Tag: Boston Bruins

Former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara raises $25K for charity during Boston Marathon

Here’s how he did it.

At the 2024 Boston Marathon, Zdeno Chara, former captain for the NHL’s Boston Bruins, beat his personal record while raising money for charity.

Chara, now 47 years old, spent 24 seasons in the NHL. Since retiring on September 20, 2022, Chara has stayed active by running in events like the Watuppa Trail Races, the Baystate Marathon, and the 128th Boston Marathon. This year, Chara finished the Boston Marathon with a final time of 03:30:52, shaving nearly eight minutes off his 2023 finish time of 3:38:23.

Both years, Chara ran in support of the The Hoyt Foundation, a non-profit group that “aspires to build the individual character, self-confidence and self-esteem of America’s disabled young people through inclusion in all facets of daily life.” During Chara’s 2024 Boston Marathon run, he raised over $25,000 for the organization.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5zKq-uvjJk/

“They were such iconic figures,” Chara said of the late Rick and Dick Hoyt while speaking to The Boston Globe, “living legends that have done so much for the community.”

On Instagram, the Boston Bruins celebrated Chara’s performance. As current Bruins captain Brad Marchand commented in an NHL.com article, he was “not really surprised” about Chara’s active post-NHL schedule. “You knew [Chara] was going to find something really competitive, very hard,” Marchand said. “Something that takes a lot of training, something he can improve upon. He’s just a beast. He likes the challenge.”

So, what’s next for Chara? Boston.com writer Conor Ryan reports that Chara will soon be off to England for the London Marathon on April 21.

“It’s great for him,” Marchand said. “I’m happy to see him happy and enjoying something after hockey. He dedicated so much time and effort to the game, it’s great that he has another passion that he’s enjoying.”

Read more about the athletes and celebrities who showed up to the 2024 Boston Marathon here.

Celine Dion played air guitar and delivered the Bruins lineup in amazing videos

Celine Dion remains the best.

Celine Dion has dealt with some serious health problems as of late, but her appearance at the Grammys was a heartening thing to see.

Now, we’ve got her amazing appearance at the Boston Bruins’ game on Thursday against the New York Rangers. Not only did she appear with her kids on the scoreboard as the fan of the game, but she also did a little air guitar with the cameras on her.

And then, we need to talk about her starting lineup read in the Bruins locker room. She took the job seriously even if she got some laughs and sang a little bit.

This is gold:

Boston Celtics tied with Red Sox in new fan popularity survey for New England

It has been a long time since the New England Patriots were not the most popular pro sports team in the northeastern United States.

It has been a long time since the New England Patriots were not the most popular pro sports team in the northeastern United States, but for the first time in many years, they have been supplanted by the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics, who also have the Connecticut Sun, Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins competing for eyeballs over stretches of the NBA calendar, were recently voted the region’s most popular sports franchise in a recent survey by Channel Media and Market Research — with a catch. They tied the Red Sox with 19% of the vote, according to a recent article by MassLive’s Nick O’Malley.

Aptly called the “New England Sports Survey,” Channel Media and Market Research has been conducting this research since 2012, right about the time of the ending of the last era of Celtics title contention.

During that period, the Patriots have been dominant among fans, but their recent struggles and rebuild have taken the shine off some of that particular apple, opening the door for the Celtics and Sox to step through.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Cultivating championships in the city of Boston

When it comes to calling a city “title town,” there may be no better metropole than the city of Boston, Massachusetts to lay such a claim.

When it comes to calling a city “title town,” there may be no better metropole than the city of Boston, Massachusetts to lay such a claim. For decades, the city saw the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, and Boston Celtics hang banners in their respective leagues.

And while there have been plenty of long pauses for respective clubs in their pertinent sports, Boston as a whole has been among the winningest metropolises in North American sports history. In order to honor that tradition in a moment of transition for New England sports with no head coach having more than three seasons’ experience, the hosts of the WEEI “Gresh and Fauria” show looked to Boston’s past for clues about its future.

To hear what they had to say about the future of championships in the city in their estimation, check out the video embedded below!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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What are you getting the Boston Celtics for Christmas this year?

What do you get for the relative who has everything (in this clumsy metaphor, the contending Celtics)?

What are you getting the Boston Celtics for Christmas this year? As one of the biggest days of the 2023 holiday season approaches, the folks behind the NBC Sports Boston “Arbella Early Edition” show crew took some time to discuss what gifts they think they would give to Boston’s major sports teams, the Celtics, the Boston Bruins, the New England Patriots, and the Boston Red Sox.

