“I feel lucky to be here every day”
by Gayle Troiani
10 hours ago
At the start of the season, Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk faced many questions regarding his reasoning for rescinding the trade request he made at the start of the 2021-22 season.
And while he never gave a straight answer as to what changed his mind, it came up again Tuesday during release day interviews at Warrior Ice Arena.
DeBrusk said he’s glad he wasn’t traded and ultimately happy to wear the Spoked-B this season.
“For sure. It was obviously a crazy year ago then and even before that. I felt lucky,” DeBrusk said. “I felt lucky to be here every day. Even just with the start that we had as a group. With the guys in that locker room, it was just special, and I tried to enjoy every moment that I could of any day that I was here, and I was really grateful for this opportunity. Obviously, at the same time, it was not the result that we wanted, so it also stings.”
The 26-year-old forward enjoyed a career year in Boston, scoring 27 goals and adding 23 assists for a total of 50 points for the Bruins. And that was after missing 17 games due to injuries he sustained in the Winter Classic win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Fenway Park.
“That was my goal at the start of the year, was to have a year to grow from the year before,” DeBrusk said. “It’s hard to think about it right now, but there are a lot of good times in some ways. You take those positives with it. It’s kind of what you use to go into the next training offseason. and things like that. It’s fresh, so honestly, I don’t watch that much.
While most of the Bruins said it was a little too early to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs, DeBrusk had a different view.
“I’m from Canada, man. The Oilers are here,” DeBrusk said with a laugh. “I don’t know. It’s probably going to be all over the place…I have my family and my girlfriend there, so I’m kind of into one of that side of things. Of course, you always mostly watch the finals. As a competitor, you try to take different things, and also as a fan, I guess. I’m probably going to step away from hockey a bit.
Another reason DeBrusk may not be able to sit out the playoffs – his father Louie is the Sportsnet color analyst for the Edmonton Oilers, and like last season, the eldest DeBrusk is expected to take part in the Eastern Conference Finals.
