Outdoor hockey doesn’t need much help feeling Canadian, but putting the Canadiens and Jets outside in Winnipeg takes it to another level. The 2026 NHL Heritage Classic brings the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets to Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday, October 25. Instead of their usual NHL arenas, the teams will play in the home of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, with a football stadium temporarily transformed into an outdoor rink.
For Winnipeg, this is also a chance to celebrate 15 years since the NHL returned to the city. Montreal brings even more history to the matchup. The Canadiens played in the original Heritage Classic in 2003, when the idea of playing a regular-season NHL game outdoors was still something of an experiment.
This time, puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and American viewers can watch on TNT, truTV or HBO Max. Canadian coverage will give the game the national treatment you’d expect from an all-Canadian outdoor matchup. If you’re traveling outside your normal viewing region, however, the service you usually use to watch NHL games may not be available. Here’s what to know about Canadiens-Jets, the history behind the Heritage Classic and how a VPN can help with geo-restrictions while traveling.
Traveling during the game? Jump to how to watch the Heritage Classic with a VPN.
Canadiens vs. Jets Goes Outdoors in Winnipeg
The Heritage Classic returns to Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, a venue that has done this before. Ten years ago, more than 33,000 fans packed the stadium to watch the Jets face Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 Heritage Classic. Winnipeg didn’t get the result it wanted that afternoon, losing 3-0, but the event established the stadium as a natural place to bring outdoor NHL hockey back someday. That day arrives on October 25.
The matchup is also a nice way to connect different eras of hockey in Winnipeg. The current version of the Jets arrived when the Atlanta Thrashers relocated north in 2011, bringing NHL hockey back to a city that had been without it since the original Jets left after the 1995-96 season. And there’s a Canadiens connection to that return. Montreal was the opponent for Winnipeg’s first home game after the NHL returned in October 2011. Fifteen years later, the Canadiens are coming back to Winnipeg for one of the biggest regular-season events the city has hosted since.
How to Watch the 2026 NHL Heritage Classic in the U.S.
The Heritage Classic is scheduled for Sunday, October 25 at 7 p.m. ET. In the United States, national coverage is available on:
- TNT
- truTV
- HBO Max
For cord-cutters, HBO Max should be the most straightforward option of the three if you already have the appropriate plan that includes live sports.
TNT and truTV are also available through several live-TV streaming services, although channel lineups and subscription requirements vary.
Because this is a nationally televised showcase rather than a normal regional NHL broadcast, I would start with those national options rather than looking for a Canadiens or Jets regional feed.
Watching the Heritage Classic in Canada
This is one game where the Canadian audience is every bit as important as the U.S. one. The Heritage Classic was created as a celebration of Canadian hockey, and Canadiens-Jets gives the NHL an all-Canadian matchup for the eighth edition of the event. If you’re watching from Canada, check the national NHL broadcast listings available in your region as game day approaches. The Jets’ regular-season television schedule is divided between regional and national partners, but showcase games such as the Heritage Classic can have different distribution from an ordinary Winnipeg game. That distinction matters if you’re accustomed to simply opening the same service for every Jets or Canadiens game. The safest approach is to check the official NHL game listing before puck drop, particularly if you’re traveling within Canada or normally rely on a regional NHL package.
Why Canadiens-Jets Works for the Heritage Classic
The NHL has several outdoor showcases now, but the Heritage Classic has always felt different from the Winter Classic. This is the Canadian one. The original 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton was the NHL’s first regular-season outdoor game. Montreal beat Edmonton 4-3 that night, but the lasting image was bigger than the final score: NHL hockey being played outside in Edmonton in late November in front of more than 57,000 people. That game helped prove outdoor NHL hockey could work as a major event.
Since then, the Heritage Classic has visited Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Regina, Hamilton and Edmonton again. The 2026 game will be the eighth Heritage Classic and the second held at Princess Auto Stadium. Montreal has been there since the beginning.
The Canadiens have played four previous outdoor regular-season games and enter Winnipeg with a 2-2-0 outdoor record. Their last outdoor appearance came all the way back in 2017, so this will be the first time in nearly nine years that Montreal gets this experience. Winnipeg has played outdoors twice. After losing the 2016 game against Edmonton, the Jets beat Calgary 2-1 in overtime at the 2019 Heritage Classic in Regina. Something has to give this time.
The Players to Watch Outside
An outdoor game can occasionally get buried under the spectacle surrounding it. That’s harder to do when the actual matchup has this much talent. For Winnipeg, everything still starts with Connor Hellebuyck. The Jets goaltender has established himself as one of the defining players of this era in Winnipeg, collecting multiple Vezina Trophies while giving the Jets an advantage in net on almost any night.
Seeing an elite goaltender outdoors adds another wrinkle. Lighting, wind, temperature and the unfamiliar sightlines of a football stadium can all make the environment feel different from a normal NHL arena. Up front, Kyle Connor gives Winnipeg the kind of scoring threat Montreal can’t afford to lose in coverage.
