Home / News / Bruce Boudreau returns home to Hershey, gifted custom ‘Bruce, there it is’ jersey by Canucks fan

Bruce Boudreau returns home to Hershey, gifted custom ‘Bruce, there it is’ jersey by Canucks fan

By Chris Cerullo

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February 3, 2023 5:14 pm

Despite only being the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks for a little over a year, Bruce Boudreau made a special connection with the team’s fans that really only he can.

Boudreau won his first seven games behind the Canucks bench and during that streak, Vancouver fans showered him with “Bruce, there it is” chants to show their appreciation.

That appreciation still lasts even after his unceremonious departure from the organization on January 22. One Canucks fan chose to show that by sending the veteran bench boss a special custom jersey.

Bruce showed it off in a photo from his wife Crystal. The jersey is emblazoned with a “Bruce there it” nameplate and finished with the number 15 in place of the final word is in the chant. The jersey came from Canucks fan Chester Ming.

Ming had the jersey made in February of last year directly in the middle of Boudreau fever in Vancouver.

He even got it signed at the team’s final home game of the 2021-22 season. Ming described the whole process to Vancouver Is Awesome reporter Daniel Wagner.

Boudreau had been an NHL coach for three other teams before the Canucks and his stint in Vancouver was easily the shortest in his head-coaching career. But, it seems like he truly made a special connection with the fanbase there.

“It’ll obviously be something that stays with me for my whole life,” Boudreau said after his last game. “I’ve had a couple people like me in the past, but not the way the fans have been treating me. It’s just…”

He choked up. “The city’s amazing,” Boudreau finished.

Boudreau presumably got the gift when he returned home to Hershey, PA from Vancouver. Boudreau was at Hershey Cubs practice on Wednesday. Boudreau, who used to coach the Hershey Bears, owns the Cubs — a USPHL junior hockey team.

“I might have to fire my kid and coach there the rest of the year,” Boudreau said during his final press conference with the Canucks. “It’s been tough the last couple weeks but I used to watch every (NHL) game, I’m sure I’m going to watch every game. I want to get back into it somehow whether it’s doing TV. I still got the passion to do [coaching]. I never missed a practice that wasn’t an optional. I love the game and know the game. Hopefully something works out. Hopefully this isn’t my last hurrah.”

We hope so too, Bruce.

Headline photo via @BoudreauCrystal/Twitter

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