One hundred years after the Boston Bruins won their first NHL game against the Montreal Maroons, B's fans packed the TD Garden Sunday ready for the team to do it again in their special Centennial Game against the Canadiens.
There was a lot of hype leading up to the milestone puck drop, including Sunday's pre-game ceremony where legends from generations past and players of the future stepped onto the ice and passed the puck around.
The Bruins showed a presentation of all the eras of the team, from the big bad Bruins and lunch pail AC to new blood, new beginnings and return of the champion -- that's when the current Boston stars had their moment, and fans couldn't get enough.
A day earlier, the Bruins unveiled a giant bear monument outside the Garden. The six foot tall, ten foot long statue weighs more than 3,500 pounds and is located in Portal Park.
The weekend of festivities was a thrill for fans, from both teams -- the Montreal rivalry is real.
“Go Bruins," 8-year-old Pharoah said.
“It’s great to see everyone alumni people Marchand’s on the team still. It’s crazy to see the legacy,” Matthew Kearns said.
“Go Canadians,” said Gavin Clark, who is from New Brunswick.
“I’ve witnessed the rivalry over the years, he’s seeing it now and got a pregame puck flipped to him in the warmup. It was unreal,” said Steve Clark.
The B's also had support from other Boston teams Sunday, including the Celtics and the Patriots.
Pats players like David Andrews and Drake Maye wore Bruins centennial jerseys as they showed up for Game Day at Gillette Stadium, where they faced off against the Indianapolis Colts.
Celtics guard Derrick White was also sporting the B's jersey as he arrived for Sunday's matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Much to the delight of Boston fans, the Bruins did come away with a 6-3 victory Sunday. Here's to the next 100 years of B's hockey.
