WINNIPEG – Canadian hockey fans have been hungry for another outdoor NHL game – literally.
Spectators at Investors Group Field will eat roughly 2.5 kilometres of hot dogs and smokies during Sunday’s Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers. If you prefer poutine, 425 pounds of cheese curds have been brought in for the game.
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Even though it will be fairly mild at puck drop (Sunday’s high in Winnipeg is forecasted at 9 C), 24,000 cups of coffee and hot chocolate will be served.
To build the rink at Investors Group Field, the NHL drove a 53 foot mobile refrigeration unit to Winnipeg. Roughly 3,500 gallons of coolant will be used by the truck. Ice makers flooded the field with 20,000 gallons of water to create a two-inch ice surface. They also dropped 350 gallons of paint to make the rink white.
The 2016 Heritage Classic is the first outdoor NHL game to be played in Canada since the Ottawa Senators beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 at BC Place in 2014. Of all the players suiting up in this year’s match, 14 have previously played in at least one outdoor NHL game. Oilers forward Benoit Pouliot has played the most with three appearances.
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A total of 18 NHL outdoor regular-season games have been played since the first one in 2003. More than 560 players and coaches have participated in the showcases. The combined attendance for all previous 18 outdoor games is 1,021,055. The 2016 Heritage Classic is the earliest NHL outdoor game held, beating the inaugural Heritage Classic in 2003 by a month.
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