FOXBOROUGH, MASS. - The scene was perfect for a game of pond hockey.
As the NHL marked the start of 2016 with its 15th outdoor game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins here Friday afternoon on New Year’s Day at the 70,000-seat Gillette Stadium, you couldn’t help but let the mind wander and think about what this kind of game might look like in Canada’s capital on Parliament Hill in December 2017.
If Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has his way, and if commissioner Gary Bettman and the people at the league office can find a way, the city of Ottawa would celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the NHL with a Heritage Classic on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.