The Sabres will play host to the Maple Leafs in the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at the home of the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Tim Hortons Field, on March 13, 2022 (4:00 p.m. ET on TNT, SN, TVAS). All stats are through games played March 1, 2022.

* The 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic will be the fourth outdoor game for the Maple Leafs and third for the Sabres. Toronto defeated Detroit at both the 2014 Winter Classic and 2017 Centennial Classic before losing to Washington at the 2018 Stadium Series. Buffalo earned a point in each of its two outdoor appearances: a shootout loss to Pittsburgh (2008 Winter Classic) and an overtime loss vs. the NY Rangers (2018 Winter Classic).

* Buffalo hosted the NHL’s inaugural Winter Classic in 2008, the second regular-season outdoor game in League history, following the 2003 Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium between Montreal and Edmonton.

* The Maple Leafs (2-1-0) are in search of their third win outdoors, which would tie the Capitals (3-0-0) and Bruins (3-1-0) for the second-most in the outdoor game standings, behind the Rangers (4-0-0).

* Each club has skated in two outdoor games that required overtime. No team has played three such contests.

* This will be the sixth Heritage Classic, with Ontario set to become the fifth Canadian province to host (Alberta: 2x; British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan: 1x). Toronto will be the seventh and final Canadian club to appear in a Heritage Classic (CGY, EDM, MTL & WPG: 2x; OTT & VAN: 1x) and Buffalo will be the first U.S.-based club.

* All six Heritage Classic games have been hosted at a football stadium, including Tim Hortons Field, home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. This will be the third Hamilton venue to host any NHL regular-season game, after Barton Street Arena (63 GP; last: March 7, 1925) and Copps Coliseum (8 GP; last: March 23, 1994). There has never been a Stanley Cup Playoffs game in Hamilton.

* The Maple Leafs and Sabres have shared a division in 22 of 23 campaigns since 1998-99, with the only outlier being the pandemic-condensed 2020-21 season. Overall, this marks the 33rd season the clubs have been division rivals since Buffalo entered the League in 1970-71: four seasons in East Division (1970-71 – 1973-74); seven seasons in Adams Division (1974-75 – 1980-81); 14 seasons in Northeast Division (1998-99 – 2012-13); eight seasons in Atlantic Division (2013-14 – 2019-20; 2021-22).

* Heritage Classic will be the 221st regular-season meeting between the clubs, the third-most Buffalo has faced one opponent (BOS: 307 GP; MTL: 289 GP). Entering March 2, the Sabres (117-74-28, 262 points) hold the all-time edge (TOR: 84-106-29, 197 points) and also won their only playoff series (1999 Eastern Conference Final).

* The fourth-seeded Maple Leafs held home-ice advantage against the seventh-seeded Sabres in the 1999 Eastern Conference Final, a series that witnessed Buffalo oust Toronto in five games en route to it second – and most recent – Stanley Cup Final berth in franchise history. Since the NHL adopted the Conference Finals in 1981-82 season, the Sabres became the third team to secure a berth to the Final as the seventh seed or lower (also 1991 MNS: 7th & 1994 VAN: 7th).

* The first meeting between Buffalo and Toronto was Nov. 18, 1970, when Gerry Meehan (2-2—4) and RogerCrozier (44 saves) led the visiting Sabres to a 7-2 victory at Maple Leaf Gardens. Meehan was selected by the Maple Leafs in the inaugural NHL Draft in 1963 and played his first 25 NHL games with the club in 1968-69.

* A total of 75 players have appeared in at least one game for both the Sabres and Maple Leafs (regular season or playoffs), including current Toronto forward Wayne Simmonds who spent seven games with Buffalo during the pandemic-abbreviated 2019-20 season. Other notables include Tim Horton (BUF: 130 GP; TOR: 1,281 GP), Hamilton native Dave Andreychuk (BUF: 891 GP; TOR: 269 GP), Mike Foligno (BUF: 703 GP; TOR: 147 GP), Rick Vaive (BUF: 206 GP; TOR: 566 GP), Alexander Mogilny (BUF: 412 GP; TOR: 215 GP) and Doug Gilmour (BUF: 100; TOR: 445 GP).

* Val James, the first Black American to skate in the NHL, is one of two players in League history to skate only with the Sabres (7 GP) and Maple Leafs (4 GP). The other is Jerry D’Amigo (BUF: 9 GP: TOR: 22 GP).

