Sports
Boston Bruins Head to Newtown Today
The Boston Bruins will host a variety of private events Monday, including hockey clinics and an autograph signing at Newtown Youth Academy, courtesy of the United Way of West
Young Boston Bruins fans in Newtown have reason to rejoice today.
The NHL team will head into town for a flurry of activities designed to give Newtown's young hockey fans -- and budding hockey stars -- a dream day at the Newtown Youth Academy.
Find out what's happening in Newtownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien will be accompanied by current players Chris Bourque, Andrew Ference, Dougie Hamilton, Aaron Johnson, Adam McQuaid, Daniel Paille and Rich Peverley, according to a release from the Bruins' web site. They'll be joined by Bruins mascot Blades and cheerleaders the Ice Girls.
In two separate sessions, the players will take photos, sign autographs and offer hockey clinics for 1,300 invited guests who have already registered for the event. Newtown's first responders will receive framed, team-autographed jerseys from Bruins staff, and all attendees will get Bruins t-shirts and Sandy Hook green ribbons.
Find out what's happening in Newtownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Hockey clinics, by the way, are just what they sound like: hour-long lessons from the pros for young hockey players. In this case, Bruins alumni Bob Sweeney and Tommy Songin will offer street hockey clinics, and the Bruins' Youth Hockey Development Team will offer a special hour-long clinic for the Newtown Nighthawks hockey team.
The Bruins will bring the Stanley Cup along with them for the first session, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and attendees will have the opportunity to have their photo taken with the Cup, according to the Newtown Nighthawks Ice Hockey web site. The second session will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Both sessions are closed to the general public.
The honors from the Bruins won't be done when they leave town Monday. On March 3, Sandy Hook Elementary School Vice Principal Natalie Hammond -- who was injured in the 12/14 shooting -- will drop the ceremonial first puck for the Bruins' game against the Montreal Canadiens at Boston's TD Garden.
The Bruins coordinated the event with the help of the United Way of Western Connecticut, Garden Neighborhood Charities, ETS International and New England Picture, according to the release.
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