{"id":500838,"date":"2026-10-19T07:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T07:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/500838\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T07:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T07:30:11","slug":"the-bruins-fans-always-come-out-especially-in-sunny-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/500838\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bruins fans always come out, especially in sunny California"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAnd back then, I thought all the people in California do is they go to beach parties and surf and so, this will be my reward: I\u2019ll come out for a year and I\u2019ll go back to Massachusetts where people work for a living,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cAnd that was right before Apple computer took off. So then, I said, \u2018OK, I\u2019ll stay.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

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Wearing a gold Bobby Orr T-shirt, Chickering was one of a bevy of Bruins devotees on hand for Boston\u2019s game at San Jose on Tuesday \u2014 a 6-3 victory<\/a> that kicked off a three-game swing through California.<\/p>\n

The Bruins\u2019 ability to draw crowds on the road is most impressive. No matter where they lace \u2019em up, their fans show up \u2014 and it\u2019s particularly striking when they come to California. The barns are filled with Black and Goldies.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the fans are New England transplants, but lots of times it\u2019s natives who just have always been drawn to the Original 6 franchise.<\/p>\n

\"AA Bruins fan in the front row (left) gleefully enjoys Nikita Zadorov (91) showing some knuckle-love to Sharks counterpart Darnell Nurse in the third period of Boston’s win in San Jose last Tuesday night.Jeff Chiu\/AP Photo\/Jeff Chiu<\/p>\n

Chickering\u2019s passion goes back to the glory days of the late 1960s and early \u201970s Phil Esposito and Orr teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as I\u2019m concerned, the greatest hockey player God ever created,\u201d said Chickering of old No. 4. \u201cAnd if he hadn\u2019t had so many knee injuries \u2026 \u201d<\/p>\n

Matt Walbridge came to California for a popular reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, the weather,\u201d said the Braintree native. \u201cI was just sick and tired of the winters. And one winter I was walking my dog and I just was like, \u2018I don\u2019t think I can do this anymore.\u2019 And that was the last winter I did, and that was three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sporting a Brad Marchand sweater and a Red Sox cap, Walbridge was among the throngs of Bruins fans waiting outside Honda Center in Anaheim on Friday. It was the first time Walbridge had been to the Ducks\u2019 home rink, but he\u2019s seen games at Crypto.com Arena, the Kings home up Interstate 5 in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve probably seen more Bruins and Celtics games now living in LA than I did when I was living in Dorchester or East Boston,\u201d said Walbridge before the Bruins\u2019 4-2 victory<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s easier to get tickets, and it\u2019s cheaper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ThereThere were lots of Black&Gold sweaters at Honda Center Friday night to cheer on Matt Poitras and the Bruins in their 4-2 win over the host Ducks in Anaheim.Ryan Sun\/AP Photo\/Ryan Sun<\/p>\n

Outside Crypto before Saturday night\u2019s 4-1 win over the Kings<\/a>, Justin Kinstle and his family were resplendent in Bruins garb. Kinstle has no New England ties, but his father was a Bruins fan (from New York of all places) and he handed down the fanaticism.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably Bobby Orr,\u201d Kinstle said when asked why his father chose the Bruins.<\/p>\n

Bruins fans rush to the glass warmups warm-ups and cheer on their team. The players notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really special to be a Bruin,\u201d said Hampus Lindholm. \u201cI think we have the best fans. I always say it, best fans in the league and in the world. So, it\u2019s so exciting to come into barns and you see those Bruins fans everywhere and we definitely do not take you for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BruinsBruins defenseman Mason Lohrei (6) made the most of his trip out West, catching his favorite baseball team post their biggest win in 44 years. Ryan Sun\/AP Photo\/Ryan Sun<\/p>\n

Brewing up a memorable victory<\/p>\n

Mason Lohrei had a bit of delayed reaction to what he witnessed Thursday night.<\/p>\n

Sitting behind home plate at Dodger Stadium with Bruins teammate (and fellow baseball junkie) Morgan Geekie, Lohrei watched as Milwaukee\u2019s Jackson Chourio snagged Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s liner for the final out of Game 4 of the NLCS \u2026 and he froze for a second.<\/p>\n

The Brewers had swept, and were going to the World Series for the first time since 1982. Lohrei, who grew up in Wisconsin, knew it, but he didn\u2019t believe it instantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, not until I saw them leave the dugout to run out on the field,\u201d he said. \u201cI saw the catch and I was just pumped. They won and I was like, \u2018Holy [crap], they\u2019re going to the World Series.\u2019 \u201d <\/p>\n

Earlier in the game, Lohrei got his hands on a foul ball (he thinks off the bat of Garrett Mitchell, but don\u2019t hold him to that). Lohrei ended up giving the ball to a young Dodgers fan who was understandably not having the best night.<\/p>\n

From bat boy to GM<\/p>\n

In a related note, during that 1982 World Series, one of the Brewers\u2019 bat boys was current Panthers general manager Bill Zito \u2026 Willie O\u2019Ree, who broke the NHL\u2019s color barrier in 1958 with the Bruins, was at Honda Center Friday to celebrate his 91st birthday. He received a Bruins No. 91 sweater autographed by the players from current Bruins No. 91 Nikita Zadorov \u2026 If you ever venture to Anaheim, the Sheraton on South Harbor is a solid choice. Pro tip: Ask for the fireworks side, so you can watch the Disney display from your balcony and, as a bonus, see the Tower of Terror \u2014 pound for pound, the best thrill ride in the land. Oh, just ignore those blood curdling screams \u2026 Unpopular California take: In-N-Out Burger is meh.<\/p>\n

Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @globejimmcbride<\/a>.<\/p>\n