Baseballs, gloves, and bats will soon be traded in for pucks, pads, and sticks as Fenway Park readies to host the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers on New Year’s Day in the third installment of the National Hockey League’s Winter Classic.  Grounds crews have already installed a rink over the Fenway infield and the puck is set to drop 01 January at 1:00 PM.  After the success of last season’s installment at Chicago’s Wrigley Field between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks and the first Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY in 2008, expectations are high in this match-up between two storied NHL franchises being played in the oldest active ballpark in baseball.

In addition, two NCAA college games will be played one week later.  The doubleheader features the first-ever NCAA women’s outdoor game between the University of New Hampshire Wildcats and the Northeastern University Huskies.  The other contest will feature the Boston College Eagles and the Boston University Terriers, the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Men’s Hockey Champions, respectively.

Tags: Boston Bruins, Fenway Park, hockey