It was April 11, 2012, and Chris Kreider was on the ice for his first day of practice with the Rangers, four days after winning his second NCAA title in three years at Boston College, two days after the 19th-overall selection of the 2009 draft signed an entry-level contract, and one day before the Blueshirts were set to open the first round of the playoffs against the Senators.
Kreider, a couple of weeks shy of turning 21, was skating laps with Brian Boyle, a fellow BC product who had reached out to him. And can you guess what the veteran was showing the neophyte? As I jotted down in my notebook that day, Boyle was showing Kreider how to block shots, which the latter would soon admit he had never done.
Of course he was. John Tortorella was coaching the team.
The same buzz that accompanied Kreider’s practice debut nearly 13 years ago was in the air at the rink on Tuesday when BC sophomore winger Gabe Perreault made his Rangers practice debut two days after the first-ranked Eagles were upset in the NCAA regional finals by Denver and one day after signing his entry-level contract.
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