Snow for Heritage Classic at Mosaic Stadium makes it ‘full-meal deal’
Sellout crowd of 33,000-plus welcomes rare chance to witness NHL in Regina
Big-league players and several layers were part of the storyline when the NHL Heritage Classic visited Mosaic Stadium.
On a snowy, windy, yet perfect Saturday evening, the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames received an exceedingly warm welcome as they faced off in the first bigleague regular-season game in Regina’s long and storied hockey history.
Long before the puck dropped, at 8:22 p.m., fans milled about on the concourse and marvelled at the environs. Jets and Flames jerseys predominated, with some Saskatchewan Roughriders garb thrown in for variety.
There were, of course, the usual suspects — Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano, Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele, et al — along with throwbacks to Dale Hawerchuk, Teemu Selanne, Lanny Mcdonald and Jarome Iginla.
But one sweater in particular, bearing the number (4) and surname of former NHL rearguard Brad Mccrimmon — who helped the Flames win the Stanley Cup in 1989 — stood out. Old school!
“When I lived in southern Alberta and Brad Mccrimmon was with the Brandon Wheat Kings, he used to terrorize the Lethbridge Broncos,” Calgary-based Kevin Kazan, resplendent in the Mccrimmon jersey, reminisced. “Then he terrorized the Flames … until we got ahold of him.”
Kazan got ahold of his cousin, Paul Thullner of Winnipeg, as soon as the first neutral-site Heritage Classic became reality.
“Are we meeting in Regina?” Kazan texted during the spring.
“Oh yeah … haha,” Thullner responded.
“Seriously,” Kazan replied. “I got some tickets.”
Kazan attended the game with Thullner and his brother-in-law, Simon Deschenes of Winnipeg.
“What started as a joke turned into a family reunion in Regina,” Thullner marvelled.
“How awesome is this, to be in Regina watching the Flames and the Jets? It’s like we’re in the middle ground.
“We went to all the pre-game activities and had a wonderful day of enjoying hockey and meeting people from all around. “Regina has done a great job.” That was evidenced by the sellout crowd of 33,518 in a venue that ordinarily seats 33,350 for football.
By the third period, the crowd had thinned out. At the time, the temperature was minus-4 C but, factoring in the biting wind, it felt like minus-12.
And, by the way, it was snowing.
“You’ve got to have snow to have the full-meal deal,” Regina’s Aaron Fox said during the second intermission.
“It’s a good show — a spectacle.”
Hence the determination of so many fans, accustomed to harsh Prairie winters, to stay put until Bryan Little’s goal at 3:04 of overtime gave Winnipeg a 2-1 overtime victory — one that was welcomed by Regina’s Katherine Clubb, who proudly donned a Jets jersey and various other winter accessories, including a scarf.
“You bring blankets and dress appropriately,” she explained, matter-of-factly. “You might as well stay until the end. Who knows when there will be another NHL game in Regina?”
Who could have envisioned that there would ever be one?
That was the dominant notion, from the perspective of this seasoned scribe and lifelong Reginan, as the Jets and Flames buzzed around the ice, between the regularly scheduled shovel breaks.
For the longest time, it appeared that the Flames’ Elias Lindholm — who tallied at 14:47 of the second period — would be the only official goal scorer in Regina’s NHL history.
The Jets rarely challenged Flames netminder David Rittich until 15:49 of the third period, when Josh Morrissey — who has family ties to Regina — scored a power-play goal.
Not long after that, Winnipeg went into overtime at Mosaic Stadium for the first time since July 1, 2017, when the Blue Bombers — who got a two-touchdown performance from
Weston Dressler — outlasted the Roughriders 43-40.
So concluded the first CFL regular-season game played at new Mosaic Stadium.
Another landmark — for the stadium, and the city of Regina — was observed Saturday night, when the NHL came to town for a meaningful contest.
Once again, Winnipeg prevailed.
Little settled matters at 11:01 p.m., whereupon players from both teams shook hands before embarking for their respective dressing rooms.
As the players left the ice and made the long walk toward the tunnels, many Jets players waved at the fans and successfully exhorted them to cheer.
At least two shivering spectators were rewarded when members of the Jets tossed their sticks into the crowd.
Such was the thrill of victory … and the chill of victory.
Until next time …?