In the alumni game, fans will be able to watch Mike Ford, 64, who played for the original Jets in the WHA and still lives in Winnipeg. They will be able to watch old favorites like Hawerchuk and Lukowich and Teemu Selanne and Dave Babych, not to mention their Oilers contemporaries like Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier and Paul Coffey.
"It's just the greatest experience of my career," Ford said. "We're all 23 years old again. Everybody feels like they're 23, acts like they're 23, talks like they're 23. It's like going back in time. … You can't walk down the street without somebody recognizing you and asking you at least one question about the game. It's so pervasive. The town is so much behind this."
In the Heritage Classic, fans will be able to watch young Jets stars like Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine against young Oilers stars like Connor McDavid and Jesse Puljujarvi. Who would have imagined this indoors just a few years ago, let alone outdoors?
"It's special," Hawerchuk said. "When the team left, all the guys that played here before, like, it took a piece of their heart away. It was so good when it came back. I know when they came back, all these guys, we were talking and communicating, everybody was so excited. Now we're all so grateful that we have this opportunity to come back. The team went away for quite a while. So you never knew if this day would ever come."
About 5,000 fans showed up for an old-timers' practice Friday in the middle of the afternoon. When Gretzky wandered near the glass, nearly an entire section stood up to take pictures. When the Oilers gathered for a team photo, nearly an entire side of the stands stood up to take pictures. Imagine what it will be like at the stadium Saturday and Sunday. Imagine the memories, those recalled, those created. Imagine the impact on kids like Ethan Whalen.
"I keep getting back to how important it is to link the past, present and future," Messier said. "I think that's the most important thing I can take out of all these outdoor games: the showcase it puts on for the fans, more importantly for the kids at home watching. They need to know the history of the game and the tradition, and I think events like this really push that."