On any given weekend throughout the winter, Boston Bruins fans can attend hockey games featuring their favorite players who once wore the Spoked-B for the historic franchise.
From Hall of Fame players like Ray Bourque and Joey Mullen to fan favorites like Reggie Lemelin, Bob Sweeney, Bob Beers, Andrew Raycroft and Bruce Shoebottom in the lineup, the Bruins Alumni games are always entertaining.
But this Saturday, Bruins Alumni Association president Frank Simonetti has a special, star-studded lineup replacing the regular roster as the Black and Gold of yesteryear take on the Warrior For Life Fund in the Nathan Hardy Memorial Game at Warrior Ice Arena.
The Bruins Alumni lineup includes 2011 Stanley Cup champions Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Mark Recchi, Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk, Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell, Adam McQuaid, Tuukka Rask, Andrew Ference, Chris Kelly and Tim Thomas. Retired NHL players who sported the Spoked-B during their career — Kevan Miller, Andrew Alberts, PJ Stock, Mark Mowers, Bryan Smolinski and Tim Schaller — will also play in the game.
“There are so many people who sacrifice their lives for what we have,” Chara told NESN.com why the event is so important to the Bruins Alumni. “This is just one of the kinds of gestures or things that we can kind of put a little more emphasis on how important it is to have this type of people and events that help all of us.”
Normally, it’s almost a guarantee that the Bruins Alumni will defeat whichever team they face in their charity games. However, that is not the case when they face the Warrior For Life Fund lineup.
Captain Ryan Croley may not be stacking his lineup with retired NHL players but with a group of active-duty and retired Navy SEALs. His players beat the Bruins Alumni in the past, so the game has become a bit more competitive.
The Bruins Alumni hold a 2-1 series lead against the Warrior For Life Fund. The Black and Gold defeated the Navy All-Stars 2-1 last winter, which just happens to be the lowest-scoring game in Alumni history.
Regardless of how competitive the game will be on the ice, the two rosters understand it’s all for a good cause, not two points in the standings.
“Safety is number one. Nobody wants to go out there and get hurt,” Chara said. “… It’s all about having a good time and having some sort of joking going on. You want to have a good experience, have a great event and have some laughs.”
