Fort Nucks: Boeser's tribute

Every time Brock Boeser steps onto the ice, the town of Burnsville, Minnesota, is right there with him.
His stick, white tape and a black marker make each game, and goal scored, even more personal.

Like every other NHLer, Boeser's pre-game routine includes taping his sticks. It's a labour of love as two-hours before puck drop he methodically prepares the blade with black tape before finishing with white tape at the top of the shaft. This isn't unique; Alex Biega tapes his similarly, as does Ben Hutton some of the time.
What separates Boeser, who recently became the only rookie named an NHL All-Star this season, is what comes next: a dedication to lives lost and changed forever.
On August 6, 2014, four of Boeser's good friends were in an SUV that lost control and rolled. The accident killed Ty Alyea, an old baseball teammate, and it left former hockey linemate Cole Borchardt with permanent injuries. Driver Matthew Berger and passenger Tylan Procko suffered minor injuries.
Boeser was in Slovakia preparing to play for USA at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup when the accident happened. Had he been at home, hanging out with his boys during the dog days of summer, he likely would have been with them. Boeser doesn't take that fact for granted.
Written on the four sides of the knob of his sticks is as follows: 8.6.14 TA 6, CB 20, TP 7 MB 31, and Gma2 Gp2 6 with a cross. The date of the incident and initials of all four friends involved are always with Boeser, as are his four grandparents, three of which have passed away. The number 6 appears twice because it was Ty's number and because his dad, Duke, wore 6 when he played as well. Duke, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2010, was involved in a separate car accident when Boeser was a high school freshman, suffering a brain injury. Thankfully he survived the ordeal.

Boeser has been personalizing his sticks since 2014, celebrating friends and family every shift, ever since.
"When I think about it, it's emotional," said Boeser, following practice in Columbus Saturday morning. "It's devastating to lose a friend and that experience brought out group closer together because of what we went through. I hang with Matt and Ty all the time and Cole is coming to the game; I can't wait. We're a really tight group. My girlfriend sometimes gets mad at me because I like hanging out with the guys so much!"
This is Vancouver's second and final stop of the season in Minnesota. The Canucks pulled out a 1-0 win over the Wild here in late October; Boeser had two goals and four assists at that point in the season, and was held pointless in his second career home game.
A lot has changed since then for the Calder Trophy front-runner, who ranks tied for fifth in the NHL goal-scoring race and leads all rookies with 22 goals, having been named Rookie of the Month for November and December.
It's been an incredible start to his young career and Boeser is always quick to give credit where it's due.
"It's always exciting going home and not just seeing my family, but my friends as well. Everyone. All that support is incredible. All my friends follow me closely and they're watching our games when they can. It's pretty cool to see and to be able to feel their support, even when they're not physically there."

Post-game, when Boeser checks his phone, the group chat is typically lit up with commentary on his play. Most of it is good, but we all that have one friend who keeps it real. Same for Boeser.
"There's always my one buddy that likes to chirp everyone about inflating my head and that I haven't done anything yet, keep working. Mr. Negativity! I'm joking, it's probably good, keeps me grounded."
Grounded is exactly what Boeser will be post-game Sunday. He's staying in Minnesota to spend the Canucks reading break with family and friends.
It's no secret which buddies he'll be spending the most time with.