BEDFORD, Mass. — Brad Marchand hugged Tyler Bertuzzi, his short-term Boston Bruins teammate last year. Kevin Shattenkirk did the same with Joel Edmundson, his teammate with the St. Louis Blues. David Pastrnak embraced William Nylander, his longtime friend and former running mate in the Swedish Elite League. 

For seven games, the Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs had bashed each others’ bodies. But shortly after Pastrnak’s overtime winner, the combatants lined up for handshakes. The friendships that had been muted for seven games came alive again.

Pat Maroon loved it.

Handshakes from the Leafs and Bruins after a hard fought series 🤝 pic.twitter.com/VZp9PGG4f9

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 5, 2024

“Just telling the guys, ‘Good job. You guys played a really good series,’” said Maroon, who played with Edmundson in St. Louis, Connor Dewar with the Minnesota Wild and Auston Matthews for Team USA at the World Championship. “It wasn’t one person. But just letting them know they’re a heck of a team. They fought hard until the end. They had some missing key pieces in certain games. They played very well without them in the lineup. They played well with them in the lineup. They did a good job fighting back. But at the end of the day, we came out with the win.”

Kevin Shattenkirk speaks up

Shattenkirk won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020. Shattenkirk also missed the playoffs the last three seasons while playing for the down-and-out Anaheim Ducks.

Shattenkirk’s peaks-and-valleys perspective made him feel like he had something to say.

So Friday night, as the Boston Bruins banded together at a local hotel instead of retiring to their homes, Shattenkirk stood up in front of his teammates. Their video session ahead of Game 7 was over. It was time to talk.

The first-year Bruins defenseman has a way with words.

“Shatty gave the group an incredible speech that really allowed us to kind of settle down and understand where we were at, how we had to play and what we needed to believe to get the job done,” Marchand said after the 2-1 overtime Game 7 win. “We woke up this morning, and you could just see within the group that we knew that everybody was going to bring their best game and everybody was going to do their job. And they did. There was a confidence throughout the group this morning. And you felt it. You can see it on guys’ faces. It didn’t seem like anyone was nervous. It felt like guys were excited for the opportunity.”

The Bruins responded with a thorough and professional effort in the first period. They had done nothing of the sort in games 5 and 6, giving the Leafs oxygen to rally.

Shattenkirk’s message had hit home.

“Shatty did an amazing job,” said Maroon, Shattenkirk’s Tampa teammate. “There’s a reason why he’s won before. His leadership, his voice he carries. The biggest thing he touched on was you don’t have regrets when you lay your head down after the game. We always talk about maybe earlier in your career, you have a little more regret about maybe preparing yourself a little more, not taking this for granted, preparing yourself a little better. Just believing in yourself, believing in the guy beside you and just the group. He did an amazing job. Touched a lot of people.”

Shattenkirk’s prime-time years are over. Whether he lands another contract when his current one-year, $1.05 million deal expires remains to be seen. Shattenkirk is a 35-year-old depth defenseman, tasked to run the No. 2 power-play unit and clear pucks cleanly from the defensive zone. Shattenkirk even found himself on the outs for Game 5 when coach Jim Montgomery put Matt Grzelcyk back in — a regrettable decision, in retrospect.

But at this segment of his career, Shattenkirk is mature enough to accept bad news and experienced enough to keep his game and voice sharp until needed.

“In talking to Kevin this summer, referencing the fact that he had won and been in that environment,” general manager Don Sweeney said. “At some point in time, you never know when you’re going to lean on it. Obviously, it was a crucial moment. He felt very comfortable standing in front of that group to deliver that message. It obviously resonated for Brad to bring it up and disclose it. Good on him. That’s exactly what you hope for when you bring in players that have won and are craving to get back in that environment.”

Patrice Bergeron waves them on

Patrice Bergeron was not available to play in Game 7. But the former captain did the next best thing: serving as the honorary fan banner captain before puck drop. As usual, the lively Bergeron did his job.

3️⃣7️⃣ WAS FREAKIN’ FIRED UP.#NHLBruins | #BehindTheB pic.twitter.com/E3PWnn1H48

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 5, 2024

“We clearly brought out the heavy artillery, thankfully,” Sweeney said. “It doesn’t surprise me that he wanted to lead that charge. He was excited for us. It was probably hard for him to stand up in the stands for the first time for a Game 7 and watch. I’m sure he was proud of the guys for coming through.”

Bergeron and fellow ex-Bruin Tuukka Rask greeted their former teammates after the win.

(Photo: Bob DeChiara / USA Today)