O'Ree, Julien have big night in Boston

The Boston Bruins paid tribute to one of the NHL's trailblazers on Wednesday, and he appreciated every second of it.
Willie O'Ree, who became the first black player in the NHL 60 years ago Thursday, was celebrated all day long by the Bruins on the eve of his anniversary. The day started with the Bruins and the city of Boston announcing that a new street hockey rink bearing his name would open this summer near the team's practice facility, thanks in part to a $100,000 contribution from the NHL. Bruins fans then got their chance to celebrate O'Ree when he took part in a
ceremonial puck drop
before Boston's 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens.

NHL.com Staff Writer Amalie Benjamin was there for
O'Ree's big night
.
O'REE INTERVIEW

Julien's big return

Canadiens coach Claude Julien also got
a nice tribute
from the folks at TD Garden. Julien, who coached the Bruins for 10 seasons and brought the Stanley Cup to Boston in 2011 for the first time since 1972, was back in town for the first time since being fired by the Bruins last Feb. 7 and hired by Montreal a week later. The outcome wasn't what he was hoping for, but it was a special moment nonetheless.

Battle of the birds

The Pittsburgh Penguins made it interesting late in the third period, but the Anaheim Ducks did enough to hold off the defending Stanley Cup Champions for
a 5-3 win
. The Ducks scored four goals in the second period, their highest-scoring period of the season.

Sharks circling

The San Jose Sharks are back in the top 10 of
NHL.com's Super 16
, and their red-hot power play is a big reason why. Speaking of heat, watch out for the Calgary Flames.

Battle of the best

The League-leading Tampa Bay Lightning are back from their five-day break, and waiting for them on Thursday is the team with the best record in the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights. Read what the
Lightning had to say
about success of the NHL's newest team.

Just like Ovi?

Auston Matthews is in his second NHL season, and a look at the statistics shows the Toronto Maple Leafs forward may be on the same career path as Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin. The two will face off against each other in the 2018 Coors Lite Stadium Series on March 3, but why wait to see how Matthews stacks up to Ovechkin after 118 NHL games? NHL.com correspondent Rob Vollman takes
a deep dive into the numbers
.

Capital threads

Speaking of the Stadium Series,
check out the uniforms
Ovechkin and his teammates will be wearing in the outdoor game at the United States Naval Academy.