Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord deflects a Boston Bruins shot during the second period of an NHL hockey game on Thursday, February 15, 2024, in Boston.
BOSTON — Joey Daccord took a moment to glance around before the game began.
The Seattle Kraken goaltender considered sitting in TD Garden’s upper bowl for Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. He switched his gaze across the building, pausing at various locations where he had sat as a child rooting for the Bruins while growing up in North Andover.
“I picked out all of the different places I sat,” he remarked, beaming. “A lot of special moments.”
However, they will pale in contrast to his performance on Thursday in the Kraken’s 4-1 victory over the Bruins.
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The 27-year-old rookie had never played in the Garden before, and at some point along his winding path to the NHL, he must have wondered if he ever would.
Junior hockey got him to Wisconsin, and college brought him to Arizona State, where he was drafted by the Senators in the seventh round in 2015. He played one game for Ottawa in 2018-19 and eight more in 2020-21 before joining the Kraken expansion team in 2021-22.
He played five games that year and five more last year, spending the majority of his time on buses through remote AHL locales such as Bellville, Charlotte, and Coachella Valley.
But this year, he made the Kraken and has performed better in the NHL than he has in any previous season in the minors. Daccord entered Thursday’s game with a 15-11-9 record. His 2.36 goals-against average ranked sixth in the NHL, while his.921 save percentage was fourth.
Thursday was an excellent night in the midst of a successful season. He made 36 saves to secure a victory over a strong Bruins team that outshot the Kraken 38-26 and achieved No. 1 star status. He disappointed many of the fans he used to sit with, but the sellout crowd wasn’t completely upset. He gave out 13 comps, but his postgame guest list included nearly 40 individuals, since many relatives and longtime friends had purchased their own tickets and were in the Garden to see his wonderful occasion.
“It was a very special night. I’m just trying to put things in perspective. I grew up as a die-hard Boston sports fan,” said the Dunkin’ Donuts native who now plays in Starbucksland. “It has been a long path. I’m definitely quite old for a newbie. My first experience playing in the Garden could not have been more memorable… It was a weird experience for me. It certainly made me feel like a small kid.”
Matty Beniers, a Hingham native and fellow former Bruins fan, relished watching his teammate have his moment.
“He was incredible, making tremendous saves every time he has been between the pipes. “He’s been fantastic,” added Beniers, who had a goal and two assists in front of his own group of friends and family. “I know he was quite excited about it. Boston’s children enjoy returning home. I knew he and I were both hyped up. It was fun to win.”
As Daccord skated off the ice, he noticed familiar faces among the spectators.
“I was able to look up and see my family,” he told me. “That was really special.”
Years from now, when his career is ended, he’ll be able to return to the Garden and gaze around again. He can look up and see where he sat for all of those games. But then he can glance down to the ice and remember where he stopped David Pastrnak (six times) and turned back Brad Marchand twice on a night when he dominated the Bruins.
“It was a really special night and pretty emotional for me,” Daccord told reporters. “Playing in the National Hockey League is one thing. It’s really special to play against the Bruins. I will never forget tonight.
