Photo credit: All Montreal Hockey / NHL
We have just learned that the Canadiens will play an outdoor game in Winnipeg next season, in the NHL Heritage Classic.
It would be another major outdoor event for the Canadiens, this time in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ football stadium, which can host more than 32,000 fans for a game. For the Canadiens, it would be a fifth outdoor regular-season game. The club has a 2-2 record in that context, with 9 goals scored and 11 allowed.
We especially remember the first Heritage Classic in 2003 in Edmonton and the one in 2011 in Calgary, two evenings that left a mark on fans’ memories. On the other side, the Winnipeg Jets have already appeared twice in the Heritage Classic, with a 1-1 record, including a 2-1 win over the Flames in Regina in 2019.
In short, both organizations already know how to deliver a major outdoor spectacle, and it sets the stage for something special in the fall of 2026.
Nick Suzuki will lead the Canadiens’ new core under the spotlight
At 26, Nick Suzuki is coming off a season of 89 points, including 30 goals, in 2024-2025, and he is showing a solid pace again this year.
Cole Caufield, 24, also reached the 70-point mark last season, with 37 goals.
Add Juraj Slafkovsky, 21, who signed an eight-year extension worth a total of $60.8M ($7.6M annually) after a 50-point season, and you have a star trio locked in for the long term.
For a young core beginning to gain playoff experience, an event like the Heritage Classic becomes a perfect showcase.
On the Jets’ side, we’re talking about a club that finished at the top of the Central Division in 2024-2025 with 56 wins and 116 points, which promises a matchup between two teams on strong recent trajectories. Manitoba fans have been asking for this kind of event for years, and the setting seems ideal for an all-Canadian outdoor showdown.
Now we just have to wait for the NHL’s full official announcement, but everything indicates that Canadiens fans should circle October 25, 2026, on their calendar.
At the same time, Montreal management continues to work hard to bring an outdoor game to the city in the near future. The coming months promise to be very interesting for Canadiens fans.
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