Armstrong scored the first goal in Winter Classic history. On January 1, 2008, he gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a 1–0 lead 21 seconds into a game against the Buffalo Sabers at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. They won 2-1 on penalties.
Back then, the Winter Classic was a novelty.
“We had no idea what we were doing,” Armstrong said with a laugh.
Now?
The Winter Classic is a staple of the NHL calendar, a showcase to kick off the New Year, an event that feels fresh even in an old place it’s been before.
“It’s turned into a great big production that’s amazing,” Armstrong said. It gets crazier every year.
Monday’s game between the Penguins and Boston Bruins was the 14th Winter Classic and the second at Fenway Park, following the Bruins’ 2-1 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 1, 2010. It was the NHL’s 36th outdoor game since 2003
Yet it was unique, from the details around the stadium to the way the game unfolded. NHL.com experienced the spectacle from various vantage points around Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox since 1912.
First Period — Pavilion Box 7
These were probably the best seats in the house. On the upper deck down the first base line, they were around the red line, with a view of the rink below, the Green Monster in the background and the Citgo sign beyond.
The green monster looked different. It featured a huge Winter Classic logo. The manually operated scoreboard showed the standings for the Atlantic Division instead of the American League East, and the out-of-town results were from NHL games on Sunday and Monday with abbreviations such as NYR, SJS and VGK.
On a diamond-shaped rink in left field between the Green Monster and the game rink, the teams lined up in special homecoming uniforms. The Penguins honored the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh’s original NHL team. The Bruins have used a combination of looks over the years.
The Boston Pops played “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” in center field. Boston band Bell Biv DeVoe sang the national anthem as a massive American flag covered the Green Monster and two F-15 fighter jets flew over.
Finally, Bruins legend Bobby Orr did the ceremonial “puck pass” using a hockey stick to throw a puck to former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. The venue was packed with a sell-out crowd of 39,243.
“Just to be able to experience this with our home crowd, you know, Boston fans never disappoint,” Bruins forward Nick Foligno said.
Conditions were perfect for the game: 51 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly cloudy. It was cold enough for the ice, but comfortable for the fans.
“Let’s go, Bruins!” one set shouted.
“Let’s go, Pence!” shouted another set.
The sun came up, bathing the fans in the center seats in light, but stayed off the ice surface.
The first period ended 0-0.
Video: See the best moments from the Winter Classic
First Intermission — The Pesky Pole
Let’s face it: Fenway Park’s sights aren’t great in places, and that’s for baseball. As for hockey, fans couldn’t see much from the low rows near the Pesky Pole, the famous right-field foul pole 302 feet from home plate.
But these were the best seats to see The Black Keys play on the right field stage during the first intermission. The first song was “Howlin’ For You” and you had to howl to those lyrics.
“Throw the ball…
“To the stick…
“Spin and miss…
“And the hunter’s gauntlet struck two—”
Fans rocked out to “Gold on the Ceiling,” with nine members of the Boston Pops joining in, and “Wild Child.” Flames erupted from the stage. Fireworks went off in the air.
“Wild child…
“He made me run through the turnstiles…”
Second Period — The Red Seat
The most famous seat in Fenway Park is the “Red Seat”. In row 37 of section 42 in right field, seat 21 is red in honor of Ted Williams’ 502-foot home run off Detroit Tigers right fielder Fred Hutchinson on June 9, 1946, the longest homer in Fenway Park history.
Keegan Hickey, an 8-year-old hockey player from Quincy, Mass., sat in that seat Monday wearing Brad Marchand’s Bruins’ No. 63 jersey. He came with his father’s friend, Kevin Carthouse of Boston, who was wearing Charlie McAvoy’s Bruins jersey #73.
“That guy, he’s a great, great hockey player,” Carthouse said, looking at Hickey. “He’s going to play for the Bruins someday.
That’s the dream, especially on a day like this, which Carthouse said has “almost a World Series atmosphere.”
Carthouse once worked at Fenway Park as the catering director. He has been to four NHL outdoor games, including both Winter Classics at Fenway. Bruins and Red Sox season ticket holder and lives in the building above TD Garden, the Bruins’ regular home.
“Fenway Park is kind of the heart of Massachusetts, the heart of New England,” Carthouse said. “It’s where everything happens. It’s like Mecca. If people come to Boston, this is where they go first. It’s the No. 1 place in Boston.”
From The Red Seat you had a distant view of the end zone. You can see Kasperi Kapanen give the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 8:40 of the second period at the far end of the rink. You can hear the Boston Pops play the Fenway Park favorite “Sweet Caroline” and have fans sing along. You could see Wayne Gretzky walking down the sideline signing the Annoying Pillar, waving to the fans, giving a thumbs up.
The second period ended as the sun set, turning the sky pale blue and yellow. The Bruins trailed 1-0.
“They’ve been pretty good in the third period this year,” Carthouse said, “and they haven’t lost a home yet, so . . .”
Third Period — The Green Monster
Romantically, this was the place. The Green Monster is the defining feature of Fenway Park, a 37-foot-2 wall that stretches from the left-field foul line to left-center. Standing or sitting on top of it, you were on top of the landmark, on top of the world, and had a commanding view of everything else.
“You can’t beat that,” said Tim Van Nostrand, wearing a Bruins jacket in the standing room area around the red line. “If there was a price to put on that ticket, you’d never be able to put a price on it, because it’s the best experience you can have as a hockey fan or a fan of the history of this rink.”
Van Nostrand said he was born and raised in Charlestown, Massachusetts, but was actually “pretty much born and raised here.” He started going to Fenway Park as a kid and worked for the Red Sox as a security guard for a while. He is now a Bruins season ticket holder.
He attended the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park and returned again for the mix of baseball and hockey.
“In addition to being the most historic stadium in the world, you have the hockey fans here and the hockey culture and just the excitement of hockey,” he said. “It is unbelievable. It’s not something you can ever experience by watching on TV or reading articles about it. You have to be here to fully experience it.”
Jake DeBrusk tied the game 1-1 at 7:46 of the third, then gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead at 17:36. It was now dark, the stadium lights illuminating a stage to add to the long list of Fenway Park legends. The fans were celebrating, screaming, yelling, high-fiving.
After the final horn and the Bruins up 2-1, the Boston Pops played the same song the Red Sox play after wins, the Boston classic “Dirty Water.” The Bruins improved to 3-3-3 when trailing in the second, to 19-0-3 at home and to 29-4-4 overall, best in the NHL.
“I tell you,” Van Nostrand said. “This team is special this year. He is special.”
yes Priceless.
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