BOSTON — The last time the Boston Bruins played in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park, Tuukka Rask had an up-close vantage point. The then-Bruins goalie backed up Tim Thomas at the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.
“I had the best seat in the house, probably,” Rask said. “They had the heaters going.”
When the Bruins played the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 2 in the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic (2 pm ET; TNT, SN, TVAS), Rask will again be a spectator for the outdoor game — this time from further away, after retiring from the NHL on Feb. 9.
“Nowadays, there’s a lot of American guys with the Bruins, a lot of Boston guys,” Rask said. “When we played here, I don’t think we had a lot of Boston guys. So it’ll be a special moment for a bunch of those guys who either played college here or are from here. They’re going to love it. “
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There was no one from the Boston area on the Bruins roster for that 2010 Winter Classic. Now, the Bruins boast Massachusetts natives Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown) and Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth). Defenseman Charlie McAvoy Went to college at Boston University (as did Grzelcyk).
Rask took in the sights and sounds of Fenway Park on Wednesday, getting a tour from a Fenway Park tour guide alongside his six-year-old daughter Adelie. They walked through the stands, around the now-covered infield and over to the Green Monster, where they got to pop into the Wall.
“I love this ballpark,” he said. “We come for baseball games and concerts a lot. The Red Sox are always so good to me and my family. But it’s nice to see a hockey rink out there.”
Asked if he was a Red Sox fan, Rask smiled and joked, “Do we have a choice? Not really.”
Adelie just finally started to fit into a Mookie Betts shirt they bought years ago when the then-Red Sox outfielder lived in Rask’s neighborhood. And over the years, Rask has gotten a chance to take the field at Fenway, including batting practice about 10 years ago, when he hit a shot off the Green Monster.
“I think the most fun part of that was actually catching when they were doing their batting practice,” he said. “They gave us gloves and we went to run on the outfield and catch some balls. That was my highlight, being a goalie, I guess.”
In his time in the NHL, Rask was part of four outdoor games, starting with the 2010 Winter Classic. He played in the 2016 Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., the 2019 Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium and the 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe.
“It just breaks down the norm of your season,” he said. “It’s usually good timing because you’re in the middle of the grind, Christmas is over, you’ve played so many games and it almost kickstarts your spring season. It’s like a mental boost for everybody.”
In his role as an ambassador for the Bruins since his retirement, Rask is at TD Garden about once a week, although he said he doesn’t get to watch many of the games. He has been paying attention when they’re on the road, though, so he’s gotten to see the roll that his former teammates are on. The Bruins, who lead the NHL with a 25-4-2 record, are 17-0-2 at home.
“They’re looking good. It’s exciting,” he said. “That’s kind of caught everybody by surprise, in a good way.”
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