The name Tim Horton is synonymous with Canadian heritage, both in the form of a Hall of Fame defenseman who was named one of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players and as the namesake of the iconic Canadian restaurant chain he founded in 1964.

* Horton played 20 seasons with the Maple Leafs from 1949-50 to 1970-71 while winning four Stanley Cups with the franchise (1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967). Among all-time rankings for Maple Leafs defensemen, Horton ranks first in games played (1,184) and third in goals (109), assists (349) and points (458).

* On May 17, 1964, Horton and his business partner opened a coffee shop called Tim Hortons on Ottawa Street in Hamilton. It was the first in what would become a multinational fast food restaurant chain with over 4,000 locations spanning 14 countries. A renovated version that serves as a coffee shop and museum still exists at that first location, with a statue of Horton in a Maple Leafs uniform just outside the front door.

* Horton played the final two seasons of his NHL career with the Sabres from 1972-73 to 1973-74, where he served as a steady, veteran leader for a budding franchise. After a game in Toronto on Feb. 20, 1974, Horton was driving from Toronto to Buffalo overnight when he lost control and died in a car crash. His number was posthumously retired by both the Sabres (No. 2) and Maple Leafs (No. 7).  

The city of Hamilton has a rich hockey history, producing 61 NHL players (52 skaters, 9 goaltenders) listed with “The Hammer” as their birthplace – including 10 Stanley Cup champions and five Hall of Fame players – and various storied amateur and professional franchises. A few notable Hamilton-born players and teams:

* Dave Andreychuk, who has an arena named after him on Hester St. in Hamilton, is the only player in NHL history to skate at least 200 regular-season games for both the Sabres and Maple Leafs. Andreychuk famously won the Stanley Cup after 1,759 career NHL games and was the League’s power-play goals leader until earlier this season. After his last NHL game Jan. 7, 2006, he ranked fourth in games played (1,639), 11th in goals (640) and 23rd in points (1,338).

* Ken Dryden backstopped the Canadiens to six Stanley Cup championships in the 1970s while stockpiling five Vezina Trophy wins as well as a Conn Smythe Trophy and Calder Memorial Trophy. Ken’s brother Dave also spent time in the NHL as a goaltender, appearing in 203 career games – 120 of which came with the Sabres. Dave posted five career shutouts, including one against the Maple Leafs (21 saves on Dec. 17, 1972).

* Babe Dye played eight of his 11 NHL seasons with Toronto and was part of the club’s second Stanley Cup win in 1922. He played 171 of his first 172 NHL games with Toronto, the exception being a contest on Dec. 22, 1920, when he was loaned to the Hamilton Tigers for the team’s inaugural game in his hometown (delighting fans with two goals in a 5-0 Tigers victory). Dye was the NHL goals leader four times, second-most in Toronto history.

* Harry Howell played 1,411 NHL games and is the only Hamiltonian to win the Norris Trophy, claiming the award in 1966-67 – the last of the Original Six era. He remains the Rangers’ all-time leader in games played.

* John Tonelli captured four straight Stanley Cups as a cornerstone of the 1980s Islanders dynasty. He provided the primary assist on the famous overtime winner by fellow “Banana Line” member Bobby Nystrom in Game 6 of the 1980 Final, clinching the franchise’s first championship.

* Pat Quinn appeared in more than 600 NHL games as a player and served an additional 1,400 regular-season games as an NHL head coach across 20 seasons. His coaching tenure included seven seasons with the Maple Leafs from 1998-99 to 2005-06, a span that saw the first and only playoff meeting between Toronto and Buffalo.

* Steve Staios is one of two Hamiltonian defensemen to play 1,000 NHL regular-season games (1,001 GP; also Harry Howell: 1,411 GP). Staios tallied a game-high three points in the League’s inaugural regular-season outdoor game (2003 Heritage Classic) – a feat achieved outdoors by only two other defensemen since. He is currently general manager of the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL, who will play outdoors at Tim Hortons Field in the 2022 Outdoor Showcase on March 14 – the day after the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic.

* The Hamilton Tigers competed in the NHL from 1920-21 to 1924-25 after the Abso-Pure Ice Company paid $5,000 to League president Frank Calder to purchase the Quebec Bulldogs. Hamilton failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of its first four campaigns, but turned things around in 1924-25. Led on the ice by brothers Red and Shorty Green, and behind the bench by new head coach Jimmy Gardner, Hamilton posted a League-best record of 19-10-1 (39 points) to clinch a berth in the 1925 NHL Final. Despite a League-best record, the players went on strike and the team did not qualify for the playoffs. Hamilton was then dropped from the NHL.

