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The NHL’s Heritage Classic outdoor game is back, and it’s returning to Winnipeg. We think.
The league pulled a seemingly unintentional tease about the event on Thursday.
An online post said the outdoor game would take place Oct. 25, 2026, at Princess Auto Stadium — the football home of the Blue Bombers — with the Jets hosting the Montreal Canadiens.
Shortly afterward, as fans began sharing the news on social media, the information vanished. A Google search still turned up what appeared to be information about a Heritage Classic game in Winnipeg, but it linked directly to the Jets’ homepage, which has no news about it.
A source with True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Jets, would not confirm or deny an outdoor game is planned for the city, but said an announcement could be coming as soon as this weekend.
A Google search still turns up a notice about the Heritage Classic, but the link goes directly to the Jets’ homepage, which has no news about the game. (Google.com)
Several news outlets, including Sports Illustrated, the New York Times and the Montreal Gazette, have jumped on the story on Thursday, reporting the rumoured game, which would be the third Heritage Classic for the Jets and fifth for the Canadiens.
The inaugural Heritage Classic was hosted by the Edmonton Oilers in 2003 and was the first outdoor regular-season game in NHL history. Since then, the NHL has presented U.S.-based outdoor showcases like the Winter Classic and the Stadium Series.
The Jets and Oilers play at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg in the 2016 Heritage Classic. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)
The Heritage Classic hasn’t been held regularly. In fact, the second one didn’t happen until 2011, and then the next was three years after that.
There have been seven played, all in Canada, with the last one in 2023.
The Jets played back-to-back Heritage Classics when they hosted the Edmonton Oilers in October 2016 at the Bombers’ stadium, then faced the Flames at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Sask.
They lost to the Oilers 3-0 and won against the Flames 2-1 in overtime.
The 2016 game was delayed nearly two hours by the glare of the sun, which caused concerns for players’ safety.
The weather, which hit 10 C on the day, was also a factor in the afternoon, when Jets and Oilers alumni played an outdoor game ahead of the Classic.
It featured Oilers greats like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Paul Coffey suiting up against Jets legends Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Teppo Numminen and Teemu Selanne, who scored the winner with less than 10 seconds to play to give the Jets a 6-5 win.