Zdeno Chara might have said it best when asked about the key to the longevity of a pro hockey career that’s spanned for over two decades.
“I think it’s just not me, I think it’s more we,” Chara said back on May 20. “It’s a lot of good, positive things that plays in my favor.”
No man is an island, and behind every individual in the midst of any undertaking — there are often a number of friends, family members, mentors and more that charted the course and set the foundation for future success.
The 2018-19 Bruins are no different. They might be united be a single goal, but the road that they’ve taken to get to this point — and the help they’ve received along the way — shifts drastically from one player to the next.
Ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, we asked a number of Bruins players to identify a couple of individuals that played a major part in getting them to where they are today — just four wins away from hoisting the greatest trophy in all of sports.
CHARLIE COYLE
“I've had a lot of good coaches. My draft year, I had Scott Harlow. Me and Chris Wagner played for him and I played for him growing up too. Him and my dad coached together with spring and summer teams and stuff like that. He was very intense, but he was a pretty good player in his day and he just knew hockey.
"He knows the game, he’s very smart, intelligent and he expected a lot. He wanted you to work hard. Also, my dad, he coached me all the way up from when I started to high school. He taught me the basics, to work hard, commitment, dedication, everything. Just those principles that gets you to where you are today for the most part. He set the standard for me.”
STEVEN KAMPFER
“I’d have to say Michigan, with Red Berenson, Mel Pearson, b — those guys were instrumental in kind of developing my game. But I think if we’re going to go back — it’s gotta go probably to juniors ...I had Marty Corders when I was 9, 10 years old. I think he was my first AAA coach and he kind of fine-tuned my game and he taught me more of the fundamentals of hockey.”
DANTON HEINEN
“I think my junior coach, Peter Schaefer. He was kind of a guy that was big for me and was a big advocate for me who taught me a lot about how to mentally — he was always telling me to relax and just play and have fun. From that standpoint, I’d say Peter Schaefer. From an Xs and Os, I’d say my coach in college, Jim Montgomery. He taught me the details of the game that I didn’t have going in there. He taught me how to play an all-around game. I would say those two guys.”
Eddie Olczyk
Steve Poapst
TOREY KRUG
“It’s tough. I don’t like to credit one coach. The biggest coaching influence in my life is probably my dad when it comes to my DNA. I say it figuratively and literally, but he put in a lot of characteristics that have driven me to get myself to the level that I’m at today, my work ethic, things like that. (Now Red Wings coach) Jeff Blashill played an extremely important role in my career and my life. He took a chance on me (in USHL) and taught me a lot about attention to detail, how to work throughout the week to prepare yourself and then Butch has been great for my offensive game and taking my handcuffs off and just allowing me to play. And Claude did a great job with me too because I learned a lot about defensive responsibility under him and that shows up in my game today as well.”
JOAKIM NORDSTROM
“It’s tough to just mention one person. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of good coaches in my younger days and in my career. And obviously, my family has always been there — so it’s way too tough to just mention one guy.”
MATT GRZELCYK
Jimmy Vesey
CHRIS WAGNER
“Ah, jeez. Obviously Don Vaughan at Colgate. He was big, I went in and I played right away. I developed quicker at school because of that. Then I had my best year under Scott Harlow. I played there for two years, he was my coach for that second year. I was the captain, so he let me make some team decisions too. I had a lot of points that year, too, so it worked out pretty well.”
MARCUS JOHANSSON
“I think there’s many people that have had an impact on me. There’s a few. I think everyone needs — at some level — a coach or someone else that believes in you and trusts you to play in these big moments — even when you’re growing up. That belief is something that you always carry with you.”
CONNOR CLIFTON
Reid Cashman
SEAN KURALY
“In youth hockey,
Ed Gingher
ran the AAA program in Columbus and he kind of made the platform available for us to play hockey in Columbus from the time we were young to playing competitively to when I was 17 and left for the USHL. He was huge in youth hockey and was probably my biggest influence.”
