Strong in defeat
As Boston recovers, Bruins fall to Sabres
BOSTON — After the crowd seized the national anthem from Rene Rancourt, a celebrated singer, and sang a stirring rendition Wednesday night, Jeremy Washburn, heading the fire department honor guard, led his unit off the ice and into a quiet hallway. He looked back through the tunnel as the crowd, still standing, applauded the first responders.
“Wow,” Washburn said. “That was f--ing awesome.”
Rancourt, dressed in a gold bow tie and buoyed by the impromptu salute put forth by 17,565 fans, followed Washburn onto a black rubber mat and into the Zamboni storage area.
“Where’s my check?” Rancourt asked. “Where’s my check?” A waste management worker laughed at Rancourt.
“I didn’t know you could lip sync,” the worker said. “You get paid for that?” Homeland Security vehicles lined Causeway St. before the Bruins’ first game back on the ice following the Boston Marathon bombings, but Bostonians filled the TD Garden with American flags, patriotic displays and signs with messages such as “Pray for Boston.”
Before the firemen could sit in their seats, Daniel Paille found the back of the net to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead 5:45 into the game before they fell, 3-2, to Buffalo in a shootout. Both teams tapped the ice with their sticks, then raised them to the crowd by center ice at night’s end. The crowd chanted “U-S-A! U-S-A!”.
“I can’t remember being more emotion- al on the ice,” Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference said. “I was choked up during the first shift.”
Boston exhaled when the house lights dimmed. The Bruins logo was repurposed to match the citywide slogan of “Boston Strong.” A pregame video presentation featured a slideshow of emotional images from the marathon’s aftermath.
The Bruins boast a unique relationship with Boston. Every player lives inside the city limits. A Bruins game originally sched- uled for Monday night against the Senators had been postponed, but they became the first professional team to play after the attack. The Red Sox return to Fenway Park to host the Royals on Friday.
“We’re still grieving but we have a job to do,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said.
Boston remains a city on edge. Crimescene tape extends around a stretch of downtown and police radios crackle with regular alerts. Boylston St., site of the two bombings, remains closed off to cars and pedestrians.
“Every one of us has a link to the city,” the Bruins’ Brad Marchand said.
Washburn, a master sergeant in the army, absorbed the action from a loge seat. He had been at the Boston Garden for Larry Bird’s retirement ceremony and held that moment as his favorite in the city's sports lore. Only Wednesday topped that night.
“I’ve never heard the Garden like that,” he said.