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Thread: A Great Start to 2016

  
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    A Great Start to 2016

    For the 8th time the NHL held the Winter Classic on January 1st and this time it featured one of the most storied rivalry in hockey as the Boston Bruins took on the Montreal Canadiens at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. There had been rumours for quite a while that the two arch rivals would face-off in a Winter Classic but when the official announcement was made in January 2015 that this match-up would finally take place at the Patriots' stadium I couldn't resist the urge to attend. To make sure that I wouldn't miss out I pre-booked with Ręve Sportif (https://www.revesportif.com ), a travel agency in Quebec City which specializes in organized sports trips and who always had tickets for the various Winter Classics in the past. I highly recommend them if you live in Quebec and like attending sporting events, they are the best out there. My package included the travel there and back by bus, a night at the hotel, ticket for the game as well as everything you need for a good tailgate (i.e. food and alcohol). We got to Boston early in the morning of December 31st and we had some time to look around town. As it was my first time in that town, the first thing I wanted to do was visit TD Garden. Yes, I am a Habs fan but the Garden remains the home of an original 6 team and even though I hate the said team, it's still a respected franchise and I figured it was worth a look.

    The 20 year old TD Garden is a pretty impressive arena I must say, not only does it house a few artefacts from the city's sports team but it is also intimidating. I'm not sure what it is about that place, maybe it's the black and gold colours of the seats around the rink or just the emotions that remain there of all the games played but I swear I felt a little claustrophobic. The tour guide did a fairly good job of telling us about the Bruins' history and told us all about Bobby Orr and THAT goal as well as the fact that the net in which he scored it was stollen by a couple of fans who returned it some 30 years later so that it could be properly displayed like a piece of history should be. It was also great to hear all about the players who had their numbers retired there not that the Habs are short on that front but it's always good to learn about other teams. A section of the arena as giant pictures of all those who have received this honour and seeing Bourque and Neely up there reminded me how much I loved to hate them growing up. The truly gut wrenching moment though was coming face to face with yet another giant picture that one of Chara lifting the cup in 2011. As some of you may remember, that year, the Bruins beat the Habs in overtime of game 7 in round one on their way to Lord Stanley's mug and that sill hurts. However, it is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words and that one really demonstrates it. There is so much emotion depicted in Chara's face as he lifts the cup and screams at the top of his lungs, it literally looks like the cry of the warrior. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I recommend that any sports fan who visit Boston take an hour of their time to visit the Garden.

    That being said, it in no way matched the amazing experience that was attending the Winter Classic. As we got closer to Gillette Stadium that morning, traffic came to a standstill which is too be expected when you're getting nearer the set of an event which over 67,000 people are trying to get to. When we were finally able to park the bus we were let loose on what can only be described as the biggest tailgate I've ever seen. Of course, the majority of those in attendance were Bruins' fans as the game was being played in their backyard so to speak. Montreal Canadiens fans who travelled down from Quebec had a roughly 6 to 7 hours long drive to get there, needless to say it wasn't everyone who had the means and the time to make it down there. As soon as we got out, my first order of business was to storm the Patriots Pro Shop for souvenirs. The way there and back to the tailgate was so crowded that it took us an hour and we barely had time to eat at the tailgate. We did however experience some friendly ribbing from Bruins fans all the way there and back. I say friendly because that's what most of it was even if we did receive some less than classy comments, but that was the exception and not the rule. We even started a “Go Habs go!” chant in the middle of a pack of Bruins fans and we lived to tell the tale. Once we'd stuff ourselves with a couple of burgers and beers, there was an hour left till face off and it was high time to make our way to our seats, getting there and through security took us half an hour, by the way, if you're not familiar with NFL stadiums regulations, be aware that bags and purses are prohibited and that if you want to get a bag into the stadium it has got to be a plastic see through bag. A number of people were turned back at the gates because they weren't aware of this. Some ended up missing part of the game as they had to walk back to their car to leave their stuff there.

