For a lot of hockey fans, the novelty of watching outdoor hockey has worn off since the NHL introduced the Winter Classic in 2008. But for many players, playing at an outdoor arena is a nostalgic breath of fresh air in the middle of a grueling season.
In a sit down with Bridgestone, Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand said he was excited to be heading back outdoors when the B’s take on the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium on New Year’s Day.
“There’s a lot of big games throughout the year,” Marchand said. “The Bridgestone Winter Classic, that will probably top them all. To be able to be at that stadium (Notre Dame) in front of the amount of fans that will be there, playing outside against Chicago, it will be an incredible experience.”
Marchand also talked about how the Winter Classic takes him back to his youth.
“Play your whole life on the lakes and outside during the winter time so you’re just trying to get out there and have some fun and play some hockey,” Marchand added. “To be able to replicate that in the NHL, there’s nothing better than that. Having the opportunity to play in the Bridgestone Winter Classic, it’s going to bring us back to those days where we’re out on the pond, where we’re out on the lakes for hours on end with our buddies playing until dark and finding ways to hook up lights so you could play at night time.
“Shooting the pucks down the ice and you would have to skate five minutes just to go get it back. You would have these big snow banks that you would hit each other into and you would get up all covered in snow. Those are just incredible experiences that we can’t get enough of.”
