Heritage Classic rekindles 'good old memories' for Canadiens

CHICAGO -- Alexandre Carrier is excited to have the opportunity this weekend that he was denied more than four years ago.

The Montreal Canadiens defenseman was with the Nashville Predators at the time and was planning to play outdoors with them in the Stadium Series on Feb. 26, 2022. Unfortunately, he sustained an injury two days before that game.

Now, he’ll get his chance.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Carrier said about the Canadiens playing the Winnipeg Jets in the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX).

“Everybody’s families are coming out, too. With my daughter and my family, it’s going to be even more special, but it brings back the kid in you, right? All the memories growing up and playing outdoors and stuff. It’s going to be exciting.”

This will be the fifth outdoor game for Canadiens, the most by a Canada-based team. They’re 2-2-0 in their previous four.

Defenseman Mike Matheson will play in his first NHL outdoor game, though he did play in one while at Boston College. He said that NCAA game reminded him of his days playing outdoors in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, which is just outside Montreal.

Was there any particular place to which Matheson gravitated?

“Whichever one had the best ice,” he said with a laugh. “After school we’d drive around all of them, see which ones were good. We had a group of family and friends around the neighborhood, and we’d have three outdoor rinks at our spot. We’d go on one until it was too snowy, then we’d all jump in our friends’ pickup truck and he’d drive us to the next with full equipment. We’d get off, go to that one until it got too snowy. We went all over the place.”

Players aren’t the only ones whose childhood memories will be rekindled this weekend.

“I think I love the game so much because of how it was so accessible at a young age with the outdoor rinks," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. "Of course, I played on my town team and had practices and stuff, but I spent way more time on the outdoor rinks than I ever did any organized stuff, and I feel that’s where the love of the game came from for me."

This will be the first NHL outdoor game for St. Louis, who never got to participate in one during his playing days with the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.

“My mom let me go play at night with the lights on. Maybe I was 10 years old, 12 years old. Those were the best games," he said. "The older kids were there, and I felt I had graduated. I was with the big boys now, playing under the lights. And it was not necessarily late, because, as you know in the winter here, it gets dark like 4 or 5 o’clock. But it felt like I had graduated.”

Although it’s new territory for some of his teammates, it’ll be the third NHL outdoor game for Canadiens forward Phillip Danault.

The forward played for the Chicago Blackhawks in their 6-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild in the 2016 Stadium Series at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. He was also in his first stint with the Canadiens when they lost 3-0 to the Ottawa Senators in the 2017 NHL100 Classic at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa.​

He’d like a better result this time, but it’ll be special for Danault regardless because his 7-year-old son, Phillip-Edouard, and 4-year-old daughter, Adelia-Rose, will be there to enjoy it with him.

“It’s the first time for my family, my kids, to see the game and everything," Danault said. "My son is 7 years old, so he gets to skate on the ice and gets to experience a real unique situation. It’s always something special.

“When I was younger, I used to skate outside just for fun. Now it’s my work. You go out there and you have that little tendency to do whatever you want, but you have to stay focused on the game. But it’s just something so special every time. It just reminds you of good old memories.”

Yes, unlike those childhood outdoor games, this one is work-related and will count in the standings.

Nevertheless, it brings out the kid in everyone.

“It was a huge part of me playing hockey and growing the game and stuff like that,” Carrier said. “I grew up across the street from an outdoor rink, so any time after school, that’s where I would go. I had another brother and we’d play all the time. I spent so many hours playing outdoor hockey, and even to this day, it’s one of the best memories I have of playing hockey.”