* The Hamilton Tiger Cubs/Hamilton Red Wings reached the OHA finals on three occasions, falling to the Toronto Marlboros twice (1958 & 1967) but defeating the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors in 1962 en route to winning the Memorial Cup. Hamilton’s roster that year featured several future NHLers including Paul Henderson, who later scored the famous go-ahead goal for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series finale.

* The Hamilton Fincups’ first stint in the city lasted two seasons, capped by the club claiming the Memorial Cup in 1976 before a relocation to St. Catharines was necessitated by the closure of Barton Street Arena.  Dale McCourt was captain of the Fincups in 1975-76 and received the Stafford Smythe Trophy as Memorial Cup MVP that year. He was chosen by the Red Wings with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1977 NHL Draft.

* The Hamilton Bulldogs competed in the AHL from 1996-97 to 2014-15, serving as an affiliate for both the Oilers and Canadiens. The franchise reached the Calder Cup Finals three times – the Bulldogs fell to the Hershey Bears and Houston Aeros in 1997 and 2003, respectively, but defeated the Bears in 2007. Current Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois oversaw hockey operations during the club’s run to the 2007 championship, with a 19-year-old Carey Price pocketing playoff MVP honors.

* The current Hamilton Bulldogs joined the OHL in 2015-16 and sit among the top teams in the League in 2021-22, marking the OHL’s return to the city a quarter of a century after the Dukes of Hamilton contested their final game. The Bulldogs won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions in 2018, marking the first time a Hamilton-based team captured the trophy since the Hamilton Fincups (Ontario Major Junior Hockey League) in 1976.

* A total of seven Buffalo players have appeared in at least one NHL outdoor game: Craig Anderson (2-0-0 in 2 GP), Kyle Okposo (0-2—2 in 2 GP), Robert Hagg (2 GP), Vinnie Hinostroza (2 GP), Alex Tuch (1-0—1 in 1 GP), Anders Bjork (1 GP) and Zemgus Girgensons (1 GP).

* Alex Tuch (Syracuse, N.Y.), who grew up a Sabres fan, is the second player to wear No. 89 for the club following Alexander Mogilny. Tuch is the only current Buffalo player who has an outdoor goal to his credit – he scored for Vegas in the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe in 2021. He is set to become the first player to skate in an outdoor game for different teams in consecutive seasons.

* Craig Anderson won the 2014 Heritage Classic at BC Place (29 saves w/ OTT) and NHL100 Classic at Lansdowne Park (28 saves w/ OTT) and trails only Henrik Lundqvist (4-0-0) for the most career outdoor wins.

* Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons are the only current Sabres who have played in an outdoor game for the club. They both skated in the 2018 Winter Classic, the only Buffalo players who remain with the team.

* Craig Anderson posted a 28-save shutout for Ottawa when the club hosted the NHL100 Classic at Lansdowne Park in 2017. That stands as one of four outdoor shutouts in League history, with two of those coming in a Heritage Classic. The others: Cam Talbot (2016 Heritage Classic w/ EDM), Miikka Kiprusoff (2011 Heritage Classic w/ CGY) and Jonas Hiller (2014 Stadium Series w/ ANA).

* Mark Jankowski was born in “The Hammer”. His grandfather, Lou Jankowski appeared in 131 NHL games (CHI: 108; DET: 23 GP) and scored his lone game-winning goal against the Maple Leafs on Feb. 28, 1954. Mark’s great uncle is Hockey Hall of Fame member Red Kelly, who spent eight seasons with Toronto and won the Stanley Cup four times with the Original Six franchise (1962, 1963, 1964 & 1967).

* Mark Jankowski and Vinnie Hinostroza skated outdoors with Providence College and University of Notre Dame, respectively, at Frozen Fenway 2014. The Friars tied the Merrimack College Warriors 1-1, while the Fighting Irish fell to the Boston College Eagles 4-3.

* Dustin Tokarski dressed for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms during its 5-2 win against the Hershey Bears in the AHL 2018 Outdoor Classic, held at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pa.

