Friday Heritage Classic Update

The countdown for Sunday’s Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium officially began Friday afternoon with both teams practicing, including the Flames in their full garb.  The biggest news comes on the Montreal front however, with Mike Cammalleri confirming to the media he will be returning to the Canadiens lineup Sunday against his former team.

Cammalleri hasn’t played since January 28th when he suffered a shoulder injury in a game against the Buffalo Sabres, missing 12 straight games as a result.  It’ll be a welcome addition to the Habs roster, as fans in Calgary still remember Cammalleri’s career season as a member of the Flames during the 2008-09 campaign.  From what I got from being in his media scrum today (which you can see from above was rather large), he wasn’t missing this game for the world.

Also on the Habs front, defenceman James Wisniewski has been classified day-to-day after suffering a facial injury Thursday night in Edmonton.  It was thought the injury might be serious at first, but Head Coach Jacques Martin said there’s a chance he may play against the Flames on Sunday.  Hal Gill is also a possibility to play for the Habs after missing the last four games.

For Calgary, not a whole lot to report.  In talking with Mark Giordano, the team hasn’t been thinking about this game until it was upon them, which it is now.  There’s no question this is the most important outdoor game the NHL has staged, as for the Flames it’ll be game #61.  And the way Calgary has played over the last 25 games, I really am confident the team will treat this game as what it is…game 61, and a huge two points.

Flames defenceman Cory Sarich missed practice, but Head Coach Brent Sutter said it was only a maintenance day, so he’ll be good to for the game on Sunday.

I’ll be on the ground Saturday and Sunday, and depending on internet access, I’ll try and bring as much coverage as possible to FlamesNation.