The Heritage Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played on November 23, 2003 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was the first outdoor game in the history of the National Hockey League. The event took place in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium in front of a crowd of 57,167, the largest number of people to ever watch a live NHL game, despite tempertures of close to -30° Celsius, with windchill. It was held to commemorate the 86th anniversary of the founding of the NHL in 1917. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television broadcast also set a record for viewers of a single NHL game with 2.747 million nationwide.
The main game was between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal won the game 4 to 3.
Before the main game there was an "old-timers" game between some of the best former players in both clubs. The Oilers were represented by the best players from their 1980s dynasty, led by Wayne Gretzky. The Canadiens were represented by players from their 1970s dynasty, led by Guy Lafleur. This game, consisting of two fiteen-minute halves rather than three full periods, was won by the Oilers by a score of 2-0.
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See also Harley-Davidson's 'Heritage Classic' motorcycles.
