Drop The Mitts Hockey With Special Guest Marc McLaughlin

Drop The Mitts Hockey With Special Guest Marc McLaughlin

what is going on everyone welcome back to drop the MS hockey podcast episode 6 we are with Boston Bruins forward Mark mlin Mark how are you doing buddy doing well thanks for having me on awesome man yeah so happy to have you how how’s the offseason going uh uh how many time how much like how often do you are you skating um been in the gym every day at Warrior which is obviously great for me because being a local guy um you know being able to be around family and friends and also be able to be with the boss and trainers is awesome um and then we’ve had some good skates going on at Warrior and uh you know in different areas of the city as well probably like three or four times a week I’d say for now and then you start kind of ramping up as as you get closer to uh you know Camp starting which is roughly around September 20th normally at least that’s when it started up last year so yeah obviously we saw uh saw you on the last night for the three on three tournament it’s it’s amazing to see you guys um how skilled you guys are in such a small space and just the level of talent um what’s it like playing with all those guys in that tournament and uh you know on in the three Onre and um here locally too yeah it’s cool you know one of the good things about uh you know growing up in New England is that there’s so many great players in this area so um and obviously a lot of pro guys stick around here to be in the city um but yeah so it’s good it’s great competition the three on three is always tough it’s small area um there’s not much space out there but um you know it’s really good for working on those individual skills and those tight spots yeah um you got something Mikey yeah man I was just gonna say Obviously being a mass kid growing up in Bill R um you got the captain BC what was it like you know youth hockey growing up in Mass etts playing in this system and then eventually graduating up into BC and playing for the Eagles what what did that mean to you how did that you know turn you into the player you are today and and how what benefits did it give you yeah I I mean I’m so fortunate like you said like being being from B Rea when I was younger I I wanted to go to BC you know and um you know you end up working your way up there you know you work your way through Cushing and and M hockey or whatever and you keep just building building your game as you go and then you’re like wow wow I’m at BC like this is incredible and um there’s so many the great thing about that is so many great coaches to learn from so many great players that you’re you know that are pushing you and making you a better player um and a better person on and off the ice as well so um you know and then you make this the step and sign pro and you’re able to stick around your hometown your uh your home City and it’s it’s unbelievable and like I always tell everyone I’m so lucky to be in this situation and um you know I I know a lot of local kids would would love to have that path that I’ve been on um so it’s something I try to not take for granted and you know carry with me yeah so to caveat off that how like how much of an honor was it to to wear the C for BC and um like man that’s a huge honor especially playing for such an elite school um with such you know great tradition what what was that like how much of an honor was that to you and then also what was it like playing for uh coach York yeah um you know that’s another thing you can’t take that for granted too I was so fortunate to be you know to wear a letter at BC and um you know I just wanted to make sure I was I was being the best role model I could be for the rest of the guys in the room you know whether that’s you know being vocal in the in the locker room or it’s you know working as hard as can on the ice to set a good example so um that that really I think matured me throughout my hockey career getting that opportunity to be a captain at BC and um you know gave me some leadership experience that you know I still try to carry with me today um playing for Coach York was unbelievable you know like that was that was like shell shocked when I walked in the locker room and you know got to play for the best college coach ever uh he’s he’s just such an unbelievable person like the way he carries himself you know the life lessons and then you know on top of that the hockey mind that he has is it’s it’s like an un Unstoppable force and you know it speaks to you the success that he’s had over the years just dominating College hockey so um you know it was it was such an honor to to play for him and um you know I still reach out to him and he reaches out to me and uh it’s always good to catch up with him get to get on the golf course with him soon nice are you how often do you play golf yeah uh I don’t I don’t play too much my game’s in a bad bad place but all of that’s all of us yeah I try to get out you know it’s it’s nice to it’s a good way to catch up with friends too and you know just play around and whatnot but um but yeah it definitely needs to definitely needs to get better you’re you’re not alone trust me yeah um so kind of staying on that BC track um obviously you had some unbelievable teammates Matt baly Alex new hook uh Mike Hardman Oliver walstrom Jack McBain just to name a few um do you still keep in contact with those guys and and what was it like playing with with that level of skill and um like yeah do you still keep in contact with those guys yeah um some of them are actually here in Boston this past weekend but so a lot of those guys