Winnipeg sports news — the NHL and the Winnipeg Jets announced October 23 a $150,000 investment to build the Jets girls hockey legacy for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, headlined by a girls-only Learn to Play program in Winnipeg that is the first of its kind for girls aged 6 to 10 who are new to the game.
By Maplestime Sports Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | October 23, 2026
Sources: NHL.com: NHL and Winnipeg Jets Create 2026 Heritage Classic Legacy Project, NHL.com: Outdoor Fan Festival to Set Stage for Heritage Classic | Last updated: October 23, 2026
Key Takeaways
- The NHL and Winnipeg Jets announced a $150,000 NHL Unites Legacy Project investment tied to the 2026 Heritage Classic.
- The centerpiece is a girls-only Learn to Play program for ages 6 to 10, run with Jets Hockey Development, with an all-woman coaching staff and equipment support.
- The program launched September 2 with a welcome event for 40 girls and families at the hockey for all centre, including Bauer Canada equipment fittings.
- A $30,000 NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund grant and support for the Women’s Hockey Advancement Committee Fellowship are also included.
- The Jets girls hockey legacy project lands two days before Sunday’s Heritage Classic: Jets vs. Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium on October 25.
Inside the Jets girls hockey legacy Announcement
The $150,000 from the NHL Unites Legacy Project is aimed squarely at expanding opportunities for girls and women in hockey across Winnipeg and Manitoba. The headline piece is the girls-only Learn to Play program, the first of its kind in Winnipeg for young girls brand new to hockey. It comes with an all-woman coaching staff, equipment support and clear pathways into local minor hockey so the first skate is not the last one.
The program is already real. It launched September 2 with a welcome event at the hockey for all centre, where 40 girls and their families got Bauer Canada equipment fittings alongside Seattle Kraken’s Olivia LaRoche. The announcement also includes a $30,000 NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund grant and support for the Women’s Hockey Advancement Committee Fellowship.
Why It Matters in Winnipeg Right Now
Winnipeg knows hockey as well as any city on earth, but the girls’ side of the game has always run on scraps: hand-me-down ice times, borrowed equipment, too few coaches who look like them. A girls-only entry point with proper gear and an all-woman staff attacks the exact reasons young girls walk away from the sport before they ever really start.
There is also the matter of timing. Legacy projects attached to big games often evaporate the moment the tents come down. This one is already six weeks deep with 40 families in the room. If the NHL and the Jets keep showing up past Sunday’s puck drop, this stops being a photo op and starts being an institution.
Related: Hellebuyck’s Suspension Ends Friday as Jets Drop 3-2 to Hurricanes on Ehlers’ Return
Heritage Classic Weekend Details
The 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic pits the Winnipeg Jets against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, October 25 at Princess Auto Stadium, with an outdoor fan festival setting the stage. Expect the Jets girls hockey legacy programming to be woven through the weekend, since the league framed the entire investment around the Classic.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Jets girls hockey legacy project and the Heritage Classic as announcements are made.
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Forty girls in the room already. Will the Jets keep funding the Jets girls hockey legacy after the Heritage Classic tents come down, or is this another one-weekend story? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every hockey family in Winnipeg.
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