The 2023 NHL Heritage Classic (branded as the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic for sponsorship reasons) was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game. The seventh game in the Heritage Classic series took place on October 29, 2023, at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Calgary Flames. It was the first outdoor game in the Battle of Alberta rivalry.
Background During the "32 Thoughts" segment on the December 10, 2022, broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman initially reported that the NHL was planning a Heritage Classic game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames during the 2023–24 season, marking the 20th anniversary of the first Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and the Oilers at Commonwealth Stadium. While the 2003 game was held in November, Friedman stated that the league was aiming for October so the weather would be a little warmer; the 2003 contest had been held in temperatures of close to -18 C, with a wind chill of -30 C. The league officially announced the game on December 31, 2022.
The 2023 Heritage Classic marked the first outdoor game in the Battle of Alberta rivalry and the third one for each team.
A moment of silence for former Pittsburgh Penguins player Adam Johnson was held prior to the game.
Game summary Scoring summary Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score 1st EDM Brett Kulak (1) Evander Kane (3), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (5) 04:19 1–0 EDM EDM Zach Hyman (3) Leon Draisaitl (8) 09:38 2–0 EDM CGY Nazem Kadri (1) (PP) MacKenzie Weegar (1), Jonathan Huberdeau (3) 14:55 2–1 EDM EDM Evan Bouchard (3) Leon Draisaitl (9), Connor McDavid (7) 16:06 3–1 EDM 2nd CGY A.J. Greer (1) (PP) MacKenzie Weegar (2), Jacob Markstrom (1) 11:28 3–2 EDM 3rd EDM Vincent Desharnais (1) Evander Kane (4), Zach Hyman (6) 06:16 4–2 EDM EDM Evander Kane (2) (EN) Derek Ryan (1) 19:13 5–2 EDM Number in parentheses represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season Penalty summary Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM 1st EDM Evander Kane Boarding 06:46 2:00 EDM Leon Draisaitl Broken stick 07:25 2:00 EDM Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Holding 12:56 2:00 EDM Darnell Nurse Roughing 13:30 2:00 CGY Blake Coleman Interference 17:55 2:00 2nd EDM Vincent Desharnais Interference 09:28 2:00 3rd CGY Dennis Gilbert Holding 07:05 2:00 EDM Evander Kane Tripping 12:35 2:00
Shots by period Team 1 2 3 Total CGY 7 9 10 26 EDM 15 14 5 34
Power play opportunities Team Goals/Opportunities Calgary 2/6 Edmonton 0/2
Three star selectionsTeamPlayerStatistics1st EDM Zach Hyman 1 goal, 1 assist2nd EDM Leon Draisaitl 2 assists, 2 penalty minutes3rd CGY MacKenzie Weegar 2 assists
Team rosters
Calgary Flames # Player Position 8 Chris Tanev (A) D 10 Jonathan Huberdeau (A) C 11 Mikael Backlund (C) C 15 Dryden Hunt LW 16 Nikita Zadorov D 17 Yegor Sharangovich C 18 A.J. Greer LW 20 Blake Coleman C 25 Jacob Markstrom G 27 Matthew Coronato RW 28 Elias Lindholm C 29 Dillon Dube C 48 Dennis Gilbert D 52 Mackenzie Weegar D 55 Noah Hanifin D 71 Walker Duehr RW 80 Dan Vladar G 88 Andrew Mangiapane LW 91 Nazem Kadri C 98 Ilya Solovyov DHead coach: Ryan Huska
Edmonton Oilers # Player Position 2 Evan Bouchard D 5 Cody Ceci D 10 Derek Ryan C 14 Mattias Ekholm D 18 Zach Hyman LW 21 Adam Erne LW 25 Darnell Nurse D 27 Brett Kulak D 28 Connor Brown RW 29 Leon Draisaitl (A) C 36 Jack Campbell G 37 Warren Foegele LW 55 Dylan Holloway LW 71 Ryan McLeod C 73 Vincent Desharnais D 74 Stuart Skinner G 86 Philip Broberg D 91 Evander Kane LW 93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (A) C 97 Connor McDavid (C) CHead coach: Jay Woodcroft
Jack Campbell dressed for the Edmonton Oilers as the back-up goalie and did not enter the game. Dan Vladar dressed for the Calgary Flames as the back-up goalie and did not enter the game.
Scratches Calgary Flames: Rasmus Andersson, Adam Ruzicka, Jordan Oesterle Edmonton Oilers: Mattias Janmark
Entertainment Country singer and Alberta native Brett Kissel sang the Canadian national anthem, which marked his second time performing the anthem at the Heritage Classic, after doing so in 2016 alongside Doc Walker. Canadian indie rock band The Rural Alberta Advantage performed during team introductions (and also served as the house band at the game as well).
Following the anthem, the ceremonial face-off consisted of alumni players who played in the 2003 game at Commonwealth. For the Canadiens: Jose Theodore, Steve Begin, and Stephane Quintal and for the Oilers: Charlie Huddy, Ales Hemsky, and Jarret Stoll.
Rock group and Alberta natives Nickelback performed during the second intermission. The setlist included their version of "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" by Elton John and their chart topping songs "How You Remind Me" and "Rockstar".
Broadcasting In Canada, the 2023 Heritage Classic was broadcast on Sportsnet. In the United States, the game was broadcast on TBS in lieu of TNT, due to the latter airing the second game of a women's international soccer friendly series between the United States and Colombia. The game marked TBS' first NHL regular season broadcast. The game was streamed on Sportsnet+ in Canada and on Max in the United States.
References
External links