The NHL announced Thursday that the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres will play outdoors in the Tim Hortons Heritage Classic. The game will take place Sunday, March 13 2022 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Tim Hortons Field is home to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.
Not Their First Rodeo
This will be the fourth regular-season outdoor game the Maple Leafs have played in. Their last outdoor game came in 2018 as part of Stadium Series, where they took on the Washington Capitals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Further, the Leafs faced the Detroit Red Wings on two separate occasions. The first was the 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium, and the second was the 2017 NHL Centennial Classic at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.
The Buffalo Sabres have seen regular-season NHL action on two previous occasions. They were part of the inaugural Winter Classic in 2008, taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins in a true classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium (now Highmark Stadium, home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills). In addition, they played in the 2018 Winter Classic. The Sabres played the New York Rangers at Citi Field in NYC.
More Outdoor Hockey
The Heritage Classic will be the third outdoor game the NHL has scheduled for the 2021-22 season. The annual NHL Winter Classic will be played on New Year’s Day at Target Field which is, additionally, home of the MLB’s Minnesota Twins located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Wild will face the St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s marquee event.
Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators will be hosting the second outdoor game in what is being dubbed the 2022 NHL Stadium Series. The Preds will host the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning on February 26th at Nissan Stadium. Nissan Stadium is the home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, and is located in Nashville.