The Sunday Read: Geekie Gifts Bruins with Customized Baseball Gloves 

BOSTON –– It was August of 2013, and instead of lacing up his skates for WHL training camp with the Tri-City Americans, Morgan Geekie was out on the baseball field.

The Boston Bruins forward was settled at second base, representing Team Manitoba at the Canadian Bantam Boys Baseball Nationals. Geekie finished the tournament as his squad’s MVP.

“I played all growing up until I was probably 18 or 19,” Geekie said. “Tried really hard to play baseball, and skipped my first junior camp to try and go play. Played really well, but no offers or anything. So just stuck with hockey and here we are. Turned out okay.”​

While Geekie and his younger brother, Conor, are both NHLers, baseball was always a leading sport in their household. Geekie’s other brother, Noah, played in college and now coaches at Okotoks Dawgs Academy.

And so, the Bruins’ leading goal-scorer has found ways to intertwine his love of the two games. When Geekie signed his six-year contract extension in June, he used his heightened budget for customized baseball gloves for all of his teammates.

​“Normally, I feel like, when guys sign a long-term contract, they do like a dinner or something like that. I was just trying to think of something different,” Geekie said. “I was getting a glove for myself, and then it was actually my wife Emma who was like, ‘You should get one for all guys, that should be your gift.’ I kind of just ran with it.”

Geekie worked with 44 Pro Custom Gloves on the project. He decided to make each teammate’s glove the colors of either their college hockey team, junior team or home country.

“I figured if you don’t play baseball, at least there’s some sort of something that you have a tie to,” he said. “You can mock them up online, and honestly, I spent a lot of time. I probably started mocking them up in July. It was super fun.”

Geekie had to place the orders in two batches because of the fluidity of the training camp roster, but was able to have all 23 done by the start of the season. On a practice morning in October, Geekie put the bagged baseball gloves in the locker room stalls at Warrior Ice Arena.

Word about the special gift started to get around as guys trickled in for the skate.

“I got to the rink, and I didn’t know he had done that. One of the boys said something like, ‘Did you see your new mitt?’ And then I was running around trying to find where it was,” Lohrei said. “I knew it was Geeks because I know his family is big into baseball, and he loves baseball.”

Lohrei’s glove is scarlett and grey, the colors of Ohio State University, where he played two seasons of NCAA hockey from 2021 to 2023. Geekie tabbed Lohrei as one of the better baseball players on the Bruins. The defenseman agreed with the assessment; he was in a summer wiffle ball league as a kid, and has also dabbled in softball.

Lohrei, accordingly, had an appreciation for Geekie’s gesture.

“It’s him, for sure. Definitely a great gift. Can always use a new glove,” Lohrei said. “We’ve been using it on the road a little bit. We bring our mitts and play catch in between meetings or if we have time to kill.”​

Elias Lindholm is a little less familiar with baseball. Geekie opted for the Swedish flag for Lindholm’s glove; the forward played in his native country before getting drafted to the NHL.

​“It was great. Obviously, a little different. Baseball is not that big in Sweden, but it’s obviously cool to have. Been to Red Sox games, so it’s pretty fun to have your own glove now for sure,” Lindholm said. “Hopefully, when my kids get a little bit older, we can play a little game or something. For now, it is just going to be at home resting.”

There was some competition in the locker room about who had the best-looking mitt, especially amongst the college hockey alums. Lohrei gave special recognition to Andrew Peeke’s gold and blue setup, a nod to the University of Notre Dame, where he played for three seasons (2016-19). Geekie liked Charlie McAvoy’s scarlett and white look for Boston University, and Jeremy Swayman’s baby blue and navy glove for the University of Maine.

“I was pretty surprised that he got all the boys that,” Peeke said. “It was pretty cool that he went back and took the time to look at each guy – whether they played college, juniors, pro in Sweden, whatever the case may be. I am a little biased, but I think the gold and blue is pretty cool. I’ll take that for my glove.”

Peeke ranks himself high on the list of good baseball players on the B’s; he grew up in Florida playing the sport. However, the defenseman will likely grab for a different glove his next time out on the field.

“I’m kind of saving it,” Peeke said of Geekie’s gift. “I might want to do something, frame it, or something like that. I am not sure what I’ll do with it yet, but I think I want to keep it clean for now. It is too nice.”

With 22 goals thus far for the Bruins, some might not guess that Geekie once saw hockey as a second option. Geekie would, though, like to test out his baseball skills in Boston. He said he one day wants to throw the opening pitch at Fenway Park in a full Red Sox uniform; Swayman offered to be the catcher.

For now, Geekie will focus on his on-ice dominance and enjoy games of catch with his teammates in their flashy mitts.

“For me, I was looking for something that meant a lot to me to give to them,” Geekie said. “It makes you feel good that they appreciate stuff like that – and I know everybody does. Just because baseball is such an important part of my family, to be able to share that with people, whether they use the glove or not – as a paper weight or whatever – I still think it’s pretty cool.”