4 Nations Face-Off Fan Village in Boston 'phenomenal' experience

BOSTON -- City Hall Plaza has been the backdrop for several championship celebrations, including the Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics and New England Patriots.

Now, this iconic landmark is hosting a different kind of experience for hockey fans when the 4 Nations Face-Off Fan Village opened Saturday. It’s a three-day, non-ticketed festival open to the public from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Monday. The event, sponsored by the NHL and NHL Players' Association, will treat fans to a hockey-themed experience. Despite temperatures in the low-30s on Saturday, City Hall Plaza was jammed with fans.

Shay Monahan, 11, of Westwood, Massachusetts, showcased one of the biggest smiles of the day while he had his photo taken with the Stanley Cup for the first time.

“It was great,” he said. “It’s amazing.”

Shay plays youth hockey and was sporting a David Pastrnak Bruins sweater as he stood with his father, Dave.

“It was worth the wait," Dave Monahan said. "This is fantastic. We didn’t know the Cup was going to be here.”

After visiting with the Stanley Cup, the father-son duo couldn’t wait to experience the rest of the Fan Village exhibits.

“This is phenomenal,” Dave Monahan said of the entire 4 Nations Face-Off experience. “Watching the games, it feels like playoff hockey. Watching All-Star games, players are going half-speed and not going all-out, but when the players buy into it, you can’t beat it. It’s like the Olympics and it’s been fantastic. It’s great for the game and showcases the best talent at a high level of hockey. It’s been fun to watch.”

Fans continued to zip through the line for the Stanley Cup, sporting all kinds of hockey jerseys, including college, professional and international as they stood next to the Cup. As one fan exited the line, she said, “I don’t feel worthy.” Another said, “Feels weird to touch it.”

Tom Erick, Marissa Ander and James Nazareth, all friends from Calgary, decided to make the trek to Boston for this tournament.

“This is super cool,” Nazareth said. “A friend sent me a list of what was happening at the Fan Village, so a chance to see the Cup, we had to check it out. We came early and there wasn’t a huge line, which is great for right now because it’s going to get bigger. (Seeing) the Cup was awesome, but we didn’t touch it. Some people touched it, but we didn’t.”

Erick is a huge sports fan, and even though he had to explain the concept of the 4 Nations Face-Off to his friend, Nazareth didn’t want to miss the opportunity to experience it. So they purchased tickets for the Canada vs. Finland game at TD Garden on Monday (1 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

“What’s good to see is that the players actually care,” Erick said. “I was worried they would treat it more like an All-Star game, but when (Sweden defenseman) Rasmus Dahlin knocked over (Canada center Connor) McDavid (in Game 1), I was like, ‘OK, this is actually hockey.’

Craig Schneider, of Newton, Massachusetts, and his son, Ben, had their photo taken with the Cup while sporting replica 1980 Team USA jerseys. Fittingly, they wore Jim Craig and Buzz Schneider jerseys.

“The Fan Village has been really fun,” Craig Schneider said. “We loved the scavenger hunt. It was engaging and motivated us to go to every single booth.”

As far as the tournament, Ben Schneider has watched every game.

“It’s exciting we get best-on-best hockey because that is rare compared to other sports,” he said. “The rivalries are definitely good for the sport and great for Boston that we get to host as well.”

Kevin Pappone, of Brockton, Massachusetts, stood out among the thousands of hockey fans at Fan Village. He was sporting a Bruins hat and a Connor McDavid Edmonton Oilers sweater, a rare combination in this area of the NHL world. He spent time enjoying the Upper Deck exhibit, in which fans can receive a personalized 4 Nations Face-Off trading card from the exclusive partner of the NHL. Upper Deck is also giving fans an opportunity to win prizes and collect digital trading cards that allows users to buy, open, collect and trade with hockey fans around the world.

“I think it’s awesome,” said Pappone, who was enjoying the entire experience with his wife, Karen, and daughter, Nicole. “I’m a huge card collector, so I loved the Upper Deck exhibit. It’s just fun. It’s a good time.”

As far as his McDavid jersey in Boston, Pappone said with a smile: “This guy is unbelievable; how can you not root for him? We went to the All-Star game in Florida a few years ago and that’s where it started. I’m a huge fan.”

Among the 20 exhibits located at City Hall Plaza, NHL STREET is a popular destination, especially for kids; in the first hour of operation late Saturday morning, more than 100 children participated in the street hockey experience presented by Jersey Mike’s. In partnership with RCX Sports, NHL STREET provides fun ball hockey for ages 6 to 16 and will operate skills and drills programming during the 4 Nations Face-Off Fan Village.

“We’re trying to create some additional awareness for NHL STREET for the greater Boston area and New England overall,” said Tom Garavaglia of RCX Sports. “NHL STREET is all about access in every sense of the word. Whether that’s equipment, or financially, or locations, that’s what NHL STREET is all about. You don’t need the typical standard things when you think about ice hockey. You don’t need a real rink. Of our 150-plus operators throughout North America, the vast majority play their games in parking lots. That’s how you create access to it, bring it to where people don’t have those typical resources.”

Suddenly, there was a buzz coming from the Verizon exhibit. Former Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was in attendance, taking photos and signing autographs with fans. Rask, who represented Finland during several international events, including the Olympics and World Cup of Hockey, visited with fans while Saturday’s rivalry game between Finland and Sweden -- won by Finland 4-3 in overtime -- was broadcast on the large screen at City Hall Plaza.

“It’s awesome for the game,” Rask said of the 4 Nations Face-Off. “I did have a chance to watch the first game, and the hype was real, and the hockey’s pretty good. It looks like the guys are trying and want to win, so that’s good.”