While Garnet Hathaway is by no means a newcomer to New England, the newly-acquired winger seemingly has been taken back by the support since being traded to the Boston Bruins.
And Hathaway, a Maine native who played collegiately at Brown University, acknowledged the reception he's gained from both inside and outside the Bruins dressing room. After making his debut in the Black and Gold on Saturday night, Hathaway shared that the immediate reception from the Bruins made him feel "immediately welcome."
"You know, I talked a lot about the looker room already, how welcoming they are, but it's kind of the whole Bruins Nation, the whole Boston area, all of New England," Hathaway told reporters following Boston's 3-1 victory in Vancouver on Saturday night, per the Bruins. "It kind of feels like day one, part of the team and just a lot of support."
Hathaway played the right wing on Boston's fourth line against the Canucks at Rogers Arena and took the ice for 11:40 including 1:18 on the penalty kill. He traveled from Washington to Vancouver on Friday with defenseman Dmitry Orslov, who also was traded from the Capitals to the Bruins on Thursday.
"It was awesome," Hathaway said when asked about taking the ice with the B's. "Obviously (Orslov) and I, we traveled a lot and we learned a couple new parts of the system and just kind of (went) with the flow a little bit, don't think as much.
"We have some time to look over video, fine-tune some details," Hathaway continued. "And just the guys, the support from those guys, 'Keep going. This is what we're doing.' Each guy has each other's back in here and it's pretty easy to feel comfortable."
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery expressed how he was "really impressed" with Hathaway following Saturday's win. Montgomery specifically noted Hathaway's ability on the penalty kill and praised Orslov for making an impact on the defensive end.
Hathaway, Orslov and the Bruins now will get set for a tough matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday with NESN's coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Following a four-game road trip, the Bruins will return home Thursday where Hathaway surely will continue to feel the support from Bruins fans.
