By: Evan Michael | Follow me on Twitter @00EvanMichael
The Boston Bruins, on home ice, at Fenway Park… now that’s a “Happy New Year” indeed, as many around the league will be celebrating in early 2023.
Mind you, that’s Monday, January 2nd to be exact for those ready to mark their B’s calendars for the first time next year!
And with tickets now on sale for the latest and greatest Winter Classic between both of hockey’s Black N’ Gold teams — your Boston Bruins and the Fenway Sports Group-owned Pittsburgh Penguins (who better be wearing their wintry baby blues to differentiate jerseys) — now’s the perfect time to highlight some other new year happenings on the B’s schedule.
West Coast Kick
January’s “road month” for the Bruins, as the Patrice Bergeron-captained team will play nine contests away from TD Garden (and Fenway Park) — their busiest travel time of the year.
It begins as soon as they leave the “friendly confines” by Landsdowne to go to La La Land and Cali for a long weekend. On the docket from January 5th – 8th: the Los Angeles Kings, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim (once Mighty) Ducks.
This three-game West Coast kick against the Pacific Division is always an entertaining one, especially since Boston should be at full-capacity roster-wise with the likes of Brad Marchand and company back from their Summer surgeries. Ideally, the B’s should be surging for every game during this stretch coming off the hopeful highs of the Winter Classic. Definitely mark it down!
New York, New York
“Start spreading the news” this new year! The B’s will go back-to-back in New York against the Rangers and Islanders, respectively, on January 18th and 19th. Both the Big Apple blueshirts and longshoremen from Long Isle will be competing for Metro Division relevancy come this time of the season so these two games on consecutive nights will be doubly challenging for the Black N’ Gold — if not a good measuring stick duet!
Speaking of duos, as our own Team BN’G just featured, Boston’s talented goaltender tandem will need to be the Two-Headed Monster writer @jswindells hopes it’ll be (as do I) on these nights. And what a perfectly placed schedule set-up for Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark to reunite for more hugs!
Divisional Divides
The Bruins will wrap up the month of January on the 24th, 26th and 28th with some divisional divides divvied up amongst the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers (with a close out cameo against Carolina on January 29th).
And there’s no better prepare-for-the-second-season gauntlet than three teams who you’ll most likely be looking up at in the standings — Bolts, Panthers & Canes — and your all-time archrival in the hated Habs.
Sure, as fans, we may hate the schedule-makers for putting the B’s through the ringer once they celebrate in style at Fenway Park come January 2023. But the best Boston teams (of at least my lifetime) have been the “road warrior Bruins” who made the most of their time away from TD Garden and bonded over the Bespoked-B.
Once you start marking your B’s calendar in ’23, you’ll see there’s no better time than the New Year for this team to gel and come together — hopefully with full health — and prove that magical moniker true.
After all, ’tis the time of year for auld lang syne’s “cup o’ kindess” to make way for other coveted cups!
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