Bruins’ David Pastrnak picks fan’s bear suit as his latest hat-trick trophy – Boston.com

By Conor Ryan
David Pastrnak scoured the TD Garden ice on Tuesday night as an avalanche of baseball caps, toques, and other headgear rained down from the seats above him.
As is tradition, Pastrnak was allowed to pick one hat out of the pile strewn across the frozen sheet — with the Bruins’ training staff holding onto the lid as a keepsake following a hat-trick performance.
The 27-year-old winger knows the drill by now. After all, Tuesday’s three-tally night against the Senators marked the 17th of his career.
It didn’t take Pastrnak very long to make his choice.
After all, when someone throws a furry bear suit — complete with eyes, ears and a nose — onto the ice, even the flashiest beanie or Stetson tends to lose its luster.
How it started ➡️ How it's going 🐻@pastrnak96 | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/0gOmJJXzMR
Just minutes after lighting the lamp for a third time, Pastrnak collected the fake bear pelt off the ice and handed it to the team’s trainers for safekeeping. It was a fitting trophy for Pastrnak, who donned the bear suit for a photo in the Bruins’ dressing room after the team’s 6-2 win over the Senators.
“It was cozy,” Pastrnak, who now sits at 44 goals and 99 points this season, said of his new attire.
🐻 🍝 pic.twitter.com/NPPFk6wUyW
“I mean, what are you gonna say — we’re blessed to have him on our team. He’s unique, and the bear pelt is unique in itself,” Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark said of Pastrnak. 
Pastrnak carved up the Senators’ defense in a variety of ways on Tuesday. Rather than find twine with his potent one-timer, Pastrnak scored his three goals via a tip and two backhand strikes against Ottawa netminder Joonas Korpisalo.
The Bruins star forward opened the scoring 8:27 into the game, redirecting a blue-line shot from Matt Grzelcyk into Ottawa’s net to give his team an early advantage. Less than three minutes later, Pastrnak intercepted an errant pass from Tim Stützle and was off to the races — beating Korpisalo on the breakaway to double Boston’s lead.
Pastrnak sealed the deal at 4:53 in the third period, firing home another puck past Korpisalo off another backhand shot from the left circle to spark the avalanche of hats (and pelts).
Goals No. 42, 43, and 44 on the season for David Pastrnak (@pastrnak96)! 🐻

Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUS pic.twitter.com/Q9zoCW65Pg
“It’s definitely fun when your game is on,” Pastrnak said of his latest hat trick. “It definitely feels special, because it was two backhanders and a high tip. I don’t get many of those. So that was an interesting one.”
Pastrnak is now on the cusp of being the first Bruins player to record back-to-back 100-point seasons since Adam Oates in 1992-94. Only Phil Esposito (26) has more career hat tricks than Pastrnak, who also surpassed Cam Neely for seventh on the franchise’s all-time list for goals at 345.
“He’s always up there,” Ullmark said of Pastrnak’s scoring capabilities. “Plus-50 goals, plus-60 last year. I’m certain he’s gonna hit plus-50 this year as well with the way that he’s playing. But it’s not just that he scores — he’s a playmaker … he’s grown as a player every year.
“And if he was one-trick pony before, he’s not that. He’s a jack of all trades, and he’s very, very good at it. So I’m very thankful and fortunate to have him on our team.”
The Bruins fan who tossed the bear suit onto the ice might have relinquished a pricy pelt, but did receive a token of appreciation from Pastrnak.
“I was just gonna say — I really wondered how they got it down there,” Pastrnak said of the suit. “Obviously credit to the one who threw it there. They came after the game to the bench, so I gave them the stick as a thank you for the bear.”
 
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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