Jets eager to experience Heritage Classic against Canadiens

DALLAS -- The Winnipeg Jets are looking forward to "an unreal atmosphere" when they play the Montreal Canadiens in the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX), coach Scott Arniel said.

“Being in Winnipeg against an Original Six team, it’ll be special," Arniel said Thursday prior to a 3-2 overtime loss at the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg’s final game before the outdoor contest. "Just the whole buzz about it. Being outside, it brings back the memories of being a kid when you’re playing on the ponds. The NHL does just a fantastic job of the presentation side of it. I’ve seen the pictures, I’ve seen the layout of how it’s going to look. It’s going to look fantastic.”

Forward Gabriel Vilardi has never played in an NHL outdoor game, but that hasn’t stopped him from picturing what it could look like.

“Ideally, you think it’d snow, but I don’t think it’s going to be snowing,” Vilardi said. “Just playing outside, it’s cool. It’s going to be a cool experience. I’ve never done it before. ... When you play the game outside, it kind of reminds you of how you started when you were growing up.”

Childhood is a familiar theme for many players when it comes to the anticipation of an outdoor game.

“As a kid, I would be outdoors during COVID when the rinks shut down,” said rookie forward Viggo Bjorck, who was selected with the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. “I learned how to skate on an outdoor rink with my parents, so it’s going to be fun.”

For defenseman Tyrel Bauer, the wait until puck drop is almost too far away.

“It’s kind of in the back of your head day to day,” he said. “There’s some planning going on behind the scenes. We’re getting fitted for stuff. It’s always kind of there. The energy’s there. You can feel it. ... They’re iconic for a good reason. Just kind of that buzz around it. As it starts to feel more real, it’s a cool feeling.”

Bauer added that he remembers watching the Heritage Classic growing up, and those memories remain vivid, even years later.

“The Flames were playing in one, if I remember correctly,” Bauer said. “I remember the feeling, like the snow, the goalie’s got the toque on. Those memories are pretty cool.”

Defenseman Haydn Fleury also has fond memories of watching outdoor games in his youth.

“Just growing up as a kid, like the (Sidney) Crosby (game),” he said, referring to the 2008 NHL Winter Classic, a 2-1 Pittsburgh Penguins win in the shootout against the Buffalo Sabres in Orchard Park, New York. “I think they had those baby blue jerseys on, and he scored the shootout winner. It was always a game you watched on TV as a kid, something you always hoped to experience.”

Before the actual game, though, one of the most anticipated parts of the event for the players will come the day before, when they get the opportunity to skate on the outdoor rink with their families.

“I’ve got four grandkids, and that’s all they’re talking about now,” Arniel said. “Players are excited that they get to bring their families around and have them all involved and all of that the day before.”

As Fleury said, the entire experience will be something the Jets can remember for the rest of their lives.

“Being able to skate with my kids on the ice, I think it’ll be something I’ll remember forever,” Fleury said.

Goaltender Stuart Skinner said, “As kids playing pond hockey, it’s pretty cool you get to do that in the big league. So it’s going to be a lot of fun, and it’s going to be the most fun for the family.”