Three-hundred-and-fifty gallons of paint, 3,000 gallons of coolant, 20,000 gallons of water — the shift from optimistic vision to expansive reality has been no small feat for the 2019 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic.
Two of Canada’s best will take the ice at Mosaic Stadium in Regina for the outdoor game on Saturday night, as Mark Giordano’s Calgary Flames and Blake Wheeler’s Winnipeg Jets clash in the fifth iteration of the NHL’s Heritage Classic.
With puck drop slated for 8 p.m. local time, here’s a look at how the marquee Canadian outdoor tilt breaks down, by the numbers:
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2 — The number of times both the Flames and Jets will have played in a Heritage Classic once Saturday’s game concludes. Calgary hosted its first Heritage Classic against the Montreal Canadiens at McMahon Stadium in 2011 (a 4-0 Flames win), while Winnipeg hosted the Edmonton Oilers at Investors Group Field in 2016 (a 3-0 loss).
5 — The number of Heritage Classics the NHL has carried out in Canada, including Saturday’s game in Regina. The inaugural Heritage Classic, in 2003 at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, saw the Canadiens defeat the Oilers 4-3.
7 – The number of total regular-season outdoor games the NHL has staged in Canada, with the 2017 Scotiabank Centennial Classic (at BMO Field in Toronto) and the 2017 Scotiabank NHL100 Classic (at TD Place in Ottawa) rounding out the list.
Saturday’s game will also be the seventh regular-season game played in the province of Saskatchewan — Matthew Tkachuk will be the second Tkachuk to play in such a tilt, with his father Keith having played in two of the previous NHL games in Saskatchewan in 1993.
9 — Current members of the Jets who were in the lineup for the 2016 Heritage Classic in Winnipeg. Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Adam Lowry, Mathieu Perreault, Josh Morrissey and Connor Hellebuyck all suited up for the 2016 affair.
This year’s Heritage Classic will be Perreault and Wheeler’s third regular-season outdoor game — Perreault played in the 2011 Bridgestone Winter Classic as a member of the Washington Capitals, while Wheeler played in the 2010 Bridgestone Winter Classic as a member of the Boston Bruins.
28 — The total number of regular-season outdoor NHL games, including Saturday’s Heritage Classic meeting. Of the previous 27 outdoor games, 16 have been hosted in football stadiums, 10 have been in baseball stadiums and one has been inside a soccer stadium.
Twenty-eight is also the total number of goals scored by the Jets this season — Scheifele, Ehlers and Connor are tied for the team lead with four goals each.
33 — The total number of goals scored by the Flames so far this season — Elias Lindholm leads the way for Calgary, with six goals, tied for 11th-most in the league.
243 — The number of ice pans under the rink at Mosaic Stadium, each measuring 30 inches by 340 inches in size.
350 — The gallons of paint used to make the ice at Mosaic Stadium white.
444 — The total litres of ketchup, mustard and relish that will be consumed by fans on game day at Mosaic Stadium.
575 — The number of kilometres fans from Winnipeg will travel to see the game in Regina.
750 — The number of kilometres fans from Calgary will travel to see the game in Regina.
3,000 — The gallons of coolant used to freeze the rink at Mosaic Stadium.
20,000 — The gallons of water needed to create a two-inch ice surface at Mosaic Stadium.
1,459,359 — The total number of fans who have attended the NHL’s 27 regular-season outdoor games thus far, an average of 54,050 per game.
All numbers provided by the NHL
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