* Casey Mittelstadt represented the United States in the first outdoor game in World Junior Championship history, in front of 44,592 fans at New Era Field in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Dec. 29, 2017. Mittelstadt, who led the tournament in scoring and was named MVP, had three assists as the U.S. rallied from a 3-1 third-period deficit en route to a shootout win against Canada.

* Casey Fitzgerald and Tage Thompson skated with Boston College and the University of Connecticut, respectively, at Frozen Fenway 2017. Fitzgeraldwas a +1 as the Eagles defeated the Providence College Friars 3-1, while Thompson tallied a team-high five shots as the Huskies lost to the University of Maine Black Bears 4-0.

* Will Butcher had two assists for the University of Denver Pioneers in its 4-1 win outdoors against the Colorado College Tigers in Battle on Blake, a contested at Coors Field in Denver on Feb. 20, 2016.
 
* Cody Eakin earned an assist in the Hershey Bears’ 4-3 overtime loss versus the Adirondack Phantoms in the 2012 Outdoor Classic, which took place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa., four days after the Winter Classic.



* A total of 14 Toronto players have appeared in at least one NHL outdoor game: Morgan Rielly (0-1—1 in 3 GP), Wayne Simmonds (3 GP), Kyle Clifford (1-0—1 in 2 GP), Mitchell Marner (1-0—1 in 2 GP), Jake Muzzin (0-1—1 in 2 GP), William Nylander (0-1—1 in 2 GP), Carl Dahlstrom (2 GP), Auston Matthews (2-0—2 in 1 GP), Travis Dermott (0-1—1 in 1 GP), David Kampf (0-1—1 in 1 GP), Petr Mrazek (1-0-0 in 1 GP), Jason Spezza (0-1—1 in 1 GP), TJ Brodie (1 GP) and John Tavares (1 GP).

* Petr Mrazek posted a 24-save victory while as a member of the Red Wings during the 2016 Stadium Series . This will be the third Maple Leafs outdoor game that Mrazek has been part of, as he also dressed (but did not play) for Detroit in contests against Toronto in both the 2014 Winter Classic and 2017 Centennial Classic.

* Morgan Rielly is the only skater on the Maple Leafs current roster to have appeared in each of the franchise’s three outdoor games to date. He logged 13:06 as a rookie in the 2014 Winter Classic, tallied a third-period assist in the 2017 Centennial Classic and collected a game-high six shots on goal in the 2018 Stadium Series.

* In addition to Morgan Rielly, forwards Mitchell Marner and William Nylander as well as defenseman Travis Dermott are the only skaters who dressed for the Maple Leafs in the 2018 Stadium Series and remain with the team. Auston Matthews did not dress for the event due to injury.

* Auston Matthews, who scored 3:40 into overtime during the 2017 Centennial Classic, can join Brad Richards (2) as the second player to tally multiple game-winning goals outdoors. Matthews’ overtime tally was his second goal of the contest and he remains one of two rookies to score multiple goals in an outdoor game.

* Jason Spezza is set to become the 15th skater to play in an NHL outdoor game at age 38+ (Matt Cullen, Zdeno Chara and Jaromir Jagr: 2 GP each; Patrick Marleau, Mark Streit, Jarome Iginla, Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Todd Bertuzzi, Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Knuble, Mark Recchi, Chris Chelios & Nicklas Lidstrom). Two goaltenders have also achieved the feat, coincidentally against each other: Martin Brodeur (41 years, 265 days w/ NJD) and Evgeni Nabokov (38 years, 188 days w/ NYI) in the 2014 Stadium Series.

* Joseph Woll backstopped Boston College past Providence College at Frozen Fenway 2017. Woll made 28 saves while his teammate Casey Fitzgerald was a +1 as the Eagles earned a 3-1 win against the Friars.

* Justin Holl skated with the University of Minnesota in its 3-2 loss outdoors against the University of Wisconsin Badgers in a game staged at Soldier Field in Chicago on Feb. 17, 2013 as part of the OfficeMax Hockey City Classic. Less than a year later, Holl had an assist to help the Golden Gophers blank the Ohio State University Buckeyes in the 2014 Hockey City Classic at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
 
* Michael Hutchinson backstopped the AHL’s Providence Bruins to a 5-4 shootout win outdoors against the Connecticut Whale in the Whale Bowl, held at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., on Feb. 19, 2011. Hutchinson denied former Sabres forward Tim Kennedy as well as former Maple Leafs forwards Jeremy Williams and Kris Newbury in the shootout.



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