2023 Heritage Classic Serves Up Unique Opportunities For NHL Partners

Twenty years ago, the National Hockey League stumbled onto something good when it staged its first-ever outdoor game at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. On Nov. 22, 2003, the Montreal Canadiens edged the host Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in front of a then-record-setting crowd of 57,167 frosty fans who braved 0°F temperatures with a wind chill that felt like -22°.

The moment Montreal goalie Jose Theodore added his bleu, blanc et rouge toque to his game look, an iconic image was born. And the intense weather conditions were worn as a badge of honor for the hearty souls who were on hand to witness the proceedings.

It took more than four years for the league to try again. But the New Year’s Day Winter Classic that kicked off 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo delivered stunning images — as well as a crowd of 71,217. Then, there was no turning back.

The events were a galvanizing spectacle, both in person and on television, and the league embraced the opportunity to sell tens of thousands of tickets on top of the capacity of 18,000 or so at most of their arenas — at premium prices, to boot.

The NHL has now staged 36 outdoor games to date, under the banners of the Heritage Classic in Canada, the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, and the Stadium Series for other U.S.-based games.

Four more are on tap this season, including the 2024 Winter Classic between the Seattle Kraken and the Vegas Golden Knights at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park and this Sunday’s Heritage Classic game between the provincial rival Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.

The reach of the Battle of Alberta extends across the province, and the NHL’s partners are tapping into that marketing muscle.

Returning as the title sponsor of the Heritage Classic for the sixth time since coming on board in 2011, Tim Hortons has wrapped its Alberta stores in Heritage Classic iconography, and is serving up Heritage Classic donuts alongside specially-branded hot drink cups.

The company has also leaned into the rivalry element of Sunday’s matchup, asking fans to show their loyalty by choosing between the Spicy Flames Steak Wrap and the Oilers Ranch Steak Wrap at restaurants across the province.

“From an early read, it’s about 50/50,” smiled Zack Pryzbek, Tims’ director of sponsorships.

Rogers, the NHL’s Canadian broadcast rightsholder, also extended promotion of the Heritage Classic outside the event’s immediate area, setting up an activation at Calgary International Airport where fans can win prizes from official NHL partners.

Mother Nature is doing her best to bring the appropriate ambiance to Heritage Classic weekend. The forecast in Edmonton calls for temperatures around freezing, and the region received its first snowfall of the year earlier this week.

Sunny skies are expected for game day on Sunday, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

But more flurries are in the forecast for Friday, when the NHL’s two-day WestJet NHL Fan Park opens in the Ice District outside the Oilers’ downtown home arena, Rogers Place.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing for the event’s title sponsor. The Calgary-based WestJet is a first-time NHL partner, and as chilly temperatures get Albertans thinking about warm-weather winter vacations, the title sponsor of the free-for-everyone fan festival will be hosting its Surfside Slapshot game at the Ice District, with prizes including beach-themed swag and, each day, a trip for two to a sunny southern destination.

“It’s a strategic fit with a powerhouse brand with deep Albertan roots,” said Sophie Kotsopolous, the NHL’s VP of partnership marketing. “This event has power of a local and national seal. For a brand like WestJet, the reach and the ability to connect their brand and tell their story is really compelling.”

More than a dozen official NHL partners will be on hand at the Fan Park, which runs Friday from 3-9 p.m. MT and Saturday from noon-6 p.m. MT.

Keeping warm with free coffee and hot chocolate from the Tims Beverage Truck, fans will also be able to enjoy live music, visit the United By Hockey Mobile Museum and get their picture taken with the Stanley Cup.

At the Tims booth, they’ll get a chance to try a special version of the restaurant’s mobile app game, the Tims Hockey Challenge, with an opportunity to win prizes from two other key Canadian NHL partners: a 2024 Hyundai Kona and free gas for a year from Esso.

“It’s always nice when you can partner up with with brands that have a similar interest and passion in hockey,” Pryzbek said. “Both of those brands share that connection with us, as do others that we team up with that are also NHL partners like Skip the Dishes and Canadian Tire and Sport Chek and EA Sports.

“They all offer prizing in our Hockey Challenge game, and the NHL helps facilitate those conversations and introduce the partnership. But really, we carry on those conversations each each year that we work together.”

Tim Hortons’ hockey roots run deep. The company’s namesake was a Hall of Fame defenseman and four-time Stanley Cup winner who played 1,445 NHL games over 24 seasons and was still active when he was killed in a car crash in 1974, at age 44.

Ten years earlier, Horton founded his first donut shop in Hamilton, Ont. By 1968, the brand had been franchised, and it was up to 40 locations by the time of his death. Today, Tims is a flagship brand of the Restaurant Brands International conglomerate, which also includes Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs.

Even now, hockey and Tims still fit hand-to-glove.

“It’s hockey and community,” Pryzbek said. “They are two things that are really intrinsically tied to our brand’s DNA. The Heritage Classic combines both of those together. It really brings out the entire community over their shared love of hockey. It’s just such a great fit.”