BOSTON — A veteran of the TD Garden “bull gang” for decades, Charlestown native John Grzelcyk plays a major role in the arena’s conversion from hockey rink to basketball court, and vice-versa.

Now Grzelcyk is going to have to make some interior alterations to his home.

Atop the Grzelcyk’s mantlepiece sits the puck that John’s son, Matt, scored to lift Boston University to its 30th Beanpot championship in 2015 – the overtime goal standing as one of John’s proudest moments.

But now that puck is going to have share some space on the mantle – with Matt Grzelcyk’s first career NHL goal set to be featured, front and center. John Grzelcyk was in attendance for his son’s goal Friday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It’s going up there on the mantelpiece,” John Grzelcyk said. “Probably up there with the goal he scored against Northeastern to win the Beanpot. It’s right up there, the first NHL goal will be right up there. Now Bobby Orr’s goal has moved down to three. It was (number) one, then he scored the Beanpot, so it went to two and now it’s three.

“I feel bad for Bobby Orr, but he’s my son. Sorry.”

Advertisement

Matt first skated out on the Garden ice when he was less than 2 years old. Scoring at a familiar venue was an experience he’ll never forget.

“Yeah it was pretty special, obviously,” Matt Grzelcyk said. “It brings back memories skating as a kid and stuff like that. It hasn’t really set in yet, it was pretty cool to get that out of the way.”

Grzelcyk’s goal was crucial in what was a 4-3 win with the 23-year-old defenseman giving his team a two-goal cushion midway through the second period. He reacted quickly to a broken play following a one-timer shot from David Krejci, as he quickly corralled the coasting puck and wristed it past goalie Matt Murray.

“Yeah it was kind of a jolt through my system,” Grzelcyk said. “I didn’t really know what was going on I was trying to hide it the best I could. I think the rest of the guys were trying to make me smile. I was really happy.”

A recent call-up from Providence to help shore up Boston’s injured defensive corps, Grzelcyk has impressed over his last two games with two points, three shots and an average of 14 minutes of ice time.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Advertisement

Penguins 5, Lightning 2: Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel each scored twice as Pittsburgh beat visiting Tampa Bay to end a three-game losing streak.

Canadiens 3, Sabres 0: Carey Price made 36 saves in his return after missing 10 games with a lower-body injury and Montreal beat visiting Buffalo to snap a five-game losing streak.

Blackhawks 4, Panthers 1: Jonathan Toews had a goal and two assists, and Corey Crawford made 37 saves in his 400th NHL game as Chicago won at Sunrise, Florida.

Islanders 2, Senators 1: Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle scored, Nick Leddy had two assists and the visiting New York Islanders beat Ottawa, handing the Senators their sixth straight loss.

Devils 4, Red Wings 3: Brian Gibbons scored with 2:28 left in overtime to give New Jersey a win at Detroit.

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.