"It’s not a boxing match," Thornton emphasized, as he chatted about how the world has constantly reminded him of his chance to get in the record books.
Maybe it’s the magic of playing outdoors — of reveling in the uniqueness of the moment, of seeing the ballpark around you, or smelling the grills cooking up steak and peppers and trying to sneak in an extra cup of coffee to keep the body warm. It does seem hard to imagine fighting to fit in with the atmosphere and the aura of the event. The players wonder more about snow, whether to wear toques, or how to keep the toes warm, than about sustaining or delivering punches in what could be near-freezing temperatures.
"If it’s freezing cold, it doesn’t feel good to get punched in the face," Thornton said. "It doesn’t feel good to get punched in the face anytime."
But if something needs to get taken care of, he’s the guy for the job. But that’s just it — if enforcing needs to happen. Fighting, after all, has to serve a purpose for it to play to the advantage of a team, and the Bruins are big on having a purpose behind everything they do — Winter Classic firsts or not.
Thornton joined Marc Savard, Michael Ryder, Daniel Paille and Tuukka Rask for a tour of the Fenway Park facilities on Sunday (in the rain — better not be foreshadowing!) to check out how the ice is going to be laid out and what their walk to the rink will be like from the clubhouse.
"Where’s Big Papi’s locker?" one of them asked in the clubhouse as he envisioned lacing up his skates in the Red Sox' locker-room stalls.
As the players went through their tour, they also learned that if the air temperature is colder than the ice temperature, then it becomes hard for the ice crew to control the quality of the ice. The ideal day would have overcast skies, or else the visiting team goalie gets the sun in his eyes during warm-ups.
The Bruins already have tinted shields for players to try out, in case they want to use it for the outdoor game. Ryder recently wore one in a game — albeit by accident — but says he didn’t like it as much as his regular shield, at least indoors.
But outdoors? I would think it’s like ski goggles on the slopes — a must-have.
We’re fewer than three weeks away with more updates to come soon. In the meantime, check out our video from Sunday’s preview with the players.
