Photos: Bruins Annual Holiday Toy Shopping Event

WATERTOWN, Mass. - Patrice Bergeron and his Bruins teammates gathered for the team's annual holiday toy shopping event on Monday morning at Target. The players picked out gifts - purchased through donations by the Bruins players and Boston Bruins Foundation - that will be given out to hundreds of children in local hospitals who are unable to spend the holidays at home.
"It's always special to come here and take an hour of your day," said Bergeron, who has spearheaded the event since 2010. "To know that it goes a long way and it's going to bring a lot of joy to kids that are in need and don't get to spend Christmas at home…it's special for us to be here and it's easy to do."

The event is one of the largest team-wide charity events of the season as every player on the Bruins roster participates in the tradition, which began when Ray Bourque was captain of the Black & Gold.
"I think it's great. It means a lot to all of us," said Bergeron, who earned the 2013 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and made significant humanitarian contribution to his community.
"A bunch of us have kids and we know how special Christmas is, so I think it's important to get involved and give back to the community. I think as an organization, it's something we take a lot of pride in and it's great to see how everyone gets involved."

Nick Foligno, who captained the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2015-21 and earned the 2017 King Clancy Trophy, has long been a stalwart in whichever community he has played and is thoroughly impressed by the B's annual toy shopping event.
"I think it's an amazing thing that they do here," said Foligno. "It shows the class in the organization that they would think of something like that and it's such a fun way for us to go out and enjoy it, too. You really feel like you're giving back and making a Christmas special for these kids.
"It gives you an appreciation, having kids of your own, that there are some families out there that don't really get that benefit. So, especially to do it together as a group, it's a way to bond, but also realize that there's a lot of things bigger than you out there."

Check out some of the best photos from the event: