Saturday night’s game was an emotional one for Chris Wagner.
The Boston winger had a goal disallowed before scoring the Bruins’ first goal in their 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden. What fans didn’t know, however, was that the Walpole, Mass. native was skating with a lot on his mind. He revealed after the game his grandfather passed away Friday.
Wagner spoke about him after the game and credited his grandfather for his strong performance to the Boston Sports Journal’s Conor Ryan.
Chris Wagner played with a heavy heart tonight — his grandfather passed away Friday morning.
"Maybe he was watching out for me. Made the puck follow me around. Who knows. Bet he's probably laughing after that first goal was disallowed."
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 6, 2019
Wagner also noted how much of an active role his grandfather played while growing up, saying he’d drive Wagner to and from games when his parents were unable to do so.
“Watched all my games — all the way up to the Winter Classic the other day,” Wagner said, via Ryan. “It means a lot.”
