The Sunday Read: How the Boston Bruins are Spending the Holidays

BOSTON –– Hampus Lindholm will collect meatballs, mini sausages, herring and salmon for his smorgasbord.

​Nikita Zadorov is responsible for the Olivier Salad, a mixture of mayonnaise, diced potatoes, carrots, eggs and pickles.

​Mark Kastelic is attempting to make prime rib for the first time, Marco Sturm has taken on tree duty for his family and Mason Lohrei is settling on the perfect gift for Fraser Minten.​

Through different traditions, the Boston Bruins are celebrating the holidays in their own special ways amidst a busy season.

“Christmas for us was always the biggest day of the year. I am still like that. I am still like a little kid,” Sturm said. “As a kid, you always look forward to it at night. Usually we had some nice German dinner, with sausage and sauerkraut. But the best part was after. They opened up the door in the living room, and there was the tree with all the presents.”​

While Sturm’s holiday setup has changed since moving to the United States, he still tries to bring in pieces of home. The same goes for Lindholm, whose family visits Boston from overseas each year.​

“I think I really fell in love with [Christmas] during my early years in California, because Christmas reminded me of cold weather like in Sweden. Snow and stuff, you don’t really get that in California,” Lindholm said. “Getting a Christmas tree and all that stuff puts you in such a good spirit.”

Lindholm will host Christmas Eve dinner with a Swedish spread. It is a bit more special this year, though, for the first-time father. Lindholm and his fiancée, Amanada’s daughter, Magnolia, was born in November. She watched her dad play at TD Garden on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.

​“Especially now, having a kid, it’s going to be even more fun. I love the U.S. Elf on the Shelf and stuff – that’s definitely something I am going to try to copy and bring into my household,” Lindholm said. “She’s growing quick and it’s just fun to see the personality they get. Something happens every day, I feel like.”

Nikita Zadorov has a strong track record of creating the holiday magic for his three kids. His wife, Aleksandra, has turned their house into a winter wonderland, he said. Zadorov and his family are Orthodox Christians; the religion celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7. However, they have had to adapt because of the NHL schedule.

“We’ve been here for so long, so now we have two holidays,” Zadorov said. “We open some presents for Christmas, and we open some presents for New Year's. We kind of keep both traditions.”

Along with the Olivier Salad, Zadorov also makes a Herring Under a Fur Coat Salad. It is a layered dish with diced herring, mayonnaise, boiled potatoes, carrots, beets and eggs.

“You’ve got to go classic. There are two Russian salads that I think every Russian family makes,” Zadorov said. “It is pretty disgusting for you guys, I haven’t seen a North American person like it yet…It is a lot for the stomach.”

Marat Khusnutdinov spent Halloween and Thanksgiving at the Zadorov household, but has different plans for this holiday season.​

“Marat is going to New York for Christmas,” Zadorov said. “They want to re-create the Home Alone experience. So they gave up on us. They’re leaving us for a couple of days. It will be just the family. Our neighbors are coming.”

Lohrei will take in Minten for Christmas this year; the 21-year-old Vancouver native cannot make it home. Lohrei also has his mom, dad and sister in town – they are attending Tuesday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens – and staying with the defenseman. Lohrei said he washed his sheets and cleaned his apartment floors for the occasion.

“We’ll have him over and give him a present, make sure he has something to open up in the morning,” Lohrei said of Minten. “I bet he will bring something over when he comes.”

Lohrei was contemplating which high-fashion T-shirt to purchase for Minten.

​“He has one old Carhartt shirt. It’s striped, it looks a little tight. We’ve got to get him out of that. Other than that, he’s got pretty good style,” Lohrei said. “He's a simple style, but it works for him. Get him a nice shirt, something to open up.”

Kastelic is having a quieter Christmas. Before he was an NHLer, his three sisters, mom and dad would always get together, but now it is a lot of FaceTime – especially with his young nieces. Kastelic will spend this year with his fiancée, Paige, and his Golden Retriever, Rip.

​“Still going to try to cook up a big meal on Christmas Eve, make a nice breakfast, open a couple gifts, and enjoy each other’s company. Get outside with the dog and kind of just relax,” Kastelic said. “Now it’s prime rib. Going to try to cook that. I haven’t [before], but it’s on me this year to do it. So, a little bit of pressure.”

With celebrations big and small – and a wide variety of meals – the Bruins will take the break to rest, reflect and embrace the festivities with those closest to them ahead of the team’s five-game road trip.

“You definitely want to take advantage of it and spend the most time with [family], for sure,” Zadorov said.