BOSTON — The Bruins got some real impressive efforts Thursday night from players like Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask, but that wasn’t enough for either player to lock up the game’s first star.
Bergeron and Rask had to fall behind the Boston Fire Department, which was named the game’s first star following the Bruins’ 3-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden. That comes just one day after two Boston firefighters died in the line of duty while fighting a nine-alarm blaze in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.
“We feel like we are part of the community now as a whole and it was an important game, we thought, for us to win for all of them,” Bergeron said. “They put their lives at risk and obviously with what happened, our thoughts and prayers are with their families. Like I said, you never want to hear that. They are the heroes and we’re just here to — it puts things in perspective, I guess, if I want to put it that way. Tonight was well-deserved first star.”
The Bruins also honored the Boston Fire Department by wearing BFD caps during their pregame warmups. The B’s also wore the caps and T-shirts in the locker room after the game. The two firefighters — Lt. Ed Walsh and Firefighter Mike Kennedy — were also remembered during a moment of silence shortly before puck drop.
“We were trying to bring something very positive,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “We know that doesn’t make things any better, but to just try and do the best you can to help heal and again put some excitement into the people that were here tonight and our fans out there, that’s all you can do. Saying that, I thought the guys did a great job tonight. They really wanted to honor them the proper way, whether it was in the warm-up or by winning the game. I think their hearts were with those families.
