It's Official!

I'm not one to ever post things to social media. I find the idea of living my life through the approval of others to be an absurd concept, and I certainly never want to be an influencer. Frankly, the idea of celebrating anything online seems vapid to me when those moments should be celebrated with people who have a vested interest in my life. In short, this article already makes me uncomfortable, but today marked the first time that UMFM got called up to the big show!

If you were listening to The Hockey Show on Thursday, you may have heard that Jason and I have been credentialed for the upcoming Heritage Classic game taking place in Winnipeg. The entire idea started out as a lark because we never, in a million years, thought the NHL would consider us as a media outlet like 680 CJOB or CBC Radio One 98.3FM, but the NHL processed our application for access and we were approved for credentials to NHL events moving forward!

Both Jason and I have been credentialed before - we both were in the pressbox for the PWHL Takeover Tour game in Winnipeg - so this isn't like we're getting our first seat on media row. It does mark the first time, however, that UMFM has been invited to an NHL event, and we plan on covering the events this weekend as closely as we did during the PWHL's event. Expect photos and write-ups from both of us!

Today, I went down to Princess Auto Stadium to pick up those credentials in order to be ready for the weekend. I thought the place would be busier, but I was literally the only person there to acquire said credentials. There could have been media inside with NHL executives where they were going over rink dimensions and having questions answered, but I arrived at the pressbox at Princess Auto Stadium and it looked like a ghost town. There were a handful of construction guys working inside the gate and they asked me if was there to work. I had to respectfully decline that work, but one of the guys joked that working on the Heritage Classic venue was the only way he could it in-person. After a few laughs, I left them working on their project, headed back to my car, and sat there for a few moments examining the credentials.

The little yellow square had caught my attention because it gave us access to the players pre-game and post-game! I'll be completely honest in saying that I will not be heading to either locker room at any point on the weekend despite having access because I want to talk about the Heritage Classic experience from a fan's perspective. Fans don't have that kind of unfettered access, so I won't be taking advantage of it either. It's a surreal feeling knowing I could go down and chat with players, but that's not what this blog nor the radio show does unless it's a full interview rather than some quotable press snippets.

In any case, getting the opportunity to cover the Heritage Classic will be a fun experience where Jason and I can go behind the scenes for a major NHL event. We saw how Winnipeg came out and supported the PWHL's Takeover Tour, and it's pretty clear that Winnipeg has been wanting another outdoor game after the Oilers and Jets met here in 2016 and the Oilers prevailed 3-0. The Montreal Canadiens aren't going to be a pushover of any kind with how they're playing, so it should be a great game that features two passionate fanbases!

We'll have more about this on The Hockey Show this week, so make sure you tune in to hear what Jason and I will be doing as the big game approaches on Sunday. We will be going to different parts of the events all weekend, so find out which of us will be where when it comes to the 2026 NHL Heritage Classic in Winnipeg this weekend!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!