NHL Senior VP/Hockey Operations Kris King on Thursday said that he sees Sunday's Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic between the Oilers and Jets "as a payoff for Winnipeg, capping a process set in motion by the transfer" of the Thrashers to Manitoba prior to the '11-12 season, according to Mike Sawatzky of the WINNIPEG FREE PRESS. King said Jets Exec Chair Mark Chipman "did a lot to get this team back." King: "He cared about his community, he cared about his team. He cared about the people here and how much they missed their NHL hockey." King added, "[NHL Commissioner] Gary Bettman, in his wisdom, knew he owed Mark something and that may have been the genesis of this game." Sawatzky notes Investors Group Field is "not sold out for the weekend's festivities." King said he was a "little bit surprised" by this. King: "There are a few tickets -- not very many (left). ... I totally have faith there won't be an empty seat here come the weekend" (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 10/21). Chipman said that the game "was a moment for reflection." Chipman: "It was sort of full circle for me, as I was sitting there thinking about it and this journey I've been on, which is hard to describe in many ways." Chipman said that celebrating the history of the Jets is something True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns the team, "has wanted to do since Winnipeg returned to the league" in '11. Chipman said that was "one of the first subjects they took up with the league." The CBC's Brett Purdy noted the Heritage Classic is "going to have a festival feeling" with fan activities, concerts and the alumni game (CBC.ca, 10/20).
STRIKE IT RICH: In Edmonton, Dan Barnes writes the NHL and Oilers "both want to see the outdoor game concept come back to Edmonton, where it began" in '03 with the first Heritage Classic. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly on Wednesday said he has "no doubt" that the game will return to Edmonton. Daly: "I just can't tell you when that will be." Oilers Entertainment Group Vice Chair & CEO Bob Nicholson said that an outdoor game in Commonwealth Stadium is "on his events list, just not at the top." Nicholson: "We haven't thrown in any proposal on it. We certainly want to get all-star on the radar, the draft on the radar, and outdoor games would be another key one for us." He added, "It would be nice to round it off as a 15-year anniversary or a 20-year anniversary, but we would certainly work into what is best for their scheduling." Barnes noted Sunday's Heritage Classic will "mark the 18th regular-season outdoor game since the original in Edmonton" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 10/20).