The NHL "has pushed back" today's Heritage Classic outdoor game in Winnipeg between the Oilers and Jets "due to sun glare." It is "not known" when the game will start. The NHL said that intermittent sunlight on the ice "impacts player safety." It has "delayed previous outdoor games due to similar conditions" (GLOBALNEWS.ca, 10/23). Temperatures at Investors Group Field were in the high 40s as of presstime. The game was slated to begin at 3:00pm ET (THE DAILY).
Meanwhile, more than 31,000 fans turned out yesterday to watch the Heritage Classic Alumni Game, and the crowd was "loving every minute" of it. Their "favourite moments were reserved" for Teemu Selanne, who had five points in the contest. It was an "amazing scene" before the game as players were introduced. The entire crowd was "standing as though in the presence of royalty." Players "put on as great a show as their 50- and 60-year-old legs would allow" (WINNIPEG SUN, 10/23). Hockey HOFer Wayne Gretzky said it "wasn't great hockey, but it was competitive" (AP, 10/22). The game "entertained a nearly full house of 31,317" (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 10/23).
