Heritage Classic Press Conference

I just happened to be in Calgary at the best times, first Flames development camp to see Holland, and now the Heritage Classic press conference.  Wazz got us in as press (like official and shit) and upon arrival, sure enough, our names were on the list and we got a fantastic press kit and goodie bag.

The Heritage Classic is taking place in Calgary on February 20th, at McMahon Stadium.  Today they had a partial rink thing set up to give press the idea of the layout of the thing:

ground level

from the stands, dias and "rink"

It was not a huge event, there was probably 100 people there, including all the camera operators and such.  The emcee for the day was NHL Network and Hockey Night In Canada's Kevin Weekes:

there aren't too many men who can pull off a pink shirt/tie combo, let alone a tan pinstripe suit.  **swoon**  Anyways, he talked about growing up and playing outdoor hockey, the history of the outdoor game, the more recent history of the outdoor games for the NHL.  Then he introduced the super short Gary Bettman to say his stuff:

no seriously, he's really really short.

Then guys from each of the participating teams (Flames and Canadiens) spoke, Josh Gorges from Montreal and Steve Staios from Calgary:

Then they introduced the sweaters the teams will be wearing for the event, Montreal's is pretty ordinary, they've had the same look for so long, it sort of IS their heritage.  The Flames have an interesting amalgamation of the old Calgary Tigers look with the barberpole sleeves, but used Flames colors.  They're calling it "the 1926 Calgary Fusion" jersey.  Regardless, it's pretty damn hot.  It's a pity they're wearing tan pants with it, but oh friggin' well.

Important guys from the teams, Ken King, president of the Flames and Ray Lalonde, V-P and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, did their stuff, including King announcing the first WHL outdoor game that will take place the following day, February 21st between the Calgary Hitmen and Regina Pats.

Then the thing was kind of over, broke away for one-on-one interview opportunities.  If you want a taste, you can hear Scotty Wazz's interviews with the Flames' Curtis Glencross and Ken King here.

I took lots and lots of pictures (duhhhh).  One of the things that really impressed me was the Heritage Classic logo.  Whomever designed it did just a superb job.  It incorporates the Calgary skyline, the mountains, the Bow River, hockey sticks, and of course a big ol' maple leaf:

Here it is on puck and helmets, with the scoreboard in the background:

Here's the hot logo on all the swag bag stuff:

 score!!

The highlight of my day, besides just being there which was pretty freakin' rad, was meeting (and getting my picture with) Kevin Weekes.  We got to talk some hockey with him for a bit, such a nice and down-to-earth guy, very friendly, very knowledgeable.  It was just cool.  I mean, being mere feet from NHL players Gorges, Staios, Glencross, and  Sarich was really awesome.  Seeing how short Gary Bettman actually is was interesting also.  The whole experience was just cool.  I'm gonna have to learn some interviewing skills so I can do more stuff like this in the future.  Or hell, just get interviews with Ams players.