WINNIPEG — The Montreal Canadiens took the ice-time result at the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, beating the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Sunday, but the afternoon around Princess Auto Stadium belonged to the fans who turned an outdoor game into a family reunion of sorts.
Key takeaways
- Montreal edged Winnipeg 2-1 in Sunday’s Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.
- Winnipeg’s Kelsey Rathwell brought her father, Pat, to the event after missing the 2016 outdoor game as a child.
- The Rathwells marked the occasion with Heritage Classic jerseys carrying patches from the two Winnipeg editions.
- The Koops family travelled about eight hours from Sioux Center, Iowa, to watch its first NHL outdoor game.
- Canadiens supporters were a major presence in the crowd, mixing plenty of red into the Jets-heavy setting.
A Father’s Day return to outdoor hockey
Under mild, sunny prairie conditions, Kelsey Rathwell called the day a full-circle moment. She had wanted to attend the first Heritage Classic staged in Winnipeg in 2016, but was too young at the time and her father did not take her. A decade later, she bought Pat Rathwell a ticket and brought him along.
“I kept asking him to bring me to the first one, and he said no because I was so young,” Kelsey said. “Now I get to buy his ticket and we can do this together.”
She wore a new jersey carrying the 2026 event patch, while her father had his older sweater with the 2016 patch. Pat, laughing as he spoke about the Father’s Day gift, said the chance to share the experience with his daughter meant plenty.
“My daughters mean everything to me,” he said. “Getting a day like this with her is really special. Those are the moments you remember. I taught them to follow sports, so maybe it is on me, but seeing her love it too is pretty neat.”
The Rathwells spent time at the Scotiabank NHL PreGame festivities outside the stadium, where fans moved between concessions, giveaways and prize draws before puck drop. Pat praised the scale of the setup, noting the steady stream of gifts and activities available on the grounds.
As Jets fans, they also saw the Canadiens’ travelling support immediately. Pat did not mind the amount of red in the crowd.
“That’s hockey,” he said. “Winnipeg is a hockey city. When the Jets came back, Montreal was the opponent for that first game, so it makes sense to have them here again.”
Iowa family makes the trip for Montreal
Jeff Koops, his wife Christine and their adult children Nicole, Derek and Alex made the eight-hour drive north from Sioux Center, Iowa, to see Montreal play outdoors. Wearing Canadiens colours, the family arrived for its first open-air NHL game and took in the pregame display that included the Stanley Cup.
“We are big Montreal fans, and this is something different,” Jeff said. “Seeing the Cup here was a big part of it. When the game was announced, we said Montreal was going to Winnipeg and we knew we had to go.”
For Koops, the outdoor setting carried memories from growing up in Southern Ontario, where pond hockey was part of winter. His children had skated outdoors occasionally in Iowa, though far less often than he had while growing up.
“There is just something about being outside,” he said. “The players say these games take them back to being kids, and I understand that. I played outside all the time.”
That mix of childhood hockey memories, family travel and split-team colours framed the day before the Canadiens left Winnipeg with the 2-1 Heritage Classic victory.
