A crowd of 32,342 came out for the 2026 Heritage Classic as Montreal defeated host Winnipeg 2-1 with IIHF World Championship and World Junior talent stepping up.
photo: Sabrina Pirillo
It was presented as a slice of Canadiana, but American stars played prominent roles as the Montreal Canadiens edged the host Winnipeg Jets 2-1 outdoors at the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic on Sunday.
Montreal goalie Jacob Fowler, who won a gold medal with the U.S. at the 2024 World Juniors, delivered 33 saves for the Canadiens.
In front of 32,342 fans, the much-anticipated game took place at Princess Auto Stadium, the home of the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The temperature was +3 Celsius at puck drop, dipping to -2 as the night wore on. The crowd was quite evenly split between Jets and Habs fans, but the latter had more reasons to cheer.
Montreal goalie Jacob Fowler, who won a gold medal with the U.S. at the 2024 World Juniors, delivered 33 saves for the Canadiens.
In front of 32,342 fans, the much-anticipated game took place at Princess Auto Stadium, the home of the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The temperature was +3 Celsius at puck drop, dipping to -2 as the night wore on. The crowd was quite evenly split between Jets and Habs fans, but the latter had more reasons to cheer.
“The atmosphere was amazing with the Habs chants and then the Jets chants,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel, whose team struggled on the power play, going 0-for-4 en route to its fifth straight loss. “We could hear it, we could see it.”
The best first-period chance went to Montreal’s Alex Newhook, but the 2021 World Junior silver medalist shot wide on a shorthanded breakaway.
In the middle frame, slick American defender Lane Hutson, who joined Fowler on the 2024 WJC gold-medal team, made it 1-0 Montreal at 7:41 off a cross-ice Noah Dobson feed.
Kaiden Guhle, a 2021 World Junior silver medalist with Canada, doubled the lead on a centre point shot that eluded Winnipeg goalie Stuart Skinner less than four minutes later. “I will remember that for the rest of my life, and getting two points at the end is even better,” Guhle said.
Cole Caufield, coming off a career-best 51 goals last year, filled a playmaking role with two assists. The Wisconsin-born sniper forged his IIHF reputation early with 14 goals at the 2019 IIHF U18 World Championship, tying Alex Ovechkin’s single-tournament record.
Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky, the 2022 Olympic MVP and a 2026 Olympic all-star, registered an assist for Montreal and expressed his happiness: “This team is one big family, and we all enjoyed it. We all had our families here, and it was just a great experience. Playing outdoors, it's what you dream of when you're a little kid.”
For fans of international hockey, this festive event naturally evoked thoughts of the special opening outdoor game slated for the IIHF World Championship 2027 in Germany. Staged at the 61,574-seat Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, it will pit the host nation versus neighbouring rival Switzerland – the silver medalist at the last three Worlds – on 13 May.
The best first-period chance went to Montreal’s Alex Newhook, but the 2021 World Junior silver medalist shot wide on a shorthanded breakaway.
In the middle frame, slick American defender Lane Hutson, who joined Fowler on the 2024 WJC gold-medal team, made it 1-0 Montreal at 7:41 off a cross-ice Noah Dobson feed.
Kaiden Guhle, a 2021 World Junior silver medalist with Canada, doubled the lead on a centre point shot that eluded Winnipeg goalie Stuart Skinner less than four minutes later. “I will remember that for the rest of my life, and getting two points at the end is even better,” Guhle said.
Cole Caufield, coming off a career-best 51 goals last year, filled a playmaking role with two assists. The Wisconsin-born sniper forged his IIHF reputation early with 14 goals at the 2019 IIHF U18 World Championship, tying Alex Ovechkin’s single-tournament record.
Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky, the 2022 Olympic MVP and a 2026 Olympic all-star, registered an assist for Montreal and expressed his happiness: “This team is one big family, and we all enjoyed it. We all had our families here, and it was just a great experience. Playing outdoors, it's what you dream of when you're a little kid.”
For fans of international hockey, this festive event naturally evoked thoughts of the special opening outdoor game slated for the IIHF World Championship 2027 in Germany. Staged at the 61,574-seat Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, it will pit the host nation versus neighbouring rival Switzerland – the silver medalist at the last three Worlds – on 13 May.
Memorably, the Veltins-Arena also hosted Germany’s opening game versus the U.S. in 2010. The Germans won 2-1 on Felix Schutz’s overtime goal in front of a then-world record crowd of 77,803. They used it as momentum to achieve a surprising fourth-place finish in Cologne.
Two big names from the 2026 Olympic gold medal game did not participate in this Jets-Canadiens showdown – one for the obvious reason that he’d just moved on to another NHL club.
