Get your Heritage Classic tickets right now because this game is going to be one for the ages. Its not everyday you can be at McMahon Stadium watch NHL hockey outdoors, and with the Calgary Flames taking on the Montreal Canadiens the action is going to be crazy! Don’t miss out on what promises to be one of the most exciting games ever and get your tickets before they are all gone! The 2011 Heritage Classic is going to be one of the biggest hockey games of the season and you can be there to see all the fun. Get your NHL Heritage Classic tickets Calgary right now and be there to see history happen live!
Calgary's McMahon Stadium hosts the 2011 Heritage Classic between the Calgary FLames and the Montreal Canadiens
As mentioned above, the 2011 Heritage Classic pits the Montreal Canadiens against the Calgary Flames at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium. The 2011 Heritage Classic is scheduled for February 20, 2011 with the puck scheduled to drop at 4:00 p.m. MST. The Heritage Classic capacity will be in the neighborhood of 40,000 fans according to Calgary Flames President Ken King. If you don’t manage to score Heritage Classic tickets you can watch the game on TV on Versus in the United States and in Canada, the game will be in English on CBC and in French on RDS. But if you do score tickets and make it tot the game, you might want to stick around Calgary to take in the second game. On February 21, the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen will face the Regina Pats at McMahon Stadium.
Playing an NHL game outdoor has long been a desire of the Calgary Flames, and now the team gets to host the first of the recurring Heritage Classic. The original Heritage Classic, held in 2003, was the first outdoor NHL hockey game and saw the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens play at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, with an audience of 57,167 Heritage Classic ticket holders. The game was played in sub-zero temperatures, with the temperature at minus-4 degrees. According to the NHL, fans can expect warmer temperatures for the 2011 Heritage Classic. The average temperature in Calgary in late February is between 22 and 30 degrees. While the Heritage Classic held in 2003 was the first outdoor game, the Winter Classic, held on New Years Day, is hosted annually at rotating outdoor venues. The first Winter Classic was at Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2008 followed by Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Heinz Field hosts the 2011 Winter Classic.
Heritage Classic Weather:
The average temperature in Calgary in late February is between 22 and 30 degrees.
2011 Heritage Classic Preview
The NHL is looking at the Heritage Classic as a way to continue the growth the league has enjoyed in recent years. “Our first regular-season outdoor game was played in Canada, and it’s great to be coming back,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “As everyone knows, the roots of our game are in Canada. And the roots of our game emanate from frozen ponds and backyard rinks in Canada. When you have a heritage as proud and as strong as we do, you want to celebrate it. We wanted to be responsive. We knew how well the 2003 Heritage Classic game was received, how great a game it was. And we were also, despite all the good reviews we were getting for the Winter Classic in the United States, we were hearing from fans in Canada, ‘We’d like a game as well.’ At the same token, there have been some who have said, ‘How can you do more than one game?’ but we think having these two games is the absolute right balance and is responding for what we’re hearing our fans telling us they want.”
"When you have a heritage as proud and as strong as we do, you want to celebrate it," says NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
Heritage Classic Festivities
And if you snag Heritage Classic tickets, you’ll be in store for much more than just a great hockey game, as plenty of activities are planned as part of the “Heritage Hockey Festival,” according to the Heritage Classic official announcement. The city of Calgary expects an influx of several thousands of fans traveling to take part in the Heritage Classic festivities. Heritage Classic festivities feature music, food and beverage, as well as an interactive and hockey-themed attractions starting on Saturday, February 19 from noon- 4 p.m. MST as well as pre-game Sunday, February 20 starting at noon through 4:00 p.m. The action will take place at spectator plaza located on the East side of McMahon Stadium. On gameday, doors open for the Heritage Classic at 2 p.m. and if you’ve bought a ticket, organizers as advising you to get there early to avoid long lines.
