Winter Classic fan fest brings Penguins, Bruins supporters together

BOSTON --The NHL on TNT and B/R Open Ice Breakaway was already a hit before the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins played the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston on Monday.

Then "Sweet Caroline," the song by Neil Diamond that famously plays during Boston Red Sox games, came through the speakers. A crowd of about 3,000 in the Brookline Lot across from the iconic ballpark, some fans of the Boston Bruins and others of the Pittsburgh Penguins, became one large choir decked in black and yellow.
"It's the way it should be," said Ammie Boucher, a Bruins fan from Westminster, Massachusetts. "It's the way it should be. Sports fans should unite, win lose or draw. We're all sports fans just having a good time."
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Boucher and Melissa McDonald, two friends from Westminster, Massachusetts, had just taken the stage to toss swag to fans awaiting country music artist Sam Hunt. Others took part in spelling bees, trivia contests and costume contests.
Ed Romaine, head of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) sports, said the activities, the entertainment and the food made available were all designed to create an environment that could make all hockey fans feel welcome.
"We're making sure we're appealing to younger fans while also getting our core fans here," Romaine said. "I got to drive by the venue at like 8:30 (a.m. ET) and there was already a line of fans wrapped around the corner, which was awesome. When you're doing a sports city like Boston and you're doing it next to something as iconic as Fenway, I know people are going to show up.
"I felt good going in, but having the teams (from WBD) see the things they fabricate come to life, it feels really good. Then, it feels good to see people come and enjoy it."

Several hockey-themed activities dotted the outside perimeter.
A 20-foot air hockey table was the primary destination in the upper-left corner of the Brookline Lot. The "Sin Bin Challenge" brought quite a few spectators to one corner, watching as participants struggled to down four chicken tenders coated in B/R Open Ice 'Hot as Puck' hot sauce in one minute. A mold of Bruins forward David Pastrnak made entirely of pasta was a prominent topic of discussion.
Concessions included Fenway Franks, representing Boston, and pierogies, representing Pittsburgh.
Lines were long. None compared to the one leading to the Stanley Cup, sitting near the back for photo opportunities.
"We got to see the Stanley Cup, which was the most epic experience of my life," said AJ Joy, a Bruins fan from East Providence, Rhode Island, who won a costume contest while wearing a coat fashioned as a brown bear. "That was pretty awesome."
Joy predicted a 1-0 Bruins victory in the Winter Classic. Jack Reagan, a Penguins fan from Palm Beach, Florida, said it would be a close Pittsburgh victory. They might not agree on the outcome, but each did say the fan event produced a positive vibe.
"Everyone's been so nice to us, Penguins fan or Bruins fan," Reagan said. "It's just a great atmosphere. Everyone just wants to see a good hockey game."
Whether in the crowded parking lot, or watching from home on TNT, Romaine said the goal was to energize hockey fans. In that, he said it was a success.
"Even if you're not here on the ground, you get the spirit of it from the broadcast elements that we have," Romaine said. "It's a special event."