    When we entered the Stadium and found our seats we were in awe of the view. I don't know if you've ever been to an NFL stadium but it was my first time in one of them and was impressed with not only the size of it but the perfect view you had of the field. The perfect sheet of ice stood tall in the middle of what is normally a gridiron and around it was a giant version of the Winter Classic 2016 logo and on each sides the vintage logo of both team. It truly was a magnificent sight to behold. From the highest point of Gillette Stadium it was also possible to see how full the stadium was, it's the second biggest stadium i've attended. The biggest one being Wembley Stadium in London England where 90,000 fans were packed in for a national team soccer match...but as it was only an exhibition the stakes were not as high and the atmosphere wasn't as electric. I'll give this to our neighbors to the south, they sure do know how to put on a show! Having Montreal born band Simple Plan sing the Canadian anthem was a stroke of genius but opting to have a reality show winner sing the American one was, in my book, a mistake. Most of the fans on site seemed to agree too as Jordan Smith was booed as he was introduced. This is in no way surprising since Rene Rancourt (the regular anthem singer at the TD Garden) is also a part of the Canadiens-Bruins rivalry, it felt like something was missing. Other than that the giant flags spread on the ice, the fireworks and the C-130J flyover made for a spectacular way to kick-off the event. At the point the crowd was full of energy and in our section, “Go Habs go!” chants were met with “Let's go Bruins” chants automatically.
    Unfortunately for Bruins fans though, the Canadiens came out swinging and capitalized on their first opportunity of the game when David Desharnais batted home the opener. In a fantastic display of hand-eye coordination, the diminutive centreman drew first blood. The Canadiens fans in attendance erupted in joy as they were relieved to see their team come out ready to compete. The month of December had been one of the worst in Canadiens history as they were without their MVP goalie Carey Price and one of their biggest (in a figurative manner) leader Brendan Gallagher. It felt like things were ready to get back on track with that fantastic start and the return of the much loved “Gally” to the line-up. At the end of the first 20 minutes, the Habs held a 1-0 lead in scoring and a 14-3 edge in shots on goal. By that time, the once electrified local crowd had been largely tamed by the back on form Canadiens.

    Early in the second, precisely at the 2 minute mark, Paul Byron put the Habs ahead by 2 with his 6th goal of the season on an excellent play orchestrated by the Canadiens 4th line. While the Bleu-blanc-rouge faithful was ecstatic with that quick start to the 2nd period, the Bruins fans were stunned and seemed to be struggling to cope with the fact that their team was down 2-0 in the showcase event of the year. Things didnt get any better for the Bruins later in the period either, as Gallagher made it 3-0 17 minutes into the period, striking his own home run much like Desharnais did in the first 20 much to the delight of the Habs fans who were over the moon with his return. Having him score was just icing on the cake. Even though his goal came in the second period, he made an immediate impact in the first period by driving hard to the net and getting under Bruins captain Zdeno Chara's skin. Early on, Chara battled with Gallagher and threw him down to the ice trying to pass on a “know your place” message to the Habs number 11 but as per usual, he jumped back up with a huge grin on his face that screamed “you can't put me down” to the opposition. After 40 minutes, the Habs were in the driver's seat and not only because they had scored 3 goals but also because Mike Condon (the Canadiens rookie goalie and local born Patriots fan) had himself an amazing period making big timely saves and frustrating numerous Boston players. In the second period, the Bs shot 14 times but were unable to solve Condon who frustrated Spooner with a magical glove save at the buzzer. Much was made in the media of Condon being relied on for the big game. It is often said that one man's loss is another man's gain and never has that saying been more applicable for the Habs' goalie. While no one wants to see their number 1 goaltender go down with injury for a lengthy period of time, Carey Price's misfortune has given Mike Condon his chance to shine and he has grabbed it with both hands. The fact that the Winter Classic was held in his native state and at the home of his favorite NFL team were just two other factors motivating the rookie goalie who was also lucky enough to have the Pats' head coach and Tom Brady autograph the back of his Winter Classic mask which featured the two in a Pats tribute.

    The Bruins managed to give their fans a slight glimmer of hope early in the third when Matt Beleskey deflected an Adam McQuaid shot past Condon to bring the Boston outfit within 2. The hope was short lived though as Gallagher set up Max Pacioretty for the Habs' 4th goal at 8:49 in the 3rd. At that point, “Ole Ole Ole” chants could be heard throughout Gillette Stadium. While the Habs fans were largely outnumbered, their jubilation could not be muted and when the final buzzer rang the final score was 5-1 for the Sainte-Flanelle as Paul Byron buried his second of the game in the dying minutes. Numerous Bruins fans had started heading for the exits at 4-1 and in the end they had been right as their team failed to orchestrate any kind of threat to the Habs in the last half of the 3rd period. Of course, the Bruins were without key cogs in David Krejci (injured) and Brad Marchand (suspended) but when key players are missing, others have to step up much like Condon has done in Price's absence for the Habs.

    As the Canadiens fans made their way out of Gillette Stadium, plenty of cheers and chants could be heard and while most of them had a long drive ahead to get back home, it mattered very little to them since they felt like it was far from a wasted trip. Another chapter of the Canadiens-Bruins' rivalry had been written and in the end, it was concluded by the words “veni, vidi, vici” for the Canadiens who much like Caesar had conquered the enemy territory.

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    Fun read Karine, Thanks.
    Do something nice for someone everyday, it will pay off in the long run.

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