McMahon Stadium seating chart
If your Heritage Classic ticket is for sections A-L you may use the west side, and for those sitting in M-X, 101-104 and 201-204 may use the east side entrance to McMahon Stadium.
Heritage Classic Prohibited Items:
If you buy Heritage Classic tickets, please be advised that the following items are prohibited at McMahon Stadium: umbrellas, strollers, banners, noisemakers, coolers and thermoses, cans and bottles, alcoholic beverages including flasks, laser pointers, apparel or signage with profane or abusive language, video/movie cameras, professional cameras featuring lenses longer than 6 inches, tripods, audio recording equipment, weapons, firearms or fireworks, as well as and any other item deemed dangerous and/or inappropriate. These items will not be allowed into the Heritage Classic Game, and may be confiscated.
The 2011 Heritage Classic is officially sponsored by Tim Hortons, one of North America’s largest quick-service restaurant chains. Additionally, “Tim Hortons has become the Official Quick Serve Restaurant Coffee, Donut and Breakfast of the NHL in Canada.”
“We’re proud to be the title sponsor of the 2011 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic and help bring the time-honored tradition of outdoor NHL hockey back to Canada,” said Bill Moir, Chief Brand Marketing Officer of Tim Hortons. “Tim Hortons has a special connection with hockey, from our company founder to our ongoing support for hockey programs at all levels. Partnering with the NHL, home to the world’s best players, is a natural fit and we look forward to this multi-year, multi-dimensional relationship. It will afford an opportunity for more people to see our sport played in the great outdoors,” said Calgary Flames President Ken King, who said there could be a couple of hundred thousand fans could come to Calgary during the Family Day weekend. “We envision a real heritage hockey festival. There will be events held throughout the city. We think it’s a wonderful tourist opportunity. We don’t look at this in any sense as an economic opportunity. This is a history endeavor. This is a heritage endeavor,” said Moir.
Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Heritage Classic game
As a way to live up to the game’s name, the Calgary Flames will wear special vintage jerseys during the game that were designed to play tribute to hockey past. The Montreal Canadiens are to wear their normal white road jerseys, however additional color combinations will be used to reflect the historical jerseys of past Canadiens teams, particularly those worn in the 1986 and 1989 Stanley Cup Finals between the Flames and the Canadiens.
Montreal Canadiens left wing Mike Cammalleri is looking forward to playing in the 2011 He took part in an outdoor game while playing NCAA hockey. “The most unique feeling for me, was that because the football field is so much larger than the actual hockey rink, you’re playing and the stands are set back so far,” said Mike Cammalleri, recalling an NCAA hockey game played outdoors at Spartan Stadium in East Lancing. “It feels like you’re playing on a pond in the middle of nowhere where you can literally hear the subtle noises you won’t normally hear, like skates and voices real clearly. It feels like you’re playing on this big pond in the middle of nowhere, and then you look up and you hear roars from many more people than would be in a normal NHL stadium.”
About McMahon Stadium, Heritage Classic host site:
McMahon Stadium is located on the campus of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. It is the home venue for the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL, the University of Calgary Dinos, Calgary Colts of the Canadian Junior Football League, and the Calgary Gators and Calgary Wolfpack of the Alberta Football League. The 50-year-old McMahon Stadium was also used extensively during the 1988 Winter Olympics, including the opening and closing ceremonies. The Herritage Classic capacity will be in the neighborhood of 40,000 fans according to Calgary Flames President Ken King. McMahon Stadium also hosted the CFL’s Grey Cup in 2009.
Directions to McMahon Stadium
McMahon Stadium is located at 1817 Crowchild Trail NW, Calgary, Alberta T2M 4R6 and may be easily accessed via public transportation. The Banff Trail C-Train station is located across from the stadium on Crowchild Trail. McMahon Stadium is about a ten minute cab ride from downtown Calgary and a twenty minute ride from the Calgary International Airport. There will not be any public parking at McMahon Stadium.
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