The Canadiens counter with one of the more interesting young groups in hockey. Captain Nick Suzuki anchors the team, Cole Caufield supplies the finishing ability, and Montreal’s younger generation gives Canadiens fans reason to believe the franchise is building toward something bigger. Lane Hutson has quickly become one of the most entertaining defensemen to watch with the puck, while Ivan Demidov brings another layer of skill to Montreal’s attack. For some of those younger Canadiens, this will be their first NHL outdoor game. That’s part of the appeal. The Heritage Classic isn’t just about celebrating old hockey. It also gives the current generation its own outdoor moment.
Winnipeg Is Making a Weekend Out of It
The NHL game isn’t the only Canadiens-Jets matchup taking place during Heritage Classic weekend. On Saturday, October 24, alumni from the two franchises will meet at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. And this is where the weekend gets particularly nostalgic for Jets fans. The preliminary Winnipeg alumni group includes names from the modern era such as Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Mathieu Perreault, Paul Stastny and Chris Thorburn.
That’s essentially a reunion for players who helped define the first chapter after the Jets returned to Winnipeg. Montreal’s preliminary alumni group includes Mike Keane, Patrice Brisebois, Paul Byron, David Desharnais, Dale Weise and David Savard. Interestingly, the alumni game will be played indoors at Canada Life Centre. The current teams get the cold-weather assignment the following evening. For anyone traveling to Winnipeg for the Heritage Classic, that turns the event into a full hockey weekend rather than just one Sunday night game.
Watching the NHL Heritage Classic Internationally
Outside North America, watching the NHL can become more complicated because broadcast rights differ by country. In many international markets, NHL.TV is distributed through DAZN, but availability isn’t universal. Some countries have their own NHL broadcasters or streaming arrangements instead. That means you shouldn’t assume that a service available in one country will carry Canadiens-Jets everywhere else. The issue becomes even more noticeable when you travel.
Streaming services can use your IP address to determine your approximate location. If you normally watch NHL games through one service at home and then open it from another country, you can encounter a different library, a local rights restriction or find that the service isn’t available at all. For an event with fans in Canada, the United States and overseas, that’s worth checking before puck drop rather than discovering it at 7 p.m.
How to Watch the NHL Heritage Classic With a VPN
A VPN, or virtual private network, encrypts your internet connection and routes it through a VPN server. Websites and streaming platforms therefore see the IP address associated with that server rather than the one assigned to your current connection. For sports fans, one of the most useful applications is traveling.
If you’re away from home during the Heritage Classic and your normal streaming service isn’t available from your current location, a VPN gives you a method for connecting through an appropriate server before opening the service you normally use.
My preferred option for sports streaming is ExpressVPN because it has servers around the world and apps for many of the devices people already use to stream NHL games.
Quick VPN Setup for the Heritage Classic
- Sign up for ExpressVPN.
- Download the ExpressVPN app on your streaming device.
- Connect to a server in the appropriate location for the service you normally use.
- Open your authorized NHL broadcaster or streaming service.
- Sign into your existing account and watch Canadiens vs. Jets.
A VPN doesn’t provide a subscription to HBO Max, DAZN or another paid streaming platform. You’ll still need the appropriate account where required, and VPN use and content availability remain subject to each streaming service’s terms.
Disclosure: VPNForSports may earn a commission when you purchase through links on this page. This does not affect the price you pay.
Watching Canadiens vs. Jets While Traveling
The Heritage Classic is exactly the kind of NHL game I’d hate to realize I couldn’t watch after arriving somewhere else. Maybe you’re a Canadiens fan from Canada traveling through Europe. Maybe you’re an American hockey fan who normally watches TNT games through a U.S. streaming service but happens to be outside the country that weekend. Or perhaps you’re simply connecting through hotel Wi-Fi rather than your usual network at home.
Those situations are where having a VPN already installed is useful. Connect to an appropriate VPN server, open the legitimate streaming service you normally use and sign in as usual. The encrypted connection also gives you an added layer of privacy when you’re relying on hotel, airport or other public networks. I’d still check the NHL’s official broadcast listing shortly before the game. International rights can vary, and the best legitimate viewing option may be different depending on where you’re physically located.
Outdoor Hockey Comes Back to Winnipeg
Outdoor NHL games aren’t unusual anymore. That actually makes choosing the right matchup more important. Canadiens-Jets in Winnipeg feels like a Heritage Classic.
You’ve got one of the oldest and most recognizable franchises in hockey visiting a city that fought to get its NHL team back. The stadium hosted this event exactly a decade ago. You’ve got former Jets returning for an alumni reunion, current stars taking the ice outside and two Canadian fan bases that don’t need much encouragement to make noise. There is history here without the entire event being trapped in the past.
The original Heritage Classic helped start the NHL’s modern outdoor tradition in 2003. Twenty-three years later, Montreal is still involved, Winnipeg gets another turn as host, and a newer generation of players gets to make its own outdoor memories.
For U.S. viewers, TNT, truTV and HBO Max will carry the game beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Canadian and international viewers should confirm the authorized broadcaster for their location before game day. And if you’re away from your usual viewing region on October 25, a VPN provides another method for using your regular streaming services while traveling. Bundle up if you’re going in person. The rest of us get to watch Winnipeg weather from the couch.
