Unusual for the NHL outdoor games, the 2016 Heritage Classic was held in mid-autumn, during the first month of the regular season, to avoid Winnipeg's harsher winter temperatures.

[3] In January 2015, the Jets announced that they could not reach an agreement to finalize a date for the Heritage Classic during the 2015–16 season.

[5] Due to concern over the glare of sunlight expressed by the players, the game was delayed two hours from the original start time of 2:00 p.m.[6] The temperature at opening face-off was 10.1 °C (50.2 °F), which was above seasonal for late October weather in Winnipeg.

[7] The Oilers basically controlled the entire game, with three different players scoring goals in the second period, while goalie Cam Talbot made 31 saves in the shutout.

Winnipeg won the Alumni Game 6–5, the winning goal coming from Selanne on a penalty shot with 3.6 seconds left after being tripped by Oiler and Hockey Night in Canada analyst Craig Simpson.