The Winnipeg Jets will take their final turn indoors before stepping into a different kind of NHL spotlight Sunday, when they meet the Montreal Canadiens in the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.
Winnipeg arrives home after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday, its last game before the outdoor date. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET, with TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV and HBO MAX carrying the game.
Jets coach Scott Arniel expects the setting to deliver a major moment for the city and his club. Montreal’s visit adds the weight of an Original Six opponent, while the outdoor rink brings the game back to the frozen ponds that shaped so many players.
“It should be an unbelievable atmosphere,” Arniel said. “To have it in Winnipeg against an Original Six team makes it special. There is so much excitement around it.”
Arniel has seen the stadium plans and expects the NHL’s event presentation to stand out. For him, the outdoor stage also carries the familiar pull of childhood hockey.
Outdoor debut awaits Vilardi
Gabriel Vilardi will be making his first NHL outdoor-game appearance. The Jets forward has already imagined the ideal backdrop, even if the forecast may not cooperate.
“You picture snow, even though it probably won’t be snowing,” Vilardi said. “Playing outside is just cool. I’ve never had the chance to do it. It takes you back to where you started playing as a kid.”
That connection is especially clear for rookie forward Viggo Bjorck, the No. 8 selection in the 2026 NHL Draft. Bjorck said outdoor ice was part of his development after rink closures during the COVID period.
“When the rinks were closed during COVID, I was outside,” Bjorck said. “I learned to skate on an outdoor rink with my parents, so this is going to be fun.”
Defenseman Tyrel Bauer said the Heritage Classic has been lingering in the players’ thoughts as equipment fittings and other preparations continue behind the scenes.
“It is always somewhere in the back of your mind,” Bauer said. “There is planning going on, getting fitted for things, and you can feel the energy building. These games are iconic for a reason. Once it starts becoming real, it is a pretty neat feeling.”
Memories from the outdoor stage
Bauer grew up watching the Heritage Classic and still recalls the visual details of earlier games, including a Calgary Flames appearance, snowfall and a goaltender wearing a toque.
Haydn Fleury also remembers the outdoor games that became annual television appointments for young hockey fans. One that stayed with him was the 2008 Winter Classic in Orchard Park, New York, where Sidney Crosby scored the shootout winner in Pittsburgh’s 2-1 victory over Buffalo.
“I remember the Crosby game,” Fleury said. “Pittsburgh had those light-blue jerseys, and he got the winner in the shootout. As a kid, it was always something you watched and hoped you would get to experience yourself.”
The weekend will offer more than the Sunday matchup. Players will have the chance to take the outdoor ice with their families the day before the game, a piece of the event Arniel believes has become a central part of the anticipation.
“I have four grandkids, and it is all they are talking about,” Arniel said. “The players are excited to bring their families in, let them be part of it and share that day together.”
For Fleury, skating outdoors with his children could become the lasting image of the weekend.
“Getting on that ice with my kids is something I think I’ll remember forever,” Fleury said.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner sees the same appeal. The NHL stage may be larger, but the feeling remains close to pond hockey.
“When you grow up playing pond hockey, it is pretty special to get to do that in the NHL,” Skinner said. “It will be a lot of fun, and I think the families will have the most fun of all.”
