The Tradition Lives: Terriers Continue to Give Paws
by Jashvina Shah/Staff Writer (@icehockeystick)
ST. LOUIS One glance around Boston University’s locker room and you may notice the helmets. Not because they’re bright red, but because there’s not much red to be seen.
That’s because many of the helmets are covered in Terrier paw stickers.
The tradition started under former, longtime Terrier head coach Jack Parker. They were awarded to players who made good defensive plays and blocked shots. They’re still awarded for the same reason. Players can also earn paws for best hit of the night and shorthanded goals. And if there’s a shutout, everyone will get a paw.
“It’s cool to symbolize blocking shots and being a team player and doing this stuff that doesn’t usually add up on the score sheet,” Tristan Amonte said. “It’s a good reward for guys.”
The players take pride in their Terrier paws. While there’s no official competition, it’s easy to see which players have the most.
“Everyone wants to get more paws,” freshman Cole Eiserman said. “We have, like, days where everyone gets one and if you don’t have your name on it, you get pretty upset.”
As a freshman, Eiserman looked to his stall neighbors, Devin Kaplan and Shane LaChance, for advice on where to place his new paws.
“The symmetry of it is the most important part,” LaChance said. “You got to make sure it looks right on the helmet.”
Lachance, Parker’s grandson, never received a paw when he was a kid and was excited to start earning his.
“He started a lot of things here, and it’s just cool to cool to be here and have this opportunity that we have,” LaChance said.
The Terrier paws allow each player to have their own style. For defenseman Aiden Celebrini, the paws on the back of his helmet are upside down — the paws start right side up on the front of the helmet and continue in that pattern along the back.
“I thought it flowed better,” Celebrini said.
“Last year, my freshman year, I put them all over. I just wanted to collect as many as I could but this year I want to have a little fun with it, get a little style to it.”
The players take pride in the way they lay out their paws. Some players, like Tom Willander and Jack Hughes, stick them all on…
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