A Jeff Gorton and Dave Lewis sighting to start your day?! That’s how you know you’re going to have a great Friday.
Welcome to the end of the week, folks, as the first week of preseason action wraps up.
The Bruins were completely off on Wednesday before returning to practice yesterday. Friday brings another day of split-squad practices, with groups set to take the ice at 10 AM and 11:45 AM at Warrior Arena.
We’re still in that early period of training camp where there haven’t been any cuts, but it’s
getting to be about that time — Saturday’s game against the Flyers will mark the midway point of the preseason, around which you expect to see rosters start to get pared down.
That game will be in Philadelphia at 5 PM, and will be followed by the Flyers returning the favor and visiting TD Garden on Monday for a 7 PM puck drop.
We likely won’t have a full preview for Saturday’s game, but will get an open thread together. The game will air on NESN+ and 98.5 The Sports Hub.
(Monday’s game is currently scheduled for regular NESN, as are the last two preseason games on October 2 & 4; that could change if the Red Sox make the playoffs.)
Other than that, the big(ish) news is the reason for the image at the top of this post: no, not a blatant nostalgia play — Zdeno Chara is back!
After being around the team in an unofficial capacity in recent years, the B’s announced Thursday that Chara is officially back in the fold as “Hockey Operations Advisor and Mentor.”
Per the team:
In his new role, Chara will work closely with both players and staff to advise the organization in key areas. His primary responsibilities will include building relationships and strengthening communication between players and coaches, attending practices and home games, and providing off-ice development support to defensemen. He will also serve as a resource for the team’s development staff and make periodic visits to connect with prospects at the AHL level.
If you’re looking for a guy for young players to emulate, you’d be hard pressed to find someone better than Chara.
He’ll speak to the media at training camp on Friday as well.
Anyways, what’s on tap for today and the weekend?
