Heritage Classic Primer

The third ever Heritage Classic takes place this afternoon as the Winnipeg Jets host the Edmonton Oilers.  Here are some news and notes to get you set up for the fourth outdoor game on Canadian soil:

• Although there isn’t much history between Edmonton and this current version of the Jets, Winnipeg owner Mark Chipman wanted the Oilers as their opponent, writes Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun. If you go back a bit further, Winnipeg and Edmonton were the teams in the final Avco Cup championship back in the WHA, just before Wayne Gretzky joined the NHL.  The Oilers also faced the old Jets franchise in each of their five Stanley Cup championships.
• As is customary with the outdoor games, alumni from both teams faced off against each other yesterday with the Jets winning 6-5; the winning goal coming from Teemu Selanne (who still holds the NHL record for most goals in a rookie season) on a penalty shot.
• This will be Winnipeg’s first time participating in an outdoor game while it will be Edmonton’s second opportunity. The Oilers were the losing team in the inaugural Heritage Classic back in 2003 to the Montreal Canadiens.  Calgary and Vancouver have hosted the other two games; the Flames beat Montreal in 2011 while the Canucks fell to Ottawa in 2014.
• Edmonton’s Benoit Pouliot is the outdoor game veteran of the two teams as he will be making his fourth appearance in one. He suited up for Montreal in 2011 and also in a pair of games for the New York Rangers as part of the NHL’s Stadium Series back in 2014.  For Winnipeg, Mathieu Perreault has the most outdoor game experience with two, suiting up in games while playing in Washington in 2011 and Anaheim in 2013.
• The goaltending matchup will be Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets and Cam Talbot for Edmonton.