It started with players swapping their hockey helmets for Red Sox baseball caps in the pre-game warm-up and finished with an inspirational victory for Adam McQuaid and his Boston Bruins teammates.
When Bruins players came through the tunnel and onto the ice on Halloween night, fans at TD Garden saw them sporting a different look than usual, donning World Series hats in honour of the Red Sox recent triumph.
For McQuaid, it was an ideal way to acknowledge the victory that still has the city abuzz.
“It was exciting for all us to salute them and recognize what it means to the entire city,” said the 27-year-old. “We just wanted to show our support for them, they way did for us when we won the Cup in 2011.”
The Bruins, who came out flat on Thursday, registering just one shot in the first period, fought back from two one-goal deficits before earning a 3-2 victory courtesy of Jarome Iginla’s shootout winner.
One night earlier, on the eve of the Red Sox World Series victory, the Bruins lost 3-2 to rival Pittsburgh.
And though it was undoubtedly a hockey atmosphere at TD Garden on October 31, there were also plenty of baseball-related themes to be found.
Red Sox highlights from their Game Six win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park were shown on the JumboTron.
Thorty on #RedSox: "a helluva team over there, a lot of character, they really put it together this year so we're very proud of them" ^CS— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 31, 2013
Later, Bruins president Cam Neely and Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino took the World Series trophy onto the ice and held it aloft.
It brought fans to their feet and the Bruins to life.
“The crowd really got into it and that pumped all of us up,” said McQuaid. “You feed off that energy.”
The defenceman is hoping he and his teammates can use the inspired win to get on a roll in the early stages of the 2013-14 season.
“This is a great sports city,” offered McQuaid. “Everyone embraces the players, whatever sport they play. Even in tough times, they don’t lose faith. You can be walking down the street and people will come over just to say hello. It’s a great atmosphere to be part of.”
Perhaps the only regret McQuaid had throughout the World Series was not being able to take in a lot of the action.
“It seems like our schedules conflicted throughout the championship,” he said. “You wish you could have gone to one game or watched more of it on TV.”
In the end, though, McQuaid was one of the Bruins to have the best seat in the house for the deciding game.
“When we were taking the bus back to the airport after the game in Pittsburgh, someone in front of me was live streaming the game on his phone,” he recalled. “So, I did a little eavesdropping and caught the last inning and a half.”
McQuaid wouldn’t mind seeing the Red Sox reciprocate the Bruins salute in June.
“Some of our guys were joking and saying that if we win the Cup this season, the Red Sox players can put on hockey helmets when they take the field at Fenway.”
It would be a fitting fete for a city that certainly loves a parade.
