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Boston Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk, the Hometown Kid

Matt Grzelcyk - Bruins

Born on Jan. 5, 1994, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Matt Grzelcyk had early ties to the Boston Bruins through his father, John Grzelcyk, who works at TD Garden and formerly the old Boston Garden. Matt’s mother, Kathleen Grzelcyk, did an interview over the phone to provide some details about her son’s beginnings in hockey and his progression to eventually being selected by the Bruins in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Kathleen, a long-time secretary at a local school, is now enjoying her retirement and was a pleasure to speak to while gathering information for this article.

Starting Out Young

According to Kathleen, Grzelcyk began skating as a two-year-old and received plenty of help from his three older siblings. He has two older brothers, John and Andrew, along with an older sister named Julie. The youngster learned to skate by pushing crates around on the ice. His father coached the hockey team at Belmont Hill School, a private boys’ school located in the suburb just outside of Boston, and often times he would join the older kids during practices.

Although Grzelcyk also played lacrosse growing up, hockey was always his first choice when it came to sports. Kathleen said that during the summer months, he was always on rollerblades. “He rollerbladed constantly as a kid. When they weren’t playing hockey, they were rollerblading, always rollerblading.” That paid huge dividends for Grzelcyk, as his skating ability would be relied on heavily as he progressed through the ranks.

Matt Grzelcyk, Boston Bruins, September 17, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

His favourite player growing up was Detroit Red Wings Hall of Fame defenceman, Nick Lidstrom. “I watched a lot of Bryan Rafalski growing up because I was a smaller guy, but my idol was always Nick Lidstrom. It’s pretty easy guy to model yourself both on the ice and off the ice.” Grzelcyk said after being drafted by the Bruins. He also really looked up to Ray Bourque. When asked if Matt had any lasting memories or interactions with the Bruins through John’s job at the Garden, she said, “He would go when the Bruins were out on the road and skate at the Garden. He also met Ray Bourque there, he (Bourque) is a family friend.” He would also take in a game now and then when the opportunity presented itself.

Grzelcyk’s Minor Hockey Days

Grzelyck was also good friends with current New York Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey, and the two of them would later on be selected in the same round of the 2012 NHL…

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