For Boston, outdoor hockey has become a common occurrence over the last decade, beginning at Fenway Park and the club's first Winter Classic appearance against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010. Since then, the Bruins have also played in the 2016 Winter Classic against Montreal at Gillette Stadium, the 2019 Winter Classic against Chicago at Notre Dame Stadium, and the 2021 NHL Outdoor at Lake Tahoe against the Flyers.
"It's my fifth [outdoor] game and I'm still looking forward to [Monday]," said Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron. "But also, you look at it on the calendar, it splits the year in half a little bit. It's one game. It's a special game. Excited and happy to be here.
"It's great memories for all of us. It's something you look back after and one of those events that's up there on the list. It really is a lot of fun. It's special. When you think about Fenway Park and the history and all that, being able to be there in that ballpark."
While the Bruins have become used to taking part in these types of events, they know that they should hardly be taken for granted.
"These are great experiences for everybody. For [the families] to be a part of it as well is special. It's a very unique experience. We've been fortunate to be a part of multiple now but you never know if you're gonna have another one…it's very special. Everyone has a lot of fun," said Brad Marchand, who is set for his third career outdoor game.
"It's amazing. I've had a couple outdoor games. Those are very special," added David Pastrnak, who will also be suiting up for his third outdoor game. "The full couple days you have your family in town, and it brings you back to [being] a kid, skating out there.
"Especially here in Boston, you're gonna have the home fans so I'm very excited for [Monday]…two great teams that's had a lot of success in their history. Should be a good matchup."
