The Boston Bruins left the ice for a Watertown Target, loading carts with toys, clothing and art supplies for children who will spend the holidays in local hospitals.
The annual shopping run produced more than $20,000 in gifts, with hospital visits planned for December, Boston 25 News reported. The entire team made the trip.
Clipboards Instead of Guesswork
Players worked from clipboards loaded with wish lists, MassLive reported. The lists called for clothes, toys and coloring books. Some also asked for Legos, stuffed animals and Barbies.
James Hagens was shopping the event for the first time, with a Rainbow High doll on his list. Tanner Jeannot said he started with items for older children because he thought those requests might be harder to shop for.
The practical problem is matching a specific list, not filling a cart with whatever looks festive. A Barbie and a set of clothes are easy to picture. An older child's request is a narrower aisle.
Who Paid the Bill
Boston 25 reported that the purchases were funded by donations from the players, the coaching staff and the Boston Bruins Foundation. The haul covered toys, clothing and art supplies.
David Pastrnak and Nikita Zadorov offered to pay anything beyond the budget. Pastrnak said the two of them would cover the difference to make the children happy.
Regulars Who Know the Store
Charlie McAvoy has taken part for several years. He said he knows the Target well enough that he tells people where the items are, and he was the last Bruin to check out.
Pastrnak, Zadorov and Hampus Lindholm have also been on the trip for several years. Lindholm said seeing the children when the gifts are delivered is what makes the event more special.
WBZ NewsRadio reported that Bruins merchandise and gear are going into the gifts along with the toys, clothes and art supplies. The players themselves are set to hand them over.
Thirty Years After Bourque
Boston 25 reported that Bruins legend Ray Bourque first organized the toy-shopping event 30 years ago. The Watertown Target stop is the current version of that tradition, aimed at pediatric patients who cannot celebrate the holidays at home.
The reporting does not turn the afternoon into a roster stunt. Veterans who already know the store were shopping next to a first-timer working a doll off a clipboard.
December Hospital Visits
The team plans to visit local hospitals in December and deliver the gifts to children unable to celebrate at home, Boston 25 reported. WBZ said those player deliveries will come closer to the holidays, at regional hospitals.
Until then, the concrete plan is the one already on the calendar: the same players who filled the carts are scheduled to bring the toys, clothes, art supplies and Bruins gear to the hospitals in December.
