For the Boston Bruins, Thursday night’s Game 1 in the quarter finals in the Eastern Conference against the Toronto Maple Leafs was a must win situation. It wasn’t because they were down three games. Instead it was a need to set a tone within their locker room, having lost four of their final five games of the regular season. The Bruins had made a nasty habit out of giving up the first goal, often on the first shot by the opposition. They needed to hit the ice on time and play a full sixty minutes.
The Bruins played strong and hard the first ten minutes of the opening period and when Brad Marchand put Boston on the scoreboard during the power play just 5:28 into the game, it was certainly a momentum boost for the team in black and gold. Of course, there was still a lot of hockey left and as the period continued, it was clear that Toronto wasn’t going to back down. With 3:08 remaining on the clock, Zach Hyman got a backhand shot on Tuukka Rask to tie things up going into the first intermission.
The momentum looked like it would swing a bit toward the visitors when Zdeno Chara got a holding the stick penalty, drawn by Hyman, just 59 seconds into the second period. A strong penalty kill by Boston kept things tied. Five minutes later the Bruins were again on the kill, this time the result of a slashing call on Danton Heinen. Once again, the penalty killers came up big for Boston.
As the period continued, there were hits from both sides, and everyone was finishing their checks. And as the clock ticked under five minutes remaining in the middle frame, it looked like things might remain knotted going into the third. However, a hooking penalty on Patrick Marleau gave the Bruins their second power play opportunity of the game, and like the first, they made it count—this time off the stick of David Backes—with 16 seconds remaining on the man advantage. David Pastrnak, just above the right circle, would get a wrist shot past Frederik Andersen with just 38 seconds left in the period to put the Bruins up 3-1 going into the second intermission.
The third period picked up right where things left off in the second—physicality on physicality. Toronto would get whistled for a too many men penalty, which is never an easy penalty to take, but would deny the Bruins any satisfaction during that power play. Three minutes later, Nazem Kadri would go off for boarding Tommy Wingels, forcing the Maple Leafs to stand tall on yet another penalty kill.
Approximately thirty seconds after Kadri’s penalty ended, Sean Kuraly would get the Bruins their fourth goal of the game. The tip in had people wondering if Kuraly had played baseball as a kid, because it almost looked like a bunt.
On what appeared to be Kadri’s very next shift, he would once again be whistled for a penalty, this time a charging against Wingels. Wingels would go down the tunnel not to return to the game and Kadri would find himself assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct, which sent him down the visitor’s tunnel. While on the power play, Krejci would get the Bruins their third power play goal of the game, giving Boston a four-goal lead, which sealed the results on the night.
“They took a major, so that obviously forces you on the kill and expend a lot of energy defending as opposed to scoring. So, when you’re behind, that’s a problem. But, early in the game, I thought our kill was good. We got some breaks around the net,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game. “Looked like there were some pucks there that could have went either way. I know Adam McQuaid saved one and a couple of good sticks there, and Tuukka [Rask] some big saves. So, we got through it. Then our power play, we had a good entry and Marchy made a good play. We had a lot of speed on the entry and that’s what you need against this kill. Then Krech [David Krejci] made a good low play and we finished around the net. That can be a little bit of a difference; we finished one, they didn’t. So, it goes the other way, you don’t know how the end is going to be, but from there I thought we were a good team, played the right way, and we were able to bring it home.”
Special teams, especially the Bruins power play, were the major reason the ice tilted so much in their favor. They went three for six on the power play Thursday night. On the other side, the Maple Leafs failed to capitalize on any of their three opportunities with the man advantage.
The teams will be back at it for Game 2 on Saturday night at 8:00 pm, and by then the Leafs will know if Kadri will be playing or watching the game, as he has an interview with Player Safety on Friday. The key for Saturday’s game for the Bruins though will be to remain physical without stepping over the line.
On Sunday night, April 8, there was only one hockey game being played at the NHL level. The game between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers was the rescheduled game of their January tilt that had to be cancelled due to a blizzard.
Undoubtedly the teams were tired—after all it was the 82nd game for both of them. However, it was clear that the Florida Panthers were intent on making the most of their last game of the season, having not made it into the playoffs. For the Bruins it seemed they just lacked in many ways.
