All Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has known is Boston.
He was born in Charlestown, Mass., and grew up a diehard Bruins fan. He played collegiate hockey at Boston University and even captained the Terriers in his final season. Grzelcyk was drafted by his hometown team and played eight seasons with the Bruins.
The defenseman inked a one-year, $2.75 million deal with the Penguins on July 1 after spending his career with the Bruins. With a new city, Grzelcyk will be starting a new experience.
“I’ve known nothing else besides being a Bruin,” Grzelcyk told The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont. “I think it kind of comes in waves now. You have to meet new people, find a new place to live, and it’s like, ‘Wow, you really can’t take certain things for granted.’ Just the little things you didn’t even realize.”
The 30-year-old knew the “writing was kind of on the wall” after the Bruins did not express much interest in him when his four-year contract ran out.
Grzelcyk, though, is embracing the new opportunity and is looking forward to meeting new friends in a new city.
“The unknown of it is really something I’m excited about,” Grzelcyk said. “And with it, the challenge of finding out basically if I’m going to sink or swim. Not that my back’s against the wall, but I just want to come in and prove myself right from Day One. You know, sometimes when you’re in one place for a long time, you get, I don’t know the right word, whether it’s comfortable or, yeah, stale, but now I’ll be walking into a room, not knowing everyone, not knowing where everything is. You have to be on top of your game, be it for practice or a game.”
The defenseman played 445 games with the Bruins, tallying 135 points on 25 goals and 110 points. Grzelcyk averaged 18:03 minutes of ice time and was a consistent presence for Boston in his eight seasons.
