BOSTON — A.J. Greer continues to quickly ingratiate himself with Boston Bruins fans.
The third-line winger built momentum in the preseason to be a fan favorite in his first season in the Black and Gold, and he kept that going during his first opportunity to showcase his hard-nosed playing style in front of the home crowd Saturday night.
Greer scored the final two goals for Boston in a 6-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes, one of which was an empty-netter to cap an eventful third period. For Greer, he let his emotions overtake him following the shot he got past Coyotes goalie Karel Vejmelka with 8:11 remaining in the game. As Greer rounded the net with arms outstretched in celebration, he pulled his jersey up and gave a kiss to the spoke-B.
It was a special moment for Greer — it was his first goal in a Bruins uniform — and it feels after two other stops already in his NHL career, he has found the place that fits him perfectly.
“Even in the preseason, I was telling my fiancée, my parents, how energetic this building is and how fun it is to play here,” Greer said. “And I think just playing for the Bruins is very special because it’s an original six team and it’s such a special organization. I’m so grateful for myself to be in this position.
“I kind of was just overwhelmed when I scored that goal and I just wanted to show my love for the Bruins and for the fans because without them the energy is not there.”
Greer is already familiar with what fans of Boston’s sports teams expect out of the athletes that represent the city due to his time playing college hockey at Boston University.
He understands why they embraced players like Sean Kuraly and Milan Lucic, and believes he has a similar type of workmanlike effort that will make him a success story after an uneven NHL career to this point.
“I lived here when I was at BU,” Greer said. “Went to the Sox games. Didn’t get to a Patriots game. I went to a few Bruins playoff games. Just the culture and the energy that the people bring here and the passion and the love they have for their sports teams. For me, I create energy. I’m a power forward. I hit, I skate, I try to do everything I can at 110%. And for the people here to appreciate that, that’s love for me.”
Greer will get another chance to be showered with love from the hometown fans Monday night when the Bruins host the Florida Panthers. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
