C6 Sports The Boston Globe FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019
By Kevin Paul Dupont
GLOBE STAFF
Poised to go through their paces
with the start of on-ice workouts Fri-
day morning in Brighton, the Bruins
will open the 2019-
20 NHL season Oct.
3 in Dallas.
All of which
leavesBruce Cassidythe next 2½
weeks to piece together a blue line
corps that will begin training camp
withoutCharlie McAvoyandBran-
don Carlo— both of whom remain
unsigned free agents — and the in-
juredKevan Miller(knee) andJohn
Moore(shoulder).
If all four remain out of the mix,
what will the six-pack look like when
the puck drops in Big D?
Cassidy, who agreed Wednesday to
a three-year contract extension as
coach, factored the possibilities
Thursday when he met with the me-
dia at Warrior Arena.
“Well, obviously the left side is in-
tact,” noted Cassidy, whose order on
that side includes team captainZde-
no Chara, top back end point produc-
erTorey Krug,andMatt Grzelcyk.
Right side, where McAvoy and
Carlo man the No. 1 and 2 units, re-
spectively, is a matter of improv,
though Cassidy has no shortage of
candidates.
“[Connor]Cliftonand [Steven]
Kampfer are healthy,” said Cassidy,
acknowledging those two as the most
obvious right stick possibilities. “The
sixth guy could be determined in
camp.”
The organization’s preference re-
mains that both McAvoy and Carlo
come in from the extended summer
sunshine and sign contract exten-
sions, ideally for a total that fits with-
in the $7.3 million in cap space that
remains in GMDon Sweeney’sshop-
ping budget.
McAvoy, after two NHL seasons,
has been anointed as the club’s next
No. 1 D man. Carlo, with a year’s
more service than McAvoy, is consid-
ered a physical and essential building
block back there and Cassidy has
grown increasingly comfortable with
pairing him on the No. 2 unit as
Krug’s running mate.
Just how Clifton or Kampfer
would slot into the order, aside
Chara, Krug and Grzelcyk, would
have to be worked out in the coming
days, including the six-game exhibi-
tion schedule that begins Monday
night in New Jersey.
“The sixth guy could be deter-
mined in camp,” said Cassidy. “It
could be a right stick. It could be...
[Urho]Vaakanainen[a lefthnaded
shot] played up a little bit last year,
and [Jakub]Zboril[left] and [Jere-
my]Lauzon— they could go to the
right if they had to. If not, it could be
Grzelcyk, who has played some right.
Krug and Chara would stay home [on
the left side].
“I don’t want to be disrespectful to
any names I didn’t mention, but Iguess that sixth spot would be open.
And if two young guys were lights out
in camp, we’d have to think about
playing them ahead of Kampfer and
Clifton, but we saw Steve and Connor
do a good job for us in the playoffs, so
I’d... expect those guys would be
hungry and want to be in... if... if... if, Charlie and Brandon drag out.”
Martin bids farewell
Fans who visit the Garden for the
Bruins’ first exhibition game Sept. 23
will get their first look at the build-
ing’s new seats, its new ninth-floor
“Rafters” club, and hear its new
voice.
Jim Martin, the man at the micro-
phone for the Bruins dating to their
final days in the old Garden, resigned
the PA position last week after work-
ing more than 1,000 games at the
mic for the Black and Gold.
“It’s just time, simple as that,” said
a gracious, and at times emotional
Martin, 67, who grew up in Dor-
chester and Mattapan. “Honestly, just
time... something I’ve thought
about for a while... and it’s very bit-
tersweet. I’m comfortable with my
decision, and ready for it, but having
to tell people, and talk it through,
honestly, I get emotional. I had a
heckuva run.”
According toMatt Chmura, the
club’s VP of marketing and top PR
rep, the club has yet to determine
Martin’s successor.
“And we are still formalizing our
plans going forward,” Chmura added
via e-mail, when asked if the club
would audition candidates.
Martin, who started in the role
during the ’93 playoffs, will be the
second major “voice” change on
Causeway St. in as many years.Rene
Rancourt, who for decades sang the
national anthem(s) at Bruins games,
retired last season, giving way to a
chorus line of singers over the course
of 2018-19. By season’s end,Todd An-
gillyhad evolved into a mainstay in
that role.
Across 26 seasons, weather only
once deterred Martin from making
the 142-mile round trip from his
home in Coventry, R.I. By his calcula-
tion, he may have missed 8-10 other
games for family or business commit-
ments, but it was only a bad ice stormsome six or seven years ago, he re-
called, that prevented him from get-
ting to the game on time — or at all.
