As the New England Patriots headed west for Super Bowl LX, the Boston Bruins honored the local football team with their pregame outfits on Sunday.
Before their Stadium Series game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Raymond James Stadium, the Bruins arrived dressed as Revolutionary War-era soldiers, wearing topcoats, breeches, knee-high socks, and tri-corner hats.
Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov explained how the team came up with its viral Patriots-themed entrance before the game. He said the idea came from a group effort among the players.
“I think it was a lot of guys,” Nikita Zadorov said of the inspiration behind the outfit. “The idea behind it was kind of bring something Bostonian. I think, with the ties to Boston, and obviously, Boston is known as a really historical city in the United States.
“And so we decided to dress up as the Patriots from the 17th, 16th century. Obviously, give respect to the founding fathers of America. And also it’s good ties to our football team, you know what I mean? We’re at the football stadium, so I thought it played out pretty well.”
"Give the respect to the founding fathers of America and also it's good ties to our football team. We're at a football stadium so that worked out pretty well."
Zadorov on how the Bruins landed on full patriot uniforms for their pre-game fits
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 1, 2026
The Bruins worked with a local company, Boston Costume, to supply the pregame outfits, with each player designing their own unique look.
“We had these guys come to the rink one day and they presented us with the whole wardrobe,” Mason Lohrei said. “And we kind of got to go through it and style our own outfits. So everyone’s got some personal style in theirs.”
Boston was a major port and a key strategic and symbolic battleground during the United States’ fight for independence from Britain.
Meanwhile, the game itself did not go Boston’s way. The Lightning rallied to beat the Bruins 6-5 in a shootout, completing the largest comeback ever in an NHL outdoor game. Tampa Bay erased a four-goal deficit for the biggest comeback in outdoor game history and the largest rally in franchise history.
The game also included the first goalie fight in outdoor game history, as Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jeremy Swayman dropped the gloves at center ice in the second period. The Lightning later said the fight helped spark their comeback after falling behind 5-2.