“I just felt that, coming down the stretch here, you could start to see us mentally get tired. You know, physically, I think every team goes through it, the schedule. Every team has difficult parts of it, and at the end of the year, you’re a little heavy-legged, but mentally, looked like we were losing some of our passion, and that showed in the first period,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game.
David Backes in front of James Reimer
During the first period the Bruins had seven giveaways and only eight shots on net. They went into the first intermission trailing 2-1. For Florida, Henrik Borgström, who was playing in just his third NHL game, got his first NHL goal and point when he put the Panthers on the scoreboard with their first shot on Tuukka Rask of the game at 1:22. David Backes would tie the game about seven minutes later, but still the Bruins didn’t seem truly engaged. That lack of involvement in the game would result in former Bruin, now Panther, Frank Vatrano getting his seventh of the season at 16:46 of the opening twenty.
What certainly should have been a wakeup call for the Bruins was anything but. They continued their lackluster performance through most of the second period and as a result were losing 3-1 going into the second intermission. Maxim Mamin scored his third of the season for Florida with 6:27 left to play in the middle frame. And while the Bruins have done a good job of coming back after trailing in the first, such has most definitely not been the case when trailing after the second.
As the puck dropped on the third period, it did seem that the Bruins were much more involved, but a 20-minute effort in a 60-minute game is usually not enough. In fact the Bruins had 26 shots on goal in the third period, which was more than the combined 17 they had in the first two periods. David Pastrnak managed to get the Bruins their second of the game and close the gap to one with just over ten minutes remaining in regulation. James Reimer got injured making a save for Florida. While he tried to continue, on the next shot on net that he stopped it was clear he couldn’t and Roberto Luongo—who shut out the Bruins last week—came in to finish the game, denying all eight shots he saw.
At the other end, the dagger would be plunged as Evgenii Dadonov put the puck past Rask giving the Panthers back their two-goal margin with just 1:49 remaining. While the Bruins used their timeout and looked to try to push the game to overtime, it was too little too late.
“I think if we would have had that urgency that we had in the third [period], that would have served us well. They’re a team that didn’t have much to play for, other than personal accolades and such. I think if we would have come out with that urgency and put our game on sooner, it maybe discourages them having life. Instead, we kind of wait and see like we’ve done a little bit as of late and they started on time. They score, we get it back to 1-1 and that should’ve been a wake-up call that ‘Hey we’ve got an opportunity here,’” shared Backes. “They get one [goal] shortly thereafter, get the lead and we never got it back to even after that. So, I just think that urgency that we showed in the third, when we can throw a lot of rubber at the net and get them turning, facing their net. And it’s tough to defend that way. That would have been a good recipe for us. It just took us too long to get there and it was too deep of a hole to dig out of.”
Such a scenario will certainly not serve the team well going into the playoffs. They will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round—a team that beat them in three of the four games during the regular season. Of course, all of that is wiped away. Playoff hockey is a different style of hockey to be sure. The Bruins can be successful, but they must take their game to their opponent from the first puck drop.
The Bruins have three days before their first game against Toronto. Undoubtedly a bit of time off both mentally and physically should aid them. The Bruins also have home ice for this first round, which will begin Thursday night.
Despite a lackluster first period by the Boston Bruins, in the end they were able to get a resounding win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. As with 43 previous games, the Bruins would find themselves playing from behind when Ryan Dzingel put the Senators on the scoreboard first at 12:31 of the opening frame.
This season Boston has now been able to garner the win in 21 of the 44 games in which they gave up the first goal, going 21-17-6. And while the Bruins certainly weren’t playing their best hockey in the first period, their experience with other teams scoring first has given them an inner belief that winning is absolutely possible. However, riding their first three-game losing streak of the season, as they came into Saturday night’s game, had some watchers questioning if they could pull out the win.
“We generally find out legs. That’s the good news,” stated Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy after the game. “I didn’t like our start. We do have to work to correct that, but I think our group is confident to know they can overcome that, so that’s part of it.”
