Last December, the National Hockey League announced that the Montreal Canadiens will take on the Winnipeg Jets in the 2026 Heritage Classic, which will be played at Princess Auto Stadium, home of the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The game, which will be played on Sunday, October 25th, marks the fifth time in franchise history that the Montreal Canadiens will be lacing them up outdoors. In 2003, the Canadiens participated in the first NHL regular season outdoor game in Edmonton. Following that, outdoor appearances for the Canadiens came in the 2011 Heritage Classic in Calgary, the 2016 Winter Classic in Boston and the 2017 NHL 100 Classic in Ottawa.
As part of Heritage Classic weekend, Montreal Canadiens alumni will take on Winnipeg Jets alumni, albeit indoors at Canada Life Centre. Montreal and Winnipeg announced the first handful of players on their respective rosters back in January and on Wednesday, less than two months until the alumni game, both clubs have unveiled their full rosters.
Montreal Canadiens Unveil Roster for 2026 Heritage Classic Alumni Game
In an article on the team's official website on Wednesday afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens shared their 20-man roster for the 2026 Heritage Classic Alumni Game and there are some very familiar faces to fans of the bleu, blanc, rouge, including Andrei Markov and Jaroslav Halak.
Forwards (12)
Among those included in Montreal's forward group is Mike Cammalleri, who scored 54 goals for the Canadiens and had a legendary run in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping the club to the Eastern Conference Final where they fell in five games to the Philadelphia Flyers.
More recent retirees Paul Byron, David Desharnais, Maxim Lapierre and Dale Weise will all don the Canadiens sweater once again this fall. Byron is regarded as one of, if not the best waiver claim in Canadiens franchise history. Desharnais played a key role as Montreal's number one centerman for a number of years alongside Max Pacioretty, while Lapierre and Weise brought a physical & gritty style of play to the Canadiens lineup night in, night out.
- Paul Byron (81 goals, 79 assists, 160 points in 383 games with the Montreal Canadiens).
- Mike Cammalleri (54 goals, 65 assists, 119 points in 170 games).
- Erik Cole (38 goals, 29 assists, 67 points in 101 games).
- *Mathieu Dandenault (20 goals, 34 assists, 54 points in 252 games).
- David Desharnais (79 goals, 171 assists, 250 points in 435 games).
- Mike Keane (90 goals, 179 assists, 269 points in 506 games).
- Guillaume Latendresse (48 goals, 37 assists, 85 points in 232 games).
- Maxim Lapierre (40 goals, 40 assists, 80 points in 293 games).
- Brandon Prust (15 goals, 30 assists, 45 points in 172 games).
- Dale Weise (28 goals, 36 assists, 64 points in 184 games).
- **Chris Wideman (4 goals, 29 assists, 33 points in 110 games).
* - Began tenure with Canadiens as a defenseman before returning to the wing, the position he played when he entered the NHL.
** - Spent his entire career in the NHL as a defenseman.
Defensemen (6)
The blue line is where things get very interesting for the Montreal Canadiens alumni team. As mentioned, headlining this group is Andrei Markov, who was honoured by the Canadiens last December, which likely ended any bad feeling he had towards the club after not being offered a contract by former GM Marc Bergevin in the summer of 2017.
Joining Markov on the blue line is David Savard, who retired last year after helping the Canadiens to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2021. The former Stanley Cup champions has been a staple at Canadiens alumni events over the last 12 months, so it's no surprise that he'll be lacing up his skates again to wear Habs colours.
1993 Stanley Cup champion Patrice Brisebois, who appeared in nearly 900 games with the Canadiens across two stints, will also play for the club in October's alumni game.
- Marc-Andre Bergeron (13 goals, 21 assists, 34 points in 60 games).
- Francis Bouillon (24 goals, 93 assists, 117 points in 581 games).
- Patrice Brisebois (87 goals, 284 assists, 371 points in 896 games).
- Andrei Markov (119 goals, 453 assists, 572 points in 990 games).
- David Savard (13 goals, 63 assists, 76 points in 259 games).
- Stephane Quintal (37 goals, 78 assists, 115 points in 507 games).
Goaltenders (2)
Montreal will be bringing two goaltenders to Winnipeg for the Heritage Classic Alumni Game, one of whom fans fell in love with during the team's run to the Eastern Conference Final 16 years ago.
2003 ninth round pick Jaroslav Halak, who made 101 appearances as a Montreal Canadien, headlines the roster's goaltending tandem. Halak spent parts of four seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, helping them to the aforementioned Conference Final in 2010, before being traded to the St. Louis Blues that summer.
Yann Danis will form the Canadiens' tandem with Jaroslav Halak. Danis joined the Canadiens organization as an undrafted free agent out of college in 2004. He made six appearances with the club during the 2005-06 season and served as the starter for their AHL affiliate at the time, the Hamilton Bulldogs, for several years.
- Yan Danis (3-2-0 record, 2.69 goals against average, .908 save percentage and one shutout in 6 games).
- Jaroslav Halak (56-34-7 record, 2.62 goals against average, .919 save percentage and nine shutouts in 101 games).
Coaches (2)
Behind the bench, the Canadiens will have two coaches for their alumni game. The first coach is Chris Nilan, who spent parts of 10 season with the Montreal Canadiens as a player and won a Stanley Cup with them in 1986. Joining Nilan is Lucien DeBlois. DeBlois played two seasons in Montreal and was a member of their 1986 Stanley Cup-winning team, alongside Chris Nilan. He also played with the original Winnipeg Jets franchise, captaining them during the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons.
The 2026 Heritage Classic Alumni Game between the Canadiens and Jets is set for Saturday, October 24th at 7:30 pm ET (6:30 pm local).