It is no secret that one of the keys to success for the Boston Bruins franchise for much of the last 15 years is a strong culture that has permeated throughout the organization from top to bottom.
Even as the team’s veteran core gets older and another championship window is narrowing, the challenge for Don Sweeney and Bruce Cassidy has and will be to keep identifying players who embody the attributes the organization prizes.
From fast, powerful scoring winger in Taylor Hall, to heavy puck possession center in Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass.), the transition was a seamless one when they arrived from Buffalo and Minnesota. Whether it’s the mobile, defense-first rearguard in Derek Forbort or even a veteran Swiss Army knife-type, versatile forward in Nick Foligno, the Bruins brain trust is banking on players who arrive from outside of the Boston organization to quickly adapt and embrace the club’s values.
“I remember before I even played here, what it was like to hear stories of the leaders here,” Coyle said. “How they just lead and the little things they do within that. It trickles down, it does. I’m sure a part of that is how you see that and how you’re supposed to act and how they set the standard and the culture. You kind of get roped into that, and that’s what you become (as a player).”
