The Heritage Classic "will be postponed for one year" because the NHL and CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers have "struggled to find a date that works for all parties" to host the event at Investors Group Field during the '15-16 season, according to Gary Lawless of the WINNIPEG FREE PRESS. The NHL "wants to play the game in late December while the football club is pushing for a February date." The Blue Bombers "don’t want the game played that close to the Grey Cup while February won’t work for the NHL due to its all-star game and other soon-to-be announced outdoor games." A January date was "deemed unsuitable" by the Jets, who were slated to play in the game, "due to weather concerns." Jets ownership group True North Sports & Entertainments, the Blue Bombers and the NHL "will now begin to focus on a date" in December of '16 as part of the '16-17 NHL schedule. Blue Bombers CEO Wade Miller "pushed for a greater gap between the Grey Cup and Heritage Classic and wanted the NHL to pick up costs, believed to be more than $500,000, associated with keeping the stadium operational through a Winnipeg winter." The Blue Bombers viewed the events being held so close together as a "potential issue for the CFL’s showcase weekend, fearing the hockey game would overshadow the football game and cannibalize both ticket sales and corporate sponsorship." The club "proposed the game be played in February but with the caveat the NHL pick up the cost of heating the stadium over the winter months" (WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.com, 1/20). Lawless writes, "This isn't a divorce, it's a wedding postponement." Holding the game in Winnipeg next season "just isn't a fit" because Miller "can't afford for the Grey Cup to be anything but a success for his debt-ridden organization." So, he "stood his ground." But Winnipeggers "shouldn't be angry with Miller." He has a "mandate to put his franchise first." Miller "isn't trying to spoil the hockey party." He is "trying to do what's best" for the club. Lawless: "That's his job" (WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.com, 1/20).
