Charlie Coyle was 10 minutes away from leaving for the airport to depart for a two-game road trip with the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 20 when he checked his cellphone and saw a missed call and text message from General Manager Paul Fenton.
“I knew,” Coyle said.
Instead of traveling to New York with the Wild, Coyle eventually ended up in St. Louis, where he met up with his new squad – the Boston Bruins – after he was traded in exchange for Ryan Donato.
And while the change signaled a dream come true for the Massachusetts native, leaving Minnesota was still tough for the 27-year-old after playing his entire NHL career up to that point for the Wild.
“I loved it,” Coyle said. “It feels like a second home. I was there for six, seven years. Met a lot of people. Great relationships. I love the organization, the staff, everyone. They made it fun to come to the rink every day and just have a good time.”
Coyle was back at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday with the Bruins, his 20th game since the trade – a span in which Boston has use the versatility that Coyle honed while with the Wild.
After starting at center for the Bruins, Coyle moved to right wing because of injuries, but he’s now back in the position the Bruins envision him playing long term.
“Each game I’m trying to find my game a little more and just be consistent with it,” Coyle said.
A constant in the trade rumor mill during recent years, Coyle had gotten to the point this season where he felt calm amid the speculation because he knew it was out of his control. Still, when the trade was finalized, he was surprised.
“Obviously, your world changes like that in an instant and a million things go through your head,” said Coyle, who had 91 goals and 242 points in 479 regular-season games with the Wild. “You just try to adjust to it and take it in stride.”
Making that transition in a familiar setting has been an enjoyable process.
“It’s nice to be home,” said Coyle, who is from East Weymouth, Massachusetts. “My family really appreciates it. Just to see them more, it’s a lot of fun to be with your family and seem them as much as possible. So in order to do that and do what I do and do what I love is pretty special.”
FRIDAY’S GAME
BLUE JACKETS 3, RANGERS 2: Artemi Panarin scored in the shootout and Columbus clinched the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a victory at New York.
The Blue Jackets, 8-2-2 in their Last 12 games, secured their third straight playoff berth and hold the second wild card.
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