What was the NHL's first regular-season outdoor game, played in Edmonton in 2003?

The NHL's first regular-season outdoor game, played in Edmonton in 2003, was the 2003 Heritage Classic.

The game took place on November 22, 2003, at Commonwealth Stadium, where the Montreal Canadiens defeated the hometown Edmonton Oilers 4–3. The event attracted 57,167 fans and demonstrated that an NHL regular-season game could succeed in a large football stadium, despite the challenges of outdoor ice and cold-weather conditions.

The matchup deliberately connected NHL history with hockey tradition: Montreal wore throwback-style uniforms, and the Oilers hosted the league's first major outdoor regular-season spectacle. Edmonton's severe November weather became part of the story, with players and spectators dealing with freezing temperatures and snow. Goaltender José Théodore helped Montreal secure the victory.

The game is often confused with the Winter Classic, which began in Buffalo in 2008, or with later Heritage Classic and Stadium Series contests. Those games expanded the outdoor tradition, but they came after Edmonton's 2003 event. The Heritage Classic name was later reused for other outdoor games in Canada, so the year is essential when identifying the original.