FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Matthew Chmura February 26, 2019 617.624.1913 Brandon McNelis 857.241.8343 Travis Basciotta 617.459.6853 Sarah McMahon 857.241.8352
BOSTON BRUINS TO HOST FIRST RESPONDERS NIGHT ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 DURING GAME VS SAN JOSE SHARKS
BOSTON – The Boston Bruins will show their appreciation for the men and women who serve as First Responders and their families by hosting First Responders Night on Tuesday, February 26 when the Bruins take on the San Jose Sharks at 7:00 p.m.
First Responders and their families will take part in various fan experiences throughout the game including the singing of the national anthem, sitting on the bench during pregame warmups, ice resurfacer rides and high fiving the players in between periods, as well as in game contests.
The family of fallen Weymouth police officer Michael Chesna will participate in the ceremonial puck drop prior to the game.
Performing the national anthem will be Marshfield, MA native Sergeant James Connor of the Massachusetts State Police. Connor has been a police officer for over 34 years and is currently assigned to the H-1 SP Government Center barracks in Boston. Connor started singing at a young age in his church and school choirs, and has participated in various local and regional singing competitions. In addition, he has served as a cantor at his local parish for many years. For the last 25 years, Connor has represented the Massachusetts State Police at various events, singing the National Anthem as well as serving as the vocalist at funerals for fallen police officers across the Commonwealth. The Boston Fire Department Honor Guard will also be on hand for the national anthem.
The ProShop on Level 2 of TD Garden and all GameDay ProShop locations will offer First Responders 20% off their purchase (excluding charity items). All ProShop locations will be selling ’47 First Responder tshirts, with one shirt featuring the Boston Fire Hockey Club and the other featuring the Boston Police Hockey Club. The net proceeds from the shirts will go to the hockey clubs’ respective foundations: Boston Firefighters Burn Foundation and Franciscan Children’s.
The Boston Bruins Foundation will be hosting a First Responder 911 jersey raffle at their table located behind Loge 4 on the TD Garden concourse. The three
jerseys being raffled are Fire, Police, and EMS. All proceeds will benefit the Boston Bruins Foundation. The 50/50 raffle will benefit the Boston Police Foundation and the Boston Fire Department Relief Fund.
President of TD Garden Amy Latimer, President of the Boston Bruins Foundation Bob Sweeney, Bill Richard, and Martin Richard Foundation Youth Board of Directors members Eamon Baker, Jack Burke, and Jane Richard will be on hand to present a check for the proceeds from the inaugural MR8K which was held on Monday, September 3, 2018 which featured a finish line at Bruins center ice at TD Garden. The race raised $125,000 for the LEADER program based at McLean Hospital. LEADER was established just after the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013 with the direction of former Boston Police Commissioner, Ed Davis.
There will also be a check presentation for the BFit First Responder Challenge powered by National Grid which was held on Sunday, January 27, 2019 at TD Garden. The event raised a total of $500,000 for the Hundred Club of Massachusetts whose mission is to provide financial support to the families of fallen heroes. The check will be presented by President of the Boston Bruins Foundation, Bob Sweeney, Bruins Director of Health, Fitness and Wellness John Whitesides, President of the Hundred Club of Massachusetts John Lynch, President of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts Rich Mackinnon, Vice President of Customer Innovation and Development at National Grid, Carlos Nouel, Sr. Manager, Global Philanthropy at Under Armour, Flynn Burch, and Founder, Flags of Valor, Brian Steorts.
In addition, the winners of the First Responder Challenge will be recognized. The BFit Cup was awarded to the highest fundraising Police and Fire/EMS teams as well as highest individual fundraiser. The highest fundraising Police team was the Boston Police Runners Club, who raised over $50,000. The highest fundraising Fire/EMT Team was the Worcester Fire Local 1009 Team 1, who raised over $38,000. The highest fundraising individual was Cecil Jones, who raised $50,000.
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