Edmonton, Alberta ? Wayne Gretzky was the warmup act on a very cold day.

The NHL went outside for the first time in league history, and the Montreal Canadiens braved the elements well enough to beat the Edmonton Oilers, 4-3, Saturday night.

Jose Theodore, wearing a ski cap with a Canadiens logo on top of his mask, made 34 saves, and Yanic Perreault and Richard Zednik each scored two goals in the NHL’s first outdoor game, played in temperatures hovering around zero.

The regular-season game followed an old-timers contest that featured Gretzky and his fellow Oilers teammates who won several Stanley Cups, against a team of former Montreal Canadiens — including Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur.

Perreault and Zednik each scored in the second and third periods for Montreal. Theodore was strong in the first two periods, when he stopped 27 of 28 Oilers shots, allowing only a rebound jammed in by Eric Brewer for the defenseman’s first of the season.

Steve Staios had a goal and two assists, and Jarret Stoll added a goal and assist for Edmonton.

The all-day Heritage Classic celebrated the role of outdoor hockey in Canadian culture.

The temperature was 1 below at the start of the night game, and players sat on heated benches wearing special long underwear and ski caps beneath their helmets to cover their heads, ears and necks.

Theodore raced to the bench at commercial breaks to warm his catching glove and blocker hardened by the cold.

The Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens listen to the national anthem before playing the first outdoor game in NHL history. The Canadiens won, 4-3, Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.

In the stands, the 57,167 spectators — more than double the previous NHL record of 28,183 set April 23, 1996, in Tampa Bay — sat bundled in parkas, fleeces, snowsuits and even sleeping bags. They jumped up to do the wave a bit more than usual.

When Perreault scored his second early in the final period, some spectators headed home after six hours or more in the cold, despairing at the two-goal Oilers deficit. A late goal by Staios got the crowd cheering and dancing again, but Theodore held off Edmonton the rest of the way.

After a scoreless first period, the Canadiens connected on their first two shots of the second. Patrice Brisebois assisted on both goals.