Long before Lane Hutson was skating in NHL arenas, he was flying up and down the outdoor rink his father built for him and his siblings. Now, he’ll see that backyard hockey dream come full circle, this time in the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic.
Hutson, in his third full NHL season with the Montreal Canadiens, isn’t hiding his excitement for the upcoming outdoor game on Oct. 25, when the Winnipeg Jets will host the Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium, home of the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“It really is a dream come true,” said Hutson. “I’ve had this game circled for a long time. And now that it is getting closer, you get more and more excited about it.”
For the defenceman, there are plenty of reasons why the game has special meaning beyond his first outdoor hockey game at the NHL level..
Growing up in Illinois, Hutson and his brothers spent countless hours on the backyard rink built by their father.
Cole, a defenceman with the Washington Capitals; Quinn, a forward with the Edmonton Oilers; and Lars, a defenceman with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks,
The brothers put it to good use.
“It was at the family house in the suburbs outside of Chicago,” Lane recalled. “I spent a lot of time out there with my brothers, and we would always invite friends over and play for hours. We would play all day and all night. We did that from about the time we were five until we were 14. It was always great to be out there.”
When the Hutson boys weren’t skating and shooting pucks, they were constantly thinking about it.
“Time always seemed to stand still when you were out there,” Lane said. “You’d get ready and go play for two hours and think you’re done for the day, and 10 minutes later you’d say, ‘Okay, let’s go back out there.’”
“That was always one of the best things, where you just kept wanting to go out and play. It didn’t matter how cold it was or what time of the day it was, you always wanted to be out there.”
Selected 62nd overall by the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Draft, Hutson has recently had the chance to relive those childhood memories.
Over the 2025 NHL Christmas break, Hutson and his Montreal teammate, Ivan Demidov thrilled local fans with an unannounced appearance at an outdoor rink in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
On Christmas Day, the duo played shinny with local kids at the “Bleu Blanc Bouge” rink. The pair spent hours skating and taking photos with families in the neighbourhood.
“It was just cool to kind of be a kid again and being outside playing the game you love, with kids who are big fans of the Canadiens,” said Hutson.
Demidov had a similar takeaway from the experience.
“It was a lot of fun to be out there with the kids and their families,” said Demidov, Montreal’s fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. “I had a great time. Everyone was very happy.”
The 20-year-old forward, who recorded 19 goals and 62 points in a 2025-26 rookie NHL season, is also no stranger to outdoor hockey games. .
“My best memory of that is probably all the evenings that I had playing outdoors with my dad and my older brother,” said Demidov, who is currently on the injured list. “We would always be outside for a long time.”
Hutson is counting down the days to puck drop on the Heritage Classic.
“I’m just excited about the whole experience, wearing a new jersey, seeing all the great things that are surrounding the game and having the fans get to see a game outdoors. Playing an NHL game outside is something you dream of doing. I saw it all the time when I was growing up. I would watch the Blackhawks play in those games and I thought it was so cool. I’m really excited to be part of one.”
He’ll have a sizeable cheering section on hand.
“My dad was born in northern Manitoba, and he has family out in Winnipeg,” Hutson noted. “There will be a lot of family in the stands, so it will be nice to have their support and for them to see such a unique game.”
A game that is certain to bring back a flood of childhood memories.
“I just love any chance to be outside and play hockey,” said Hutson. “It always gives you that cool feeling of being a kid again.”
