Scally caps and squid hats: Inside the Bruins’ hat-trick trophy collection

By Conor Ryan As soon as David Pastrnaks blistering one-timer sailed into twine, Ian Willard turned to his son, Miles.

Planted along the glass at TD Garden, the duo realized the opportunity that was brewing as Bostons goal horn signaled Pastrnaks second tally of the day.

I told Miles after he scored the second goal I was just like, Dude, if he scores a hat trick, you have to throw out your hat.

And I bet money hell end up picking it up, Ian noted.

In the sea of black and gold within the Bruins home barn, 12-year-old Miles is hard to miss especially from the all-seeing lens of the Jumbotron camera.

Such is the case when youre donning a green squid hat.

Since last April, Miless tentacled cap has been a staple of the familys treks to Bruins games.

At least, it was up to Feb.

1.

Because as soon as Pastrnak sealed his 18th career hat track with an empty-netter against the Blueshirts, it didnt take long for the chartreuse cephalopod to join the cascade of caps and toques littering the frozen sheet.

Right when he scored, I looked at my dad, Miles said.

I was like, Well, time to say goodbye.

Ians hunch was correct.

It didnt take long for Pastrnak to scoop up Miless offering as the Garden ice crew wrangled up the piles of headgear still tumbling down from the nosebleeds.

My sons squid hat...aka the Squid Kid! pic.twitter.com/qFmoX1rdU9 Given Pastrnaks eclectic fashion choices, it comes as little surprise that the star wingers previous hat-trick triumphs have ended with him picking up a bear-pelt costume , a yellow-brimmed fedora, and tartan scally cap.

But Pastrnaks haul of eccentric hats are not for his own closet.

Weve gotten asked so many times: Hey, what do you do with those hats? Yeah, we collect them, Bruins head athletic trainer Dustin Stuck noted.

As seemingly on-brand as it would be for Pastrnak to strut into TD Garden with a squid hat or bear suit, his post-hatty routine revolves around adding another trophy for the team training staffs collection.

It was didnt have to cut my route or anything, it was right there laying in front of me, Pastrnak said of Miles squid hat.

I saw the style of it and I knew right away that it should be the one, because we have nothing like that in the trainers collection.

Within the network of rooms and pathways woven through the teams facility inside TD Garden, the training room receives plenty of foot traffic.

Its a given, considering the amount of maintenance and effort required to keep aching joints and shredded muscle assuaged over the simulated car wreck that is an 82-game season.

Tucked behind the teams dressing room, the training areas clinical environment and pristine facilities stand in stark contrast to the row of headwear seemingly plucked straight out The Garment District adorned above.

Perched atop the shelving within the training room, Miles squid hat, Jessica Labrecque and her familys bear suit , and 15 other hat-trick trinkets have been collected and put on display by Bostons training staff.

I didnt really know exactly what happens, Labrecque who helicoptered her bear suit on the ice for Pastrnaks hat trick last March said of the teams hat-trick collection.

So it is really cool to actually see it and know exactly what they do and the ones they kept.

For Stuck and Bruins head physical therapist Joe Robinson, the growing hat collection is a longstanding endeavor first carried out by longtime head athletic trainer, Don DelNegro, after a Jason Allison hat trick in the late 90s.

Donnie D is the one who started that tradition, Stuck said.

[The hat] just landed on the bench and he was like, Oh, Ill take it.' Before the latest TD Garden renovations, DelNegro and his staff had a much more simplified way of piling up the teams newfound treasures.

He had this bear head that they mounted in the old Garden, Robinson said of DelNegro.

And all the hats in the old Garden would just be on the wall on top of this bear head where theyd just pile up over time.

The operation is seamless at this point.

While a majority of the hats collected off the TD Garden ice are rounded up, cleaned, and then donated to New England Center and Home for Veterans the player who lit the lamp three times is tasked with picking one out of the pile to add to the teams cache of caps.

Said player then pens their signature somewhere on the selected hat, while Robinson later inscribes the score of the game, date, and other personal touches.

Twas a night to remember was scribbled into the Santa hat that Brad Marchand picked up on Dec.

3, 2023 after scoring a natural hat trick in the third period against Columbus.

Ironically enough, that Santa hat was also thrown onto the ice by Labrecque just months before the familys bear suit made headlines after Pastrnak snagged the pelt following a win over Ottawa on March 19, 2024.

MARCHAND WITH THE NATURAL HAT TRICK pic.twitter.com/j0DcBUdC2I Pastrnaks handiwork and keen eye for flashy apparel are evident across the current cluster of the training staffs collection which carried over with his 19th hat-trick performance on Saturday against Carolina.

But beyond the standouts like Miles and Jessicas contributions, there are several other prized pieces treasured by Stuck and Robinson.

The pink cowboy hat that Marchand retrieved after a three-goal game against Montreal on Jan.

12, 2022 is hard to miss when stepping into the room.

Players like Morgan Geekie (a black-and-yellow Bruno Capelo fedora), Danton Heinen (a Boston Street Hockey cap), Charlie Coyle (gold cowboy hat), Jake DeBrusk, and Craig Smith (both traditional Bruins ball caps) also have their hat tricks immortalized.

A scally cap claimed by Pastrnak in Philadelphia on April 9, 2023 may not pop in that row of panache.

But given the number of records tied into that night, its both Robinson and Stucks favorite among the current offerings.

It was a 5-3 win.

Not only was it a hat trick, but it was season goals 58, 59 and 60 for Pasta, Robinson said.

Also his career goals 298, 299, and 300.

And the team-record 63 wins.

All done the same night.

Gotta lock that one up, Stuck added.

Now that people know about it.

Amid the gauze wraps, foam rollers, and Theraguns inventoried in Stuck and Robinsons domain, the Bruins trophy trove stands as more than just a quirky piece of decoration.

For the players, its both a fitting tribute to unforgettable nights on Causeway Street and a regular reminder of what might await as they steel themselves for another 60 minutes.

Its motivation here, Robinson said of the hat collection.

Like, guys will be sitting here and theyll be like, Hey, Im gonna get up there tonight.

And for the hundreds who usher in the revelry by tossing their best gear onto the ice, its an enduring link between fans and a team rooted so deeply into their everyday lives.

We see a lot of it, Labrecque said of Bruins fans bringing their flashiest hats and costumes to games.

And so many people know my kids now, its wicked cute.

Everyone talks about it and does different things now.

...

Thats such a Boston thing to do, to keep the fans involved.

For several Bruins games, Miles squid hat was his self-described magnet to the Jumbotron as he and his father took in the action playing out in front of them at the Garden.

That love of hockey and the memories forged from it remain ever-present for the Willards.

Just like a certain squid hat one thats now found a new permanent home with the team they both love.

I was just happy for Miles, Ian said.

Those are core memories for a 12-year-old boy to have for a star player on his hometown hockey team to pick up his squid hat? ...

We now have this sport that has completely bonded me and my son.

I just love the fact that were creating memories together.

Conor Ryan 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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