Winter Classic in Foxboro, where the visiting Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 5-1. Brendan Gallagher was one of the stars of the game, putting up a goal and an assist in what was his return to action after missing 17 games because of two broken fingers, which needed surgery. Paul Byron (2), David Desharnais, and Max Pacioretty had scored the other goals, but it was the then 23-year-old who had sparked the Habs to life. Even more impressive was the fact that the Canadiens were without star goalie Price and that Mike Condon, a Holliston, Massachusetts native, was manning the net.
At the Canadiens†practice on Friday, the winger was asked about the upcoming Heritage Classic by RDS†Luc Gelinas and was surprised to hear about it:
Awesome, it will be nice and warm, he said with a big grin, before adding: Thatâ€s great, thatâ€s a lot of fun. I still remember those games, some of the most fun hockey games; it reminds you of your childhood experiences, so Iâ€m excited for these guys to experience it.
– Gallagher on the upcoming Heritage Classic
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The veteran also recalled that when the Canadiens played the first Heritage Classic in Edmonton in 2003, he had tickets to the game, but his dad decided he should go with his team to Fort McMurray to play their game rather than go watch. His team had won by 15 or 16 goals; Iâ€m not sure they needed us there. He laughed it off, adding that his decision might have been motivated by the extreme cold that day.
The game was held to commemorate the Edmonton Oilers‘ 25th anniversary in the NHL and the 20th anniversary of their first Stanley Cup win, in front of 57,167 fans at Commonwealth Stadium. In a polar-temperature game, the Habs won a 4-3 thriller in which Jose Theodore saved 34 of 37 shots and famously wore a toque over his mask.
Eight years later, the Sainte-Flanelle took on the Calgary Flames at McMahon Stadium in Alberta and were shut out 4-0 by Mikka Kiprusoff. Funnily enough, soon-to-be Hab Rene Bourque had scored two of the four goals while Alex Tanguay, a former Hab, also scored.
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The Canadiens have a 2-2-0 record in outdoor games and will be hoping to win a third match in Winnipeg next October. One has to wonder if the NHL will ever give the Habs a chance to play an outdoor home game, but for now, theyâ€ll have to make do with being the road warriors.
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