While the lines were struggling to find their legs, fortunately for Boston, backup goaltender Anton Khudobin was determined to play strong—saving the team in a couple of situations, including a two-on-one in which he likely used muscles even he didn’t know he had to make the sprawling, diving save.
Daniel Taylor and Ryan Donato
“He’s getting beaten on that blocker side a little bit lately, so it was good to see him make a – power play, made a big save, the two-on-one,” Cassidy shared. “And listen, when goalies make saves, the crowd’s into it; it energizes everybody. Guys feel like, well, the goalie just picked me up, I’m going to go out there and score some goals for him, and that’s just how it works. I thought their guy [Daniel Taylor] was very good in the first period as well, and eventually we got to him. That’s what you need to win.”
Two other keys to a continued success for the Bruins was their first line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak getting back to playing their game. coupled with secondary scoring. Both of these were on display in the win over the Senators.
For the Bergeron line, it required a little tweak in their play—fixing their spacing and supporting each other. This wasn’t the first game in which they had deviated, but it was the first in the last few in which they were able to come back together and that culminated in Pastrnak getting the tying goal in the second period while Boston was on the power play. Tommy Wingels’ unassisted goal 51 seconds later had them leading for the first time in the game. Going into the second intermission, Danton Heinen’s 16th of the season—and what would be the game-winning goal—put the Bruins up 3-1. This season, when up two or more goals, the Bruins were 34-0-4 and they would continue that record of going undefeated in regulation with their win over Ottawa. Though Dzingel would get his second of the game and get the Senators back within one, Noel Acciari’s third-period breakaway and David Backes’ empty-netter would give Boston the 5-2 victory.
For Ottawa the final horn of the game signaled the beginning of their off-season, having finished in 30th place out of the 31 teams. Such a marked contrast to their stunning performance of last season, they must now reflect and then look within once each player resumes his training later in the summer.
For the Bruins, there is one more game—the weather-postponed game against the Florida Panthers. Having just dropped a 3-2 loss to Florida on Thursday and in need of the win if they wish to garner that first-seed position, they would do well to come out strong from the first puck drop. They will need the Bergeron line to play their game, mindful of their spacing and playing more like they did in the second period of Saturday’s game. Secondary scoring will also be important in the final game. Finally, Coach Cassidy announced that Tuukka Rask would be in net on Sunday, and he will have to play one of his best games. If the Bruins can pull together these three elements they should be able to contain the Panthers. It will all depend on how badly they want that first-seed position.
In theory, Spring has sprung. Despite parts of the country still experiencing cold weather temperatures, snow, and freezing rain; according to the calendar spring has begun. What do you think of when you think of Spring? Florals, florals, florals. Not the floral pattern that Grandma likes to wear on her nightgown, but fresh, clean and awakening florals that invigorate the fashion pallet.
It doesn’t matter what the piece of clothing is, picking one piece of floral as your statement and more subdued pieces to accessorize will allow you to stand out in a beautiful way. Bloom into your fashion sense and trust the power of your intuition. This week we paired a bright but still muted floral blazer with dark jeans, a classic white T-shirt and wedges. Perfect for a game, work or a night out with friends!
By day Thursday, Scott Foster, Oak Park, Ill., was an accountant during tax season. By Friday morning, he was the Blackhawks‘ First Star of the Game against the Winnipeg Jets, he held the Blackhawks belt as player of the game, he was trending on social media, and NHL and Fanatics emails featured Foster-personalized tees and Blackhawks sweaters. He was the unlikely hero Chicago and fans needed after the Blackhawks’ first failure to make the playoffs in a decade.
“It’s a little different when a few hours ago you’re working your day job and then you’re living your dream.”
The 36-year-old, who played for Western Michigan University from 2002-2006 (20-22-6, .875 save percentage, 3.44 GAA) and has played at Johnnie’s Ice House, Chicago, for men’s league elite teams since 2011, kept the Blackhawks scoreless, stopping all seven shots in about 14 minutes of play.
Scott Foster used to stuff goalie trading cards in his skates for good luck. Wonder if he did before last night’s emergency work with Chicago. pic.twitter.com/6oo9z1axV2
It’s safe to say he stole the thunder of another Blackhawk—one who is known for not loving the spotlight, Brent Seabrook, who was playing his 1000th game.
