Winnipeg Jets to host Montreal Canadiens outdoors in 2026 Heritage Classic

NEW YORK – The Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens will be heading back outdoors next season.

The NHL announced Saturday the teams will face off in the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Winnipeg’s Princess Auto Stadium.

The event set for Oct. 25, 2026, marks the league’s eighth Heritage Classic and first since 2023.

Winnipeg will host its second outdoor showcase after falling to the Edmonton Oilers at the home of the CFL’s Blue Bombers in October 2016 before a crowd of 33,240. The Jets are 1-1-0 all-time in regular-season outdoor games. Winnipeg defeated the Calgary Flames in overtime at the 2019 Heritage Classic in Regina.

Montreal, which will skate in its fifth outdoor game and first in nine years, is 2-2-0 in four contests in the elements. Montreal defeated Edmonton in the 2003 Heritage Classic in the Alberta capital and fell to the Flames in Calgary in 2011.

The Canadiens played in the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day 2016, defeating the Boston Bruins in Foxborough, Mass. The Canadiens lost to the Senators 3-0 in Ottawa at the NHL100 Classic in 2017.

“When Winnipeg hosted the Heritage Classic in 2016, we were blown away by the amazing fan response and how great the venue was,” Steve Mayer, the NHL’s president of content and events, said in a statement. “Given the success the Jets have had since we were last there, it’s fitting to bring another outdoor spectacle to Winnipeg.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2025.