Winnipeg Jets to Host NHL Outdoor Game Heritage Classic in 2016

National Hockey League’s (NHL) Winnipeg Jets have been announced as hosts of winter outdoor game, Heritage Classic, in 2016.

Jets chairman Mark Chipman confirmed Monday the league and True North have agreed to play a Heritage Classic at Winnipeg’s Investors Group Field two seasons from now.

“The NHL has confirmed to me they are going to do an outdoor game in Winnipeg. I don’t have a specific date to announce but it would be our preference that we do it in the 2015-16 season,” Chipman told the Free Press. “The date hasn’t been confirmed but our preference is to do it then. The league’s commitment to doing an outdoor game in our city is fantastic. It’s something we’ve been talking about for some time and it’s part of a significant strategy to do outdoor games and it will be great to be a part of it. We just have to firm up some details and hopefully we’ll have a date to announce fairly soon.”

The league was originally interested in having the Jets host an outdoor game next season but offered Chipman a choice between the two seasons and he opted for 2016 to augment his team’s fifth anniversary plans.

“For us, it will be our fifth year and there’s something about commemorating our fifth year back in the NHL that I like and it gives us a little bit more time to get our feet underneath us in terms of operating a team. I wouldn’t want to go out any further than that. We’ll be ready by then and the stadium is very capable of handling it,” said Chipman.