Back to the Boston Bruins Newsfeed

How the Bruins spread holiday cheer for kids at local hospitals

Matt Grzelcyk can still remember his favorite gift he unwrapped on Christmas morning.

The Charlestown native has made a career out of shredding through the neutral zone as a fleet-footed puck mover for the Bruins.

But like most kids growing up in the early 2000s, the 29-year-old defenseman couldn’t get enough of the gravity-defying feats of extreme sports.

“I don’t know why because I probably barely used it — but I got a skateboard,” Grzelcyk said Tuesday of his favorite Christmas gift. “And I was in my kitchen trying to do kick-flips. And I think it probably rolled my ankle about seven times on the first day.