33 alumni in NHL Winter Classic

outdoor_250.jpgThirty-three American Hockey League alumni were in the lineup for the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic in Boston on New Year’s Day, as the Boston Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1 in overtime, at Fenway Park.

The game rosters featured 16 Flyers and 17 Bruins who have played in the AHL in their careers, including five — Johnny Boychuk, Vladimir Sobotka, Danny Syvret, Oskars Bartulis and Brian Boucher — who have played in the American Hockey League during the 2009-10 season. Syvret, an AHL All-Star in 2009, scored his first career NHL goal in the contest.

The lineups also featured 11 former AHL All-Stars and five former Calder Cup champions. Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette won the Louis A.R. Pieri Award in 1999 when he led the Providence Bruins to a Calder Cup title, and Bruins head coach Claude Julien shared the same award with current assistant Geoff Ward with the 2002-03 Hamilton Bulldogs.

The 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic also marks 50 days the Mirabito Outdoor Classic, set for February 20 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y., as the Syracuse Crunch host the Binghamton Senators in the first outdoor game in American Hockey League history.

AHL alumni in the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic
Philadelphia Boston
Blair Betts Daniel Paille
Dan Carcillo Shawn Thornton
Ian Laperriere Steve Begin
Jeff Carter Patrice Bergeron
Mike Richards David Krejci
James van Riemsdyk Vladimir Sobotka
Claude Giroux Byron Bitz
Darroll Powe Michael Ryder
Arron Asham Marc Savard
Daniel Briere Dennis Wideman
Oskars Bartulis Andrew Ference
Braydon Coburn Zdeno Chara
Matt Carle Matt Hunwick
Danny Syvret Derek Morris
Michael Leighton Johnny Boychuk
Brian Boucher Tim Thomas
  Tuukka Rask