FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Before the NHL kicks off 2016 on Friday by adding another chapter to one of its oldest and most heated rivalries, it will cap 2015 with an event-filled New Year's Eve at Gillette Stadium.
The kickoff events to the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, which will be played on New Year's Day between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens (1 p.m. ET; NBC, TVA Sports, SN), include each team's practice, two exhibition games that could fill the stadium, and a party on the plaza outside the stadium.
The Bruins are scheduled to practice at Gillette Stadium at 11 a.m. ET. The Canadiens will begin their workout 90 minutes later.
Practice the day before the Winter Classic is essential to the players and coaches because it gives them a chance to learn the nuances of the ice and the quirks that stem from the unfamiliar sightlines they'll experience playing a game outside in a football stadium.
"You can't just get into this game without practice," said Bruins forward Max Talbot, who has played in two Winter Classic games (2011 and 2012). "It's such a different atmosphere with the wind, the weather and lighting. You have to find your bearings, so you have to take these two days, even the family skate [Wednesday], to get into the groove of everything."