We’ve all heard lots of stories regarding the culture in Boston and how when Zdeno Chara signed with the Bruins, he and Patrice Bergeron changed it for the better.
Former teammate Zac Rinaldo had an interesting tidbit on why Boston is such an elite organization.
“In Boston, you have to be under 10% body fat all year long,” Rinaldo told Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo of “First Up” on TSN1050 Radio. “That was really challenging, and that came from Chara. That came from Bergeron.”
Rinaldo, who was traded to Boston from the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015 for a 2017 third-round draft pick, explained that when they went out to dinner, there was no dessert or wine on the table. That’s how “dialed in” the players were.
“That’s not the only reason, but those are the small details that you install into your culture and your organization,” Rinaldo said. “Those are the little things that make you better as a professional, and it goes a long way.”
The 32-year-old center played 52 games for the Black and Gold, and while his career with the Bruins was egregious, Rinaldo bought into the culture because of the leadership on and off the ice. Bergeron, more than anyone, stood out to him.
“He’s obviously a top leader in the league,” Rinaldo said. “But it’s not just what he does on the ice. It’s how he carries himself off the ice. He holds himself to a very high standard. What he preaches, he practices. He leads by example.”
Known for being an enforcer on the ice, Rinaldo talked about a time Bergeron took a “bad, vicious hit,” but Bergeron got up and skated to the bench.
“If that’s anybody else, they’re laying on the ice and playing that up a little bit,” Rinaldo said. “… But he had that pride, he had that leadership where, ‘Nope, I’m getting right back up.’ Even if he was seeing stars, he didn’t want anybody else to know that, and he got up.
“That, to me, really showed big leadership on his part, and I was bought in right after that.”
Rinaldo last played in the NHL for the Calgary Flames in the 2020-2021 season. He is currently an assistant coach with the Milton Menace of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