JAKE DEBRUSK
Mark Lamb
DAVID PASTRNAK
“I obviously don’t want to really name one guy. It’s pretty much all of the coaches that helped me as a kid. I’ve been with a couple of different teams and all sorts of coaches, the longest one was with me and my hometown. But I don’t want to name any one (coach).”
DAVID BACKES
“I think I’m in that category, there was no one that really pushed pro hockey and I think they all knew the chances and coming from a small town, it was probably when I was playing junior that all of a sudden I heard about NHL Central Scouting for the first time at 17 and what the heck is this? I started seeing people with NHL logos on in the rink and it’s a steep learning curve, to try to figure out what the heck is going on.
That was one of the first realizations of having the potential to be drafted and whether or not I’d ever play, who the heck knows? My goal always was - i
f I can get school paid for playing hockey. I’ve accomplished every goal that I could ever have.
I was able to accomplish that goal, and it’s led me to make a living doing this and I’m forever grateful and blessed by it. But that was never my goal — NHL was obviously an aspiration, but I didn’t think it was in my grasp. A lot of things need to fall in place to try and make it to the NHL.
“(My parents) kept it fun and my parents’ rule was always —
we’ll present you with every opportunity we’re giving for you, you can do it if you want, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want, but if you start something, you gotta finish it.
That was always the mantra, so during the summer, I was always on three, fours teams, burned out here there and everywhere. My parents would say,
you’re finishing it, and we'll learn for next year
. They were always supportive, but it was also a drive from within myself — I want more, I want to go downstairs and shoot pucks or do this just to get the most out of the opportunity that I’ve been given.
Karson Kuhlman #20 of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
KARSON KUHLMAN
Scott
Sandelin
BRANDON CARLO
“When I was 16, I played for the Colorado Thunderbirds and Angelo Ricci was his name. I still skate with him in the summer and I have so much respect for him. He definitely helped me start to develop into not only a player, but more of a man off the ice. That’s what I think was really important as a pro, to understand how those guys work. He started to use his experiences from what he’d seen and players that he had had that moved on to pro to kind of help us in a way to start focusing on the right things, nutritional, working out, just being a good person off the ice.”
BRUCE CASSIDY
“Obviously my parents. They both passed away but they knew as a kid how much I loved the Bruins and Bobby Orr. That's what turned me into a Bruins fan at a young age. So they would be the probably the most proud. My brother's on his way up. I only have one, so I guess we'll enjoy that moment together. But back to work tomorrow. But, yeah, immediate family. Obviously my wife and kids, they know how important it is to me and how much work we have put in together as a unit, so I think that's it in a nutshell. We're all kind of proud to be here and like I said ready to go.”
David Krejci #23 of Team Czech Republic
DAVID KREJCI
Benoit Groulx
Scott Gordon
CHARLIE MCAVOY
Bob Thornton
“My parents did a lot of driving, I played a lot in Westchester, New Jersey and other places where it ended up being like two hours out there and back. … We really rejoiced when I was able to make it to the NHL and have my dream come true. But this is another dream and they’re going to be here every step of the way and I’m very excited to have them here for it. I’m sure other guys will share the same emotional feelings when it comes to that. It really is a family affair when you make it this far.”
BRAD MARCHAND
“I think personally, everyone has people that you look on, more that have helped you along the way. I think if you look back at all of our careers, the people that have pushed us and have been there and helped support us far outweigh and have more benefits I guess, than the people that have gone against us. I don’t play in spite of people, I play for the people that have pushed me and the people that have helped me succeed. You look back on your family, your friends and past coaches that you had that helped you out. I think this year, we play for each other, we play for what’s in the room. When you see guys sacrifice themselves and the injuries that they’ve taken for the group and the guys that are out right now that are hurt because they sacrificed their body, you play for guys like that. That’s why we’re a good team.”
Karson Kuhlman #20 of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
David Krejci #23 of Team Czech Republic