The Boston Fleet arena had never felt so alive.

It was a sold-out Saturday night in early December, the air thick with anticipation and the sharp scent of ice. The Fleet were hosting Minnesota in a rivalry game that had the league buzzing—two powerhouse teams, playoff implications on the line.

But tonight was about more than hockey.

It was Rowie Harper-Ellis’s jersey retirement night.

Rowie—thirty-eight now, retired five years after a career that redefined ...