“I got out on Route 95 in Provi-
dence and sat in the same spot for
two hours,” said Martin. “I had to call
and say, ‘I can’t make it.’ I wasn’t as
smart asDave Goucher.”
Goucher, now the lead TV play-by-
play man for the Vegas Golden
Knights, in those days handled Bru-
ins radio play by play for 98.5 the
Sports Hub. He also lived in Rhode
Island.
“He got himself off the highway,”
said Martin, “went over, grabbed the
train and got himself into the city in
time for the game. I was not smart
enough to figure that out. So that’s
one thing he always had up on me.”
Martin also handled PA duties
with the AHL Providence Bruins for
five years — overlapping with his
Boston duties for two seasons — and
for some 25 years with the Pawtucket
Red Sox.
Particularly touching, said Martin,
was a call last week from Bruins pres-
identCam Neely, thanking him for
his years on the job.
“The call from Cam Neely,” mused
Martin, “for me... was more than I
could have asked for. I just hope the
next person who takes that position
understands what a privilege it is to
sit in that chair. To have been part of
that organization... to be part of the
National Hockey League... to have
that job... I still have to pinch my-
self.”
Martin, who remains working full
time in Providence as the Public In-
formation Officer for the US Attor-
ney’s office in Rhode Island, a job he
has held for 11 years, figures he will
use his free time to see more of his
family, including three grandchil-
dren, and have more flexibility to vis-
it his winter home in Cape Coral, Fla.
“I’ll tell you what I’m looking for-
ward to, though,” added Martin. “I’m
looking forward to going back to the
Garden as a fan, and watch a hockey
game with a beer in my hand. I have
never seen a sporting event in that
building as a fan.”Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
[email protected]. Follow
him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.in what again looks to be a very com-
petitive Eastern Conference.
From a management and coaching
perspective, the message to the
troops has been made clear about
how last season concluded: foggetta-
boutit.
“We talked about it today,” said
coach Bruce Cassidy. “It’s time to turn
the page. It’s time to move on. And I
hope they feel the same way. You look
at our veteran group, right? We’ve got
Stanley Cup champions in there...
gold medalists... guys that have
been captains in the National Hockey
League... future Hall of Famers. I
think they’re hockey players and they
know what’s at stake when the puck
drops and when we get ready to go
[Friday]. Listen, a lot of good things
last year, but we didn’t reach our ulti-
mate goal.”
With the subject of the Game 7
hangover as the backdrop, here are
some of the other important story
lines as workouts get underway start-
ing at 10 a.m. Friday:
RDavid Backes is still here.
Despite countless rumors over the
summer that the $30 million forward
would be headed to a new port o’ call
for 2019-20, he’ll be in his familiar
No. 42 sweater to start camp.
Looking lean and fit and sounding
as sincere as ever, the 35-year-old cen-
ter/wing says he’s all in — until or un-
less he hears differently.
“I’ve got plenty of fuel burning in-
side of me,” said Backes, “and a fire.”
Backes confirmed he turned over
his eight-team trade list at the end of
the season, and now will direct his at-
tention on trying to find a roster fit.uBRUINS
Continued from Page C1“I know that I need to be a func-
tional athlete to do what I do,” he
said, “and that’s play on the ice and
contribute to winning hockey. We’ve
done a pretty good job of that and I
want to continue that this year.”
Cassidy likes Backes, respects him
as a person and veteran, but it’s the
coach’s business to win — be it with
or without him in the mix.
“We’ve learned to have a profes-
sional relationship about it,” said
Cassidy, noting the unsavory aspect of
sitting veteran players. “I like David
as a person. When he’s in the lineup,
he always brings intangibles. When I
have to tell him he is out, like I said, I
never enjoy that part of it. But if that
is the road we have to take to put the
best team on the ice, then well that’s
just what you have to do.”
RDavid Krejci needs help.
Sound familiar? The team’s high-
est-paid player again will enter a new
season with his linemates unknown.
He likely again will have Jake De-
Brusk on his left side, and then...?
Karson Kuhlman is one candidate
for the right side. Ditto for the oft-in-
jured Anders Bjork (who looked
strong in rookie camp). Backes does
not have the foot speed to play there
regularly. Perhaps Charlie Coyle will
get another look there, although the
Bruins prefer him as the No. 3 pivot.
