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NHL's Heritage Classic returning to its roots for 20th anniversary

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Cooper Godin
December 6, 2022  (7:30 PM)
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Next November will mark 20 years since the National Hockey League held its first outdoor regular season game when the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium.

During Tuesday's edition of Insider Trading, TSN's Chris Johnston revealed that the Heritage Classic will be returning to Edmonton in 2023.

"Yeah and it's a blast to the past, Geno. It's a nod to the past for the NHL because in 2023, they do plan to take the Heritage Classic back to Edmonton and Commonwealth Stadium. That of course being the first-ever host to an outdoor game that was played in the regular season back in 2003." Johnston said.

He added, "And that's part of the timing here. There's been an opportunity in some previous years to bring an outdoor game to Edmonton, but the league wanted to hold off to do to mark this anniversary. There's still some details to be worked out on the exact day for the game and the opponent, but the league should be able to have that wrapped up and announced by the Winter Classic."

As Johnston pointed out, there isn't any news on who the opponent would be, but it'll likely come down to either the Montreal Canadiens, who Edmonton played in 2003, or their provincial rival, the Calgary Flames.

The 2023 edition will mark the seventh Heritage Classic, with the most recent being played back in March when the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton (Ontario).