John Carter remembers just about everything about the day he signed to join the Boston Bruins for three games at the end of the 1986-87 regular season.
The Winchester, Mass.-born, Woburn-raised Carter hadn’t skated in about two weeks after completing his four-year collegiate career at RPI. His childhood dream came true in the middle of an exam after his college coach, Mike Addesa, knocked at the door.
"He came into the room and said, ‘John, I just got off the phone,’" remembered Carter, who helped RPI to the 1985 national title alongside Adam Oates, a fellow former Bruin." ‘You agreed to sign with the Bruins, and you’re playing tonight against Montreal.’ I was just shaking like a leaf."
What followed was a whirlwind day.
He didn’t have cash in his pockets before boarding a small plane that took him from Albany, N.Y., to Logan Airport, or even time to call his parents to inform them to get down to Boston Garden for his debut. In fact, his parents found out during the 6 p.m. local news broadcast, and some 15 friends who just so happened to have tickets not until he skated on the ice before the game.
"I remember being the first one to the locker room," said Carter, who was the last Bruin to wear No. 8 before Cam Neely. "I was there a little early, so I opened the door and there’s my shirt hanging in between Rick Middleton and Ray Bourque. It was surreal, then the guys started coming in and I was really in awe."
According to Bruins records, 65 players born in Massachusetts have had the opportunity to skate for the hometown Original Six franchise. Whether they played decades or just a few years ago, the "dream come true" feeling remains constant. Many boast similar childhood memories and early brushes with their heroes.
Carter and Boston College alum Bob Sweeney (Concord, Mass.) prove that the New England — and specifically Boston area — hockey landscape has been small for years. The two skated together from the age of 8 years old before becoming Bruins late in the 1980s.
As is the case today, Sweeney feels that the Bruins’ success during his youth was an important part of the rapid growth of the area hockey scene.
"When I was a kid, the Bruins had won two Stanley Cups with guys like Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Johnny Bucyk and Gerry Cheevers," said Sweeney, who played for the Bruins from 1986-92. "If you look now, the numbers for youth hockey are increased similar to where they were 40 years ago. It was just a good time to get into hockey and there were a lot of great players coming out of this area when I was playing."
Though he was known best for tending goal on the U.S. team that completed the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980, Jim Craig (North Easton, Mass.) played 23 of his 30 career NHL games for the hometown B’s in 1980-81, following two seasons at Boston University.
He grew up watching Orr and the "Big Bad Bruins" and, too, remembers the pressure that came with following in their footsteps, especially as a goaltender.
"There were pioneers before us, but very few Americans played in the NHL back in 1980," said Craig, whose coach with Boston was Cheevers, a Bruins goaltending legend. "It was a really big deal to be able to prove yourself as an American, never mind coming to your hometown. The players who were just leaving the Bruins were the heroes I grew up with, so I think there was a real lot of pressure just … trying to prove myself to be ready for the NHL."
Nerves aren’t at the forefront of defenseman David Warsofsky’s memories with the Bruins, but playing for the hometown club marked a step in a career that continues today in the Colorado Avalanche organization. A Marshfield, Mass., native who also played for Jack Parker at BU, Warsofsky broke into the NHL with Boston for a total of 10 games over the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
While Carter signed with the B’s as an undrafted free agent right out of school, Warsofsky was traded to his hometown Bruins after being drafted by St. Louis in 2008. Of course, he does remember getting the call just seasons after the team broke a 39-year Stanley Cup drought in 2011.
"I want to say I was watching the (soccer) World Cup," Warsofsky said. "Putting your hometown sweater on is one of those things you want your whole life. I knew that once I got traded it wasn’t a guarantee I was going to play, but it was a step in the right direction. Fortunately, I was able to play for the Bruins a little later and it was a childhood dream that I was able to make come true."
To this day, Warsofsky still possesses a sense of pride having played for the Bruins while sharing a special connection to the current team. Not only are fellow former Terriers Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown, Mass.) having success on Boston’s blue line, but his first coaches as a member of the AHL’s Providence Bruins were current Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy and assistant Kevin Dean.
As Warsofsky keeps fighting in his fourth NHL organization in three seasons, he remembers those Bruins days and playing for Cassidy quite well.
"(Cassidy) was my first pro coach, and the first coach who really pushed me to my limits. He really gets the most out of his players, so it’s great to see them having success now," Warsofsky said. "As far as the Bruins, Boston is where it all began for me as a pro and it’s where I got all those milestones — played in my first game, got my first point and my first goal."
Sweeney also has a connection to this year’s club, working for the organization as the Boston Bruins Foundation’s executive director. He has an up-close and personal look at the current team’s run toward the top of the NHL’s Eastern Conference standings and sees the likes of Grzelcyk playing a big role in the team’s future.
"They’ve done a great job integrating some youth into the lineup. It’s a great mixture … and it’s been fun to watch," Sweeney said. "To see (Grzelcyk) come in, get an opportunity and really grasp it is a great story. I think that’s what you have to do; a lot of guys get an opportunity, but it’s really good to see the guys who get an opportunity and then make the most of it."
Not everyone does get an opportunity, but these aforementioned Bruins alumni and the Grzelcyks of today share a common thread as local boys who made good with their hometown team. And as long as there are kids with hockey dreams, these stories will continue to be written.
"If you’re a local kid playing hockey, you dream about playing for your hometown team. That’s what we did 45 years ago in youth hockey," Sweeney said. "Does that come to a reality for everyone? Not really. But every once in a while you get the Grzelcyks, and (Harvard junior and U.S. Olympian) Ryan Donato is looking like a great prospect."
Craig summed it up best in looking back to the Big Bad Bruins days, but his message can resonate with today’s Boston hockey fans as well.
"The pride of being in the old Boston Garden and being part of a team that Bobby Orr — the greatest hockey player who ever lived — was on, and just getting to know all those guys and all the alumni was incredible," Craig said. "How lucky were we to have all those great Bruins? And, they were winning. They had just a spirit about them that you just loved.
"They gave you a reason to dream. Those guys were a huge part in me believing and wanting to be a hockey player."
Now, we’re eager to see who’s next in line.
