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, far left]] The Heritage Classic was an outdoor Ice Hockey game played on November 22 , 2003 in Edmonton, Alberta , Canada . It was the first outdoor game in the history of the National Hockey League . The event took place in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium in front of a crowd of 57,167, the largest number of people to ever watch a live NHL game, despite temperatures of close to -30 °C, with windchill. It was held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Edmonton Oilers joining the NHL in 1978. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Television Broadcast also set the record for most viewers of a single NHL game with 2.747 million nationwide. This was the first NHL game broadcast in HDTV on CBC . First, the MegaStars game was played between some of the best former players from both clubs. The Oilers were represented by the best players from their 1980s dynasty, led by Wayne Gretzky . The Canadiens were represented by players from their 1970s dynasty, led by Guy Lafleur , and a few members of the 1986 and 1993 championship squads. Both teams were comprised of players who had won Stanley Cup s with the Oilers or Canadiens, except for the Oilers' first NHL captain Ron Chipperfield and the Canadiens' Russ Courtnall who Rejean Houle said was selected for his speed. Mark Messier got special permission from the New York Rangers front office to compete for Edmonton in the game. The MegaStars game consisted of two fifteen-minute halves rather than three 20 minute periods, and was won by the Oilers by a score of 2-0. The second game was between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens . Montreal won the game 4 to 3. Richard Zednik of the Montreal Canadiens scored the first Goal of the game, and also scored the game-winner. One of the more memorable highlights of the game was goalie José Théodore wearing a Canadiens Tuque over the top of his Goalie Mask . The game was released to DVD by the CBC , and included special features such as player interviews. Since the games' success, rumours have swirled about another Heritage Classic, possibly including such matchups as the New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers , and the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings . But as of 2005 , none are in the works. There is also a growing movement in Edmonton for an annual winter festival, with an outdoor NHL game as the cornerstone. EXTERNAL LINKS
See also Harley-Davidson 's 'Heritage Classic' motorcycles. |
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