Oilers-Flames Battle of Alberta confirmed for outdoor game next season

The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames are taking it outside.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed speculation in an earlier report from Jason Gregor that the two Alberta foes will be meeting next season in a regular season, outdoor game, taking place at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

Friedman added that the game will be taking place in October.

Dreams do come true. 👀@FriedgeHNIC reports that the Heritage Classic is returning to Edmonton next year for the Battle of Alberta at Commonwealth Stadium. pic.twitter.com/6FwIV2LM4T

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 11, 2022

“It’s not exactly a huge secret — it’s probably one of the worst kept secrets in the NHL — the Heritage Classic is returning to Edmonton next year. But what we can also tell you is that this is going to be a Battle of Alberta,” Friedman said Saturday during Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment. “The Flames will be the opponent at Commonwealth Stadium. [There’s] not a specific date set yet, but it’s believed it’ll be in October, so it’s going to be a little warmer than the first one was 20 years ago on this anniversary.”

Back in 2003, Edmonton hosted the NHL’s first-ever outdoor regular season game, a tradition that has now become commonplace over the past two decades.

In that matchup, the Oilers hosted the Montreal Canadiens, a 4-3 win for the visitors in front of over 57,000 fans, though it was remembered for the frigid weather, as the game took place on November 22 with a reported temperature of -18 C at game time.

Next year’s contest will be the third outdoor game for each franchise, though the first-ever of two teams from the same province.

The Oilers and Flames last played in an outdoor game in 2016 and 2019 respectively, with both matchups coming against the Winnipeg Jets.

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