were my roommates too so um you know and I always say like like the Year Matt baly had he had an unbelievable year like there’s I’m not surprised in you know at all like he all those guys are just such good people and and such good players too and like I’m not surprised to see the success they’ve been having at the you know whether it is NHL AHL level um you know they’ve been playing great and uh you know it made go to the rank Sil fun because those guys are so competitive and our practices were you know just topnotch with with skill and how we’re pushing each other so I mean that sets you up to go into Pro and be a little bit more ready for it because you’re already playing against guys that are that competitive and and that skilled um so yeah I mean it helped me a lot and and it was just such it made it made the experience at BC that much better because those guys are just like top- notot guys and made it so fun yeah you you mentioned a lot of those guys being your buddy and um obviously like your roommate I was just watching the Behind the B episode about when you first signed your deal and you were still you were still on campus and everything how how has life changed since then um have you finally been able to kind of get off campus and and and find your own place and what’s up in like that adjustment yeah they they Tak me out of the dorms Unfortunately they would they wouldn’t let me be in in ra but but yeah no it’s been it’s been nice uh you know living on your own now and uh you know being in an apartment it’s just a whole that’s about that’s the whole process of being a pro you know and it’s that’s the big jump you’re living on your own you’re you know uh you know taking care of yourself on your own you’re not being surrounded by your team or or whatnot whatever whatever it might be um but yeah it’s definitely changed I definitely miss PC for sure you know those uh being in the being in the dorm rooms with the guys and whatnot but uh but yeah it’s been great you know spent most of the year in Providence as you guys know great City uh really enjoyed it there spent a ton of time with teammates there as well we all live pretty close together um but yeah it’s been it’s been great now in the city for uh for this summer and um spent a little time in Bill rck too catching up with my family and whatnot but uh but it’s been great yeah um and then also I want to uh bring up when when you finally found out that the like the Bruins were interested in signing you what what was that like obviously being a childhood Bruins fan like what what was that experience like find um signing that first contract and you know getting on the ice with with those guys yeah I feel like it didn’t really hit me till this uh this past summer kind of because I was just going in there well obviously it was great I was super fired up um a dream come true and whatnot um but I was just like kind of laser focused in like a just like a state or just like I just dialed in you know yeah so I I uh you know I was just just trying to make sure I I was gonna help the team and you know have an impact and and help those guys out as much I can so I was like just staying super dialed in and then in the summer I you know like talking with my family and whatnot kind of thinking of the whole thing it was like wow like pretty incredible that I got the opportunity to sign in Boston and stay home play in front of family friends and you know have the people that have supported me like all through my hockey career be there you know for my first game and um you know to go through that this journey like and have them there is is pretty cool yeah getting to share that kind of experience with you know the E whether it was the coaches or just mentors growing up having them be able to come and witness your first shift in the NHL come watch you you know excel in the National um I just wanted to ask too obviously growing up being a Bruins fan as we’ve said too from the area was there any you know who is your favorite player growing up was there anybody you know on the Bruins or any other teams in the NHL that you tried to you know emulate your game after or almost someone you looked up to as a role model yeah uh it was definitely buron um as as with everyone right yeah he uh I play center I play center mostly Growing Up played a little bit of wing now too but um you know I try to replicate my game after his but you know if I’m half the player he is that’s that’s a good thing but uh um yeah I just respect his his 200 foot game how he plays he’s so honest with the way he plays uh he’s good on both sides of the puck he he’s such a good leader um just he has so many great attributes and um so I’ve always looked up to him as a kid he’s always my favorite player and whatnot so obviously going to the team it was like incredible being able to have the chance to play with him and then to now like get kind of a behind the scenes look at at how he operates and why he’s so good and um you know why the team’s been so good and uh you know how he leads and how he leads at the front but you know leading the way and and being the perfect uh you know setting the perfect example and and doing all the right things so it’s uh yeah I can’t say enough is like really really cool to get that opportunity before you’re retired um and you know he was super nice to me and I would always uh be asking how my family’s doing and whatnot he’s always trying to form like a a connection with with every single player on the team whether it’s a call up or a new guy or um the guys that have been around for a while so I really appreciated that make you definitely made me