(Photos: Chicago Blackhawks Facebook)
Seabrook, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Hawks, was acknowledged in a pregame ceremony.
Two periods later, Foster, an emergency backup goalie, was listed as a press box visitor until a perfect storm sent him, in full Blackhawks uniform, onto the United Center ice.
With Corey Crawford still on long-term injured reserve, Anton Forsberg injured in warmups, and backup goalie Collin Delia pulled from the game with cramping, Foster was beckoned.
“The initial shock happened when I had to dress. You just kind of black out after that.”
“You think there’d be a lot of pressure. But, really, tomorrow I’m going to wake up, I’m going to button up my shirt, and I’m going to go back to my day job. So what pressure is there for me?”
From the moment he stepped through the tunnel onto the bench, receiving fist-bumps from some of the NHL’s top stars as he headed to the net, Foster was an inspiration.
Sure, the Hawks were up 6-2 in the third.
But, this last part of the game was perhaps the best defense we’d seen from the team all season. And, Foster was great in it, including stopping Dustin Byfuglien‘s power shot and diving to make a save.
His Johnnie’s Ice House team didn’t seem to mind Foster missing their scheduled 10 p.m. start, instead cheering for their hockey brother.
While he was being celebrated, Foster used his “Star of the Game” interview to acknowledge living his dream with Chicago’s team and passionate fans.
Emergency goalies play on an Amateur Tryout Agreement, and are unpaid for their professional ice time. It looks like his teammates for the night found him a souvenir after the final horn, though.
“This is a dream regardless. It’s something no one can ever take away from me. It’s something I can go home and tell my kids and they can tell their friends and whatnot.”
For the third game, the Vegas Golden Knights got off to a slow start in the first that resulted in them chasing the game. Saturday’s game saw Vegas take a point in their shootout loss in Colorado against the Avalanche. And while they scored first and beat the Avalanche on Monday in Vegas, they were outshot in that first period 13-6, with their goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury keeping them in that opening twenty. As things got underway Wednesday night between the Golden Knights and the Arizona Coyotes, Vegas spent the entire game playing from behind and was once again outshot in the opening period, this time to the tune of 15-5.
“It’s bothering me a lot. We had a great first game of the road trip in San Jose. We had an unbelievable first period,” head coach Gerard Gallant shared after the loss. “The last three since that we’ve been chasing the game every game. That’s three in a row and you’ve got to be better and you’ve got to be more prepared for those starts. We’ve got to get our game ready.”
While they are certainly not the first team to have such struggles, the timing of this potential trend is concerning, especially since they just clinched a playoff berth with their win on Monday. Chasing a game is generally not a recipe for success, and with the playoffs around the corner, the team definitely wants to derail this tendency. They would do well to find a way to come out hard and fast on Friday since they will be playing host to the St. Louis Blues who are coming in riding a six-game winning streak.
Alex Tuch in front of Antti Raanta
“Just better starts. When the opposing team scores first, it’s kind of a domino. Can’t really control the play and your emotions go sometimes,” Alex Tuch said. “Team scores in the first period and then you’re chasing. Then we’re chasing the puck. Then chasing the game. Chasing the score. We can’t do that. We have to come out hard and that’s what we did in the first half of the season. That’s why we’re so good at home.”
In addition to playing from behind, the Golden Knights had their fair share of difficulties with the puck in general. A few posts and some misconnects on passes coupled with some shots off the mark just exacerbated their situation as the game progressed.
“I had a lot of missed shots too. I had a couple. I mean, we’ve got to bury our opportunities. They got some lucky bounces honestly. Goalie [Antti Raanta] might be thanking the posts, kissing them a little bit,” Tuch elaborated. “I thought we had a good third period, a lot more desperate. That’s what I said before, we’ve got to play desperate hockey and match the desperation. I mean, they’re not in the playoffs so they’re looking to improve their personal outlook on the season honestly. So, they’re going to be coming out hard and playing well. We weren’t able to match it early on and it was too little, too late.”
If the Golden Knights play from behind on Friday, the St. Louis Blues will make them pay. They are a stingy team. Vegas would do well to come out hard and desperate from the first puck drop.