“If he goes to the right side,” Cassi-
dy said, noting what a move of Coyle
to right wing could mean for Backes
fitting in somewhere, “then it gets
even more gummy.”
RThe McAvoy/Carlo contract situ-
ation.
No news here, folks, on these bud-
ding multimillionaires. They could
both sign Friday morning. They couldboth opt to run out the clock (Dec. 1)
and not be seen in the NHL this sea-
son.
Over the weekend, another high-
profile RFA defenseman, Zach We-
renski, signed a three-year deal for
$15 million. At the moment, it
doesn’t look like his pact serves as any
sort of a template for Boston’s two
premier RFAs.
RWill there be carry through
among the kids?
Top centers Patrice Bergeron and
Krejci both are working with high
odometers. They’ll be the two key piv-
ots when it comes to the offense this
season. But odometers don’t run in
reverse. The Bruins need kids such as
DeBrusk and Danton Heinen, per-
haps Bjork and Kuhlman, or anyone,
to show they can get the motor run-
ning and keep it running.
“It’s a lot tougher going through
playoff time when you are dealing
with a room full of 20-year-olds ver-
sus 30-year-olds who’ve been through
it all,” said Brad Marchand, reflecting
on the bigger picture of playoff hock-
ey. “So I guess that is the give-and-
take to it all. You want to incorporate
young guys, but you still need that
veteran presence.”
It all begins now, all of three
months after the abrupt, jarring end-
ing that was the 4-1 loss on June 12.
“We’re all in the same position, ev-
ery team,” said Bergeron. “We have to
climb that mountain all the way back
up all over again — a lot of work, a
great challenge, I’m just happy to
back with the guys.”Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
[email protected]. Follow
him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.“The kid was just a stud,” Doherty
said. “It was no crazy prediction to
think he was going to play in the NFL.”
That prediction became a reality
last Sunday, when Wilkins appeared in
his first NFL game, playing 65 snaps
and making four tackles for the Dol-
phins in their Week 1 loss to the Ra-
vens. This Sunday, Wilkins will be fac-
ing his hometown Patriots in Miami.
The Dolphins may be rebuilding
this year, but Wilkins is one of their
linchpins of the future. He was the
13th overall pick in April’s draft, a dis-
ruptive, 315-pound defensive tackle
who was the first pick of the new re-
gime led by coach Brian Flores and
general manager Chris Grier.
Wilkins has already endeared him-
self to teammates, coaches, and fans
with a goofy personality and humble
attitude. After one training camp prac-
tice, he carried five sets of teammates’
pads off the field.
“I think he brings a great energy,”
Flores said in training camp. “He’s pas-
sionate about football, he’s passionate
about life. We’re excited about him as a
player and we’re excited about him as
a person as well. He’s been fun to
coach thus far.”
Wilkins, 23, comes to Miami fol-
lowing a decorated career at Clemson.
He was a three-time All-American, and
helped the Tigers win two national
championships. Wilkins excelled just
as much off the field; he graduated in
2½ years, was a four-time ACC Honor
Roll selection, and delayed his entry
into the NFL by a year to earn a mas-
ter’s degree in athletic leadership.
But before the bright lights of col-
lege football and the dollars of the
NFL, Wilkins was just a freshman at
Framingham High, dominating kids
who were two and three years older at
Bowditch Field.
“I had a lot of fun that year,”
Wilkins said. “It was such a big deal
for me to be a freshman on varsity. You
don’t see that. I was able to start pretty
much from day one. I did all right for a
freshman.”
According to Doherty, Wilkins is
being modest. He remembers a kid
who was so athletic that he could dunk
a basketball in ninth grade. And he re-
members the first day of preseason
camp, when he had Wilkins do a goal-
line one-on-one drill with a senior line-
backer/team captain.
“Christian just ate him up,” Doherty
said. “And this kid played at Holy
Cross, a good linebacker.
“Halfway through the season,
teams would just run away from him.
He got a reputation pretty quickly.”
Framingham isn’t exactly a football
hotbed, and college scouts don’t come
through very often. Wilkins said he
didn’t think the NFL was a possibility
until he started playing on the varsity
as a freshman.
“Coaches started to come to visit
and take interest in me,” he said. “I
uWILKINS
Continued from Page C1
was like, ‘What the heck?’ And I re-
member when I was in Framingham,
the Boston College coach came and
they talk to kids in the area. And they
came up and I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I
got a chance.’ ”
Wilkins had moved to Framingham
from Springfield when he was in sixth
grade, but his time there ended follow-
ing a family tragedy in January 2011.
