Maple Leafs, Sabres to play in 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic
Outdoor game will take place March 13 in Hamilton, Ontario
By
NHL.com @NHLdotcom
It will be the sixth Heritage Classic since Nov. 22, 2003, when the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. It will also be the 35th outdoor game in NHL history and third scheduled this season. The St. Louis Blues will face the Minnesota Wild in the Discover NHL Winter Classic at Target Field in Minneapolis on Jan. 1. The Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Nashville Predators in the Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Nissan Stadium on Feb. 26.
The Winnipeg Jets defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 in overtime at the 2019 Heritage Classic in Regina, Saskatchewan, on Oct. 26, 2019.
"We are excited to announce that we will be presenting another Tim Hortons Heritage Classic this season," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "When the Toronto Maple Leafs meet the Buffalo Sabres at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, we again will honor Canada's preeminent role in the history of our game while renewing a great and longstanding NHL rivalry. In addition, by inviting the first U.S.-based team to a Heritage Classic, we will celebrate the greater Golden Horseshoe region as the home of so many fans of both the Leafs and Sabres."
The Maple Leafs are 2-1-0 in regular-season outdoor games, their most recent a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals in the 2018 NHL Stadium Series at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Toronto won the 2014 NHL Winter Classic 3-2 in a shootout against the Detroit Red Wings before an NHL-record crowd of 105,491 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 5-4 in overtime in the 2017 NHL Centennial Classic at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.
"The Toronto Maple Leafs are proud to participate in the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic," Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan said. "We're excited at the opportunity to play outdoors again and to bring this great divisional rivalry outside in front of our two devoted fanbases in Hamilton."
The Sabres are 0-0-2 outdoors. They hosted the inaugural Winter Classic against the Pittsburgh Penguins, losing 2-1 in a shootout at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Jan. 1, 2008. Buffalo also lost the 2018 Winter Classic 3-2 in overtime to the New York Rangers at Citi Field in New York.
"It's an honor to play in the Heritage Classic game," Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. "It will be an incredible atmosphere and we are thrilled to be able to play the Maple Leafs in this special event. Many of us fell in love with hockey while playing on the pond or in backyards, so this will give us a chance to get back to our roots while celebrating the game of hockey."
Forward Dylan Cozens, entering his second season with the Sabres, said he is looking forward to playing in his first NHL outdoor game.
"That's exciting, for sure. I think that will be pretty cool," Cozens said at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Chicago on Thursday. "I grew up playing on an outdoor rink, and just being out there all night, just being out there with my friends until midnight and my dad coming out to kick us off because we needed to go to bed for school the next day. Just staying out all night on the rink. My dad bought these outdoor lights and set them up."
Tim Hortons Field is home to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League, and will host the 108th Grey Cup to decide the CFL champion on Dec. 12. It's within walking distance of the site of the original Tim Hortons restaurant that opened in April 1964 at the corner of Ottawa Street North and Dunsmure Road. The franchise was founded by former Maple Leafs defenseman Tim Horton, a Hall of Famer and four-time Stanley Cup winner (1962-64, 1967), and Montreal businessman Jim Charade.
