To break up our routine a little bit, the kids and I went to Wilmington, MA (twenty minute drive) to see the Bruin rookies go through some drills and a scrimmage. Don Sweeney was on the ice leading the drills. We saw 1st round draft pick Zach Hamill (above) and goalie prospect Tuukka Rask, among others.
The Ristuccia rink in Wilmington is so plain and not very impressive. Yet for some reason the Bruins hold most of training camp there. I like it. You get that "lunch pail" feel about the players, and they seem less like professional athletes and more like hockey players. Besides, it's free, and it's come and go as you please. There were about 100 people watching.
Bruin GM Peter Chiarelli and new coach Claude Julien were sitting in the stands, separate from the masses, but completely accessible to the public (which given the team's current state, could be dangerous). So as we were leaving, Caroline and Danny climbed up to the top of the stands where they were sitting and asked Julien to autograph their notebooks. Actually, Danny was nervous and said, "Can I please have my autograph?" Julien was very accommodating and friendly to them. He smiled and nodded down to me as they were coming back down the stands. Caroline and Danny seemed happy.
Since we had to drive through our old hometown of Tewksbury to get to and from the rink, we did some sight seeing on the way back. It's the town Deb and I grew up in, and the place the kids lived until 1999. We drove by our old house, saw where Grampa preached, played at the playground the kids used to play before we moved, and ate a sub at French's Sub Shop. It's good to visit a place you once lived. It can make you feel good about both the past and the present.
The Ristuccia rink in Wilmington is so plain and not very impressive. Yet for some reason the Bruins hold most of training camp there. I like it. You get that "lunch pail" feel about the players, and they seem less like professional athletes and more like hockey players. Besides, it's free, and it's come and go as you please. There were about 100 people watching.
Bruin GM Peter Chiarelli and new coach Claude Julien were sitting in the stands, separate from the masses, but completely accessible to the public (which given the team's current state, could be dangerous). So as we were leaving, Caroline and Danny climbed up to the top of the stands where they were sitting and asked Julien to autograph their notebooks. Actually, Danny was nervous and said, "Can I please have my autograph?" Julien was very accommodating and friendly to them. He smiled and nodded down to me as they were coming back down the stands. Caroline and Danny seemed happy.
Since we had to drive through our old hometown of Tewksbury to get to and from the rink, we did some sight seeing on the way back. It's the town Deb and I grew up in, and the place the kids lived until 1999. We drove by our old house, saw where Grampa preached, played at the playground the kids used to play before we moved, and ate a sub at French's Sub Shop. It's good to visit a place you once lived. It can make you feel good about both the past and the present.
No comments:
Post a Comment