His grandfather, Eurie Stamps, a re-
tired MBTA mechanic, was accidental-
ly shot and killed by a Framingham Po-
lice SWAT team during a raid on his
home.
Police were searching the home for
Stamps’s stepson as part of a drug in-
vestigation, and ordered everyone in
the house to get on the floor. Stamps,
who was watching TV in his living
room when they barged in, lay face-
down on the floor as an officer pointed
a gun at his head. The officer acciden-
tally discharged the weapon, killing
Stamps instantly.
The incident led to a national out-
cry, and the town of Framingham
eventually settled with the family in
2016 for $3.75 million and abolished
its SWAT team.
Wilkins was devastated, and moved
back to Western Massachusetts to end
his freshman year. The next fall, he en-
rolled at the prestigious Suffield Acad-
emy in Connecticut, to build his pro-
file as a football prospect and get a
fresh start following the family trage-
dy.
“It was real tough,” Doherty said.
“His family wanted him out, get him
away from what had happened.”
In college, Wilkins wore No. 42 in
honor of Stamps, who was born in
1942.
“I try to be his legacy,” Wilkins told
NFL.com before the April draft.
Wilkins blossomed at Suffield, play-
ing four years of football and basket-
ball, and becoming one of the highest-
rated football prospects in the country.
“Because it’s a boarding school, I
had to just grow up, and it just opened
up my eyes,” Wilkins said. “I’m sitting
next to kids in class from China, from
California, from Russia, people from
all over, all different walks of life.
“It was just huge for me, and meet-
ing the right people, and making con-
nections I still have to this day.”
Wilkins had his choice of blue-chip
college programs, and chose Clemson.
After four remarkable seasons, he’s
now living his dream in the NFL — a
dream that began at Bowditch Field in
Framingham, of all places.
“When it gets challenging, I always
try to take a step back and remember
this is what I wanted, this is the only
job I’ve ever wanted, and I’m living it,”
Wilkins said. “I’m really getting paid to
do what I love, and I love this game
and I try to respect the game as much
as possible and put my all into it.”Ben Volin can be reached at
[email protected]. Follow him on
Twitter @BenVolinGRANT HALVERSON/GETTY IMAGESDonte Jackson of the Panthers upends Buccaneers running back Peyton
Barber (23 carries, 82 yards and 1 touchdown) in Tampa Bay’s victory.
Bruins must shift to the present
Dolphins’ Wilkins got
start at Framingham
Shorthandedondefense
SansMcAvoy,Carlo,
rightsidechallenged
BRUINS
NOTEBOOKJIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF
Defenseman Kevan Miller remains out of the mix with a knee injury.ASSOCIATED PRESS
Buccaneers2 0
Panthers1 4CHARLOTTE,
N.C. — Jameis
Winston threw for
208 yards and a touchdown, Tampa
Bay held Cam Newton in check and
came up with a late goal-line stand and
the Buccaneers beat the Carolina Pan-
thers, 20-14, early Friday to give coach
Bruce Arians his first victory with the
team.
Chris Godwin had eight catches for
121 yards and a touchdown, Peyton
Barber ran for 82 yards and a score
and the Bucs won despite converting
only 2 of 12 first downs in the game
that was delayed 25 minutes in first
quarter because of lightning in the ar-
ea.
Newton finished with 324 yards
passing, but was held without a touch-
down for the second straight game. He
also fumbled again.
Newton couldn’t get the Panthers
(0-2) into the end zone on the final
drive despite numerous breaks. On
fourth down play from the 2, the Bucs
stopped Christian McCaffrey after he
took a snap out of the wildcat forma-
tion to take over on downs.
The Buccaneers (1-1) got plenty of
pressure on Newton with three sacks
coming from Shaquil Barrett. They al-
so held McCaffrey to 53 total yards
from scrimmage after he racked up(^209) yardsandtwotouchdownsinthe
season opener against the Los Angeles
Rams.
Thunderstorms moved into the ar-
ea just before kickoff Thursday night
after the temperature hovered in the
mid-90s during the day. Tampa Bay
took a 3-0 lead with a field goal on the
first drive after the delay. Rain fell ear-
ly in the game and players were asked
to leave the field and fans told to take
shelter with 8:31 left in the first quar-
ter due to lightning in the area.
BuccaneersescapePanthers