Boston Bruins Player Releases Shocking Statement Following Being Benched

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Austin Sabourin
December 6, 2023 (1:06)

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In the recent overtime victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs, John Beecher, typically a mainstay on Boston's fourth line, found himself in an unusual position. Head coach Jim Montgomery made the decision to bench the young center for the first time this season, and Beecher watched the thrilling 4-3 away win from the spectator's perspective upstairs.

Despite Beecher's improved offensive performance with three goals in the last six games, he took the temporary benching in stride. Viewing it as an opportunity to reset and focus on meeting the Bruins' expectations for his on-ice performance, Beecher maintained a calm demeanor.

Beecher shared insights from a meeting with Coach Montgomery, saying to Boston's Herald Steve Conroy,

"I had a meeting with Monty. He just kind of called me in and asked me how I thought I'd been playing. And I just said there really hasn't been anything too fantastic going on, not playing the game fast enough. And he just said that I needed to be harder to play against, more detailed, more physical, just playing a more well-rounded game. I wasn't too shocked at the end of the day. I hadn't been playing up to the standards they have for me and the standards I have for myself. Obviously, I want to be better, and these guys deserve my best."

Reflecting on the experience of watching the game from above, Beecher emphasized the learning curve, noting,

"At the end of the day, they just wanted me to watch a game, see it from above, see what it takes to be a hard player to play against, watching (Charlie) Coyle, (Danton) Heinen, (Brad Marchand), guys that very rarely lose puck battles. They're always in the right spots. And just had to take it as a learning curve and move forward."

Beecher looks ahead to bounce back, eyeing the Bruins' upcoming home game against the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden on Thursday night.

As seen on bruinslatest