One crucial element missing from the vast majority of Heritage Classic games is rivalry. Sure Montréal played Ottawa in 2017 and there have been a couple of Toronto-Detroit games. Finally, the Battle of Alberta got to be a NHL outdoor game.
True, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers were a combined 3-10-2 going into the Heritage Classic. Connor McDavid had been injured yet was healthy enough to play in the game.
Edmonton had a 3-1 lead after the 1st period to ride a 5-2 win over Calgary at the 2023 Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on October 29.
Brett Kulak, from Stony Plain, Alberta, scored the first goal for the Oilers. Evander Kane (goal, 2 assists), Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and Vincent Desharnais also had goals for the Oilers. A.J. Greer and Nazem Kadri scored goals for the Flames.
The loss extended the Calgary losing streak to 5 games. Edmonton snapped a 4-game losing streak.
Leon Draisaitl had 2 assists for Edmonton while Connor McDavid had an assist. Reminiscent of playing in a football stadium, Draisaitl had a solid kick of the puck after he used his broken stick, leading to a penalty.
The Oilers (left) and Flames (right) had some fun with their arrival at Commonwealth Stadium. This is part of the charm with these outdoor games.
An oddity in that both starting goalies for the game — Stuart Skinner (Edmonton) and Jacob Markstrom (Calgary) — had never started a NHL outdoor game.
Game time temperature was a reasonably comfortable 3° Celsius at puck drop.
The #Flames and Oilers will bring a combined 3-10-2 record into the Heritage Classic.
— Ryan Pike (@RyanNPike) October 27, 2023
We figured the U.S. coverage would be embarrassingly bad but Turner exceeded our low expectations. As we noted, the Heritage Classic originally didn't show up on either the TNT or ESPN schedule. Turner never sent out a release for the game. The game aired on TBS, never used for a regular season game in the current contract.
John Forslund and Eddie Olczyk called the game but weren't in Canada. Anson Carter and Jackie Redmond, who are Canadian, were on site. The studio crew wasn't used except for host Liam McHugh and somehow Brian Boucher.
There was a pregame of sorts. The best part was Wayne Gretzky explaining the history of the Battle of Alberta, like from the 1980s when he played. TBS did air the pregame ceremonies and O Canada. Of course, TBS aired no postgame for the Heritage Classic though the channel did air Nickelback. Sorry.
The NHL Network did offer the Rogers Sportsnet feed the next day but only the 90-minute version. Rogers Sportsnet was also there for Hockey Night in Canada the day before the game. They know how to cover the Heritage Classic.
2023 Heritage Classic preview: Battle of Alberta at Commonwealth Stadium
2022 Heritage Classic wrapup
2022 Heritage Classic preview
The purpose of having an outdoor game in Edmonton in 2023 was the 20th anniversary of the 2023 Heritage Classic, the NHL's first regular-season outdoor game in the modern era. The game was on Hockey Night in Canada with Chris Cuthbert on the call with Greg Millen with 57,167 fans on a very cold night at Commonwealth Stadium. The wind chill temperatures reached -30° Celsius as the Montréal Canadiens defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3.
CanadianCrossing.com Alberta coverage
Other than 2021, the Battle of Alberta has been banned from U.S. national television during the regular season. We saw promos for future U.S. outdoor games during the Heritage Classic. Turner did everything possible to not get people to watch the Battle of Alberta in the United States.
This is one of the best NHL rivalries and the NHL management doesn't care. Even Major League Soccer isn't that inept.
For those who watched, the temperatures and ice were good and made for a wonderful evening. The 2023 Heritage Classic drew 55,411 fans.
As we noted, the Canadian outdoor games don't usually get heated rivalries. Toronto and Montréal could have a rivalry game at Stade Saputo or Percival Molson Stadium but the NHL does not seem interested in an outdoor game in La Belle Province.
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
If you missed the NHL Network rebroadcast, we have a condensed video of highlights from the 2023 Heritage Classic in Edmonton at the top of the page.
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 | Edmonton 5, Calgary 2 |
video credit: Rogers Sportsnet/NHL
photo credit: NHL
Twitter capture: @RyanNPike
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