With many NHL and NBA owners stepping up to pay their employees while the leagues are shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bruins' Brad Marchand donated and called attention to a GoFundMe effort started by his friends to help out-of-work TD Garden employees with no games in the near future.
So far, the donation list includes $1,000 in the name of Marchand's wife Katrina and $1,000 each from Bruins' David Pastrnak, Tuukka Rask, David Krejci, Joakim Nordstrom and Charlie McAvoy. As of Saturday afternoon, the effort had raised more than $20,000 with a goal of $250,000.
On Friday, Delaware North, the parent company of the Bruins and TD Garden, released the following statement via Mark Chmura, the Bruins vice president of marketing and communications:
“Delaware North has operations in over 50 sports stadiums, ballparks and arenas throughout the world. The hardworking associates at each location, including TD Garden, are facing great challenges due to the impact of COVID-19 on the sports industry. Delaware North at its core is a family company and our top priority is to provide our associates, and their families, with the assurances they deserve during this difficult time. We are actively exploring support options and will have further information in the coming days.”
The intro on the GoFundMe page, started by Gunnar, Lola, Meghan, and Jon Larson, reads in part: "Hundreds of loyal TD Garden workers will lose considerable and critical income during the suspension of events. Bruins and Celtics fans should step up and help these families fill the void caused by this terrible health crisis. We should come together as a community to demonstrate our strength, mutual loyalty and commitment.”