SOUTH BEND, Indiana – There are plenty of veteran Bruins players like Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron that have been through the Winter Classic experience multiple times before, so this won’t be their first outdoor hockey rodeo at the NHL level.
But there will be plenty of young, and not-so-young, Bruins players where the New Year’s Day game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium will be their first chance to experience the postcard perfectness of the Winter Classic. One of those young B’s players, Jake DeBrusk, actually was on hand for the first outdoor game between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens dubbed the Heritage Classic and played outside 15 years ago in Edmonton.
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The 8-year-old DeBrusk froze his butt off as a huge Edmonton Oilers fan that day with the pictures to prove it, but it also lit the spark for him to one day play in an outdoor game at the NHL level. For players like DeBrusk and Charlie McAvoy, they grew up watching the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day and that’s growing a tradition of young players that aspire to one day be a part of the outdoor pomp and circumstance at an iconic arena like Notre Dame Stadium.
“I have a picture of it and I was wearing a red jacket…my face was pretty much the same color,” said DeBrusk, with a laugh. “I remember it being a really cool event as a fan and something that was special at the time. Obviously it’s special every time, but being a diehard Oilers fan it was cool to be a part of. But it was freezing cold.
“It’s massive, especially with the amount of media moving pieces around and we’ve gotten to see the rink. We’re looking forward to it and I think it’s going to be a very special game. It’s certainly not a bad time to have a good game in. I never thought I’d get a chance to play [in an outdoor game], but I did want to. I guess it’s one of those funny things where it comes full circle and it’s one of those special moments for me. I think for everybody in this room it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. For some guys they’ve played before in it, but for me I’m taking it that I was there once as a fan, and now I’m trying to take full advantage of the opportunity.”
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In his brief time with the Bruins, DeBrusk has built up a reputation as a big game player that rises to the occasion in the big moments with goals and elevated performances. So of the first time players in this year’s Winter Classic at Notre Dame, it might just be DeBrusk’s time to shine now that he’s healthy and back in the lineup for the Black and Gold with a chance to finally live out his outdoor hockey dream from the time he was eight years old.
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