Bruins' hometown boys don't take wearing Spoked-B for granted

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Boston Bruins' hometown boy's Charlie Coyle, Matt Grzelcyk and Chris Wagner are living out their childhood dream.

Putting on the black and gold sweater isn't something they take for granted, and being able to play close to home has been a blessing.

Charlie Coyle enjoys having his family at the games, especially after spending seven years with the Minnesota Wild.

"It's very special because you get to basically work from home, right?" Coyle said according to BostonBruins.com's Eric Russo. "You're with your family…they love it, they love making the trek in and going through the ups and downs of the season. Especially with the run we had last year, it made it that much more special that my family was there almost every night, if not every night. So just to do that, you feel very fortunate to be in that position."

Coyle, a native of Weymouth, Mass., was drafted by the Wild in the first round (28th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and was acquired in a trade by Boston last season that sent Ryan Donato packing to Minnesota. And he wasn't the only one to be taken at the draft that year -- Bruins' teammate Chris Wagner also was selected in 2010, a fifth-round pick (122nd overall) by the Anaheim Ducks.

Wagner was signed by the Bruins as a free agent following the 2017-18 season after spending time with the Ducks, Colorado Avalanche and New York Islanders. After six years away from home, Wagner notes that he loves to hang out with his hometown family and friends during his downtime.

"If you do something well, you get the 'congrats' or 'great job.' Then on the off days you get to see people outside of the rink that you wouldn't normally be able to see [if you were] playing in a different state or something," Wagner said according to Russo. "A combination of all of those things makes it really great."

Like Wagner, Matt Grzelcyk also enjoys having his family close to home.

"It's a huge honor, something that I don't take lightly," Grzelcyk said according to Russo. "I think the more and more seasons you play, the more you cherish it. Especially last year, going on as deep of a run as we did. It definitely meant a little something extra, just talking to friends and family, how much it meant to them to go on that journey with us."

Grzelcyk, a native of Charlestown, Mass. was drafted by the Bruins' in the third round (85th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, two years after Coyle and Wagner were selected.

Following a brutal Stanley Cup Final loss last season, the trio from Massachusetts is looking forward to the upcoming season, and redemption. The B's kick off their season October 3 and will face the Dallas Stars, Arizona Coyotes, Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche before they return home for opening night against the New Jersey Devils October 13.

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