But on Tuesday, several Bruins were wearing something a little different. How different? Try to picture a pink bunny nearly seven feet tall.
The kids at Children's Hospital don't have to imagine what that would look like. They actually saw it Tuesday when Bruins captain Zdeno Chara donned the aforementioned bunny suit while making a Halloween visit. He was joined by Prince Charming (Brad Marchand), Fred Flintstone (Adam McQuaid) and a Crayola crayon (Jordan Caron), but it was the pink bunny suit that was the talk of the locker room after practice on Wednesday.
"I don't know where they got a bunny suit that big," McQuaid said. "I questioned whether the kids would even know if it was a bunny or not. One kid thought it was an alien. He was a pretty good sport with it and I think he looked as good as any of us did."
Marchand was even more impressed.
"Zee played that role to a tee," Marchand said. "He looks great in pink. It was fun. It was a good time and it's great that Zee is willing to do stuff like that to make kids smile."
And how did the kids react to seeing a huge pink bunny strolling through the hospital?
"I think the biggest thing was everyone was, 'Man, you're tall,'" Marchand said. "One kid asked him if he was an alien."
While the sight of bunny that big could be frightening, the kids enjoyed the spectacle.
"They were a little shy, but I don't think they were afraid," Chara said.
"They were excited and surprised some of them," Chara added. "But most of them were just happy and we put smiles on their faces, so it was really good."
Chara was quick to point out that the choice of costume wasn't up to him. "I didn't buy it," Chara said when asked where he found a bunny suit big enough to fit him.
At least the bunny suit did fit. McQuaid had to go to a backup option.
"It was between that and a dress, so I figured I'd be better off with Fred Flintstone," McQuaid said. "The original one they handed me was a one-piece suit and it didn't fit me. Once I got it over my shoulders it wasn't too pretty in the back. It rode up a little bit, so I was more happy to go with the Fred Flintstone."
The sleeveless Flintstone costume did show off the work in the weight room McQuaid has put in.
"Quaider showed off the guns a little bit," Marchand said. "His are bigger than mine, so I let him do it."
As for wearing the Prince Charming outfit, Marchand said he isn't concerned about it becoming fodder for his fellow agitators around the league.
"I'm not too worried," Marchand said. "I've still got the ring chirp under my belt."
While plenty of fun was had during the visit and at the players' expense at practice, the Bruins involved were all quick to point out the worthy cause behind their getups as they tried to bring some Halloween joy to Children's Hospital.
"It can be sad at times to see those kids and what they're going through, but at the same time you leave with a good feeling when you see their reactions," McQuaid said. "Even the parents are pretty excited to see us. Sometimes the parents are more excited than anybody. And afterwards you hear the nurses say that it was the best day the kids have had since they've been in here. It makes you feel good."
Chara agreed that wearing a pink bunny suit was a small price to pay to help brighten a sick child's day.
"It was fun," Chara said. "It was a really good experience. It was something that was very important to me and to us as a team and to the community. We had a good time, and hopefully it serves well for the kids and their families."
Click here to see photos of Bruins celebrating Halloween at Children's Hospital >>
