Despite the fact that no NHL games are being played at the moment, this hockey season has already been particularly memorable for Colrain’s Curtis Neill.
The Boston Bruins, in partnership with the Massachusetts State Lottery, honor local members of the armed forces with their 8-Spoked Salute. Members of the military, past and present, are acknowledged on the Jumbotron at several Bruins home games.
On November 21, Neill was honored during the second period, as the Marine veteran took in action at the TD Garden to watch the Bruins host the Buffalo Sabres.
“I’m a huge Bruins fan, huge hockey fan,” began Neill. “My girlfriend was behind the whole thing. She had read something about veterans and the Bruins, and sure enough, about two weeks later the Bruins were contacting me.”
Neill was caught by surprise, admitting he didn’t expect to be honored. He wasn’t even sure if the phone call actually came from the Bruins, but quickly realized the situation was legitimate.
“It was like, ‘What’s going on here? This can’t be real,’” he recalled. “But they were very nice. Asked me if I’d like to be honored at TD Garden.”
That call came on a Thursday, and the Bruins invited Neill and his guests to the game against Buffalo two nights later on a Saturday. The team asked for background information about Neill’s combat duty. He entered the Marine Corps out of high school, and made seven deployments between 1989 and 2007, serving with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Later that day however, Neill received another call from the team, telling him Saturday’s game had been rescheduled and moved up one day earlier to Friday. With just 24 hours to prepare, he was forced into action.
“Now I really had to get going,” he said with a laugh. “I better get my stuff in gear here.”
Neill and his crew traveled to Boston for the contest, and after watching into the second period from his seats, he was ushered during the first commercial break to the ninth level of the arena, up by where NESN broadcast the games on TV. The team put Neill in front of a Bruins backdrop, and his video package began playing on the Jumbotron.
“The lights came on and I asked, ‘What do I do?’” Neill recalled. “The guys said, ‘Whatever you do, make sure to smile and wave.’”
Neill received a loud ovation from the capacity crowd when he appeared on screen. He said the acknowledgement felt good, even though it was a bit out of his comfort zone.
“I’m more of an introvert so it was very humbling to be in Boston, at the TD Garden in front of all the Bruins players and coaches, in front of the fans,” he began. “To hear the thunder of the crowd, it was almost embarrassing. I didn’t feel like I deserved it but it was definitely a memorable moment. To be such a fan of the team and have that happen, it was a pretty unique experience.”
Neill, who was born in Greenfield and graduated from Turners Falls High School in 1988, has lived in Colrain for the past 26 years. The Bruins made it a winning night all around for him, as Brad Marchand scored two goals and David Pastrnak netted the eventual game winner in the third period en route to a 3-2 victory. Tuukka Rask made 36 saves in net to snag the victory.
“It was a great time,” Neill said. “We had been going down to a lot of Bruins games this year already. So to get invited down, have good seats and everything surrounding it, just a great night.”
The walk back to the parking garage was also eventful, as Neill said fans in attendance recognized him while he was returning to his car.
“Everyone was pointing to me the whole way back, ‘There’s the guy from the Jumbotron,’” he said with a laugh.
While sports remain on hold for the moment due to the coronavirus pandemic, Neill’s night out with the Bruins is certainly a memory that will last for some time.