NHL Heritage Classic

I S S U E #1 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 I T ' S A C A N A D I A N T H I N G , E H ? 3 IN THE FIVE HOLE W e're going into overtime to celebrate Manitoba's hockey heritage this fall. Get your gloves on all five special inserts we're publishing to kick off the season, on Sept. 15 & Sept. 29, Oct. 6 & Oct. 20 and Nov. 3. After all, it's a Canadian thing, eh? October weather may not provide textbook chilly scenes of winter, but the Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic will bring plenty of retro spirit to the outdoor rink at Investors Group Field when the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers face off on Oct. 23 — along with a heaping serving of nostalgia when Jets and Oilers alumni take to the ice on Oct. 22. Fittingly enough, the alumni — including Jets captain Dale Hawerchuk, Teemu Selanne, Eddie Olcyzk and Thomas Steen, with Oilers captain Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Dave Semenko and Craig MacTavish — will be sporting jerseys team members wore back in the 1980s. The current crop of players will be skating in familiar gear, too, in uniforms inspired by both teams' history in the World Hockey Association, from 1972- 1979. The Jets jerseys — which fans can buy at Jets Gear stores — recall the glory years of the late 1970s, with mesh striping and chain stitching on the crest. The Oilers jerseys are a throwback to the 1972-73 season, when they debuted as the Alberta Oilers. They didn't have to be specially designed for the game since the Oilers are Heritage Classic veterans. It's hard to believe, but the first Heritage Classic, played in Edmonton in 2003, was the first regular-season outdoor game in the NHL's history — and the league has been around since 1917. Clearly, it was long overdue. More than 57,000 fans flocked to Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 22, 2003, huddling together in temperatures hovering around the -20C mark to see the Montreal Canadiens and Oilers at play. The Oct. 23 game will be the Oilers' second outing in a Heritage Classic, and it will be a first for the Winnipeg Jets. Hopefully, Winterpeg won't live up to its nickname on the day, but there are no worries the ice will melt — the NHL has perfected an outdoor ice-making and maintenance system. For those left out in the cold on the ticket front, the game will be broadcast live on Sportsnet and TVA Sports. ❚ CELEBRATION TIME WINNIPEG JETS AND EDMONTON OILERS TAKE IT OUTSIDE FANDEMONIUM Y ou won't need a ticket to take in all the action at the 2016 NHL Heritage Classic Spectator Plaza. The two-day fan festival surrounding the Heritage Classic and alumni games will be free and everyone is welcome to attend. Stay tuned for details on that score, and keep tabs on Heritage Classic news on NHL social media. The official hashtag is #HeritageClassic. In the meantime, Winnipeg Jets fans can get the party started at the third annual free FanFest, at MTS Iceplex, at 3969 Portage Ave., on Saturday, Sept. 24. Spectators can get a preview of the 2016-17 season when players take to the ice for a training-camp skate inside, and fans of all ages can take part in interactive fun and games in the parking lot. Once the season is in full swing, Jets teammates will go head-to-head in the Winnipeg Jets Skills Competition, at MTS Centre on Friday, Dec. 16. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.ca. ❚ Frozen cheeks and frosted eyelashes, sweat-wet hair under overwarm wool toques, breathy vapour trails and the crack of hockey sticks on outdoor ice – it's classic Canadiana, and it's back in a big way in Winnipeg next month. The Hot Line — Ulf Nilsson, Bobby Hull and Anders Hedberg in 1978. Photo by PAUL DELESKE/ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Edmonton Oilers alumni Dave Semenko, Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot, Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler and Jets alumni Thomas Steen show off Heritage Classic jerseys at the Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic press event at Portage and Main on Aug. 5. Photo by JOHN WOODS/ THE CANADIAN PRESS Jets forward Blake Wheeler hands souvenir merchandise to fans following the 2015 Winnipeg Jets Skills Competition. Photo by BORIS MINKEVICH/ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Winter is Coming... ISSUE #1 OF 5 HOT LINE HALL of FAMERS T he Winnipeg Jets Hot Line — Anders Hedberg, Bobby Hull and Ulf Nilsson — will take a bow at MTS Centre on Oct. 19, marking the opening of festivities surrounding the Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. The power trio are the first inductees into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame. Following the salute at the arena, when the Jets meet the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 19, they'll be feted at the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame Luncheon on Oct. 20 at the Fairmont Hotel. Veteran CBC sportscaster Scott Oake will host the luncheon and Jets head coach Paul Maurice will deliver a keynote speech. (Tickets cost $72, see jets.nhl.com for details.) Hull made headlines, and history, when he signed with the WHA's Jets in 1972. The Golden Jet played for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks for 15 years, winning a Stanley Cup and making the NHL's First All-Star Team 10 times. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. Hedberg and Nilsson, both from Sweden, played with the WHA Jets from 1974-78. Helberg would later play seven seasons with the NHL's New York Rangers, while Nilsson was with the Rangers for four seasons. Together, the Hot Line led the WHA Jets to two league championships, in 1976 and 1978. Their induction will be the first annual event for the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame, which will post information on its new website at www.winnipegjetshof.com. ❚

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