FOXBORO, Mass. — Patrice Bergeron is one of four remaining players from the Boston Bruins team that played in the 2010 Winter Classic against the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park.
The Bruins will host the NHL’s marquee outdoor event again on Jan. 1 — this time against the longtime rival Montreal Canadiens in the 2016 Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium — and Bergeron can’t wait.
“It’s going to be something special,” Bergeron said after Wednesday’s Winter Classic press conference at Gillette Stadium. “There’s lot of history, just by seeing Yvan Cournoyer, Ray Bourque and Cam Neely on stage today. You can tell with the talent but also how much it means to be a Bruin or a Canadien and the rivalry between the two teams. It’s definitely going to be something very special to be a part of again.”
Bergeron and the Bruins haven’t fared too well against the Canadiens over the last few seasons. However, they are 1-0 in Winter Classic games, thanks to Marco Sturm’s overtime goal against the Flyers, which Bergeron set up with a brilliant pass.
“We had something that I’ll never forget,” Bergeron said of the 2010 Winter Classic victory. “I have great memories, and definitely a great way to finish a game, especially outdoors like we did, at home. Hopefully we have the same outcome this time.”
— NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that an all-access show spotlighting the Winter Classic participants will return. Bettman said the show “will be an essential part of this event again,” although he didn’t give any other details.
When asked about the all-access show, Bergeron joked “I’ll be the guy hiding in the back.”
— Bruins defenseman Torey Krug, who played plenty of outdoor hockey in his youth as a Detroit Red Wings fan in Michigan, is excited to make his outdoor game debut as part of the NHL’s greatest rivalry.
“You look at college rivalries, Michigan-Michigan State ranks up there. In the NHL, our rivalry is the best,” Krug said. “For me personally, it’s an honor to be a part of those things and play on these stages like I have. It’s incredible, so you want to make the most of the opportunity that you can.”
— The Bruins have made a lot of roster changes since the end of the 2014-15 season, most notably with the departures of Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton, as well as the additions of Matt Beleskey and Kevin Hayes.
These moves will create a lot of internal competition during training camp and preseason come September.
“Going into the season, there’s some unknown,” Krug said. “With the guys that are (coming) in the locker room, guys don’t quite know each other on a personal level yet, but I think there’s a lot of excitement more than anything.
“There’s a lot of opportunity to be had by guys who are trying to make themselves in the league. and opportunities for guys to get a bigger role on the team and more ice time. It’s an exciting time for us, even though there are some unknowns. Guys are coming into camp ready to go, it’s been a long summer, too long for us, and I know guys are champing at the bit to get back.”
— The Bruins and Canadiens logos, as well as the 2016 Winter Classic event logo, were unveiled Wednesday. Boston’s logo is quite similar to the one used in the 1920s.
— The NHL received two expansion bids last week, one from Quebec City and another from Las Vegas. Just because two bids were submitted, there’s no guarantee two teams will be added, as Bettman was asked Wednesday if the league would consider expanding by only one team.
“That’s something we’ll have to consider in the process,” Bettman said. “Everybody’s asking us a lot of very good questions, but the reason you go through the process is so we can figure out the answers to those questions ourselves. We haven’t pre-judged anything.”
— The league currently is set up in two eight-team divisions in the Eastern Conference and two seven-team divisions in the Western Conference. I asked Bettman if it’s possible a Quebec City team could start in the West.
“It’s something we would have to consider,” Bettman said. “There are some logistical hurdles to that, but that’s not something we’re focused on yet. As I said before, when Winnipeg played in the Southeast, that wasn’t too terrific for those two years, and if you talk to Columbus and Detroit, they were very unhappy being in the West. The answer is we don’t know, because we haven’t looked at the issue. It’s premature, to say the least.”
— When asked if any more thought has been given to creating a CapGeek-type site run by the league, Bettman answered, “No.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
