There couldn't have been a more fitting way to start the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park on Monday. In a mini-hockey rink/baseball diamond, the all-time great Boston Bruins defenseman took the pitcher's mound/face-off dot with a hockey stick, delivering what could be classified a snap shot of a first pitch right into the awaiting mitt of former Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek.
That moment, in itself, was special before the Bruins played the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the history that stood on that small sheet of ice, in the shadow of the famed Green Monster, elevated it further.
Orr won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 1970 and 1972, being named Conn Smythe Trophy winner at playoff MVP each time. He won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP three straight seasons (1969-70 to 1971-72), the Art Ross Trophy as the League leader in points twice (1969-70, 1974-75) and the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman eight times in a row (1967-68 to 1974-75).
"I saw him out there," Bruins forward Nick Foligno said. "You know, he is a good Northern Ontario guy. So we gave a little head nod. He's from Parry Sound just south of Sudbury where I'm from. So it's great to see him.
"I mean, he's such a legend and a great man and it's awesome to see him."
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Before his first pitch, Orr stood between Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron. Crosby has won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017); Bergeron won it in 2011.
Between those three, the history was already palpable.
Add to it the presence of former Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara and former forward Johnny Bucyk. Chara spent 14 of his 24 NHL seasons with Boston before retiring after playing for the New York Islanders last season. Bucyk played 23 seasons in the NHL from 1955-1978, his final 21 coming with the Bruins.
And that's just the hockey history.
Varitek played each of his 15 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Red Sox, being named an All-Star three times and winning the World Series twice (2004 and 2007).
Tim Wakefield, a pitcher who played for the Red Sox from 1995-2011, represented Boston but also provided a bit of Pittsburgh flavor. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1988, playing his first two seasons with them in 1992 and 1993.
The Bruins and Penguins were introduced in the fashion of an Opening Day or All-Star baseball game, lining the small rink's first and third baselines respectively. In the middle of those two teams, ready to play in one of the NHL's marquee events, stood greats from two different sports.
Orr. Crosby. Bergeron. Chara. Bucyk. Varitek. Wakefield.
Play ball.
NHL.com staff writer Amalie Benjamin contributed to this report
