Bruins Beat by Bob Morello
Warrior Ice Arena opening for Bruins
The Boston Bruins will officially open their new practice facility, the Warrior Ice Arena (80 Guest Street, Brighton), next Thursday on September 8th at 7:00pm. A number of Bruins players have already been taking part in ‘Captain’s Practice’ at the facility. The official opening ceremony will feature Owner Jeremy Jacobs, Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs, President Cam Neely, General Manager Don Sweeney and several current Bruins players from the organization. State and local officials attending include Governor Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo.
The formal ceremony will be followed by the “Boston Youth All-Star Game featuring Bruins Alumni.” Local squirt players from Boston’s Allston-Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, Hyde Park, South Boston, and West Roxbury communities will participate. These young all-stars will join Bruins alumni to play the inaugural game on the new Warrior Ice Arena surface. The doors open at 6:00pm with the festivities beginning at 7:00pm.
On the roster front, General Manager Don Sweeney has remained quite active, announcing four new one-year player signings. Among them is former Harvard University standout Dominic Moore, who agreed to a one-year, two-way contract. The 36-year-old Moore brings extensive NHL experience, having previously played for nine teams including the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, and San Jose Sharks. Most recently he played for the New York Rangers last season, the team that originally drafted him in 2000. Moore won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2013-14, an award recognizing perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Sweeney also announced signings of defenseman Chris Casto, a three-year Providence Bruin, forward Brian Ferlin, a two-year Providence Bruin, and defenseman Alex Grant, formerly of the Arizona Coyotes organization, all on one-year, two-way contracts. Earlier July signings included defensemen Colin Miller and Joe Morrow, defenseman Tommy Cross, former goaltender Anton Khudobin, defenseman John-Michael Liles, forwards Riley Nash, Tyler Randell and Tim Schaller. Additionally, the Bruins signed free agent winger David Backes on July 1 to a five-year, $30 million deal after he spent ten seasons with the St. Louis Blues. Backes served five seasons as Captain of the Blues, which should position him well for a leadership role with the Bruins.