FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Hardcore fans of the New England Patriots, celebrating their team's 12th win of the season, remained scattered across the parking lots of Gillette Stadium on a brisk, but by no means frigid, Sunday night in New England while work crews from the National Hockey League took control of the building to begin the transformation toward the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.
While the post-game tailgate festivities ended, when the snarled traffic along adjoining Route 1 abated, NHL employees worked throughout the night, putting down flooring and performing other set-up tasks to prepare the stadium for a rink-building process that will begin in earnest Monday in preparation of the Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens here on Jan.