By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan
Yes, go into a National Hockey League locker room after any victory and you will almost definitely find quotes to judge the early season off of, but the players’ perspectives matter more than ever during a retooling period for the organization, so listen up. These Boston Bruins were ecstatic after replicating another 5–2 victory against the St. Louis Blues as they continue to embrace their identity as a lineup.
Does the aforementioned sense of balance with the rostered forwards that these articles have brought up have to do with this identity? Of course, but what follows it is Head Coach Marco Sturm’s ability to recognize that theme and get the players to buy into the picture.
“It is definitely just really fun playing hockey right now. It doesn’t really matter who I am playing with or where in the lineup you are. Everybody is valued here, so that’s the biggest thing. Just having a blast right now.” –Mark Kastelic after Tuesday night’s 5-2 win vs St.Louis, via @NHLBruins’ Belle Fraser
This right here from Kastelic is more than a case in point, and it should give fans more cautious optimism as to how the culture is being built overall and where it can go in this season and beyond. It’s one phase for players to go out and do what the coach wants, and it’s another phase for them to start building a sense of emotions and accountability to one another.
A dynamic like this is what raises teams to play outside of their expected abilities, as fans saw during the Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron eras of old. Yes, these Bruins aren’t anywhere near those eras in success or relevance, and this dynamic from the outside could flip on its head literally a game from now, but that’s also not the bigger picture, as General Manager Don Sweeney is still able to check things off.
This type of feedback about the team’s environment acts as a milestone for an organization that knew going into this season that they needed this new era under Sturm to get the culture train back on track and for the players to bring more on a daily basis. Regardless of what happens a game or 30 games from now, there is clearly something to build on in the staff suites above for the seasons to come.
Not many teams that were at the bottom of the league last season can say this, and it’s a credit to still having star leaders like David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy paired with decision makers who have seemed to blend their hired leader behind the bench with their idea of how the lineup should play. This situation has truly reinforced every narrative about the Bruins’ standards continuing and fostering themselves through players both young and old.
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