"It's an incredible experience for players and their families," he said. "I've played in [three] outdoor games as an alum, and they're a lot of fun. Our games are a lot slower, but it's great."
Savard and Bourque grew up in Montreal and fondly remember honing their skills on the outdoor rinks there.
"We were out there every single day with our friends, meeting up after school, on weekends," Bourque said. "You were working on skills without even knowing it. You're just having fun with your buddies. It had so much to do with us becoming, I think, who we've become in terms of our careers playing hockey."
Savard said there was too many players and not enough outdoor rinks, so there would be three separate games played on one sheet of ice.
"Some nights, if you got there early enough, you'd get the nets. If you were late, you'd go cross-corner," Savard said. "We all had different colored jerseys, but I knew the four guys I played with and the five we played against. I say to everybody, that's where I learned how to play the game the real way, about skill, about playing with your head up, because you had to. There were games going on in all different directions."
The Bruins (21-14-4, 46 points) hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Blackhawks (15-20-6, 36 points) are seven points behind the Dallas Stars (20-16-3, 43 points) for the second wild card from the West.
"The game should be exciting," Savard said. "It's a great day for hockey. I know there have been a lot of [outdoor games], but I still think it's the place to go and the place to be, so it's exciting."
