Getting acclimated to a new team can be scary for anyone, but the Boston Bruins found a way to help Tyler Bertuzzi out.
The Bruins swung a trade for the 28-year-old prior to the NHL trade deadline, bringing him in from the Detroit Red Wings to fill the void left after injuries to fellow forwards Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno and bolster the bottom-six in preparation for a Stanley Cup playoff run.
Bertuzzi had some prior history with Boston, however, combining with new teammate Brad Marchand to spark an all-out brawl at TD Garden in 2018.
That no longer appears to be an issue, as the two “sandpaper” players are now locker mates.
The, admittedly hilarious, move to bring Marchand and Bertuzzi together on game days was appreciated by the Canadian.
“I think they did that on purpose,” Bertuzzi said postgame, per team-provided video. “He was good, but I’m sure I’ll get it at practice.”
That wasn’t the only way the Bruins got Bertuzzi acclimated however, as “Uncle Nick” helped him make it to the rink on his first day and head coach Jim Montgomery gave him the start in Boston’s win over the New York Rangers on Saturday.
The comfort paid off, as Bertuzzi scored his first point as a Bruin in the first period and was given the opportunity to play on multiple lines.
Bertuzzi will have some time to get even more acclimated with the B’s in the coming days, as the Bruins don’t play again until March 9 against the Edmonton Oilers. He will get an opportunity to play his former team on back-to-back days on March 11 and 12, and you can watch the second game on NESN.
