The Sunday Read: Minten, Grandparents Make Lasting Memories During Trip to Boston

BOSTON –– Peter and Glenda Minten were not sure if they should book their flight.

The couple lives in Vancouver and was waiting for word from their grandson, Fraser Minten, on his status for the Boston Bruins’ opening-night lineup.

“Leading up to that, of course, we knew that in training camp there was a chance he might make the team. It was hard to tell because it was very stiff competition to make the team,” Peter said. “It’s a long way to go to watch a hockey game, but we weren’t just going there to watch a hockey game. We were there to cheer him on, to give him familial support.”

​A few days ahead of the Bruins’ home opener at TD Garden, it became clear Minten made the cut for the 23-man roster. And so, Peter and Glenda got on the next plane to Logan Airport and were promptly in their seats for the Oct. 9 matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks.​

Overtime was ultimately needed, and Minten was the unexpected hero in the 4-3 Boston win.

“First of all, I was surprised that he was even playing in overtime. And then when we saw him go out, we thought, ‘Oh gosh, what’s going to happen here?’ Then, when we saw he had a breakaway, we couldn’t believe our eyes,” Peter said. “It went in, and the rest is history. We got nothing but a lot of high fives from all the other [Bruins] family members that were there. It was thrilling, there is no question about it.”

Minten’s first goal at TD Garden sent the crowd into a frenzy as he celebrated along the boards with his teammates.

“It is the same kind of thing we do when we watch TV at home,” Glenda said. “A Bruins goal is scored, and we just jump up and down.”

Peter and Glenda have been a constant presence in Minten’s journey, both as a hockey player and as a person. Minten is actually named after his grandmother, Glenda, whose maiden name before marrying Peter was Fraser.

The trio got to spend some quality time together in Minten’s new town apart from the game. They walked the Freedom Trail, went to the Boston Public Library and tried a few new restaurants. While Minten is now an official NHLer, he is also a 21-year-old away from home. These trips, accordingly, are a highlight.

​“You see the people you call your best friends for three months of the year and family, too. So definitely nice when they’re able to come out like my grandparents did,” Minten said. “See what life is like out here and kind of understand the life you live. It is a sacrifice for sure to not be around them.”

Fraser had been to Boston once before getting traded to the Bruins from Toronto in March, and it was with his grandparents. Glenda grew up in the Maritimes in Canada, so they visited the province before going down the East Coast, starting in Maine and ending in Boston, he said.

This time around was a little different, of course. Minten is now one of the young, promising faces of a new Bruins era and is working to make his mark in the forward group.

“It’s been honestly really easy with these guys. They’re all very kind and supportive guys. They want to see everyone do well, which is great,” Minten said of his teammates. “It feels like they've got your back and everything. It’s been very easy to fit in here and not worry about trying to be somebody other than myself.”

​One of the things that makes Minten himself is the catalogue of books on his shelf. At the beginning of the season, he was reading the Dune series. Billy Sweezey – who is now on the Providence Bruins – was reading it during training camp and recommended it to Minten.

Minten credits his grandfather for getting him into reading as a kid.

“When he was here, just before he went to training camp, he called, and he was at the bookstore. He asked for recommendations. So we talk about what he has read,” Peter said. “He loves biographies. But I think he ended up buying something from Dostoevsky. One of the Russian literary giants. He likes reading classical books.”

Glenda laughed as she thought back to the summer when they had Minten and the extended family over at the house. He would socialize and chat for a bit, and then, would be gone.

“We would play outside, and other cousins were here and so on, but he was by himself,” Glenda said. “He would just grab a book and flop on the comfortable couch and just read for hours.”

Glenda and Peter’s home is the backdrop for a lot of Minten’s childhood memories, including skating on the small lake by the property when it would freeze over. They would invite his teammates over, and “the kids would play from morning to night.”

​“I’d set a table up on the ice with hot dogs,” Glenda said. “They would just come skating up, get their hot dogs, their hot chocolate.”

When the lake didn’t freeze over, Minten would resort to the basement to get his hockey fix. Minten and his brother wore roller skates – with one dressed up as the goalie – and spent hours playing against each other as their grandparents sat upstairs.

“They used to shoot pucks down there against a net,” Peter said. “So we had to, of course, board up the windows. And even then, we still have some broken windows.”

​From the basement battles to the NHL stage, Minten has kept his family close through every stage of his career. Peter and Glenda were in attendance for one of Minten’s biggest moments as a Bruin thus far, and will be cheering their grandson on for all of those to come.

“Boy, I’ll tell you, are we glad that we did that. That was so exciting for us,” Peter said. “We’re very proud of him as a young man.”