Wilmington Wildcats

Bruins Players Excited for Wildcats' State Title Win

Several members of the Boston Bruins offered messages of congratulations to Wilmington High School boys hockey, the team the black and gold share their practice rink with.

The Wilmington High School boys hockey team has won two straight state championships, and the team they share Ristuccia Arena with has taken notice. Several members of the Boston Bruins offered their messages of congratulations to the Wildcats following a recent session at their practice facility.  Among them was head coach Claude Julien, who has said in the past he is a big fan of team manager RJ Townsend. During the season, Townsend helps out the Bruins at some of their Wilmington practices. Julien joked that while he's happy for the Wildcats on their second straight state title, he's glad the season is over so Townsend can get back to his old look. For a second straight year, Wilmington players died their hair blonde during their …

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Bruins Excited to be Back at 'Home Away From Home' [VIDEO]

With their season opener slated for Saturday night against the New York Rangers, the Boston Bruins spent much of the week in Wilmington in an abbreviated training camp.

The season officially begins on Saturday night for the Boston Bruins. But before they hit the ice of TD Garden against the New York Rangers, the Bruins spent the week in Wilmington getting ready for the new campaign. Fans packed the stands of Ristuccia Arena throughout the week to watch the team take part in an abbreviated training camp following the lengthy NHL lockout. With one exception, the training camp went off without a hitch during the week. "We spend just as much or more time here than we do anywhere else," said defenseman Adam McQuaid. "We're definitely excited to be back. There's always a good crowd out to watch practices. We're excited to be back here and we're enjoying it." Though practices took place during the morning hours …

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Bruins Players Call Rink Rescuers 'Real Heroes' [VIDEO]

While Wilmington police and good samaritans rescued a man in the stands, Bruins players watched helplessly from the ice. After practice, they expressed their admiration for the first responders.

Their season opener was just two days away. But it wasn’t the New York Rangers who were the biggest topic of discussion in the Boston Bruins locker room following practice on Thursday at Wilmington’s Ristuccia Arena. It was the life saving efforts that saved a man's life just over an hour earlier. Players had just taken the ice when they looked into the stands and saw their trainers, an off duty EMT and Wilmington Police officers working feverishly to save the life of a man who had a cardiac event in the stands. Under the orders of head coach Claude Julien, who didn’t want to the players to serve as a distraction as first responders worked to save the man, the team remained on one knee on the ice, silently serving as spectators and hoping …

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'Seconds Really Count' as Man Saved Inside Ristuccia

An off duty member of the Concord Police Department joined Wilmington police and firefighters in saving a man's life at Bruins practice on Thursday.

Terry Gardner was at Ristuccia Arena with a few of his friends to watch the Boston Bruins take the ice for practice. But he was hard at work before long. Gardner was among the group of on and off duty emergency personnel who saved the life of a man who had a cardiac episode in the stands on Thursday morning. Bruins players, who had just taken the ice in Wilmington, took a knee along the boards in front of the benches and watched as several professionally trained first responders rushed into the stands and used a defibrillator to shock the man back to consciousness. Gardner said he works for the Concord Police Department and Littleton Fire Department, though he was off duty when he came to Ristuccia to take in the practice session. He was …

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Bruins Back at Ristuccia With Training Camp Sessions

Fans had their first chance to see the black and gold back on the local ice on Monday with a training camp practice open to the public.

The ice at Ristuccia Arena just got a little busier. Following a Monday morning session, the Boston Bruins are officially back to work in Wilmington. With the lockout over, the team opened training camp on Sunday at TD Garden before coming back to Wilmington for their first camp ice time at their official practice facility. The team held several unofficial skates last week. "There is nothing better. These fans are unbelievable. It feels good as a player stepping on the ice and hearing those fans [cheering],” said Nathan Horton, according to a story on the Comcast SportsNet New England. “There is nothing better. It felt so good."  Monday's practice will be far from the last time the Bruins will be in Wilmington this season. They'll be …

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PHOTOS: Bruins Players Back in Wilmington

Do you have photographs with or of players at Ristuccia Arena from this week or the past? Upload them directly to our gallery to show your support of the black and gold.

The lockout is over, and the Bruins are back. And though training camp doesn't open until Sunday, the black and gold have been back in Wilmington's Ristuccia Arena this week for informal skates. Many times when fans flock to see the Bruins practice throughout the year, the players take a few minutes to snap a photograh with fans in attendance. So here's your chance to share your photos. If you've had a photo taken with a player or have a great shot of the players practicing, whether it's from this season or in the past, all you have to do is upload it directly to this gallery. Have an outstanding memory from a Bruins practice? Advice on how to get a photo with a player? Share it with your fellow fans in the comments section below.

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Bruins Head Coach Surprises Wilmington Hockey Players

Claude Julien visited the locker room of the Squirts 1 team during their practice on Sunday.

There are plenty of great coaches throughout Wilmington Youth Hockey. But one of those teams didn’t mind giving up the locker room spotlight to a familiar face on Sunday. After the Boston Bruins donated their Ristuccia Arena ice time to the local team on Sunday, the players were pleasantly surprised to see Stanley Cup winning coach Claude Julien walk through the door to see them. Julien spoke to the players about the importance of loving the game that they play. He also took the young skaters on a tour of the Bruins locker room and training area that is normally closed to the public. “You only know him as you see him during interviews on television, but he was really a nice guy,” said Squirts 1 head coach Mike Fiorenza. “He chatted with …

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Did NHL Lockout Impact How You View the Bruins?

The Bruins are returning to Wilmington. But will you go see them after they were involved in a bitter labor dispute along with the rest of the league?

The NHL lockout is over. But will you be heading out to see the local team any time soon? Players, owners and fans reacted with excitement on Sunday as it was announced that the National Hockey League and its players association agreed to the framework of a deal that will end the standoff that lasted more than 100 days. Now the team is set to return to Ristuccia Arena, its officially practice facility, possibly within the next several weeks and the black and gold may be back on the ice of TD Garden by January 19. But has the lockout impacted your desire to go see the team play? Historically, labor disputes have had some impact on attendance on games and practices, at least temporarily. So we want to know. Did the NHL lockout make you less …

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Bruins Set for Wilmington Return With Lockout Agreement in Place

After a lockout that lasted more than 100 days, the National Hockey League and its players association have reached an agreement and will return to work almost immediately.

For hockey fans, it's been a seemingly never ending nightmare. But according to reports, that changed on Sunday. The National Hockey League is heading back to work, and the Boston Bruins will likely soon be heading back to Wilmington. According to multiple reports, the NHL and NHL Players Association worked through a lengthy negotiation on Saturday night into Sunday morning to get a deal done on a new collective bargaining agreement. As a result, a shortened season is likely to begin on January 19.  “I’m just happy this madness is over so I can get back to work,” Bruins forward and enforcer Shawn Thornton told Joe Haggerty of Comcast Sportsnet New England. Haggerty also reported that the once the deal is ratified by the NHL Board of …

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