2011 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic

Added on Feb 21, 2011 by J Merrill in

NHL

2011 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic took place this evening as the Calgary Flames Shutout the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 in the historic outdoor game. 41,022 fans endured the temperatures of -8.6 degrees Celsius (16.5 Fahrenheit,) and this was without taking into the effect of wind chill.

Flames Coach Brent Sutter, who dressed the part himself in a throw back Fedora, said he was impressed with his team. “I thought we played well. It’s a real compliment to the guys for holding the focus the way they have the last few days, because a situation like this can get away on you just with everything else that’s going on. They were very professional and very focused and they know the situation our team is in.”

The Flames have scrapped their way back into the playoff race thanks to their sensational 17-4-5 stretch since Dec. 23. They are 11-1-2 in their last 14 games and vaulted from 10th to sixth in the Western Conference with Sunday’s win. Flames Captain Jerome Iginla said it took some focus, but they also wanted to make sure they had some fun. He said “It was definitely something where we wanted to find that balance between enjoying it and our family and friends and the city being excited, but being ready come game time. But it felt good. In the standings, we need it.” Curtis Glencross said for him it was all about business. He stated “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at the standings and figure out what’s going on. We came in here and everyone was business-like.”

Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff was the undisputed first star of the game, making an outdoor game record 39 saves to become the first goalie to earn a shutout in either the Heritage or Winter Classic. Even Canadiens defenseman James Wisniewski had to give credit where it was due. He said “Yeah, he played great. You can’t take anything away from them. They played great, they were forechecking hard, they were skating. They capitalized on two power-play opportunities.”

Flames forward Brendan Morrison said the conditions were cold, but it was easier not to think about it since the early lead. He said “Winning sure heats it up. I just tried to take it in as I was walking out. I tried to take a look around the stadium, kind of soak up the atmosphere. I don’t know if I’ll get a chance at another one of these. It was a lot of fun.” Morrison concluded “We did a good job right from the get-go, and I think part of that is because we are a veteran team. It didn’t faze us at all. The biggest thing is we won and we moved up in the standings.”