He helped get the Boston Bruins to Stanley Cup Final ice, but defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is not the only Grzelcyk at TD Garden. His father has worked at the Garden for more than half a century and that is making this playoff run even more special for the Charlestown family.
John Grzelcyk is a member of the changeover crew known as the bull gang, which transitions the Garden from the Celtics’ basketball court to the B’s ice. He first took the job so he could see idols like Bobby Orr for free and he was there when the Bruins won the Cup against the St. Louis Blues in 1970.
"49 years later, hopefully I can see my son do that," Grzelcyk said.
Grzelcyk started taking his son Matt to the Garden when he was just two-years-old. As he grew up, he would invite him and his siblings to skate whenever the ice was free.
"In the old days, when Matt gave me a hard time about the ice, I could take his allowance away," he joked.
John said that he still cannot believe his son is now on the Bruins roster and speaking in the locker room during his Stanley Cup Final debut.
"It was always a dream growing up as a kid to be playing this position," Matt Grzelcyk told reporters. "I’m just really fortunate to be part of the team."
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His dad still works at the Garden during the day, but has seats to watch the games. He is sometimes joined by his other son, who also works for the bull gang part-time. It give a whole new meaning to the phrase "home ice." For the Grzelcyks, the Garden is home.
"It blows my mind," John Grzelcyk said. "I just have to pinch myself, not everyday, every hour."
