ST. LOUIS — David Pastrnak doesn’t have to venture very far in the Bruins’ locker room to hear the anecdotes that every hockey player at one point or another dreamed of living.
How much does the Stanley Cup weigh? What was going through your head as the final seconds ticked off the clock?
Just 18 years old when he cracked a spot up in the NHL ranks, Pastrnak has heard these tales countless times before — delivered by the five stalwarts on Boston’s roster that remain from the 2011 Stanley Cup run in Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask.
But sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words — and Bruce Cassidy and his club are making quite the statement with a couple of additions to Boston’s locker room.
Whether it be in the team’s regular quarters at TD Garden or in the cramped visitor locker rooms at Enterprise Arena, one alteration has remained a constant during the Stanley Cup Final — as just about every corner, nook and ledge has featured a framed photo from the Bruins’ previous championship triumphs.
In one corner, by the defensemen’s stalls, a photo of Bobby Orr — donning a 1970 Stanley Cup Champions t-shirt while taking a swig from a bottle. Another snapshot of Orr drinking from Lord Stanley’s Cup is perched over a doorway. Next to it, a print of Chara hoisting the trophy higher than, well, just about anyone has at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
No. 4️⃣ keeping watch.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/Fzh6swphIa
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 31, 2019
With just a few wins separating the Bruins from a Cup, the team has placed photos from the team’s previous championships in their locker room — both home and away.
The reasoning?
Cassidy: “Because that’s why we’re here. To win a Stanley Cup. We shouldn’t hide from that.” pic.twitter.com/9qYebAKEC2
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) June 1, 2019