With the Winter Classic tickets now on sale, and the unveiling of the new Calgary Flames jerseys for the game, many people may be wondering, how much history is there behind the Winter Classic? And where did these crazy hockey fans get the idea to ice over a football field to have almost 60,000 dedicated hockey fans stand out in the cold to watch their team play?
Well, the first outdoor game of this kind was the NHL Heritage Classic, held in 2003 when the Montreal Canadians played the Edmonton Oilers at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The players and crowd of 57,167 people had to endure temperatures between -18C and -30C at the outdoor stadium. The game was almost canceled 30 minutes before game time due to concern over the temperature. It was so cold that Canadian’s goalie Jose Theodore wore a tuque over the top of his goalie mask.
The idea of playing an outdoor game originated from the Cold War series between U.S. College rivals Michigan State University and the University of Michigan Read More
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