Bruins Deliver Classic

I’ll be the first to admit, I was worried. Worried that a failure to deliver the goods on New Year’s Day would result in a backlash of negative media attention on the Bruins. That the progress this organization made last year in terms of winning back fans and earning a place at the table of the Boston sports scene would all be undone by an afternoon of failed scoring chances and lackluster physical play. But on the NHL’s biggest stage the Bruins delivered.

You knew the setting was going to be surreal. But the Bruins really outdid themselves with the presentation. My personal pre-game highlights: the backyard style rink in right field, Claude Julien’s old school Biltmore hat and varsity jacket. The low, slow, UFO-like fly-by of the Stealth Bomber, the Dropkick Murphy’s Shipping up to Boston, and of course, watching Bobby Orr’s #4 climbing out of the tunnel and heading out onto the ice to face-off with Bobby Clarke (who won the draw but couldn’t pick up the puck! Haha).

The game was played fast and hard and nobody in my section sat down from start to finish. I was happy to see the Bruins match the Flyers physical game (for the first time this season), but you could see and hear the natives getting restless when 50 minutes had passed without a hometown goal. Then a funny thing happened: Sweet Caroline. It seemed to catch the players and fans off guard and it absolutely picked up the spirit of the crowd. The final 10 minutes and overtime were as thrilling as it gets. Both sides had chances. Thomas was brilliant. Bergeron was brilliant. And history was made.
The next day, the headline on the front page of the Boston Globe read:

Grand Slam on Ice

Bruin’s overtime thriller at Fenway a reminder of how the game- and the city- used to be.

A reminder of how the city used to be… In my opinion, that’s what was at stake here. This event has the power to influence the masses. Last year’s Winter Classic was the most watched hockey game in 33 years. And with the Bruins delivering the way they did, Friday’s Classic will most assuredly bring fans back to B’s. Already, talk shows are abuzz with talk of the event and pleas from callers for more regular hockey talk. At work and on the street, Sox fans, Patriot fans, Celtic fans all wanted to talk about Thornton’s scrap, Bergeron’s pass and Thomas’ crazy goaltending.

People are talking about the Bruins again, and if this team gives us something to cheer for in the Spring, the Winter Classic won’t just be a reminder of how the city used to be… it’ll be the launching point for making this city a hockey town again.