The Battle of Alberta on outdoor ice will finally be an event. The 2023 Heritage Classic won't be at Lake Louise, which would have been an awesome experience. The site is Commonwealth Stadium, home of the CFL Edmonton Elks, the original place for the first outdoor NHL game in the modern era. The NHL stole this idea and allow American-based teams to dominate the outdoor schedule.
The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers meet on Sunday at 7 pm Eastern/5 pm Mountain in the 2023 Heritage Classic.
Gary Bettman and the NHL have gone out of their way in recent times to reduce the significance of any Canadian outdoor game by placing them so early in the schedule, when even Edmonton isn't that cold.
The embarrassment continues on the U.S. side because TBS, a channel that has never carried a regular season NHL game, will carry the game. Rogers Sportsnet, with announcers who understand the Battle of Alberta, will have the game in Canada.
We will update the TBS announcers when the release comes out this week. You can also check for yourself. Ugh.
Chris Cuthbert, who called the 2003 game in Edmonton, will also call the 2023 version. Of course, Cuthbert had called many events at Commonwealth Stadium, mostly CFL games for CBC and later for TSN.
We will also update this entry with Sportsnet info. Ron MacLean has said the HNIC crew will be in Edmonton the night before the 2023 Heritage Classic.
NHL the month in preview October 2023
INJURY UPDATE ⬇️
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 22, 2023
Connor McDavid suffered an upper body injury during last night’s game vs. the Jets & is expected to be out of the #Oilers lineup for one to two weeks. pic.twitter.com/qU5dNKuUcC
The one element the NHL and yes, even Bettman wanted in the 2023 Heritage Classic was a healthy Connor McDavid. His recent upper body injury will likely keep him out of the game.
2022 Heritage Classic wrapup
2022 Heritage Classic preview
Edmonton and Calgary played Les Habs in previous Heritage Classic games. The Oilers lost 4-3 in 2003 to Montréal at Commonwealth Stadium in 2003. Calgary shut out Montréal 4-0 at McMahon Stadium in 2011.
Each team has also played the Winnipeg Jets in the Heritage Classic. Edmonton won 3-0 over the Jets at Investors Group Field in 2016. The Flames lost 2-1 in overtime at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan in 2019.
The #NHL ice truck has arrived and they have begun setting up for the 2023 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic. #Oilers #Flames pic.twitter.com/jd1DC3Ep5c
— Derek Van Diest (@DerekVanDiest) October 17, 2023
The Edmonton Elks announced that the team will close the upper bowl in 2024. The 2023 Heritage Classic should be the last time for awhile where we see fans in the upper bowl.
This is how we remind you Nickelback is playing the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic between the @EdmontonOilers
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) October 13, 2023
and @NHLFlames. ⤵️ https://t.co/cQrUcP0EwT
The U.S. outlets don't usually cover too much of the in between period action. This might be a good thing for the 2023 Heritage Classic since Nickelback is playing. Nickleback is Canadian but the band is still … Nickleback. First, a documentary (Hate to Love: Nickelback) and now this.
CanadianCrossing.com Alberta coverage
The NHL Network offers a rebroadcast in the hopes of carrying the Rogers Sportsnet feed. The only rebroadcast is in a 90-minute block so the whole game won't be shown in the rebroadcast. The NHL Network would never do that to the U.S.-based outdoor games. That rebroadcast runs at 2 pm Eastern on October 30.
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
We will report back on this game in November since we have other priorities. This is way too early in the season to play this significant of a game.
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) |
| 2022 | March 13 | Tim Hortons Field | Buffalo 5, Toronto 2 |
| 2023 | October 29 | Commonwealth Stadium | Calgary vs. Edmonton |
photo credit: NHL
Twitter captures: @EdmontonOilers; @DerekVanDiest; @NHLdotcom
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