Boston Bruins and Red Sox greats will join forces for a ceremonial faceoff in the form of a first pitch for the Winter Classic on Monday at Fenway Park, the NHL announced Wednesday.
Bruins stars Bobby Orr, Zdeno Chara and Johnny Bucyk plus ex-Red Sox Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield will take part in the ceremony on what is called the "ice diamond" — a small rink that looks like a baseball diamond with a faceoff circle on the mound.
Orr will be "throwing out" the first puck, NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer said.
"There's a baseball diamond uniquely made out of ice," Mayer said, per NHL.com. "We're going to get slightly unique with how we present the puck drop, or the first pitch, we'll do a little bit of a combination. There will be Red Sox alumni, Bruins alumni and we're going to feature Bobby Orr."
It marks the second time the NHL's annual outdoor game around New Year's Day will take place at Fenway Park.
The Bruins lost 2-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime in 2010 at the home of the Red Sox.
Watch the Winter Classic as the Bruins face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sportsnet or SN NOW on Monday at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT.
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