Well, here's the moment hockey fans and sports fans around the world have been waiting for. The 2010 NHL Winter Classic will be played inside Boston's historic Fenway Park tomorrow afternoon at 1 o'clock. Weather will most definitely be a factor in tomorrow's game but hopefully not enough to bring a postponement into effect.
The Boston Bruins (20-12-7) will host conference rivals Philadelphia Flyers (19-18-2) in this years outdoor game. Back in the day the Big Bad Bruins saw more of the Broad Street Bullies when both teams were battling for the Stanley Cup in the 70's. In that decade both teams would raise Lord Stanley's Cup twice. Times have changed, changing the game, organizations, and rosters.
The Flyers who have been trying to reshape their squad this year and years in the past brought in some big names to strengthen a playoff run. Forwards Jeff Carter and Mike Richards both 2003 draft picks by Philly have now become the leaders and face of the squad along side guys like Daniel Briere, Chris Pronger, and Simon Gagne who has had trouble staying healthy. One of the most talked about moves was the acquisitions of goaltender Ray Emery. Emery, who played in Russia last year after parting from Ottawa, returned to the NHL with as much as potential as he left with. He has been out since early December and although he won't be playing in the Winter Classic, Emery might be the key to a Flyers playoff run.
Last night the Bruins owned the Atlanta Thrashers inside the TD Garden beating them 4-0. Tuukka Rask got the start for the B's and stopped 18 shots to receieve his second shutout of the season. It was good to see the Bruins take control of a complete game and essentially winning each period. Both Boston and Philadelphia will get their respective practice time inside of Fenway today. It is expected that the B's will keep the intensity they showed last night and need to bring it to the ice tomorrow afternoon.
The Boston Bruins looked very similar to the explosive team we all watched last year take the regular season Eastern Conference title. It has been a bumpy season so far for the B's but it looks like the season is on a path to victory. Boston has been under the spotlight since the success of last season and it is just now energizing the roster to play harder. Patrice Bergeron has been the man of the year so far tallying 11 goals giving him the team-leading 30 points. Unfortunately crowd favorite Milan Lucic will not be on the ice for tomorrow's Winter Classic due to his high-ankle sprain. Lucic's timetable for return is still not determined but his recovery is moving smoothly allowing him to skate on the ice.
The game should be a good indicator for the direction of the B's as the season progresses, as they try to continue their solid play and we should also see just how well they rise to the occasion on the biggest of stages.
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