By: Jonathan Turcotte | Follow me on Twitter / X @akaJonnyT
Hockey has been the backdrop to most of my life. Even back when I was playing youth soccer, hockey was always on my mind, drawn in by my older brother’s love for the game. I found ways to sneak hockey into every school project I could, from essays to a deep dive on the history of the Zamboni for the school paper. I don’t mean to brag, but once in NHL2K, I managed to get Sergei Samsonov to break the single-season goal record after just 20 games. To go from that kid to someone officially covering Boston’s professional teams is a reality a younger version of me never would have thought possible.
Before I shift my focus to the present and future of the Bruins and the Fleet, I wanted to look back and reflect on some of the moments that got me to this point. While I’ve accumulated countless memories over the years, here is a chronological look at my top five in-person Boston hockey experiences.
1. Boston Bruins vs. Atlanta Thrashers – 1/17/2000
Most people wouldn’t pick a tie game in the middle of a lousy season as one of their most memorable hockey moments, but this was pretty meaningful for me. It was the first game I ever attended in person, and it remains the only time I got to see Ray Bourque play live. Unfortunately, he took a puck to the face and lost three teeth. Memorable, yes, but that’s not why this tops the list. Midway through the third period, with the Bruins trailing 3-0, we noticed the arena starting to empty. My brother asked if I wanted to leave as well, but I had faith they would persevere. When Dave Andreychuk scored the game-tying goal with just 30 seconds remaining in regulation, Zombie Nation never sounded so good.
2. Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens – 3/22/2001
I’ve been to many games against the rival Canadiens. Some may have been more heated than this one, but this one sticks with me. I worked construction with my dad from the time I was 12, and for my birthday one year, he managed to score some incredible tickets from a concrete company. The Green Seats. We got to take a special elevator to our level and browse some team artifacts in the arena concourse that I’d never seen before. But the game itself was very memorable. I got a first-hand view of how Montreal seemingly gets more power plays (and tends to convert more of them as well). I don’t remember the look on my dad’s face when Brian Rolston scored in overtime to give the Bruins the win, but I’m sure he remembers the look on mine.
3. Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Parade – 6/18/2011
This is where I start to cheat a little bit on my list, since this isn’t a game. But, oh, it was an experience. The 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs ended the way we all wanted, but it was not an easy road for the Bruins. Along the way, there were three series that went the distance and countless games where the collective stress levels of the fanbase were off the charts (just wait until I someday include memories of games I watched on TV). This all culminated in a Stanley Cup victory that this city had waited 39 years for. When we were waiting for them to announce the parade date, I told my boss not to expect me in the office if it ended up on a weekday.
Fortunately, it worked out that it was on a Saturday, and EVERYBODY was there. My friends and I arrived super early in the morning to get a great spot right near TD Garden. We even saw a very tired Tyler Seguin walk past us before events began. I’ll never forget seeing the Duckboats drive past us, carrying everyone who had given us so many memories over the years: the players, the management, the broadcast teams. While winning is the emotional climax every sports fan looks forward to, the celebration helps to hammer home how special a moment this is for the community.
4. Bruins Alumni Team vs Canadiens Alumni Team – 12/31/2015
As my wife and I were prepping for our New Year’s Eve party to ring in 2016, my brother called to tell us he had extra tickets for the Alumni game at Gillette Stadium that afternoon. We immediately pushed back the start time of our party and sped down to Foxborough. The roster was packed with names familiar to any Bruins fan: Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, Marco Sturm, Mark Recchi, Terry O’Reilly, Andrew Raycroft, and Rick Middleton (whom I had previously played alongside in a charity hockey game).
But the player I was most excited to see was the aforementioned Sergei Samsonov. I knew this would probably be my last opportunity to see him play, so my binoculars followed him around for most of the game (that sounds creepier than it’s supposed to). Seeing him score during regulation and again in the shootout was exactly the joy I didn’t know I needed to close out 2015. There’s no need to go over how 2016 began for the Bruins…
5. Boston Fleet vs Montreal Victoire 5/4/2024
My daughter and I have been watching Boston Fleet games since the first puck drop of their inaugural season. I had made attempts to get her into hockey previously, but this is the team that made her a fan. This was the second of many Fleet games we have attended (yes, I’m aware they were just called PWHL Boston at the time), and this one is going to be very difficult to top. It is easily the greatest regular-season game of any sport that I’ve attended. It had a bit of everything: urgency, controversial calls, a rally, and enough passion to blow the roof off of Tsongas Center.
Boston needed to win in regulation to secure a playoff spot, which made Montreal’s tying goal with just over three minutes left that much more painful. But when Kaleigh Fratkin scored the game-winner a couple of minutes later, there was more energy in that arena than I’ve experienced in years. I’m not quite sure what my own face looked like when celebrating the goal, but I’ll never forget the look on my daughter’s.
From the Green Seats at the old Garden to the raucous crowd at the Tsongas Center, these games didn’t just give me great memories. They taught me how to watch, analyze, and appreciate the game of hockey. I couldn’t be more excited to bring that passion to Black N’ Gold Productions and cover the next era of Boston hockey with you all. Let’s go Boston!
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