The Sox, Patriots, and Bruins are like those relatives who are pretty easy to shop for because the things they need are both obvious and attainable. But what do you get for the relative who has everything (in this clumsy metaphor, the contending Celtics)?

From humorous suggestions to serious analyses, the gifting conversation revolves around the teams’ current needs and challenges they are facing respectively.

To hear what they had in mind for the Celtics in particular, check out the clip embedded above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Watch TD Garden transform from a Boston Bruins rink to the Celtics’ parquet

The speed at which the arena crew can get the transition done is truly impressive to see.

The TD Garden has long been a hub for sports and entertainment in Boston, hosting a variety of events, from hockey games to concerts, and is of course the home arena of not only the NBA’s Boston Celtics but also the Boston Bruins of the NHL.

Most of the time, there is plenty of time between the nights where the Celtics and Bruins play during the part of the year when their respective seasons overlap. But sometimes, due to scheduling quirks, the ice-covered arena of the Bruins needs to turn into the Celtics’ parquet court in a hurry, or the reverse. The speed at which the arena crew can get the transition done is truly impressive to see.

If you have never witnessed the changeover for yourself, the folks behind the Connor Sports YouTube channel caught the teardown of a Bruins game for a Celtics tilt, and sped it up for your viewing pleasure in the video embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Connor Bedard impressed NHL fans with his beautiful first Blackhawks goal

Two games in, Connor Bedard has already found the net for the Blackhawks.

A night after making his NHL debut, Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard has scored his first goal.

On a beautiful wraparound shot into the goal, Bedard notched his first score at TD Garden against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.

It was a nifty little move that just shows how Bedard is already making waves on the ice for the Blackhawks.

It’s only two games and one goal, but Chicago has to like what it’s seeing in the 2023 NHL Draft’s first-overall pick. He already looks like a keeper, and he’s only going to get better every night he takes to the ice.

NHL fans, even those who aren’t Blackhawks fans in the slightest, were happy to see Bedard notch this career milestone.

TD Garden isn’t an easy place to play, either. Good on Bedard for making this second game count like he did in such a difficult arena of competition.

Are fans still as passionate about Boston sports rivalries as they once were?

How has Boston sports fandom changed over the years?

The folks at NBC Sports Boston recently put out a video on how Boston sports fans have changed over the decades, but how has Boston sports fandom changed along with it? The rise of social media has made athletes more accessible to fans, for one thing.

Fans can now directly engage with athletes through platforms like Twitter, leading to more diverse interactions, including both praise and criticism. Traditional sports rivalries in Boston, such as the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees and Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, have lost some of their intensity over the years on the other. Despite changes in rivalries and fan interactions, Boston is still hailed as one of the most passionate sports cities in America.

To hear this conversation between NBC’s John Tomase, Phil Perry, Tom Curran, and Chris Forsberg, take a look at the clip embedded above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Is there a generational divide in Boston sports fandom?

Among fans of the Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Bruins, it can often seem that many fans of those New England pro sports teams are stuck in a not-so-distant past where winning seemingly came easier than it has in recent years.

Is there a generational divide in Boston sports fandom? Among fans of the Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Bruins, it can often seem that many fans of those New England pro sports teams are stuck in a not-so-distant past where winning seemingly came easier than it has in recent years.

Some long-time fans reminisce about the struggles their teams faced before Boston-area sports took off across several leagues, appreciating the journey more than the victories, while newer fans may not share the same sentiment. Fans also consume sports differently today, with digital platforms and mobile devices providing instant access to highlights and information

The folks at NBC Boston Sports put together a video exploring the changing landscape of local sports fandom.

Check out the clip embedded above to hear what Chris Forsberg, Phil Perry, Tom Curran, and John Tomase had to say about their views on the evolution of Boston sports fandom.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Hockey fans had heartfelt goodbyes for the iconic Patrice Bergeron as he announced his NHL retirement

What an emotional day in Boston.

After over 20 seasons with the Boston Bruins, where he made a name for himself by being one of the best two-way players in NHL history, Patrice Bergeron is hanging up his skates.

On Tuesday, the six-time Selke Award winner, three-time All-Star, and 2011 Stanley Cup champion revealed he was retiring from the NHL via a statement with the Bruins. Bergeron leaves behind a legacy as the heart and soul of the Bruins’ operations and as one of the more complete players in the modern era.

Bergeron seemed understandably emotional in his retirement statement:

“As hard as it is to write, I also write it knowing how blessed and lucky I feel to have had the career that I have had, and that I have the opportunity to leave the game I love on my terms. It wasn’t a decision that I came to lightly. But after listening to my body, and talking with my family, I know in my heart that this is the right time to step away from playing the game I love.”

A salute to a legend and one of the classier players in NHL history.