2022 Heritage Classic

The 2022 NHL Heritage Classic was an [NHL NHL outdoor game|outdoor game|outdoor] regular season National Hockey League game. The game, the sixth Heritage Classic, was held on March 13, 2022, between the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. After falling behind 2–1, the Sabres scored four unanswered goals to defeat the Maple Leafs, 5–2.

Background

The league announced the game on September 16, 2021. Hamilton, Ontario, was chosen due to its location in the Golden Horseshoe midway between Buffalo and Toronto. This was Toronto's first Heritage Classic appearance, and their fourth overall outdoor game appearance, becoming the only team to participate in a Winter Classic, Stadium Series, and Heritage Classic. Buffalo became the first U.S. team to both compete in and be designated as host team for the Heritage Classic, despite the game being played in Canada.

Team rosters

Scratches

Toronto Maple Leafs: Travis Dermott, Kyle Clifford, Nick Robertson
Buffalo Sabres: Mark Jankowski, Casey Fitzgerald, Anders Bjork

Attendance

The 2022 Heritage Classic was the lowest attended NHL outdoor game with 26,119 spectators. This was due to the venues small size compared to other outdoor game venues, as the 2022 game was a sold-out crowd. It was only 205 spectators less than the venue's record attendance at the time, which was seen at the 2021 Grey Cup.

Entertainment

Country pop singer and Canada's Got Talent host Lindsay Ell performed the Canadian and American national anthems and singer Alessia Cara performed during the first intermission. The Canadian Olympic women's ice hockey team, the gold medal winners at the 2022 Winter Olympics, were honoured during the second intermission. This game marks the first time that the bilingual version of O Canada was sung at the Heritage Classic.

Television

The game was broadcast on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada and on TNT in the U.S.