Bryan Little from Kyle Connor scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 2-1 "home" win over the Calgary Flames in the 2019 Heritage Classic in Regina, Saskatchewan. Winnipeg had a rare power play in overtime but the winning goal came 3-on-3 in the extra period.
The game was a low-scoring affair with a power-play goal from each team in regulation. The Elias Linholm power-play goal came on the series where Matthew Tkachuk appeared to go past the shoulder for a potential penalty. The Josh Morrissey power-play goal was the first the Jets had scored outdoors and the first goal the Flames gave up outdoors.
Winnipeg had the momentum late, outshooting Calgary 19-4 in the 3rd period and overtime.
The 2019 Heritage Classic drew a crowd of 33,518 to Regina.
The Calgary Flames wore the sweaters from the heydays of the late 1980s. The Winnipeg Jets went truly retro with the WHA era sweaters.
The stage is set!
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) October 26, 2019
Who's excited for tonights #HeritageClassic ?https://t.co/KUrFKmsczW
The Trans-Canada Highway signs on the field were a nice touch. The west and east signs weren't complete accurate since the stadium runs north-south. However, the Calgary Flames bench matched the west part with the Winnipeg Jets matched the east part. I have been on that highway going from Winnipeg to Regina (overnight on a Greyhound bus). The highway is how you would get from Calgary and Winnipeg to Regina.
Regina is 750 kilometres from Calgary and 575 from Winnipeg.
The music sounded good from The Sheepdogs, Jess Moskaluke, and the Hunter Brothers.
Weather conditions were given as -4°C (25°F) with a -11°C (12°F) wind chill. Scott Oake made a joke about coming back later with the 5-day forecast. The criticism of the 2016 Heritage Classic was the conditions were too warm during the day in October in Winnipeg. The conditions at night in Regina might have been ideal for an outdoor game: some snow, but not too much with cold but not too cold.
Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson praised how great the ice was and they were close enough to see for themselves.
2019 Heritage Classic preview: NHL comes to Regina
Winnipeg the true winner of the 2016 Heritage Classic
The Heritage Classic shines NHL spotlight on Winnipeg
Chief Edmund Bellegard gifted blankets to the @NHL, @NHLJets and @NHLFlames.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 25, 2019
It is considered a high honor and represents warmth, protection, and is a big ‘thank you.’ In this case, the tribe is very thankful for having this outdoor game. #HeritageClassic pic.twitter.com/PQLO9XOH24
The ceremonial puck drop was about the past and future of indigenous hockey in Canada. The puck drop included Fred Sasakamoose, one of the first indigenous players in the NHL along with Brigette Lacquette, the first indigenous woman on Canada's Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team and 2 local youth hockey players.
Coach's Corner featured National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde with Ron MacLean and Don Cherry, complete with his Saskatchewan Roughriders sportscoat.
Lanny McDonald (Calgary) and Thomas Steen (Winnipeg) were also involved in the pregame puck drop.
The pregame show and the intermissions aired from Mosaic Stadium. The NHL Network didn't carry the pregame to the U.S. audience. After Hours featured Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey with Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice.
CFL in the Prairies is where the league shines
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
CanadianCrossing.com Saskatchewan coverage
The 2019 Heritage Classic didn't have an alumni game, which was a disappointment. The Western Hockey League's Regina Pats had an outdoor game against the Calgary Hitmen yesterday. The Hitmen won 5-4 in overtime.
NHL the month in preview October 2019
We love how the NHL insists that Heritage Classics are well-promoted. Yet the NHL and NBCSN have a big game on Saturday night to downplay the Heritage Classic so the latter game is less in its eyes.
The easiest thing the NHL Network needed to do was a rebroadcast of the game the next day. There was a rebroadcast scheduled for Sunday but the network cancelled that rebroadcast. The channel runs all kind of programming for Winter Classics and their U.S. cousins. The NHL games don't become less special just because they are in Canada. The 2019 Heritage Classic was the fourth game in the nightly recap On the Fly show.
As for NBCSN, their intermission content with Kathryn Tappen, Keith Jones, and Ed Olczyk was decent but the pageantry is the main part of the show. We saw the crowd before the game started and before the 3rd period began. The crowd is why everyone is in the cold. They deserve way more attention. There might have been more crowd shots in Canada.
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 | Winnipeg 2, Calgary 1 (OT) |
The season finale of the Battle of the Blades dominated the CBC promos that aired during the 2019 Heritage Classic. We have noticed tinier non-verbal mentions of the show on Rogers Sportsnet telecasts earlier in the month.
The 3 CBC promos in the 2nd period aired in the last 3 minutes of the period.
2019 Heritage Classic: Battle of the Blades (1st); Great Canadian Baking Show; Battle of the Blades; Still Standing (2nd); Battle of the Blades; Grand Slam of Curling (3rd)
Twitter captures: @hockeynight; @PR_NHL
photo credit: @ItsLeahRamsay; NHL
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