Bobby Orr to take part in ceremonial puck drop for 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park
BOSTON -- Before the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins do battle at Fenway Park in the 2023 Winter Classic, a collection of Boston legends will take center ice for the ceremonial puck drop. That group will include the greatest Bruin ever: Bobby Orr.
Orr won't be alone, either. Fellow Bruins legend Johnny Bucyk will join him, as will former Red Sox Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield for the puck drop, which will take the form of baseball's "first pitch" for the Monday, Jan. 2 event.
The puck drop was just one of the pre-game festivities announced by the NHL on Wednesday. The opening ceremony for the 2023 Winter Classic will begin with Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart introducing the Bruins and the Penguins as each team takes the ice form their respective dugouts, as the Pops plays throughout the introduction.
The Boston Pops will be joined by Boston-based R&B trio Bell Biv DeVoe on stage for the signing of the national anthem. Boston University's Army ROTC (the Charles River Battalion) will present the colors, while 60 uniformed cadets from Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Northeastern University unfurl the U.S. flag over the Green Monster.
There will be a flyover too, with F-15 jets from the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard -- operated by pilots in Bruins' Winter Classic jerseys -- flying over the Green Monster.
The Boston Pops won't be going anywhere after the opening ceremonies. They will serve as the house band and perform several times throughout the game, including a sing-along with the crowd to "Sweet Caroline" to keep up with Red Sox tradition.
Bruins anthem singer, Todd Angilly, will also perform "Take Me Out to the Hockey Game" during the game.
Orr is no stranger to dropping the puck at Fenway Park. He also took part in the ceremonial puck drop for the 2010 Winter Classic in Boston, taking the ice against Philadelphia Flyers honorary captain Bobby Clarke at Fenway Park.
Orr has thrown out an actual first pitch at Fenway Park a number of times as well, including in 2005 after the Red Sox celebrated the team's first World Series title in 86 years, and most recently in 2016 when he was joined by Boston greats Bill Russell and Ty Law on the diamond.