2016 NHL Winter Classic

The 2016 NHL Winter Classic (officially the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic)[1] was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Winter Classic series, played on January 1, 2016. The game, the eighth Winter Classic, saw the Montreal Canadiens defeat the Boston Bruins, 5–1, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, a significant event in one of the NHL's best-known rivalries. A Bruins and Canadiens alumni game was also played on December 31, 2015.[2] The Boston Pride women's professional hockey team played before the alumni game against Les Canadiennes of the Canadian Women's Hockey League to a 1–1 tie in the first ever 2016 Outdoor Women's Classic (officially the Outdoor Women's Classic presented by Scotiabank).[3]

2016 NHL Winter Classic
123 Total
Montreal Canadiens 122 5
Boston Bruins 001 1
DateJanuary 1, 2016
ArenaGillette Stadium
CityFoxborough, Massachusetts
Attendance67,246
← 2015 2017 →

Teams

The Bruins made their second appearance in the Winter Classic, as they played against the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 NHL Winter Classic held in Boston's Fenway Park; Massachusetts became the first market to serve as repeat host of the Winter Classic. Early reports dating back to December 2014 by TSN's Bob McKenzie indicated that Boston was the league's first choice in hosting the game.[4]

To accommodate the event, Gillette Stadium's primary tenant, the New England Patriots, played the last two games of their 2015 season on the road. The Bruins introduced a new third jersey for the game and it featured the team's original logo, as virtually a re-creation of their inaugural 1924–25 NHL season brown/gold sweaters worn while playing their home games in Matthews Arena, which opened in 1910, now on the campus of Northeastern University. (Matthews also was the first arena for the Boston Celtics and the WHA New England Whalers, who are now the Carolina Hurricanes.)

This was the first Winter Classic appearance and third outdoor game for the Canadiens; the team previously played 2003 NHL Heritage Classic against the hosting Edmonton Oilers and the 2011 NHL Heritage Classic against the hosting Calgary Flames.[5][6] The team also played in a new third jersey and used a logo from the 1920s.

The two teams are long-time rivals. As of the end of the 2014–15 NHL season, the two teams have played each other 729 times during the regular season, 177 times during the playoffs, including nine game sevens. The two teams also held a special alumni game between the two teams, on December 31 at Gillette Stadium.[7]

Game summary

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 forward Brendan Gallagher recorded a goal and an assist. Goalie Mike Condon made 27 saves for Montreal. Matt Beleskey scored the Bruins' only goal.[8]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st MTL David Desharnais (8) Dale Weise (9) and Alexei Emelin (3) 01:14 1–0 MTL
2nd MTL Paul Byron (6) Brian Flynn (6) and Mark Barberio (1) 02:00 2–0 MTL
MTL Brendan Gallagher (10) Max Pacioretty (15) and Tomáš Plekanec (21) 17:20 3–0 MTL
3rd BOS Matt Beleskey (8) Adam McQuaid (6) and Ryan Spooner (17) 03:54 3–1 MTL
MTL Max Pacioretty (16) Brendan Gallagher (11) and Tomáš Plekanec (22) 08:49 4–1 MTL
MTL Paul Byron (7) P. K. Subban (26) and Nathan Beaulieu (10) 18:28 5–1 MTL
Number in parenthesis represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the season
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) 08:44 4:00
BOS Adam McQuaid Delay of game 18:29 2:00
2nd BOS Kevan Miller Cross-checking 02:51 2:00
MTL Lars Eller Holding 06:40 2:00
MTL Nathan Beaulieu Holding 10:41 2:00
MTL Tomáš 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
Three star selections
Team Player Statistics
1stMTLBrendan Gallagher1 Goal, 1 Assist
2ndMTLMike Condon27 Saves
3rdBOSMatt Beleskey1 Goal

Team rosters
^ Ben Scrivens and Jonas Gustavsson dressed as the back-up goaltenders. Neither entered the game.

Scratches

Alumni Game
Stadium during Alumni Game

In the Alumni Game on New Year's Eve, the Bruins defeated the Canadiens 5-4 in a shootout. The Canadiens alumni included Guy Carbonneau, Larry Robinson and Jose Theodore with the coaches including Guy Lafleur and Jacques Demers, while the Bruins alumni included Cam Neely, Terry O'Reilly, Mark Recchi and Ray Bourque with the coaches including Derek Sanderson, Lyndon Byers, Mike Milbury and Don "Grapes" Cherry.

Television

The game was televised in the United States on NBC, with commentators Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire.[9]

In Canada, it was the second consecutive Winter Classic to be televised under the Rogers Media contract, but for the first time the English-language broadcast was shown on Sportsnet instead of on CBC Television and the Hockey Night in Canada banner.[10] Commentary was provided by Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, and Glenn Healy.[11] For the second consecutive time, the game was broadcast in French on TVA Sports (with commentators Félix Séguin and Patrick Lalime, and reporter Renaud Lavoie) as part of TVA's sub-licensing agreement with Rogers.

Television ratings

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]

Pregame/Anthems/Entertainment

Prior to the game American Authors performed

The Boston Pops performed Duel Of The Fates during the team introductions

The national anthems were performed by Simple Plan (O Canada) and The Voice season 9 winner Jordan Smith accompanied by the Boston Pops Orchestra (The Star-Spangled Banner)

Nate Ruess performed during the first intermission while Simple Plan performed during the second intermission

References
  1. NHL Public Relations. "Bridgestone returns as title sponsor of NHL Winter Classic in five-year partnership renewal with NHL" (Press release). NHL. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  2. "Bruins, Canadiens alumni rosters revealed for 2016 NHL Winter Classic Alumni Game". The Boston Globe. November 24, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  3. "NHL to host first-ever Outdoor Women's Classic presented by Scotiabank". NHL. December 28, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  4. "Boston Bruins Schedule Standings Stats Video Odds Fantasy Bruins Reportedly Front-Runners To Host 2016 NHL Winter Classic". New England Sports Network. December 12, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  5. "Source: Bruins to host '16 Classic". ESPN.
  6. "2016 Winter Classic will feature Bruins vs. Canadiens at Gillette Stadium (Report)". Yahoo! Sports. January 19, 2015.
  7. "Bruins-Canadiens rivalry takes centerstage at 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium". NHL. July 29, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  8. "Canadiens overwhelm Bruins to win Winter Classic". NHL.com. January 1, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  9. "NBC Sports Presents 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic" (Press release). NBC Sports. December 28, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  10. "Sportsnet unveils 2015–16 NHL Broadcast Schedule". Sportsnet.ca. Rogers Media. June 25, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  11. "Sportsnet Rings in the New Year with NHL Winter Classic, Weekend Hockey TV Programming". sportscastermagazine.ca. December 31, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  12. Wyshynski, Greg (January 5, 2016). "NHL Winter Classic earns lowest rating in game's history | Puck Daddy". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
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