The Boston Bruins returned to the ice Tuesday morning, as a number of players participated in the first informal practice of the season at Ristuccia Arena.
Veteran center Patrice Bergeron led the group, which included current Bruins, Providence Bruins, prospective B’s and even former teammate Shawn Thornton, in the on-ice session.
“It’s always nice to get back here,” Bergeron said after the skate, via BostonBruins.com. “Especially being here early, you know, and seeing the guys and seeing the trainers, and the coaches, and just being here, and enjoying the little bit of the rest of nice weather here in Boston, and getting ready.”
Among those guys were Adam McQuaid, Chris Kelly and Dennis Seidenberg, all of whom had their 2013-14 seasons cut short because of injuries. It was an encouraging sign to see McQuaid (ankle surgery), Kelly (back surgery) and Seidenberg (right knee surgery) back on the ice and looking strong.
Other current Bruins who participated in the practice included Daniel Paille, Loui Eriksson and Tuukka Rask. The B’s informal practices will continue throughout the week, with training camp set to begin Sept. 18.
While the season still is over a month away, Bergeron already is looking ahead to the upcoming campaign with the mindset that the B’s have something to prove following their early playoff exit last season.
“You know, every time you don’t achieve the ultimate goal, you have to prove something all over again, and that’s for sure, and it’s definitely on our minds this year,”Bergeron said. “You have to start all over, start in training camp, have a good camp, and have a strong start of the season, and go from there.”
“You definitely can’t look past that, but still, we’re definitely looking forward to the season, and we all know that we’re going to have to bring more.”
