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2/10/04
By Brian J. Scully
BostonBruins.com
BOSTON Nick Boynton doesn't like to talk about Nick Boynton.
He'll give you hours and hours about his teammates, the game of hockey, and those who have helped him to get where
he is, but ask him about his first All-Star selection and his response ("It makes me wonder who is picking the teams") will
be appropriately self-deprecating and sardonic.
It's not a bad thing at all. In fact, it's kind of endearing and rooted
in all the things you'd want a sentiment of that nature to be rooted in. For Boynton, hockey is a team game that is all about
winning and nothing about personal statistics.
"I want to win a Stanley Cup, that's why I play the game," said Boynton.
"I don't think I'm really hard on myself. You just want to be successful. Maybe it does drive me and sometimes I go a bit
overboard, but it probably helps in some ways."
Unfortunately for Boynton, though, people are beginning to do the talking
for him.
In this, his third year in the NHL, the statistics and accolades are beginning to pile up. He's made trips
to the league's All-Star festivities twice now, once as a member of the YoungStars team his rookie year and most recently
as a full-blown Star last weekend.
He's also becoming the Bruins' all-around go-to-guy on defense. At the All-Star
break, he ranked first among Bruins' blue liners in the following statistical categories games played (56), assists (15),
points (18), plus/minus (plus-15), and time-on-ice (23:03) while placing second in goals (3) and penalty minutes (70).
Still,
though, Boynton is characteristically unsatisfied. He sees himself as a player who is decent offensively and defensively,
not as the team's statistical leader among defensemen.
"If I went out there and took chances all the time, I probably
wouldn't see much ice time," said Boynton. "The rewards wouldn't be great enough. I wouldn't score enough goals. There's those
guys and then there's strictly defensive guys, and I just try to fit somewhere in between."
As it turns out "somewhere
in between" is proving to be a great place to be.
"Nick is the type of guy that does a lot of things out there that
are tough to measure," said coach Mike Sullivan. "He brings a lot of intangibles. He wins battles. He competes hard. I think
he's a difficult player to play against. He's strong, he's physical and he has the ability to join the rush and create things.
He just a real unique player and I think that teams around the league would love to have a guy like him."
The Bruins
selected Boynton as the 21st overall pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He had also been drafted in 1997, by the Washington
Capitals, but never came to terms with the team.
After capping off his junior career by winning the 1998-99 Memorial
Cup as a member of the Ottawa 67's, garnering tournament MVP honors in the process, he headed to Boston for his first NHL
training camp.
Boynton struggled during his first year, due in large part to the fact that he was diagnosed with diabetes
and had to learn to control the disease. In his third professional season, he made it to Boston full-time.
"I guess
it was five years ago that I started in Providence," said Boynton. "I didn't really picture myself getting to this point.
So, I'm happy with the way things have worked out. I struggled at the start of my career, but the Bruins stuck with me."
The
patience was well worth it, though, according to his teammates.
"Nick is a guy that comes and plays hard every night,
blocking shots, things like that," said Brian Rolston. "He does it all. He plays the power play and the penalty kill."
Martin
Lapointe no slouch when it comes to hard work himself has been equally impressed.
"He's a guy that has a lot of talent,"
said Lapointe. "It's nice that the NHL recognized him [as and All-Star]. He's a guy who is going to be a good player in this
league for a long time."
***
Jason Blake never saw Boynton coming.
Cutting across the blue line with
the puck during the Bruins-Islanders game on Jan. 27th, Blake attempted to move into the Bruins' zone and promptly found himself
on his back, courtesy of Boynton. It was the kind of tough play that can spark a team.
"Boy that was a great hit,"
said Sullivan, of the play. "Nick really hits hard. And he hits clean. It was a solid body check. He's just a physical presence
back there and he's difficult to play against. I think when he plays that way, he's one of the better defenseman in the league.
"I think, especially more recently, he's been more of a physical presence out there. I think he has played more within
himself and making the simple play and making body contact when it's appropriate. He's just a solid two-way defenseman."
The
hit was a punctuation mark of sorts, coming just days after the Jan. 22 announcement that he had made his first All-Star team.
"I
think everybody in the room was proud to hear that [Boynton was an All-Star]," said Mike Knuble. "That's somebody who's obviously
not flying under the radar amongst our opponents. It's a tremendous honor. I think it was a surprise for him, but we're all
thrilled for him.
"Nick is as hard on himself as anybody almost too hard on himself at times. Maybe he'll go a little
easier on himself now that he's been recognized as an All-Star."
***
Boynton's parents are part-owners of Boynton
Bros. Sod Supply in Nobleton, Ontario, which Boynton feels helped him along with his NHL aspirations.
"I never wanted
to work on the sod farm, so I always worked a little harder at hockey," joked Boynton with a smile. "Maybe that helped me.
I see how hard my parents have to work, waking up at 5 a.m. everyday, that sort of thing.
"It's a different way to
look at things. Hockey is a game and I'm fortunate to play it. Owning a sod farm is tough work. This is easy work. I think
that is another reason why I work hard at this and try to keep improving."
It was that family life that so obviously
helped him become the polite, hard-working person that he is today.
"My parents drove me to the rink all the time
and that kind of thing," said Boynton. "They taught me about hard work and supported me. They're the biggest reason I'm here."
But
it's also a credit to Boynton, who learned his lessons well. The defenseman is always ready to help out with team outreach
programs, including hospital visits and has taken a special interest in children who have diabetes. Though it rarely makes
the press, hardly a home game goes by that Boynton isn't seen in the hallway outside the Bruins' locker room after the game,
talking to a child with diabetes.
"I consider myself lucky that I got the disease when I did," said Boynton. "I'm old
enough to manage it and understand it. I can't imagine what it must be like for little kids. If they can see me doing what
I do and that gives them hope, then it's great."
All of which leads us to this year. Now an All-Star and a growing
presence on the Bruins' blue line, Boynton would like nothing better than to top it off with the ultimate prize, the Stanley
Cup.
"The only reason I am here is to win," said Boynton. "So, when we lose, I don't know. Everybody says that you
have to have fun, but you don't really have to have fun, because losing is not fun. I want to win the Stanley Cup."
Winning
the greatest trophy in the sports world is no easy task. But having a guy like Nick Boynton aboard certainly helps the cause.
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