Ed Gingher, who coached Sean Kuraly during his U-18 year with the Ohio Blue Jackets, remembers a story about the grizzly forward like yesterday.
The scene was set as such: The dawn of the 2012-13 NHL lockout neared, and some local pros were skating in Columbus, Ohio, to stay in shape. Kuraly, then a fifth-round selection of the San Jose Sharks, was asked to join, and he came across Jared Boll, who’s now a winger for the Anaheim Ducks.
"He ended up taking the puck away from Jared Boll on a backcheck, and Jared Boll turns around and two-handed him in the back of the legs like, ‘Hey kid, you don’t do that out here,’" Ginger said. "I’m sure Sean remembers it the way I do, but that’s how he is. When he hits the ice, he has a focus on working and getting better."
It’s but a moment in the now-Boston Bruins center’s fledgling career, but one that speaks volumes to how he captured the Black and Gold faithful’s heart in the opening round of the 2017 playoffs against the Ottawa Senators. Facing elimination in Game 5, the Bs had their backs against the wall, only for Kuraly, called up from Providence, to bag two goals — including a double-overtime game-winner — and keep Boston’s playoff hopes alive.
For that outing, Kuraly holds a special place in Bruins’ lore, but the 24-year-old said he’s far from satisfied being a one-hit wonder at the NHL level.
A major reason for that is Kuraly, in his 12 games with Boston in 2017, often was picking the brains of established centers like Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, David Backes and Riley Nash.
"It’s the NHL so it’s tough to be there, but it’s seeing those guys and how everybody brings it every day," Kuraly said after a skate earlier this summer at Rhode Island Sports Center in North Smithfield. "They bring a consistent effort in everything every day, and if you want to stay there and be with them, I think that’s the most important thing. Everyone’s got the skills and hockey sense, but it’s bringing what you have no matter what."
That last part, in conversations about Kuraly, is what stands out. Folks discuss how he thinks the game, but time and time again return to his sandpaper-like approach and work ethic.
Kevin Dean, former head coach of the P-Bruins and now a Boston Bruins assistant, said Kuraly is "so freakishly strong and fast and hard on pucks" that he sometimes had to restrain the Dublin, Ohio, native. More often than not, though, Dean said he had to step back and just let the left-handed shot do his thing.
"We always laugh on Sunday in our three-on-threes, when everyone else is tired, he seems to be going up because of his energy and his strength," Dean said. "He’s always the best player on the ice on Sunday for us, and you saw some of that in Ottawa when he scored."
Those chords were echoed by Kyle Wallack (Springfield, Mass.), who was Kuraly’s coach with the USHL’s Indiana Ice and now is an associate head coach at the University of Vermont. Right before Christmas break, the Ice were leading 2-0 against the Muskegon Lumberjacks, only to collapse late and lose the game.
Kuraly and his teammates went into the holiday feeling down on themselves, especially with a rubber match against Muskegon coming 10 days later. They were similarly up 2-0, only to surrender two goals late. The rest, Wallack said, was special.
"We go into overtime and Sean came down and ripped the game-winner from the top of the circles," Wallack said. "It really kick-started us for the second half of the year from a big-time player. He could contribute when the time was right."
Kuraly’s contributions are hardly limited to the ice, though, of which he has plenty — a gold medal at the 2013 World Junior Championships and a NCHC championship during his senior season at Miami University, to name a couple.
Enrico Blasi, Miami’s head coach, said what kind of person Kuraly is will always stand out. He was an assistant captain his junior season and then captain his senior year, and that translated to a special relationship with Blasi.
There were plenty of times, Blasi said, where he and Kuraly were at each other’s throats, a testament to the latter’s passion for hockey. But Kuraly’s ability to link Miami’s coaching staff and players, plus serve as an ambassador for the Red-Hawks community, stood out.
"His care level is just off the charts," Blasi said. "You talk to him for five minutes and you feel like you’re his best friend. The conversations we’ve always had have been at a very high level in terms of it’s not just about hockey, it’s about life and how you approach that every day and embrace the moment."
Blasi’s sentiments come as no surprise after touching base with Gingher, who shared a story from when his son was 8 years old. Kuraly had just won gold at world juniors in Ufa, Russia, and didn’t go around town gloating, but decided to give back.
"He’s showing up at my house dropping off an autographed stick for my son that he used in the world juniors," Gingher said. "That’s stuff that he doesn’t have to do, and they’re little things that really show the character of how he is. When he won gold, he’s wanting to show up at youth practices and see our younger players."
Those efforts are hardly for show, either, as Riley Barber, a Hershey Bears forward, and Bruins prospect Austin Czarina both remember the same type of Kuraly from their Miami days. He was seldom the loudest person in the room — a far cry from his rugged, gritty playing style — but still made his presence felt.
"He’s one of those guys who won’t necessarily be the most outspoken, but he’ll show up every day and he’ll go to work the same way," Barber said. "He’ll bring the same energy every day. That’s just the way he leads."
All things considered, it’s clear that Kuraly’s path to the NHL is the byproduct of digging deep, but there are times when he can’t help but reflect on his ride through hockey.
Kuraly, who also holds Canadian citizenship, spent "a lot of time" in Toronto as a kid. His grandparents have a cottage in Prince Edward Island, so he’d spend summers up there seeing family. From that, Kuraly became a Maple Leafs fan, and he said Mats Sundin quickly became his favorite player.
He also was a Blue Jackets fan as a kid and largely honed his game in Indiana and Ohio, hardly the mecca of hockey. Yet, here Kuraly stands, a Midwesterner with Canadian roots trying to make a name for himself in Boston.
He’ll be remembered for bursting onto the scene against Ottawa in the playoffs, but Kuraly said he hopes that was just the beginning. And, true to character, his approach this offseason is exactly what one would expect.
"It’s just taking it another step forward, doing what I’ve been doing the past few offseasons and building upon it all," Kuraly said. "Using every day to get better and realizing that I’m not going to put on 25 or 30 pounds of muscle or something crazy. It’s just getting a little bit better every day and taking that step every day."
Methodical, measured, mature. Just like the Kuraly coaches and teammates have come to know and love.
