NBCSN hasn't been to the province of Saskatchewan since the channel's CFL coverage and that was at Taylor Field. The NFL almost came to Saskatchewan and Mosaic Stadium this summer for the Oakland Raiders preseason game but scheduling made that difficult. ESPN hasn't even shown Saskatchewan at home or on the road in its 2019 CFL coverage.
The 2019 Heritage Classic brings Regina and Saskatchewan some well-deserved publicity as the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets will battle on neutral ice.
Saskatchewan NHL fans don't have a team but can watch the Flames, Jets, and Edmonton Oilers as local teams.
The 2019 Heritage Classic will be the second half of the doubleheader on Hockey Night in Canada at 8 pm local time/10 pm Eastern. CBC, Rogers Sportsnet One, Citytv (only in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver), and TVA Sports 2 will have the game in Canada. Ironically, Citytv doesn't have an over-the-air signal in Saskatchewan and the game isn't on in Winnipeg on Citytv.
NBCSN will carry the game in the United States. The channel looks to carry the CBC feed for the game coverage. Kathryn Tappen will host the intermissions along with Keith Jones and Anson Carter.
Winnipeg the true winner of the 2016 Heritage Classic
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The NHL has done a lousy job of promoting Heritage Classics and the Heritage Classic as a name. NHL 100 Classic. Centennial Classic. Almost anything but Heritage Classic.
The last Heritage Classic under that name was in 2016 in Winnipeg. Toronto played at BMO Field in early 2017 while Ottawa hosted Montréal in late 2017. The Montréal Canadiens have played in 4 outdoor games but haven't hosted an outdoor game.
Calgary and Winnipeg have each played an outdoor game when they hosted the event in 2011 and 2016, respectively.
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Saskatchewan has hosted 6 previous NHL regular season games. All of those games were indoors in Saskatoon at what was Saskatchewan Place (now the SaskTel Centre).
This was during an experiment to have NHL games in non-traditional markets. Of course, Gary Bettman quashed that fun idea.
NHL regular season games in Saskatchewan
| Year | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | October 13 | Calgary 4, Minnesota 3 |
| 1993 | January 18 | Winnipeg 8, Hartford 7 |
| 1993 | February 23 | Winnipeg 8, Ottawa 2 |
| 1993 | March 11 | Minnesota 4, Vancouver 3 |
| 1993 | December 23 | Vancouver 4, Calgary 3 |
| 1994 | January 23 | Vancouver 5, Edmonton 4 (OT) |
| 2019 | October 26 | Calgary @ Winnipeg |
Saskatoon's The Sheepdogs make Rolling Stone cover
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The Heritage Classic is also about music. The Sheepdogs will play the first intermission while Jess Moskaluke will perform in the second intermission. The Hunter Brothers will handle O Canada. Canadian supergroup Toque serves as the house band. The Sheepdogs also played before the 2013 Grey Cup.
Canadian NHL teams in outdoor games
| Year | Date | Stadium | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | November 22 | Commonwealth Stadium | Montréal 4, Edmonton 3 |
| 2011 | February 20 | McMahon Stadium | Calgary 4, Montréal 0 |
| 2014 | January 1 | Michigan Stadium | Toronto 3, Detroit 2 (SO) |
| 2014 | March 2 | BC Place | Ottawa 4, Vancouver 2 |
| 2016 | January 1 | Gillette Stadium | Montréal 5, Boston 1 |
| 2016 | October 23 | Investors Group Field | Edmonton 3, Winnipeg 0 |
| 2017 | January 1 | BMO Field | Toronto 5, Detroit 4 (SO) |
| 2017 | December 16 | TD Place | Ottawa 3, Montréal 0 |
| 2018 | March 3 | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | Washington 5, Toronto 2 |
| 2019 | October 26 | Mosaic Stadium | Calgary @ Winnipeg |
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If you can't wait for Calgary and Winnipeg to battle each other in a CFL stadium, the Stampeders travel to Winnipeg Friday night as the teams battle for playoff positioning. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are in Edmonton on Saturday that should end right around the face-off outdoors at Mosaic Stadium.
photo credit: NHL
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