With Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima playing catch in the outfield and a bright blue summer sky hovering over Fenway Park, Boston Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward stood on the infield of the major leagues' oldest ballpark and pretended to be miffed.

"That's how they got me down here," he said. "They told me I was taking batting practice."

Not exactly.

The NHL announced yesterday that the Bruins will play the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway on New Year's Day in the annual Winter Classic, an outdoor game that has become one of the league's signature traditions since it began in 2008. Unlike previous years, when the annual outdoor game was played at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium and Chicago's Wrigley Field, this year's NHL matchup will be part of a festival that will include public skating and a college hockey game.

Organizers are still working on bringing Hockey East rivals Boston College and defending NCAA champion Boston University to Fenway in the days after the Winter Classic.

Judging from the reaction of the Bruins and Flyers who attended the announcement, it will be a thrill for them as well. The players marveled at the field around them, posed for pictures at home plate and in front of the Green Monster and even went inside the manual scoreboard built into the famous left-field wall.

Also, the NHL and NBC agreed to a two-year extension of their television contract that will keep the league on the network from the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park through the end of the 2010-11 season.

Detroit will open the regular season Oct. 2-3 with two games against the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm, Sweden. The Red Wings' opener at Joe Louis Arena is Oct. 8 against the Chicago Blackhawks, the team the Red Wings defeated in the Western Conference final.

Carolina agreed to a two-year, $2.1 million deal with Andrew Alberts, bringing the 6-foot-5 defenseman over from Philadelphia.

Washington signed defenseman Shaone Morrisonn and forwards Eric Fehr, Chris Bourque, Kyle Wilson and Steve Pinizzotto. Morrisonn, Fehr, Bourque and Wilson were given one-year deals. Pinizzotto signed a two-year deal.