With their win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night, the Vegas Golden Knights clinched a playoff berth in their inaugural season. No one expected this team to be anywhere near a playoff spot as their inaugural season got underway. Most expansion teams have struggled in their first couple of seasons, but the Golden Knights look like they have been blessed. And indeed, they have been blessed, but not with some unexplainable good luck. No, this team has been blessed with players who work hard at practice and bring everything they have to each game. They have been blessed with passionate fans who bring energy and loud support to their team at every home game. And they have been blessed with a great head coach in Gerard Gallant who will likely take home this season’s Jack Adams Award.
“It means a lot obviously, but right now, it’s about doing our job,” Gallant said after the game. “Early in the season, I would come home many of nights and I would say ‘You know, what is going on here? We are a good hockey team. We are winning every night and we are playing well.’ Now I come to the rink and I expect our team to play well and I expect our team to win.”
That expectation has certainly been communicated to the players who suit up every game. And it is shown in the way the players battle and the way they come back from injury and adversity.
With 6:17 remaining in the second period, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare took a high stick to the face—resulting in a double minor on the Avalanche’s Tyson Jost. The stitches under Bellemare’s left eye will undoubtedly leave an impressive scar. Perhaps it will always be a reminder for him of the first time the team earned a playoff spot. Of course Bellemare was right back on the bench at the start of the third, looking a bit roughed up, but focused on the task at hand. Such leadership speaks volumes and shows why he wears an A on his sweater.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Gabriel Landeskog
“[The players] know what [Bellemare] does. Earlier in the period I think he blocked two or three shots on [the] PK,” Gallant stressed after the game. “He sacrifices his body, he’s a great teammate. When you see your teammate doing that, you better work hard; you better compete hard. Bellemare has been doing that for us all year long, and he’s a great leader of our team.”
But perhaps it is also about wanting to prove that they could do it. That as a team they could not only fill an arena—something else people doubted—but that they could win games.
“Well, we all came from the same situation—we were the leftovers, the misfits—so, we were all in the same boat really. We all wanted to prove something, and we are all pulling in the same direction,” shared William Karlsson. “And we had a great start. That’s obviously easier than having to lose those first couple of games. I don’t know, we’re just having fun. I think we play pretty relaxed and we have a lot of fun.”
Karlsson scored his 40th goal of the season on Monday night, which gave him three points in the game, having assisted on the Golden Knights first two goals of the game, which included the goal scored during the power play after Bellemare was injured. Like many hockey players, Karlsson downplayed his milestone, but it is that humbleness that brings out the best in players such as he. And he most definitely is not a misfit.
“He’s been huge for our team. We knew he was a good hockey player, but we didn’t know he was going to put up the numbers and play a two-way game like he has all season long for us,” Gallant said. “Again, I thought he was a good solid player, but to be a first line guy, to put up 40 goals so far. He’s going to get to 45, I think, he’s still got six games left. But he’s had an outstanding season. He works every night, and if he doesn’t play well offensively, he doesn’t score, he does a great job defensively, so he’s been a great player for us.”
However, the players are not sitting back on their laurels after Monday’s win. They are already focusing on Tuesday’s practice and what the Arizona Coyotes will bring when they show up on Wednesday night after beating the Tampa Bay Lightning while on the road on Monday.
Monday night saw the NHL debut of Ryan Donato, who played on the left wing for the Boston Bruins. The 21-year-old Harvard junior elected to forgo his fourth year of NCAA eligibility, signing with the team just after Harvard was eliminated from the NCAA playoffs. Much has been said about his composure on big stages, and that was on display at points in the game.
It certainly wasn’t the perfect night for the newly minted Bruin, as the team did lose in overtime, but for Donato, there were many good things that happened: his first NHL career goal, his first NHL career assist, a three-point night. He also spent time on the power play and was in the second shift of the three-on-three overtime.
Ryan Donato in front of Joonas Korpisalo
“I mean it was fun. Obviously, it ended tough but at the end of the day I was excited, and I think it all went well personally but I’d say it’s still bitter because of the loss,” Donato shared after the game.
