Bruins
“This is one of the highlights of the year for us.”
Matt Grzelcyk can still remember his favorite gift he unwrapped on Christmas morning.
The Charlestown native has made a career out of shredding through the neutral zone as a fleet-footed puck mover for the Bruins.
But like most kids growing up in the early 2000s, the 29-year-old defenseman couldn’t get enough of the gravity-defying feats of extreme sports.
“I don’t know why because I probably barely used it — but I got a skateboard,” Grzelcyk said Tuesday of his favorite Christmas gift. “And I was in my kitchen trying to do kick-flips. And I think it probably rolled my ankle about seven times on the first day. That was the end of that. … I thought I was going to be Tony Hawk, going to the park, but it never came to fruition.”
Grzelcyk’s true calling out on the frozen sheet has ultimately paid off.
But on Tuesday afternoon, Grzelcyk and the rest of his teammates traded in their skates for Santa hats and other holiday-themed attire as part of the Bruins’ annual holiday visit to local hospitals.
In a tradition that has stretched back as far as Ray Bourque’s tenure as Bruins captain, the entire Bruins team took part in a holiday toy shopping event — picking up plenty of gifts for children at several area hospitals on Nov. 29.
On Tuesday, the entire Bruins roster stopped by Boston Children’s Hospital, Franciscan Children’s, Mass General, Shriners Children’s Boston and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital to visit the patients who received said presents.
Grzelcyk, donning a hat resembling Santa Claus’ signature red trousers, visited Mass General alongside teammates Charlie McAvoy, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Danton Heinen.
“Yeah, this is one of the highlights of the year for us — just to walk in, see the smile on their face and kind of give them an early look into what Christmas is going to bring them,” Grzelcyk said. “Especially for me being from here, it means a little bit more, so it’s something I look forward to each year.”
During their visit, the Bruins signed autographs, took photos, and played several games with patients — all while dressed up as Christmas trees, snowmen, Buddy The Elf and several other holiday-centric costumes.
“If you do have a costume, we try to make the guys wear it on the way from the rink,” Grzelcyk said. “So if you get stopped at a red light, they get a couple looks here and there.”
Amid the grind of an 82-game NHL season, Grzelcyk said that Tuesday’s visit is always a welcome event that regularly puts things in perspective.
“I think the leadership group stresses how important it is at the beginning of each year to give back to the community and it’s easy to just follow their lead,” Grzelcyk said. “I think Boston sports in general do a really good job. … You don’t know how it’s gonna impact those kids, so you want to make sure that you’re showing up and doing your part.”
Shoring things up
Behind the play of both Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark in net, the Bruins still rank third in the NHL in goals against per game at 2.46.
But in several key situations, Boston’s usually rigid defense has left a lot to be desired.
Jim Montgomery has routinely bemoaned his team’s splintering structure during opposing rush chances in 2023-24. But the most concerning trend that has sprouted up as of late is Boston’s failure to snuff out last-minute rallies when opponents pull their goalie for an extra skater.
Over 24 games this season, the Bruins have logged 32:22 of ice time against an empty-net situation. In that extended stretch, the Bruins have coughed up seven goals — the most of an NHL team.
A timely overtime goal from Brad Marchand on Saturday absolved Boston’s latest last-minute gaffe against the Maple Leafs — just minutes after Auston Matthews rifled a puck past several sprawled-out Bruins skaters at 19:54 in the third period.
Boston was not so lucky on Nov. 20 in Tampa Bay, with Steven Stamkos negating what was shaping up to be an impressive two-point showing on the road with a one-time blast with 4.8 seconds to go in regulation. Brandon Hagel added the OT winner just 1:19 into the extra frame to compound the Bruins’ misery on a night where they failed to counter another last-minute push.
For Montgomery, the best avenue to countering those empty-net goals against revolves around reps and experience — rather than a change in the team’s overall structure.
And with seasoned veterans like Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci no longer available for such critical junctures of a game, growing pains are to be expected.
“Experience of being out there, of having the inner calm to be able to make poised plays and to be able to realize where the important ice is,” Montgomery said of how to limit costly D-zone sequences against an empty net. “We’ve run it out of the middle of the ice a couple of times.
“I think in the Tampa game we did, and I think in Toronto, we were running out of the middle of the ice and the intentions are good, but it’s kind of a panic read, where we got to hold the most important ice when they have possession.”
A fresh start
After keeping his team away from the rink on Monday, Montgomery scheduled an optional skate for the Bruins on Tuesday following a stretch of nine games in 16 days. The Bruins will resume their regular full-squad practice on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s home game against the Sabres. “This year, because of our situation with our team, we brought everybody in today, but it’s optional because there’s a lot of players, they’re just banged up,” Montgomery explained.”
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