Fenway Park perfect host for Winter Classic between Bruins, Penguins

BOSTON -- Colby Armstrong walked through the standing room only area behind Pavilion Box 7 at Fenway Park moments before the opening ceremony of the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic on Monday.

Armstrong scored the first goal in Winter Classic history. On Jan. 1, 2008, he gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a 1-0 lead 21 seconds into the game against the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. They went on to win 2-1 in a shootout.

Back then, the Winter Classic was a novelty.

"We had no clue what we were doing," Armstrong said with a laugh.

Now?

The Winter Classic is a staple of the NHL calendar, a showcase to start the New Year, an event that feels fresh even in an old place it has been before.

"It's become this great big production that's amazing," Armstrong said. "Every year it gets crazier."

The game between the Penguins and the Boston Bruins on Monday was the 14th Winter Classic and the second at Fenway Park, after the Bruins' 2-1 overtime win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 1, 2010. It was the NHL's 36th outdoor game since 2003.

Yet it was unique, from the details around the stadium to the way the game unfolded. NHL.com experienced the spectacle from different vantage points around Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox since 1912.

First period -- Pavilion Box 7

These might have been the best seats in the house. In the upper deck down the first base line, they were at about the red line, with a view of the rink below, the Green Monster in the background and the Citgo sign beyond.

The Green Monster looked different. It featured a huge Winter Classic logo. The hand-operated scoreboard displayed the standings for the Atlantic Division instead of the American League East, and the out-of-town scores were from NHL games Sunday and Monday with abbreviations like NYR, SJS and VGK.

On a diamond-shaped rink in left field between the Green Monster and the game rink, the teams lined up in special throwback uniforms. The Penguins honored the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh's original NHL team. The Bruins used a blend of their looks over the years.

The Boston Pops played "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" in center field. The Boston group Bell Biv DeVoe sang the national anthem, as a massive American flag covered the Green Monster and two F-15 fighter jets flew over.

Finally, Bruins legend Bobby Orr made the ceremonial "puck pitch," using a hockey stick to shoot a puck at former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. The place was packed with a sellout crowd of 39,243.

"Just to be able to experience this with our home crowd, you know, Boston fans never disappoint," Bruins forward Nick Foligno said.

The conditions were perfect at face-off: 51 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly cloudy. It was cold enough for the ice, yet comfortable for the fans.

"Let's go, Bruins!" one set yelled.

"Let's go, Pens!" another set yelled.

The sun came out, bathing the fans in the center field seats in light but staying off the ice surface.

The first period ended 0-0.

First intermission -- The Pesky Pole

Let's face it: The sightlines at Fenway Park aren't great in places, and that's for baseball. For hockey, the fans couldn't see much from the low rows near the Pesky Pole, the famous right field foul pole 302 feet from home plate.

But these were the best seats to see The Black Keys play on stage in right field during the first intermission. The first song was "Howlin' For You," and you had to howl for these lyrics.

"Throw the ball …

"To the stick …

"Swing and miss …

"And catcher's mitt strike two …"

The fans rocked for "Gold on the Ceiling," with nine members of the Boston Pops joining in, and "Wild Child." Flames shot up from the stage. Fireworks shot into the air.

"Wild child …

"You got me running through the turnstile …"

Second period -- The Red Seat

The most famous seat at Fenway Park is "The Red Seat." In Row 37 of Section 42 in rightfield, Seat 21 is red to commemorate the 502-foot home run Ted Williams hit off Detroit Tigers righthander Fred Hutchinson on June 9, 1946, the longest homer in Fenway Park history.

Keegan Hickey, an 8-year-old hockey player from Quincy, Massachusetts, sat in that seat Monday, wearing a No. 63 Brad Marchand Bruins jersey. He came with his father's friend, Kevin Karthaus of Boston, who wore a No. 73 Charlie McAvoy Bruins jersey.

"This guy, he's a great, great hockey player," Karthaus said, looking at Hickey. "He's going to play for the Bruins someday."

That's the dream, especially on a day like this, which Karthaus said had "almost like a World Series vibe."

Karthaus once worked at Fenway Park as a catering director. He has been to four NHL outdoor games, including both Winter Classics at Fenway. A season-ticket holder for the Bruins and the Red Sox, and he lives in the building above TD Garden, the Bruins' usual home.

"Fenway Park is, like, the heart of Massachusetts, the heart of New England," Karthaus said. "This is where everything happens. This is, like, the Mecca. If people come to Boston, this is where they visit first. This is the No. 1 spot in Boston."

From The Red Seat, you had a distant end-zone view. You could see Kasperi Kapanen give the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 8:40 of the second period at the far end of the rink. You could hear the Boston Pops play the Fenway Park favorite "Sweet Caroline" and the fans sing along. You could see Wayne Gretzky walk along the edge of the field, signing the Pesky Pole, waving at fans, giving thumbs up.

The second period ended as the sun set, turning the sky pale blue and yellow. The Bruins trailed, 1-0.

"They've been pretty good in the third period this year," Karthaus said, "and they haven't lost a home yet, so …"

Third period -- The Green Monster

Romantically, this was the spot. The Green Monster is the defining feature of Fenway Park, a 37-foot-2 wall that stretches from the left field foul pole to left center. Standing or sitting on top of it, you were on top of the landmark, on top of the world, and had a commanding view of everything else.

"You couldn't beat this," Tim Van Nostrand said, wearing a Bruins jacket in the standing room area at about the red line. "If there was a price to put on this ticket, you would never be able to put a limit on it, because this is the best experience you could ever have as a hockey fan or a fan of just history of this ballpark."

Van Nostrand said he was born and raised in Charlestown, Massachusetts, but really was "pretty much born and raised here." He started going to Fenway Park as a kid and worked for the Red Sox in security for a time. He is now a Bruins season-ticket holder.

He attended the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park, and he came back again for the blend of baseball and hockey.

"Apart from it being the most historic ballpark in the world, you have the hockey fans and the hockey culture and just the excitement of hockey here," he said. "It's unbelievable. It's nothing you can ever experience watching on TV or reading articles about it. You have to be here to experience this fully."

Jake DeBrusk tied the game 1-1 at 7:46 of the third, then gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead at 17:36. By now, it was dark, the stadium lights illuminating a scene to add to the long list of Fenway Park lore. The fans celebrated, hooting, hollering, high-fiving.

After the final horn and the Bruins had won 2-1, the Boston Pops played the same song the Red Sox play after wins, the Boston classic "Dirty Water." The Bruins improved to 3-3-3 when trailing after the second, to 19-0-3 at home and to 29-4-4 overall, best in the NHL.

"I'm telling you," Van Nostrand said. "This team is special this year. It's special."

Yep. Priceless.