On Friday, American goalie Connor Hellcbuyck – the 2025 Hart Trophy winner and three-time Vezina Trophy winner who dazzled in the U.S.’s 2-1 overtime win over Canada in Milan – was traded to the New Jersey Devils for multiple players and draft picks. He had requested a trade and had held out since training camp.
Coming over from New Jersey, forward Dawson Mercer, a three-time World Championship participant who won silver with Canada in 2022, made his Jets debut. Ex-Devils goalie Nico Daws, who earned a gold medal with Canada’s World Junior team in 2020, was scratched for Winnipeg.
Meanwhile, Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki saw his NHL ironman streak end at 546 games after getting injured versus the San Jose Sharks last week. Suzuki, who scored twice for Canada at the Olympics, is still recovering.
Guhle’s heart was warmed both by winning for his captain and by the outdoor hockey experience itself: “The atmosphere was really cool. It wasn’t too cold. Nice to have the heaters on the bench. During TV timeouts. I’m usually skating around, but I think for the most part here, I was sitting on the bench trying to stay warm.”
Even in a losing cause, Jets fans had reason to smile about hosting this event in the Manitoba capital.
Two big names from the 2026 Olympic gold medal game did not participate in this Jets-Canadiens showdown – one for the obvious reason that he’d just moved on to another NHL club.
On Friday, American goalie Connor Hellcbuyck – the 2025 Hart Trophy winner and three-time Vezina Trophy winner who dazzled in the U.S.’s 2-1 overtime win over Canada in Milan – was traded to the New Jersey Devils for multiple players and draft picks. He had requested a trade and had held out since training camp.
Coming over from New Jersey, forward Dawson Mercer, a three-time World Championship participant who won silver with Canada in 2022, made his Jets debut. Ex-Devils goalie Nico Daws, who earned a gold medal with Canada’s World Junior team in 2020, was scratched for Winnipeg.
Meanwhile, Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki saw his NHL ironman streak end at 546 games after getting injured versus the San Jose Sharks last week. Suzuki, who scored twice for Canada at the Olympics, is still recovering.
Guhle’s heart was warmed both by winning for his captain and by the outdoor hockey experience itself: “The atmosphere was really cool. It wasn’t too cold. Nice to have the heaters on the bench. During TV timeouts. I’m usually skating around, but I think for the most part here, I was sitting on the bench trying to stay warm.”
Even in a losing cause, Jets fans had reason to smile about hosting this event in the Manitoba capital.
A lively fan festival welcomed Winnipeggers and visitors outside Princess Auto Stadium at the 2026 Heritage Classic.
photo: Sabrina Pirillo
Princess Auto Stadium was decorated with rustic log cabin and fireplace motifs, along with depictions of hockey sticks sporting antlers. Famous Canadian rock musicians like Feist and Wolf Parade rocked the first intermission.
Finnish legend Teemu Selanne strolled the stadium concourse, smiling and shaking hands with fans. The “Finnish Flash,” a four-time Olympic medalist and 2017 IIHF Hall of Fame inductee, set the NHL rookie goal-scoring record (76) with Winnipeg in 1992-93.
The Heritage Classic weekend festivities also featured a Jets-Canadiens alumni game, with participants including former Olympic and World Championship participants like Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler and Paul Stastny and Montreal’s Andrei Markov and Jaroslav Halak.
If this event offers any indication, it will be electric in Gelsenkirchen when the Germans and Swiss do battle on 13 May.
The IIHF has also staged one outdoor game at the World Juniors. It took place in 2018 in Buffalo. In front of 44,592 fans at New Era Field, the then-home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, Kiefer Bellows and Brady Tkachuk scored in the shootout as the host U.S. downed Canada 4-3.
Finnish legend Teemu Selanne strolled the stadium concourse, smiling and shaking hands with fans. The “Finnish Flash,” a four-time Olympic medalist and 2017 IIHF Hall of Fame inductee, set the NHL rookie goal-scoring record (76) with Winnipeg in 1992-93.
The Heritage Classic weekend festivities also featured a Jets-Canadiens alumni game, with participants including former Olympic and World Championship participants like Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler and Paul Stastny and Montreal’s Andrei Markov and Jaroslav Halak.
If this event offers any indication, it will be electric in Gelsenkirchen when the Germans and Swiss do battle on 13 May.
The IIHF has also staged one outdoor game at the World Juniors. It took place in 2018 in Buffalo. In front of 44,592 fans at New Era Field, the then-home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, Kiefer Bellows and Brady Tkachuk scored in the shootout as the host U.S. downed Canada 4-3.