It looks like the 2026 Heritage Classic will feature the Winnipeg Jets and the Montreal Canadiens.
Although an official announcement has yet to be made, NHL insider Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports posted a link from the Jets’ website that has since been removed, revealing a few new details about the event.
The seventh edition of the Heritage Classic is expected to be played on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Princess Auto Stadium, home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Liam Richards / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
The Winnipeg Jets celebrate a goal during the 2019 NHL Heritage Classic outdoor hockey game in Regina.
It will be the third time the Jets appear in — and host — a Heritage Classic.
The first was against the Edmonton Oilers at Princess Auto Stadium in 2016, while the second was hosted at Mosaic Stadium in Regina against the Calgary Flames.
The Canadiens certainly make sense as an opponent that would have broad appeal for folks in Manitoba and beyond, given how well the fan base of the Original Six franchise travels.
“It’s an Original Six team and if you can’t get up to play an Original Six team, there’s something wrong,” Jets centre Mark Scheifele said after his team lost 3-2 in a shootout at the Bell Centre on Wednesday.
Scheifele was talking about the environment in Montreal for the most recent game between the two clubs, but the quote certainly would apply to the prospect of facing the Habs on a Saturday night on an outdoor rink as well.
Games between the Jets and Canadiens have a fun history of their own, dating back to the first Tuxedo Night that was held on Dec. 15 of 1979 during the 1.0 era of the Jets, who were an NHL expansion team at the time.
The Canadiens are coached by Hockey Hall of Famer Marty St. Louis and led by captain Nick Suzuki.
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On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
Montreal entered Thursday’s action in second place in the Atlantic Division and their roster features a number of young and exciting players that include skilled blue-liner Lane Hutson, 2020 first-rounder Kaiden Guhle and forwards Cole Caufield, 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky and 2024 fourth overall pick Ivan Demidov.
The last time a Heritage Classic was held it was a battle of Alberta, hosted by the Oilers at Commonwealth Stadium against the Flames.
The original Heritage Classic was also hosted by the Oilers back in 2003 against the Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium.
Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada revealed several weeks ago that Winnipeg was a front-runner to host the next outdoor game in Canada.
— staff
Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
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