Inside David Pastrnak’s First Game as Bruins Captain, ‘It Was a Great Day’

BOSTON –– The garbage bin’s wheels dragged against the brick-patterned sidewalk.

David Pastrnak neatly placed it along the curb and went back for recycling.

Puck drop for opening night at TD Garden was just under three hours away, but the newest Boston Bruins captain made sure to attend to business at home first.

“Trash day is Tuesday,” Pastrnak said. “We were laughing with my wife – last year, I had a really good game. We won; I played well. And the first thing I did when I got home, I forgot to take the trash bins, and I was doing it. She came out, and she was laughing, ‘What do you do 40 minutes after you finish the game?’”

Pastrnak is sticking to routine despite the ‘C’ now stitched onto his jersey. The 30-year-old forward was named the 28th captain in franchise history on Sunday, and took the ice for the first time as the B’s official leader on Tuesday against the New York Rangers in the 3-0 win. It marked the Bruins’ 11th straight home-opener victory, tying the NHL record.

“I obviously understand the responsibility and everything, but I try to treat it like a normal game day. The excitement is always special and the first game the nerves always hit, whether it’s year one or year 10,” Pastrnak said ahead of his arrival. “I think just the nerves and excitement to get the season started are the biggest emotions I feel. I try to treat it like every other game.”

Part of Pastrnak’s regular game day is saying goodbye to his three-year-old daughter, Freya. The two embrace at the door. Freya is dressed in a new Bruins jersey; her dad’s name on the back and a freshly pressed ‘C’ on the front.  

When Pastrnak gets in the car, he rolls down the window.

“I have to honk every time I leave,” he said.

Pastrnak proceeds to lean on the horn a few times, with Freya’s clapping in the background. It has become somewhat of a tradition.​

“Obviously, driving the car, I probably honked, and she loved it,” Pastrnak said. “But she always wants me to honk on the road, but I explained to her that you can’t do that when you’re driving around. Just for fun. You can only do it when you’re leaving home.”

Freya waves to her dad as he pulls out of the driveway and heads to work.

“I will miss you! Bye bye! I love you!” Pastrnak yells out as he turns onto the street.

Pastrnak has yet to tell Freya about his captaincy; he doesn’t think she would understand quite yet. But Pastrnak credits his family as one of the main reasons he is in this position.

“We don’t talk hockey much at home,” he said. “But I will definitely explain it to her one day what it means. I hope she will be proud of me one day. We barely talk about hockey. She enjoys it; she thinks it is fun, but she doesn’t understand it’s actually serious and my job. She just thinks it’s a fun playdate for her with the other kids.”

When Pastrnak first addressed the media after Sunday’s announcement, he hadn’t had time yet to call his mom and share the good news. They’ve shared plenty of chats since then.

“I called my brother and my mom together. It was special. We definitely enjoyed the talk. It was emotional, definitely. I could feel the proudness of them. They’re a big reason why I am who I am today, so it was fun,” Pastrnak said. “Both of them, we have such a close relationship. We are really different, definitely me and my brother, but that’s what I think makes it so special. The little triangle we have with mom and us two.”​

As Pastrnak gets closer on his drive to TD Garden, he turns the music on. It is clear Freya’s taste is both fantastic and dominates the family car rides.

“She speaks like three languages. In each language, she has different favorites. She loves to sing…In Czech, she likes to sing about dinosaurs,” Pastrnak said. “My first five songs on Spotify latest results are kids' songs and two times of 10 hours of white noise.”

The captain pulls into the garage, as he always does, and parks in his designated spot, as he always does. One thing, though, is different. Pastrnak grabs a tupperware container to carry with him. Inside lies a tiramisu square topped with berries.

“I actually saw somewhere online that tiramisu is the best snack for athletes…Apparently it has the sugar, caffeine in it. I read it somewhere, but I never tried it. Today is going to be the first time I try it, so we will see. And I’m starving. Usually the snack you eat when you get to the rink – two and a half hours away from the game,” Pastrnak said. “I don’t like sweets that much, actually, so for me tiramisu is a big deal. I’m more of a salty guy, but I don’t think chips would be good before a game.”

Turns out, it worked pretty well. After a scoreless 40 minutes against the Rangers, Boston exploded for three goals in the span of 1:15 to secure the win in front of the home crowd. Fraser Minten’s snapshot at 16:14 made it 1-0 before JJ Peterka – Pastrnak’s linemate – deked around Braden Schneider in front and slipped it past Igor Shesterkin at 17:06.

“That was nasty,” Minten said of Peterka’s tally. “That was a really nice goal. He’s got sick hands, sick skill. Nice to see JJ get one in the first game, too.”

Peterka was quick to make a good first impression in his Bruins debut. He had a good time, too.​

“It was crazy,” Peterka said. “They were so loud already when we got introduced. So fired up. And then scoring a goal like that in a building like that – it was just unbelievable.”  

Mark Kastelic’s empty-netter at 17:29 brought the contest to its final 3-0 scoreline, backstopped by a 24-save shutout from Jeremy Swayman; it was the 19th of his career.​

“I think they did an excellent job with just being patient and understanding that opportunities are going to come,” Swayman said. “You could easily get frustrated, but I just loved the way that we kept competing and not taking no for an answer. I think that just rallied throughout the whole team and stayed the course.”

​It was a thrilling start to Pastrnak’s captain era – starting with the roaring ovation from the crowd when he was introduced pregame, all the way to the last buzzer.

“Obviously an emotional day for me and my family. It was a great day. So happy we got the win,” Pastrnak said. “Boston overall and the fans mean so much to me. Like I’ve said many times, I play hockey for the love of the game and for the fans. The city is beautiful; this is where I grew up. Hearing that – it was definitely a special moment.”

As for the tiramisu, while it tasted good and secured the two points, it might not become a staple to Pastrnak’s game-day rituals.

“I kind of felt it. I’m not sure. I felt it in the stomach a little bit,” he said. “Like I said, I’m not a sweets guy. So I might just stick with the bolognese and spaghetti.”