Longtime ‘B’-liever
New defenseman big fan
For generations, scores of hockey-playing New Englanders have donned the Bruins’ jersey, declaring almost to a man that it is a dream come true.
Well, John Moore did not grow up around here. The 27-year-old defenseman, signed by the B’s in July to a five-year contract worth $2.75 million annually, was born and raised in the Chicago area. But you’d be hardpressed to find anyone, born here or not, who’d be more excited to pull on the Black and Gold than Moore is.
Moore’s got some deep roots in this region. His paternal grandfather, Bob Moore, was born and raised in Dorchester. Though work took him to Chicago after World War II, he never gave up his rooting interests, passing them down to his son John and John’s son and namesake. His mother’s side of the family is from Lewiston, Maine, and his grandfather, James Longley, was governor from 1975-79.
Longley died in 1980, but he’s a figure who looms large in family lore.
“He sold insurance, got in a beef with someone and said, ‘Screw you, I’m going to run for governor and change things.’ And that’s what he did,” said Moore, whose mother Nancy would regale him with stories about her father, the state’s first independent governor. “I never got to meet him, but he’s someone who my family holds in high regard. And that element of, ‘(Expletive) you, I’ll do it myself’ is something that we’re proud of.”
Not a bad mantra for a hockey player.
Moore’s Bruins knowledge and appreciation begins where you might expect it to.
“I guess it starts with Bobby Orr, flying through the air, scoring goals,” he said of the most iconic image in Bruins history. “Other than that, you hear about the ‘Big, Bad Bruins’ and what it takes and how this town rallies around guys that leave it all out there. That’s a hell of a legacy and something guys are definitely aware of. It’s on the walls of this training facility. It’s something that’s inspiring. It’s cool to be a part of that history.”
Moore sold his home in the Chicago area and moved his young family to the suburban Boston home he bought. Last week after a workout at Warrior Ice Arena, he was still drinking in all the photos and mementos of B’s history.
“I don’t want to be like a tourist, but every now and then when people aren’t looking, I try to take it all in and educate myself,” said Moore. “There’s history here and it’s really cool to be part of this Original Six team. I’m a big hockey fan and I soak that all in whenever I can.”
The Moore signing may not have been as sexy as John Tavares or Ilya Kovachuk would have been, but he definitely fills a key need/want: Size, but also the mobility needed for today’s game.
A 2009 first-round draft pick of Columbus, Moore has played for four NHL teams: The Blue Jackets, Rangers, Coyotes and, for the last two seasons, the resurgent New Jersey Devils. When he hit the open market for the first time in the summer, the smooth-skating, 6-foot-3, 210-pound Moore had a lot of suitors, but none intrigued him like general manager Don Sweeney’s call.
“It was bizarre,” said Moore of his first foray into free agency. “When you’re around this league and you’re interacting with GMs, then all of a sudden the tables turn a bit, it’s a unique thing. Something I wasn’t very comfortable with. Sitting there pumping your own tires is not who I am. And I’ve made that known to every GM, that I was appreciative and I wasn’t flexing my ego or anything. But when Don reached out to me, it was too good to pass up, being a Bruin and joining this group that I think is really close to winning.
“From an outsider’s perspective, the culture seems like something like any player would want to join. And on top of that, doing it in the city of Boston in front of these fans is not something I could pass up.”
Moore’s best season for offensive production was two years ago in Jersey, when he had 12 goals and 22 points, but his strong wheels are best utilized on the defensive zone, retrieving pucks and getting it out of danger quickly.
“I think (my skating) helps me tremendously, and I think that’s where the game is going,” said Moore. “No longer are you seeing these big, hulking (defensemen) that are going to take your head off and crosscheck you till your arms turn blue. It’s about skating, it’s about stick on puck, it’s about stripping guys and beating them up the ice going the other way. These are all elements that I try to bring. And as a (defenseman) in the NHL, the learning curve is a little bit longer than as a forward, so these nuances that you pick up as a young guy, you really try to implement into your game. And for me as a 27-year-old now, I feel like I’m finally coming into my prime. And I’m excited.”
Where exactly the left-shot defenseman fits in the lineup is still to be determined. With the addition of Moore, the B’s now have four proven NHL defensemen on each side, and management also hopes there’s a push from the farm with some of the young blueliners in the system. That’s fine with Moore. Competition, he said, will only make the team stronger.
While he’s thrilled to be in Boston and reestablishing his roots — he plans to live here year-round — Moore knows he has to perform in order to make his marriage with the Bruins as happy as he envisions. He’s already moved around a lot, but when it was suggested the five-year deal will allow him to settle in for a while, Moore said he wasn’t thinking like that.
“If you know this business, then you know that if they want you out, they’re going to get you out,” said Moore. “I’m not sitting here thinking ‘I’ve signed a five-year deal, let’s crack beer open.’ It’s the opposite. I’m hungry. I want to prove people right. I want to reward people for their trust in me. I’m extra motivated now to do things. And to
win. How cool would that be? This team did it in 2011 and a lot of those guys are still here and they know what it takes. I want to make sure I’m coming in here and pulling on the rope in the right direction.”
How his Bruins career plays out is to be determined. But there can be little question that Moore’s heart, at least, is clearly in the right place.