Detroit Red Wings host the Boston Bruins: Pregame meal options

When the Detroit Red Wings host the Boston Bruins, the pregame meal is always a difficult chore. Sure,  Boston has a lot of possibilities, but are there any good ones? And will any of them please both the Boston and Detroit contingents?

Remember, Boston was originally settled by the British, followed later by the Irish, neither of which is exactly a culinary heaven. But let’s try to be fair-minded here, take a look at some common Boston recipes, and try to find one that we can all enjoy, including our, ahem, guests from Boston.

Baked Scrod. Scrod is a fish, I believe, though I have not been able to verify this. I asked a Boston native, and they said baked scrod was a small cod that’s dipped in eggs and breadcrumbs and put into the oven. I’m not salivating.

Remember, we all have to enjoy this meal, and after the last couple of games and the dearth of Red Wing goals, I’m not sure that baked scrod is the answer here. I also don’t think the recipe will impress our Euro members. Lucas Raymond, overtime hero against the Islanders, from Sweden; Daniel Sprong, originally from Holland; Ville Husso and Olli Maatta, both from Finland; these countries have outstanding seafood, though none offer ‘scrod.’

Detroit Red Wings Need a Strong Pre-Game Meal to Find the Back of the Net Again!

Boston Baked Beans. Stop laughing. This is actually one of the signature dishes in Beantown! And they serve it with Boston brown bread in strange little pots. I think this dish might set our power play back, not launch it forward. So this is a strong ‘no way’!

New England Clam Chowder. Chowdah, as they say in Boston, might not even be a native Boston dish, though they claim it is. Many say it came from Rhode Island, which is somewhere nearby. One goal here is to get Alex DeBrincat going again; he’s scoreless in his last couple of games. A creamy white soup filled with potatoes and onions may be an appealing alternative for lunch on a cold winter’s day, but we need to spice things up here. Word has it that Coach Lalonde decided to spice up the line combinations for this game, so we should definitely follow suit.

Detroit Red Wings Intend to Spice It Up Saturday Night

Joe Veleno moves up to play wing on the second line, bringing his speed and recent scoring touch. This hints at what might be an excellent option here. Veleno is from Montreal, via Italy. Both Detroit and Boston have sizable Italian populations.

But what Italian dish would everyone enjoy? Pasta with Clam Sauce, white, or spicy red with spaghetti might be a good option here. I can smell the garlic and the crushed red pepper sizzling in the olive oil even as I type. It’s a little heat to put a jump in the Red Wing offense Saturday night. What do you think? Or maybe spicy Italian sausage tossed with fettuccine…