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The Montreal Canadiens walked away with a 4-3 seat-of-the-pants victory and two valuable points.
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Canadiens hold off Oilers
in nightcap
By Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com
November 22, 2003
EDMONTON -- Saturday's Heritage Classic proved to be a resounding success despite the hurdles placed in its
way. Playing in the first outdoor regular-season game in
the 86-year history of the NHL, before a capacity crowd of 57,167 at Commonwealth Stadium, the visiting Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers revisited the roots of the sport by staging a thoroughly entertaining contest. Montreal walked away with a 4-3 seat-of-the-pants victory and two valuable points in the standings, but that was secondary to the spectacle the players produced on the historic stage. Despite playing in bitter cold temperatures -- the
game-time temperature was announced as minus-18 -- on a
temporary rink erected in 12 days by a dedicated crew under the direction of NHL "ice guru" Dan Craig, the
teams fashioned a competitive and courageous contest
that would have done any indoor rink proud. "This was awesome," said Sheldon Souray, a
defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens. "It was great
to be a part of it. I don't have a negative thing to
say about the whole event. Related Links
Heritage Classic on TV- on the CBC (HD simulcast), RDS/SRC (Canada)
and NHL Center Ice, HDNet (U.S.) - 4:30 ET
Alumni Game - 7:00 ET
Canadiens vs. Oilers
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"I never thought something like this would happen
and for it to happen in my back yard, in front of
family and friends makes it extra special." It was also special for Montreal forward Richard
Zednick, who scored the game-opening and game-winning
goals on this special night. "It was a great game and a great experience," said
Zednik, who admitted he was as cold as he could ever
remember. "It's great that we won." Zednik scored his first goal of the game, assuring
his place in the annals of trivia, at the 39-second
mark of the second period. Patrice Brisebois started the play by firing a blast from the blue line that was deflected by Michael
Ryder onto the pads of Oilers goalie Ty Conklin. Zednik, perched on the far post, then slammed the rebound into the open half
of the net. He said he was just desperate to get his stick on
the bouncing puck and hoped his freezing hands
responded to the commands his brain was issuing. "I saw the puck and just put it in," said Zednick.
"My hands were freezing." Zednick's goals sandwiched a pair of goals by
teammate Yannic Perreault, which staked the Canadiens
to a 4-2 lead late in the third period.
But Oilers defenseman Steve Staios scored a goal for
Edmonton, his third point of the night and 100th of
his career, to draw the home team within a goal for
the third time in the game. Eric Brewer and Jarret
Stoll scored the other goals for the Oilers. Jose
Theodore, who wore a Canadiens toque atop his goalie
mask in a bizarre fashion statement, made 34 saves for
the victory. Conklin stopped 19 shots for the
Oilers.While any NHL player will remember his 100th point,
the circumstances surrounding Saturday's game
guarantee that Staios will be able to recall
immediately his historic feat.  | |
Yannic Perreault scored, along with Ricahrd Zednick, to lead the Habs to a 4-3 victory.
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"I didn't even know it until they announced it,"
said Staios. "I don't usually keep track of things
like that. But, that's certainly one of this things I
won't forget about this day." But, it was just one of many things that Staios
won't forget from this historic day. "I won't forget the warmups, going out there for
the first time. We went out there on Friday for
practice, but not with all the fans and the finished
rink. To walk out there for the first time and feel
that atmosphere, that's something I will never
forget." But, there was more for Staios, just as there was
for every player lucky enough to play in the Heritage
Classic. "Earlier in the day, I walked out there for the
introduction of Wayne Gretzky in the MegaStars Game,"
Staios said. "It was unbelievable. It made me feel
like a kid again. I could go on forever about the
memories. We could be here all night." Every player, and every fan, walked away from
Saturday's experience with a memory bank full of
sights and sounds that have never been experienced in
a NHL game before. Each insists that that gift, more
than the biting cold and the other adversities, is
what they remember from their Heritage Classic
experience.<.p> "Every guy in here knows how special this moment
is," said Souray. "It's something that we can look
back on at the end of our careers and be proud that we
were a part of." In the end, that remains the ultimate testament to
the success of the grand experiment that played out on
the floor of Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday
evening.
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