The Heritage Classic returns to Edmonton this October between the Oilers and Calgary Flames. A few other elements can make this fun even better.
On Oct. 29, the NHL returns to where the Heritage Classic began in the form of Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium with an outdoor Battle of Alberta. It's a foregone conclusion that it will be one of the best parts of the 2023-24 campaign, with well over 50,000 fans ready.
That said, we must have a few things before the puck's dropped.
An Alumni Game Showcasing All Eras Of Both Franchises
Alumni games at NHL events have gone the way of the Dodo bird and VHS tapes the past few years, but what better setting to bring them back to? Twenty years ago, the Canadiens and Oilers legends (or MegaStars as they were dubbed for that game) took to the ice for a game that invoked so many memories of these teams from the 1970s and 1980s on the day before the original Heritage Classic in Edmonton.
For an alumni game this fall, it should incorporate more than just two decades of franchise history. In the event of the 2016 Heritage Classic in Winnipeg, where Oilers and Jets 1.0 alumni from various eras took part, it should happen again for the Oilers and Flames.
As much fun as it would be to see Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Lanny McDonald and Mike Vernon participate, players from eras after them must be involved. Jarome Iginla, Doug Weight, Miika Kiprusoff and Ryan Smyth should also be skating at Commonwealth Stadium. Fans under the age of 35 should have the chance again to see the heroes of the 90s', 2004 Flames' and 2006 Oilers' Stanley Cup runs and lace them up one more time.
Jerseys Going Back Before the NHL's Time in Calgary and Edmonton
For many outdoor games, both teams taking part have worn brand-new jerseys. The Calgary Flames are expected to also wear an original uniform for this game. When you look online, you'll see so many takes from what era the jerseys should be from, whether it's from the 1980s, ’90s or 2000s. Hopefully the Heritage Classic jerseys will have a fresh twist. Calgary and Edmonton both have a hockey history going back more than 100 years, so why default to the NHL histories of both cities?
For the Oilers, it would be refreshing to see a uniform based on the Edmonton Mercurys, the 1952 Olympic gold medallists, or the Edmonton Flyers, the squad from the long-gone original Western Hockey League that played in the Edmonton Gardens from the 1940s to the 1960s.
An NHL team has also never worn in-game jerseys to honor women's teams. The Heritage Classic is a great platform for the Oilers to do something for the Edmonton Chimos. The Chimos won every Alberta women's provincial title except one from 1982 to 1997 and were national champions four times.
The Flames have experience honoring the city's pre-NHL history as they donned jerseys at the 2011 Heritage Classic with striping similar to the Calgary Tigers, the first Calgary-based team to challenge for the Stanley Cup in 1924. Hopefully the Flames will continue the trend. How about a look based on the WHA's Calgary Cowboys or the 1945-46 Allan Cup champs, the Calgary Stampeders, who also battled in the Western Hockey League with the Edmonton Flyers?
CBC's Boyan Demchuk provided some cool concepts for the Oilers and Flames, reflecting the hockey histories of Edmonton and Calgary.
Let's take this one step further. The Montreal Canadiens' reverse retro crossed sports to honor the Montreal Expos, so why can't the Heritage Classic jerseys do the same? Calgary already has similar colors to the CFL's Calgary Stampeders, so a CFL style would be easy to execute, but how about the Oilers tapping into the classic green and gold looks of the Edmonton Elks? Radical? Yes, but it would be fun to think outside of the box with the brand.
Commit Hard to the Throwback Vibes Beyond Uniforms
The Heritage Classic's original game went all-in on the old-school vibes, from the players and the officials in replica jerseys like what was worn in the early days of the NHL. Newer Heritage Classic games have started to get away from those types of elements. It would be fun to see the on-ice officials dressed again like their predecessors from the 1950s and perhaps have brands using their vintage logos on the boards.
Give us the vibes that this game is taking place decades ago. The games have always been marketed as going back to the sport's roots. Let's get back to that in many more ways.