feel like very comfortable going in there um which which makes it easier for me you know so um yeah he’s such a good guy yeah I mean obviously with berson retiring last week um I think it kind of shook the whole city of Boston and yeah all of Massachusetts for that matter and you know you you just talked a lot about him on the ice um and just how he was such a model citizen off the ice um what are the biggest things that that you’re going to take with you that you learned from Bergie um you know for years to come in your own career yeah um just the little things like it there was different tendency like he was always one of the first being him and marshan are one of the first people at the rink every day um and I was young guy obviously trying to show up early as well and they would be you know older veterans are showing up as soon as the young guys and like that’s that’s just building building culture and and there’s no one better at that than than Bergie um so it’s just different stuff like that how you treat people like how he’s you know like I said he made me feel welcomed he made everyone on the team feel welcomed and and then he brings you know he has that level of inclusiveness to him and then he you know is absolutely one of the most intense people with how he performs and and how he’s vocal in the locker room um so that’s different stuff that that I’ll definitely take with me and and I’m really happy I got a chance to play with them yeah man he literally I I don’t think uh it’s been said so many times but I don’t think you can handpick a better person to to lead a team into a culture change be a role model for the younger players on the team like I’m just glad that this city was able to experience him and and really you know not take for granted what he meant to the organization and it’s awesome to hear you know everything about how he treated the younger guys how he treated the system how he set an example for everybody it’s it’s awesome it’s awesome yeah no for sure and you know and that’s the reason why they’ve you know been on deep playoff runs and and whatnot and were’re able to win in in 2011 too you know so it’s it it starts from the front with the leadership and those guys setting the example for sure yeah it goes to show even with with guys that were never teammates with him and still had nothing but great things to say yeah obviously they play all those clips you know one for example the um when they’re at the center dot with Tage Thompson and Patrice kind of you know talks to them I don’t know if you’d seen that but just it just kind of goes to show what kind of guy he is and and that’s going to be a huge loss but um I want I wanted to bring up the your first career goal because I I was just watching that yeah uh behind the be and and they showed your family’s reaction and obviously Freddy gave you a nice sauce and he just signed that deal um yeah deal today what was was that like scoring your first goal your family’s reaction it was so cool seeing you know they were all emotional but so happy at the same time what was that like getting your first goal at the Garden and um and you know your family’s reaction yeah I feel like I like blacked out after that um it was really cool uh I didn’t see my family’s reaction till after the game and you know that that’s where it kind of hit me made me emotional you know just uh you know they’ve been with me through the whole thing and I had a ton of friends there and you know all the people that have helped me get to where I was and um you know I I had so many text messages of people you know showing there they saying oh I was there whatever and whatnot so um you know the town of Billa there’s bunch of people from Billa there and whatnot um yeah so it’s just to like I said earlier it’s just to be able to share that with them that made everything that was everything for me um because because like I said it’s it it takes a village to get there and you know you go through a lot to get to that moment and you know to give something back to them and and be able to have a great memory that’ll you know last a lifetime is pretty cool yeah absolutely dude I can’t imagine that kind of feeling um so that’s awesome that you got to experience that but touching on that as well so you played 11 games with the Bruins in 2021 2022 um what was it like stepping onto the ice for the first time at the Garden in in front of the Boston fans um I’m sure a moment that you’d been dreaming of forever not not only just Boston but just you know reaching that level of professionalism where you’re taking the ice for an NHL game but the fact that it was in Boston um what was what was that moment like if you can kind to take us through that honestly um I thought I was going to be a little bit more like nervous and kind of like jittery going into it but I was kind of like really relaxed and like kind of just you know kept telling myself that I was you know I was ready for the moment and just to it was just another game so I just kind of went into it like just jacked up excited and uh and yeah like like I said earlier too I play with Coy that game and Coyle was like the nicest guy in the world just like like we’re we’re having a day like we’re gonna we’re gonna be great today like like just communicate like blah blah blah like um I’ll be talking you out there like you’re you’re gonna do great just play your game um that definitely counted me down like I think he said that after warm-ups to me or something like that too um but yeah that like that game was I think eight to one the final yeah it was a blowout it was a blowout that kind of helps too kind of