Heritage Classic between Maple Leafs, Sabres to have Canada-U.S. theme

HAMILTON, Ontario --The 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs at Tim Hortons Field on Sunday (4 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, TVAS, NHL LIVE) will feature a distinct Canada vs. United States theme, including an appearance by the Canadian women's Olympic hockey team.

Fans will see half of the stadium decorated in a red-white-and-blue, stars-and-stripes motif for the U.S., and the other in a red-and-white maple leaf one for Canada.
"I think the idea came pretty immediately when we realized the best bet here was to have the Buffalo Sabres play the Toronto Maple Leafs and, in along those lines, the U.S. against Canada," NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer said Tuesday. "This is the sixth Heritage Classic we've had and the first time an American team will be part of it, so we asked, 'How do we play that theme all the way through?'"
Mayer said geography was a significant consideration.
Hamilton, a port city known for its steel mills situated on the western edge of Lake Ontario, is roughly halfway between the two cities along the Queen Elizabeth Way highway, a stretch known as "The Golden Horseshoe" for the way the land hooks around the lake. Scotiabank Arena, home of the Maple Leafs, is 43 miles from Tim Hortons Field. KeyBank Center, the Sabres' arena, is 62 miles away.
"We noticed that Buffalo Sabres fans are buying tickets and Toronto Maple Leafs fans are buying tickets. There are going to be people coming across the border, and there's going to be people coming from Toronto, and they're both about an hour away," Mayer said. "All those factors make it make it pretty simple to sort of go with the U.S. versus Canada angle and take it all the way to the field."

Mayer acknowledged that the NHL had to think outside the box for some of its previous outdoor games. The 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, for example, featured an in-stadium ranch theme that included piglet races.
"We've had to work hard in other places to kind of figure out what direction we're going to go," Mayer said. "This was a bit easier."
So, for that matter, was the inclusion of the Canadian women's team, which won the gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics with a 3-2 victory against the U.S. on Feb. 17.
"It seemed like such a natural fit," Mayer said.
It certainly is that for Sarah Nurse, a Hamilton native who gave Canada a 1-0 lead in the gold-medal game. She is the cousin of Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.
"It's going to be so much fun," Nurse said. "It's an honor and a privilege to be part of this, especially here in my hometown. It's been such a whirlwind since we've been back. For us to be involved in the Heritage Classic like this is going to be amazing, especially here in front of friends and family."
Mayer would not reveal how Nurse and her teammates will be involved other than to say that, "it'll be fun and interesting."

The NHL announced Monday that GRAMMY and Juno Award-winning artist Alessia Cara, a native of Brampton, Ontario, will headline the entertainment for the event. Actor Eugene Levy, a Hamilton native who is well known for his appearances in movies such as "American Pie," and television shows such as "SCTV" and "Schitt's Creek," is expected to host the tease leading up to the game on the Sportsnet broadcast in Canada.
On the ice, the boards have been installed, and the logos and lines are scheduled to be painted Wednesday. Mayer said 60-degree Fahrenheit temperatures (16 degrees Celsius) caused damage to the ice Sunday, but the ice crew rebounded and construction is now ahead of schedule.
"The rink didn't survive it, but we expected it," Mayer said. "We took it into account. We monitor weather every hour, every minute, every second. We knew what was coming, and all is good. The guys have done a great job. This is not our first rodeo."
"We also know the wind will be a factor. If it is, the teams will switch ends midway through the third period."
With fans from Buffalo arriving from the southeast and those from the Toronto area from the northeast, Mayer said they should be cognizant of routes and parking options for the event. That information can be found here.