Outside the family room at TD Garden, a group of family and friends eagerly waited for Ryan Donato after his outstanding NHL debut for the Boston Bruins. It’s a makeshift area near the locker room and members of the Donato group kept looking down the hallway as one Bruins player after another met with their guests.
The 21-year-old Boston native and former Harvard standout signed his first pro contract, a two-year, entry-level deal with the Bruins on Sunday and was thrust into the lineup against the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday night at TD Garden. It finished as bittersweet debut because the Bruins lost 5-4 in overtime, while Donato finished with a goal and two assists.
Ryan Donato (goal, two assists) became the eighth Bruin to score his first career goal this season and first to register a multi-point game in his NHL debut since Jarno Kultanen in 2000. pic.twitter.com/sjjosftqhJ
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 20, 2018