Bruins dress up as Mario characters for children’s hospital visits

Members of the Boston Bruins swapped out hockey skates for overalls and 1-UP mushrooms for their 12th annual Halloween hospital visit.

Captain Patrice Bergeron and other members of the Mushroom Kingdom visited patients at Mass General Hospital for Children and Boston’s Children’s Hospital for the Bruins’ 12th annual Halloween Hospital visit.

“It’s just a special day to be able to go and share a moment with the kids, kids that are going through a lot, families that are going through a lot, to be able to be there and just brighten up their day as much as we can, brighten up a smile or two,” said Bergeron, sporting a Mario get-up.

The past two years of visits were forced to be virtual affairs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s even more special this year, I think,” said Bergeron. “It’s special to be able to interact with people now, [the media] being in person. It’s just being back to the normalcy, having that feeling of we can look forward now and back to what we’re used to. Those visits were important and just as important for them as it is for us. Zoom is one thing, but it’s never the same as being able to interact 1-on-1 and be there with them.”

Bergeron’s longtime teammate of 13 years, Brad Marchand, made his rounds dressed as Mario’s brother Luigi.

“This is one of the events we really look forward to every year,” said Marchand. “You see the excitement that the kids have when we come in and the excitement we have being part of it. It’s disappointing when we weren’t able to make it to the hospitals and just the difference that it can make with what these kids have to go through and if we can bring a smile to their face for even a couple minutes, it’s worth it. It’s definitely one that we really missed during COVID.”

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