'It Kind Of Brought You Back To Being A Kid'

Sunny skies and temperatures in and around the freezing mark are in the forecast for Edmonton Sunday, as the Flames and Oilers prepare to make more hockey memories at the 2023 Heritage Classic.

This weekend's tilt at Commonwealth Stadium marks the third outdoor game in Flames history, as well as a thrice-in-a-lifetime experience for Calgary's captain, Mikael Backlund.

In 2011, Calgary hosted the Montreal Canadiens at McMahon Stadium, skating away with a 4-0 victory behind 39 saves from Miikka Kiprusoff and a pair of tallies from Rene Bourque.

Eight years later, the Flames and Jets did battle at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, where Winnipeg eked out a 2-1 overtime triumph.

The 38th outdoor game in NHL history will feature an NHL first: The Battle of Alberta, waged outdoors, in what promises to be a memorable weekend culminating with 60 (or more) minutes of action Sunday evening.

Amid the excitement, it's hard not to reminisce about past Heritage Classics, something Backlund and a few of his former teammates were more than willing to do this week.

“I’m really excited to play Edmonton, (they’re) always fun battles,” Backlund said earlier this week. “Playing outdoors is going to be even more special.”

NHL outdoor games are meant to be memorable: from the first Heritage Classic in Edmonton 20 years ago, to the Flames’ victory at McMahon Stadium, to the visually-stunning contests at Lake Tahoe, one of which featured then-Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri (who has suited up in four of these events already over his NHL career).

Backlund, along with his 2011 Calgary teammates, look back fondly at their first outdoor experience, which took place on a chilly evening at the home of the Stampeders.

“The Calgary one sticks out a little more because it was in Calgary, and we won the game,” Backlund recalled. “But both of them were special moments, my daughter was six months old, she won’t remember but she was there for some of the game.

“It’s a special game to play, it doesn’t happen that often.”

The day before the tilt at McMahon, the team invited families on to the ice to share in the Heritage Classic experience, one of those little things defenceman Cory Sarich says added to the festival atmosphere throughout the entire weekend.

"It was really cool, I got to have a family skate the day before,” said Sarich. “They had an alumni game.

“It was just very full of excitement, the whole atmosphere was awesome, everyone was super into it, the city was into it.”

Forward Brendan Morrison agrees, saying the family element made the entire weekend special for him, especially given the 2011-12 season marked the penultimate campaign of his 934-game NHL career.

“I didn’t know how much longer I was going to play,” Morrison told Flames.com. “We had a lot of people with their parents out there, their kids out there, it was fun to be able to share that with them.”

Sarich earned a helper against the Canadiens on that frozen February night 12 years ago, while Morrison chipped in with two assists.

The weather, naturally, was a focal point of conversation to the former Flames we talked to; the wind chill bottomed out at -25C on Heritage Classic night in 2011, though Sarich and teammate Jay Bouwmeester noted the heaters on the Calgary bench kept everyone warm while they were waiting for their shift.

“On the ice it was cold, so your helmet kind of froze,” Bouwmeester said. “There were some unique elements that you normally didn’t deal with; I wouldn’t say they caused any problems, but they took everyone out of their comfort zone, probably.”

Morrison, meanwhile, grew up on the West Coast and said as a kid, he played outside “maybe twice” in his hometown of Pitt Meadows, B.C.

Needless to say, the temperature at McMahon was much more extreme than anything he’d ever have experienced back home.

“I remember it being very cold at puck drop, I think the temperature was 19 below, Celsius, and I remember I was starting that game, taking the opening faceoff and we were waiting for the plane to fly overhead to signal the beginning of the game,” Morrison said.  

“I went over to the bench, they had these huge heaters that were just pumping out heat to keep the guys warm on the bench, I remember just putting my hands over top of that heat, it felt so good!”

There's a youthful enthusiasm in outdoor hockey games, whether they take place on ponds, community rinks, or CFL stadiums.

Morrison, like others, pointed to the Heritage Classic as almost a chance to relive that joie de vivre, skating outdoors with friends and teammates, and playing the game they love.

“It kind of brought you back to being a kid,” he said. “It was nostalgic for a lot of guys, being able to play a professional game in that setting.”

Sarich agreed, saying the crisp winter air brought back a feeling he experienced as a kid growing up in Saskatchewan.

“You get spoiled when you’re playing indoors all the time,” said Sarich, who spent six full seasons with the Flames from 2007-2013. "I’m a guy that likes wet gloves so every time, I’d warm them up on the bench, then when I’d go back out, my hands would be frozen solid.

“That brings back outdoor memories, never being able to feel your fingers when you’re playing hockey.”

Bouwmeester played parts of four seasons in Calgary before being dealt to the St. Louis Blues in 2013, with whom he played in the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium, the home of MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals.

"It was something that once everything was done, you kinda looked around and got to take it all in,” he said. “It was something you remember.”

Those former Flames are in agreement that pomp and circumstance aside, this year’s Heritage Classic represents an opportunity to make a statement on the young season.

“I’m sure both teams would probably like to be playing a little better right now, but this is the perfect game for either team to get back on track,” said Morrison. “It’s a big rivalry game, you don’t have to go above and beyond to motivate guys, there’s a lot of bragging rights and pride on the line.

“I think it’ll be an entertaining game, I just hope guys that are participating have a chance to take it all in.”

Sarich agreed, saying the buzz across Wild Rose Country should only grow ahead of puck drop Sunday.

“It’s on enemy territory up North, huge stadium,” he smiled. “It’ll be a good clash.”