Bruins players contribute to GoFundMe supporting TD Garden workers
Several Bruins players have contributed to a GoFundMe account that is being circulated online to pay lost wages for TD Garden workers while events are postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
Six Bruins home games remained on the regular season schedule, along with Celtics games and several other events, that part-time workers as of now won’t be compensated for.
Some NHL owners, such as the New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris, announced they would pay their workers for lost time, but Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, worth a reported $3.5 billion, is not one of them.
The GoFundMe page was created Saturday morning by Gunnar, Lola, Meghan and Jon Larson with a goal of $250,000, and had reached around $12,000 by 1 p.m. Donations of $1,000 were contributed by Bruins players Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, Charlie McAvoy, and Joakim Nordstrom. A total of 93 donors had contributed to that point.
The page’s description reads: “COVID-19 precautions have led to pauses in NHL, NBA and Garden event activity. 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.”
Marchand shared the list on his Twitter account this morning.
Several pro athletes have stepped up to help cover costs where owners haven’t. New Orleans Pelicans 19-year-old rookie Zion Williamson pledged on Friday night to cover the salaries of all arena workers through March 30. Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is donating $100,000 for Panthers arena employees. His teammates have pledged to match that donation.
In the NHL, the Ducks have made a commitment to pay all workers, the Red Wings set up a fund of $1 million to go toward part-time staff, the Panthers have agreed to match player donations, the Flyers committed to pay through March 31, and Sharks and Capitals employees will be paid.
Some teams have outright refused, such as the Winnipeg Jets.
The Winnipeg News quoted Jets owner Mark Chipman saying, “Those people are on part-time agreements. They work when we work. So, regrettably, to the extent we’re not putting on shows and games, those people obviously would not have a call to work.”
The Buffalo Sabres sent a similar statement to the Athletic, stating “As of now, we expect the games to be rescheduled. We are evaluating next steps should the games be cancelled.”
The Bruins organization responded to the Herald’s request for comment late Friday with a statement:
“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.”