Donato’s goal was the tying goal in the second period, after the Columbus Blue Jackets had scored in the first. His goal changed a bit of the momentum as the Bruins went on to score a second even strength goal by Brad Marchand and then Riley Nash got a power play goal as the clock ticked under four minutes remaining in the middle frame. Donato got his first assist of the night on that power play goal.
The scoring for both teams continued to mount and with 8:30 remaining in the third period it looked like the Columbus Blue Jackets might have the go-ahead goal when Nick Foligno got the puck to Artemi Panarin. The Bruins, however, would respond 20 seconds later as David Krejci tied things up at four a piece. Once again, the assist came from Donato.
Neither team felt they did their best. For the Bruins, who lost on Thursday night in Sunrise, Florida against the Florida Panthers and then went on to shut out the Tampa Bay Lightning on their home ice, there is a bit of struggle to find consistency. No doubt part of that is the result of the number of injured players they currently have. The most recent addition to that list was Rick Nash on Monday afternoon. Anton Blidh having been recalled from the Providence Bruins to slot in for Nash. That saw Krejci with two rookies on his wings.
“Yeah, it’s a day-by-day thing, or game-by-game. I measure on how we play. Did we compete? Were we sloppy? We weren’t as clean as we can be, but it wasn’t like a barrage of opportunities, and we always look at that,” head coach Bruce Cassidy described after the game.
Fortunately for Boston, they have been able to recall strong players to slot in when a player goes down. Many suspected a complete breakdown of the team when Patrice Bergeron was injured. He’s certainly missed, as are also Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, and Jake DeBrusk. But the quality of players they have in the wings has allowed the Bruins to continue on until these players are truly healthy enough to rejoin the team.
“The scouting staff clearly did a great job with the players, the young players, we’ve drafted. We’ve been able to develop them on the fly here.,” Coach Cassidy said. “You need to be able to do it. You probably could look at teams throughout the National Hockey League that haven’t been able to use that depth with injuries. They probably haven’t been able to sustain a level of success, and that’s been the difference for us. We have been.”
A few defensive struggles.
The Bruins are 7-2-1 in their last ten games, and all of those games saw at least one if not more of the injured players out. They have 11 games remaining in the regular season and sit strongly in second place in the Atlantic Division, trailing Tampa Bay by three points with a game in hand. They are six points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the moment, also with one game in hand. In the league, they sit in third place.
Donato was certainly a great addition to the team on Monday night, but he understands that to remain in this league requires much more than one good game.
“Obviously just the great NHL guys have consistency and so hopefully that’s something I can provide to this team,” he said.
The team heads on a road trip on Tuesday, stopping first in St. Louis to take on the Blues Wednesday night. They will play three additional road games in Dallas, Minnesota and Winnipeg, playing every other night.
Make no mistake about it, Ryan Donato is a great hockey player. He has shown that throughout his career. He now enters the next level of that career—the signing of his first professional contract. On Sunday he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins organization, just one day after his Harvard Crimson hockey team was eliminated from the NCAA playoffs.
In addition to his skill set, he has the heart and determination that any team wants in a player. This was made unquestioningly clear after Team USA lost their quarterfinal game against the Olympic Athletes from Russia team. The disappointment showed as a depthless black pool in his eyes as he bravely continued to represent his country, answering questions from all manner of the media. And despite making five goals during the tournament, the most of any player on his team and one more than his father made when he played, he commented that no one remembers who scores the most goals, only who wins.
“I saw him score five goals there,” head coach Bruce Cassidy shared with exuberance on Monday. “That’s what I would like to see more of here. Impressions are, he played with men at a higher level.”
In fact, Cassidy actually interrupted the journalist who was asking if he saw much of Donato’s play in PyeongChang and his impressions of the young forward. So, maybe the average watcher of the Olympics won’t remember what he accomplished there, but those in the Bruins organization and those who follow hockey at the most detailed levels will remember what he accomplished and how he did it with the composure of someone who is much older.
Now, he will again find himself on a big stage—his first NHL-career game. As he suits up for the Bruins on Monday when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets, he is again showing his composure.
