Do the Bruins have a new public enemy number one?
The 26-year-old forward who played for Boston last season was booed many times in his first game back at TD Garden.
Nick Ritchie actually had a decent season for the Bruins in 2020-21. He finished seventh in team scoring with 26 points while finishing fourth on the squad with 15 goals. He was the only player on the roster to play in all 56 games of the shortened season.
But the former 10th overall pick became an unrestricted free agent last summer and the Bruins never gave him a qualifying offer. Perhaps it was due to his inconsistency during the season? Or perhaps it was because of his poor showing in the playoffs?
Regardless, Ritchie sure didn't seem like he had missed his teammates when he made his first visit back to TD Garden with the Arizona Coyotes last night.
After taking a run at star defenseman Charlie McAvoy, the fans in Boston began to get annoyed by Ritchie. Some chose to boo the forward every time he touched the puck, while others simply decided to physically show him the love they had for him.
The harsh greetings didn't seem to faze the Arizona product one bit. Ritchie has been doing good since joining the desert dogs; he has six points in seven games since he was acquired from the Maple Leafs.
Just to make sure Boston fans got a little more ticked off by his play, Ritchie even found the back of the net last night.
In the end, the Bruins had the last laugh as they skated away with the win over Ritchie's Coyotes.
We're happy the former first rounder is doing real good with Arizona... but the B's sure don't seem like they're missing the big fellow! It'll be interesting to see if the sour relationship between the B's fans and Ritchie can drag on for a few more years.