you can be a little bit more relaxed like and just go out and just play hockey and and compete um but yeah the I just remember the like the building was so loud the energy was crazy so because it’s kind of crazy like being on the like I was at a game earlier that season like I brought my nephew to a to a Bruins game where we’re up in like in the balcony like just watch game and like to be now like flip on the other side I was like the energy in here is just unbelievable you that’s crazy that’s crazy crazy you know yeah man I was in the building when you scored and I yeah that was me up in the balcony and a freaking like man I got a beer p on me it just when you when you scor and just that whole game it was so loud and just so electric um it was an unbelievable moment I think a lot of people knew that obviously you were a local guy and like it just it must have been such a cool feeling to see you know all the all the fans you know know that you’re a local guy and and see you succeed yeah the the support like I said earlier I had so many text messages after the game from family friends uh you know anyone that I played hockey with at any point coaches and whatnot and um you know so it was pretty cool to see that many people reach out and and show their support yeah so this this offseason um you signed a one-year deal um as a restricted free agent um and last year you had a solid season 13 goals 17 assists um what areas of your game have you really been trying to focus on improving um and what are to caveat off that what are some strengths that you think that you’re also trying to build off of yeah I think uh like going into this this summer I’ve been trying to you know work on my skating the individual skills stuff stuff and and whatnot just you know fine-tuning some of that stuff so you’re a little bigger faster stronger um a little bit more poised with the puck and you know trying to make make a little bit more plays and whatnot but um you know I’m trying to play with some more physicality and um you know just play with a lot of pace um but yeah I thought thought this I had a really strong second half in Providence uh last year and um you know kind of was figuring out and adjusting to the to the pro style and uh and how many games it is too is a huge jump from from college um so I I mean I I felt like I was you know playing a really solid two-way game um you know because that’s kind of what I take pride in and you know being solid on the penalty kill and uh you know and then just being like a power forward and and getting my shots off and getting to the net and just being hard to play against so um you know I was happy with with how the year went and improv um obviously the result wasn’t what we what we wanted in the end um same with Boston but there’s uh there always things to take away from it and uh come back hungry next year you know so yeah for sure um so like what are your expectations for this this upcoming season obviously there’s had a lot of people come and go off this roster and um a lot of moves have been made um what are your expectations for the for yourself as well as the team as a whole yeah I think yeah like anyone you’re going into Camp to try to try to make the team and that’s uh that’s a mindset you should have and and you should be confident about it and you should um you know go and go and put the work in to tr to give yourself the best chance so um that’s where my head’s at and um I’m excited I feel like I’ve had a really good summer up to this point and just keep building and um you know you see how it goes and whatever whatever happens happens you go down to Providence you you know you hope to be the first one being called up because you’re you’re you’re on top of your game and playing well and whatnot so um but yeah expectations I think um for me I just I just wantan to I just want to be solid I want to like I was saying earlier have that two-way game that that makes me extremely reliable whether I’m you know playing for Boston and you know just being hard to play against and and uh and being a force out there and just uh just trying to create some opportunities as well offensively too so yeah man um so obviously you’re you’re a younger guy much like us so you’re definitely on some social media Twitter Instagram all that um some of the fan Bas has kind of giving you a nickname mck Lovin from super bad what do what do you think about that nickname uh do you do you like it do you do you want something else like I don’t mind it at all yeah it’s kind of funny I think yeah yeah your fa is photosho on that fake ID like yeah yeah it’s so funny every my friends my PC friends thought it was hilarious too that means they love you man so that’s yeah that’s yeah yeah you gota you gotta laugh with it right yeah about that kind of stuff yeah that’s awesome well man I I’d be remiss if I didn’t uh give a shout out to Greg and Benny Thomas obviously for putting us in contact uh Benny’s a good friend of mine and played together at uh Oakmont before he went over to cushion or before he left for prep um I was just kind of that load that sat in front of the net and just hit whoever hit him so um yeah I wanted to give him a shout out and again thanks so much for coming on uh we wish you the best of luck this season and uh hopefully we can talk throughout the year man appreciate you thank you thanks for having me on guys appreciate it hey thank you Mark awesome man take care

Thanks for watching this episode of the Drop The Mitts Hockey Podcast! In this episode we had Boston Bruins prospect Marc McLaughlin on the show!

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