Flavin Media

#NHLBruins Charlie McAvoy, "One of the things that we know here and can't get lost here, and we spoke about it, is that the only thing you play here for is the crest. It was good to hear that again because it doesn't matter, the individual accolades. The only thing that…

— Shawn Hutcheon (@ShawnHutcheon) November 4, 2024

Uhhh, players of the Boston Bruins organization needed to remind themselves what they were playing for? As a fan who’s always appreciated how implied that’s supposed to be in this team’s culture, it’s off-putting to know that players needed to remind themselves to play for the good of the team.

Could this pass over and point to no real issue? Sure, definitely. But the fact that this even needed to be addressed is a bit of an indictment on both the coaches and the player leadership. As if frequently forgetting the identity of the team’s attack style on the ice wasn’t enough—apparently, some players are falling into stat-watching.

I don’t care if this blows over. This should not be happening—especially not this early in the season. This whole team needs to recognize the culture’s implied value of playing a team game, both mentally and physically.