Anyone who has followed Brandon Carlo throughout his career knew the moment was coming.
So when he hit the ice for warmups Sunday in Lake Tahoe wearing the “A” on his jersey, it was hardly a surprise.
With David Krejci unable to play in the Boston Bruins’ outdoor walloping of the Philadelphia Flyers, the B’s elected to have someone serve as the other alternate captain in his place. The B’s rolled with Carlo, who was clearly touched by the gesture.
“It was amazing,” Carlo said over Zoom after Tuesday’s practice. “That was probably the biggest honor of my life to walk into the locker room that day and see the A on my sweater. It means so much to me that this group and the management, everybody can trust me to take on that responsibility. So, it definitely warmed my heart and gave me an extra boost of confidence knowing that I’m contributing to this team in a leadership aspect.
“I want to continue to grow in that regard. We have great mentors along the way. Obviously, we had (Zdeno Chara), but now we have (Patrice Bergeron), who has been fantastic this year leading us along that path. So I’m a sponge. I just want to soak in all of that stuff and do my best to be a voice in the room and keep that respect.”
It’s not uncommon for the Bruins to switch things up on occasion. David Backes in years past wore an A on the road but not at home. Thus, it’s unclear if the distinction for Carlo was a one-time thing or something that will continue whenever Krejci and/or Brad Marchand are out.
Regardless, it’s clear he was thrilled to have the opportunity even once.
