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| Date | January 1, 2016 | |||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Gillette Stadium | |||||||||||||||
| City | Foxborough, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 67,246 | |||||||||||||||
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The2016 NHL Winter Classic (officially the2016Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic)[1] was anoutdoorice hockey game played in theNational Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2016, atGillette Stadium inFoxborough, Massachusetts. The eighth edition of theWinter Classic, it matched theMontreal Canadiens against theBoston Bruins; the Canadiens won, 5–1, a significant event in one of the NHL'sbest-known rivalries. A Bruins and Canadiens alumni game was also played on December 31, 2015.[2] TheBoston Pridewomen's professional hockey teamplayed before the alumni game againstLes Canadiennes of theCanadian Women's Hockey League to a 1–1 tie in the first2016 Outdoor Women's Classic (officially the Outdoor Women's Classic presented by Scotiabank).[3]
The Bruins made their second appearance in the Winter Classic, as they played against thePhiladelphia Flyers in the2010 NHL Winter Classic held in Boston'sFenway Park; Massachusetts became the first market to serve as repeat host of the Winter Classic. Early reports dating back to December 2014 byTSN'sBob McKenzie indicated that Boston was the league's first choice in hosting the game.[4]
To accommodate the event, Gillette Stadium's primary tenant, theNew England Patriots, played the last two games of their2015 season on the road. The Bruins introduced a newthird jersey for the game and it featured the team's original logo, as virtually a re-creation of their inaugural1924–25 NHL season brown/gold sweaters worn while playing their home games inMatthews Arena, which opened in 1910, now on the campus ofNortheastern University. (Matthews also was the first arena for theBoston Celtics and the WHANew England Whalers, who are now theCarolina Hurricanes.)
This was the first Winter Classic appearance and third outdoor game for the Canadiens; the team previously played2003 NHL Heritage Classic against the hostingEdmonton Oilers and the2011 NHL Heritage Classic against the hostingCalgary Flames.[5][6] The team also played in a new third jersey and used a logo from the 1920s.
The two teamsare long-time rivals. As of the end of the2014–15 NHL season, the two teams have played each other 729 times during the regular season, 177 times during the playoffs, including ninegame sevens. The two teams also held a special alumni game between the two teams, on December 31 at Gillette Stadium.[7]
| January 1, 2016 | Montreal Canadiens | 5–1 | Boston Bruins | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
In the most lopsided score in the Winter Classic, four Montreal players combined to score five goals en route to a 5–1 victory against Boston. In his first game since suffering a hand injury on November 22, Canadiens forwardBrendan Gallagher recorded a goal and an assist. GoalieMike Condon made 27 saves for Montreal.Adam McQuaid scored the Bruins' only goal; this goal was originally credited toMatt Beleskey, but would be changed days later after official review by the NHL.[8]
| Scoring summary | |||||
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| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | MTL | David Desharnais (8) | Dale Weise (9) andAlexei Emelin (3) | 01:14 | 1–0 MTL |
| 2nd | MTL | Paul Byron (6) | Brian Flynn (6) andMark Barberio (1) | 02:00 | 2–0 MTL |
| MTL | Brendan Gallagher (10) | Max Pacioretty (15) andTomas Plekanec (21) | 17:20 | 3–0 MTL | |
| 3rd | BOS | Matt Beleskey (1) | Adam McQuaid (17) andJimmy Hayes (11) | 03:56 | 3–1 MTL |
| MTL | Max Pacioretty (16) | Brendan Gallagher (11) andTomas Plekanec (22) | 08:49 | 4–1 MTL | |
| MTL | Paul Byron (7) | P. K. Subban (26) andNathan Beaulieu (10) | 18:28 | 5–1 MTL | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | BOS | Max Talbot | Hi-sticking | 05:20 | 2:00 |
| MTL | David Desharnais | Roughing (double minor) | 08:42 | 4:00 | |
| BOS | Torey Krug | Roughing (double minor) | 08:42 | 4:00 | |
| BOS | Adam McQuaid | Delay of game | 18:27 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | BOS | Kevan Miller | Cross-checking | 02:51 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Lars Eller | Hooking | 06:43 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Nathan Beaulieu | Holding | 10:41 | 2:00 | |
| MTL | Tomas Plekanec | Delay of game | 19:30 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | BOS | Max Talbot | Holding | 09:24 | 2:00 |
| MTL | Lars Eller | Roughing (double minor) | 18:18 | 4:00 | |
| BOS | Jimmy Hayes | Roughing (double minor) | 18:18 | 2:00 | |
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| Three star selections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Player | Statistics | |
| 1st | MTL | Brendan Gallagher | 1 Goal, 1 Assist |
| 2nd | MTL | Mike Condon | 27 Saves |
| 3rd | BOS | Matt Beleskey | 5 Hits, +1 |
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In the Alumni Game on New Year's Eve, the Bruins defeated the Canadiens 5–4 in a shootout. The Canadiens alumni includedGuy Carbonneau,Larry Robinson andJose Theodore with the coaches includingGuy Lafleur andJacques Demers, while the Bruins alumni includedCam Neely,Terry O'Reilly,Mark Recchi andRay Bourque with the coaches includingDerek Sanderson,Lyndon Byers,Mike Milbury andDon "Grapes" Cherry.
Bruins' former anthem singerRene Rancourt performedO Canada andThe Star-Spangled Banner at the alumni game.
The game was televised in the United States onNBC, with commentatorsMike Emrick,Eddie Olczyk, andPierre McGuire.[9]
In Canada, it was the second consecutive Winter Classic to be televised under theRogers Media contract, but for the first time the English-language broadcast was shown onSportsnet instead of onCBC Television and theHockey Night in Canada banner.[10] Commentary was provided byJim Hughson,Craig Simpson, andGlenn Healy.[11] For the second consecutive time, the game was broadcast in French onTVA Sports (with commentators Félix Séguin andPatrick Lalime, and reporter Renaud Lavoie) as part of TVA's sub-licensing agreement with Rogers.
The 2016 NHL Winter Classic had the lowest ratings of any Winter Classic in the United States to date, with an average of less than 3 million American viewers watching the game.[12]
Prior to the game, Boston-based pop rock bandAmerican Authors performed.
The Boston Pops performedDuel Of The Fates during the team introductions.
The national anthems were performed by Montreal-based rock bandSimple Plan (O Canada sung in English and French) and The Voice season 9 winnerJordan Smith, accompanied by the Boston Pops (The Star-Spangled Banner).
Singer-songwriterNate Ruess performed during the first intermission while Simple Plan performed during the second intermission.
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