Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban will wear personalized skates against the Boston Bruins at the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., and then raffle them for charity.

The special Winter Classic skates will have Subban's No. 76 on the sides, and the pump near the top of the skate will have a No. 4 on it to commemorate Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau, who died last year. Subban and Beliveau became close before Beliveau's death.

MONTREAL -- It's difficult to put too much weight on a regular-season game a week into December, but considering the stage the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens will be on the next time they play each other, this was a big one.

The Bruins and Canadiens played each other for the final time before the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1, when the historic rivals will face each other in front of nearly 70,000 fans at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The Bruins came to Bell Centre having lost their past seven regular-season games against the Canadiens, and Wednesday was their last chance to enter the Winter Classic with somewhat of a clean slate.

Down 1-0 and being outshot 26-14 by the Canadiens through two periods, it wasn't looking like the Bruins would be able to pull it off.

But then captain Zdeno Chara whacked a puck out of the air during a penalty kill to spring Loui Eriksson for a breakaway goal, Landon Ferraro scored the go-ahead goal 42 seconds later, and the streak was history.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban's mindset when he takes the ice Wednesday likely will be focused on defeating the Boston Bruins at Bell Centre (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, RDS).

Forgive Subban, though, if perhaps during warmups, or at some point during the game, his mind wanders to the next time the Bruins and Canadiens are scheduled to play.

Subban, you see, has a scenario in his head for the afternoon of Jan. 1 at Gillette Stadium, site of the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between his Canadiens and the Bruins. He's been thinking about it since the day the NHL announced which teams would be playing in this season's Winter Classic.

NEW YORK – With just one month until the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, the countdown to the much-anticipated rivalry game between the Boston Bruins® and Montreal Canadiens® on New Year's Day at Gillette Stadium has begun. The event will be broadcast live nationally on NBC in the U.S. and on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada at 1 p.m. ET.

Two of the NHL's storied franchises, the Bruins and Canadiens have faced off against each other more than any other two teams in NHL history. When these long-time rivals meet on Jan. 1, Boston will become the first Club to host the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® for a second time, after defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in overtime of the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® at Fenway Park. It will mark the first time the Canadiens will play in the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, and just the second time a Canadian-based NHL team will participate in the event, following the Toronto Maple Leafs' appearance in 2014.

Fans of all ages are invited to the free festival on Thursday, Dec. 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET prior to the NHL Winter Classic Alumni Game and on Friday, Jan. 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET before the Bruins and Canadiens face off in the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®. With support from NHL partners, the 2016 NHL Winter Classic Spectator Plaza will feature interactive hockey-themed attractions; live music; prizes and giveaways; food and beverages; and retail locations with an extensive selection of officially licensed 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® merchandise and collectibles.

The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens announced their rosters for the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic alumni game, which will be played Dec. 31, 2015 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The regular-season game featuring these same two teams playing at the home of the New England Patriots, will take place the following day, Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVAS).

The alumni game will feature more than 40 former NHL players and coaches including several Hall of Famers on each team.

Ray Bourque, who played 21 seasons with the Bruins and holds the franchise record for points (1,506) and current Bruins president Cam Neeley will be among the Boston alumni. Other players include Mark Recchi, Glen Wesley, Hal Gill and Al Iafrate.

NEW YORK - The National Hockey League, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens today jointly released the current rosters for the 2016 NHL Winter Classic™ Alumni Game. The game, which will be played outdoors by greats from both Original Six™ franchises, will take place Thursday, Dec. 31, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.

More than 40 former players and coaches are scheduled to participate in the renewal of this legendary rivalry in this unique outdoor setting. Those returning for the Bruins include Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, Terry O'Reilly and more; Don Cherry and Mike Milbury will serve as Boston's coaches. Yvan Cournoyer, Jacques Demers and Guy Lafleur lead the Canadiens alumni with a roster that includes Larry Robinson, Guy Carbonneau, Jose Theodore and Mats Naslund, among many other notable names.

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens on Friday unveiled the jersey they'll be wearing against the Boston Bruins for the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Jan. 1.

Montreal captain Max Pacioretty, defenseman P.K. Subban and right wing Brendan Gallagher modeled the white inversion of the Canadiens classic red jersey with the familiar blue band encircling the chest.

Subban, renowned throughout the NHL as a man of style, gave the Canadiens' newest fashion a rave review ahead of their first Winter Classic appearance.

"It's got to be one of the highest ratings, for sure," Subban said. "This is such a special event, it's such a special game, and the message to the players is to enjoy it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins, hosts of the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, on Saturday unveiled the jersey they'll be wearing against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 1 at Gillette Stadium.

In front of a couple thousand season-ticket holders, president Cam Neely presented captain Zdeno Chara, goaltender Tuukka Rask and center David Krejci in the black jerseys with gold stripes on the sleeves.

The Bruins are the first team to host the Winter Classic twice. For the 2010 game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park, the Bruins wore brown and gold as a tribute to their original colors. Each part of the jersey honored a different era in franchise history. This time around, the Bruins wanted to honor their roots.

NEW YORK -- Premium TV network EPIX and the National Hockey League (NHL) today announced that EPIX Presents Road To The NHL Winter Classic™ will be returning to the channel and will make its U.S. television premiere Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 10pm ET/PT, 9C. The weekly series, consisting of four one-hour episodes, will focus on the heated rivalry between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens as they prepare for the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. on New Year's Day 2016. This will be the second year that EPIX and the NHL® team up for this all-access look inside the lives of these elite professional athletes, their families and their fans. In addition, U.S. hockey fans will be able to stream each episode of EPIX Presents Road To The NHL Winter Classic™ live as it premieres on EPIX via EPIX.com and NHL.com.