“I think for me, I just want to play well and do whatever I can to help the team. Obviously, I just… there’s not many things that have been said to me, I just know I have to go in confident and just do what I can to help,” he shared after morning practice. “At the end of the day it’s just hockey, I’ve been doing it my whole life, so hopefully I can do it to the best of my abilities tonight.”
Ryan Donato
His comment about it being “just hockey” was something he shared with me when I interviewed him in PyeongChang before the round robin games began for Team USA, and he showed that confidence, played his game, and scored goals. And while he was doing that, he also brought his school books with him, something that he will do in this first part of his time with the Boston Bruins.
“I want to finish the semester academically. Obviously, it’s going to be difficult, but for me that’s something… for me that’s a dream to graduate from Harvard and obviously I’m putting that off a little bit, but I need to finish the semester to have that opportunity and not put it off an extra couple of years,” he shared.
That continuation of schooling and ensuring he doesn’t give up one dream for another, shows a grounding that one doesn’t normally see in one of such an age.
“Obviously you can get distracted with a lot of stuff that goes on here and being a professional athlete, but I think that being able to have school to kind of keep me calm and give me something to do and focus on other than worrying about what’s going on other than hockey is definitely something I’m excited about as well,” he offered.
During his three years at Harvard, playing for his father, Ted Donato, who is the head coach of the Harvard University Crimson hockey team, he played 97 games, notching 60 goals and 44 assists for 104 points. The 21-year-old, Scituate native also has a bronze medal from his World Junior Championship time two years ago—the first time he represented his country.
Coach Cassidy isn’t the only one who thinks that Donato showed a poise on the big Olympic stage—the captain of Team USA, and now a Bruin himself and Donato’s line mate as the game gets underway Monday night, Brian Gionta talked of his abilities.
“You know, obviously, it’s a little different on the bigger ice but I think his skill set, you know, obviously his composure with the puck, he’s made plays, he’s got a great release on his shot so all that’s going to translate well to this level as well,” Gionta stated.
No matter what he has experienced before though can truly prepare him for this major milestone in his life—that moment when he steps onto the ice for his first NHL shift. There will be nerves. There will be adrenaline. But as he himself has stated, it’s just hockey and his own body will take over soon enough and do what it has done for so many years.
“You just go out there and have fun. You just enjoy the experience for what it is. It only happens one time and I’m sure he’ll have a lengthy career but that first game, first time coming out of that tunnel’s pretty special,” Gionta offered of what Donato is about to experience.
“Obviously it’s a job now,” Donato told media. “It’s obviously still fun, but there is a side to it where you have to perform and for me I know that now and I’ll just try to work my hardest to get that opportunity.”
During the Olympics his head coach Tony Granato recognized his talents, but also his understanding of what it takes to continue on the path he has chosen.
“When he gets to that stage [NHL level] for the first time, you never ever know, but, like I said, his dad’s an NHL player and coach. So, he’s grown up in NHL locker rooms. He’s seen everything about it, so he gets it. He’s a pro,” Granato said.
“Yeah, for sure, he’s a great kid in the room and over there, like I said, he was just part of it and you know those young guys coming in, college kid coming into that situation could be overwhelmed by it and he wasn’t at all,” Gionta agreed.
For Monday night, hopefully he can take it all in from that first skate around the rink in warm-ups to the trip out of the tunnel at the start of the game. As he sits on the bench with his line mates Noel Acciari and Gionta, may he look out on the ice and know that he is where he is supposed to be and have a moment where he can just simply enjoy it. The work ethic and commitment are there, but everyone deserves to just have fun on that first night and that first shift.
“Obviously I’m really excited and obviously it’s something that I don’t want to happen too fast, so I can cherish every second of it. Right now, it’s a lot of fun,” he shared after practice.
Welcome to the NHL and to the Boston Bruins Ryan. May it always be fun, even though it is a job.
In theory, Spring has sprung. Despite parts of the country still experiencing cold weather temperatures, snow, and freezing rain; according to the calendar spring has begun. What do you think of when you think of Spring? Florals, florals, florals. Not the floral pattern that Grandma likes to wear on her nightgown, but fresh, clean and awakening florals that invigorate the fashion pallet.
During his three years at Harvard, playing for his father, 
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