Bruins’ Matthew Poitras Had ‘Crazy’ Moment Before NHL Debut

For a variety of reasons, Wednesday wasn't an ordinary day at the office for Matthew Poitras.

Poitras made his NHL debut on an evening surrounded by pomp and circumstance. Boston's tilt with the Chicago Blackhawks marked the first game of the Black and Gold's centennial season, which saw a slew of the franchise's all-time greatest players return to their old stomping grounds.

Arguably the best of the alumni bunch, Bobby Orr, was in attendance and stopped by the Bruins' dressing room before puck drop at TD Garden. The 19-year-old Poitras seemingly couldn't believe he was able to exchange pleasantries with one of the best to ever put on skates.

"It's an honor to play for an organization like this," Poitras told reporters after Boston's 3-1 win, per a video shared by Bruins Daily. "There's so much history -- saw that before the game. Watching that pregame video, I had chills going down my spine. It kind of gets you fired up. Obviously, you want to play good with all those guys in the building. ...Bobby Orr came in here before the game. I got to shake his hand -- that was crazy."

Poitras played well before a packed barn of diehard fans and franchise icons. The 2022 second-round pick assisted on Trent Frederic's game-tying goal less than 12 minutes into his NHL debut.

The youngster will try to keep it going Saturday when the B's host the Nashville Predators. NESN's full coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET.