STH Tales: A Welcome Invitation

BostonBruins.com - Benoit Mondor did not grow up in the Boston suburbs. But his fandom of the Black & Gold was no less passionate than those that spent their childhoods adjusting the TV antenna to fix the signal of Channel 38 or riding the 'T' into the West End.
Despite being born and raised in the enemy territory of Montreal, Mondor has been a fervent fan of the Bruins since the day he could walk.
"My dad was a huge Bruins fan, Bobby Orr," said Mondor. "So in the early 1970s, right away I got all the Bruins paraphernalia and my uniform was the Bruins. I've never changed allegiance."

Mondor, who now lives in Ottawa, has been making the trek south of the border for over two decades, attending some 20-25 regular-season games a year and every postseason contest with his seats in Loge 7, while also traveling across North America to catch the B's on the road.
"Whenever there's a chance I'm there," said Mondor, who has seen the Bruins play in about 70 percent of the league's arenas, including Carolina, Florida, Tampa, and New York. "Nothing beats the atmosphere at TD Garden. I've been to the original Garden a few times. And now the new Garden, I'm there frequently and have lots of friends in my section."

There have been plenty of highlights over the years, but none more impactful than an unforgettable afternoon in the summer of 2011. Just weeks after the Bruins captured their first Stanley Cup in 39 years, Mondor received the invitation of a lifetime.
Chris Kelly, a critical piece of the Bruins' third line during that magical run and now the club's Player Development Coordinator, was set for his day with the Cup and was throwing a party for family and friends in Ottawa. Mondor's brother-in-law, Justin, an elementary school teacher with Kelly's wife, Krissy, let her know about Mondor's allegiance to the Black & Gold.
"When my brother-in-law told Chris' wife that I was a huge Bruins fan, she said, 'Hey, let's have him over and celebrate with us during the Cup party,'" said Mondor.
It was a day he will never forget.
"Very hard to describe," said Mondor, who became a Season Ticket Holder after the Cup championship. "Not only the Bruins winning, but to be part of the celebration with a Bruins player - even if I was in my 40s at the time - was a feeling that you can't describe. It was the ultimate dream in a sense, to live that with a Bruins player and touch the Cup. It's us winning.
"I've been at the Hall of Fame and I've seen the Cup before but to be able to really say that my favorite sports team is the champion and I can touch and hoist the same trophy that [Zdeno] Chara, [Patrice] Bergeron, [Mark] Recchi and company all touched and lifted, it was an amazing feeling."
Mondor believes the Kellys' gesture of inviting a Bruins fan they didn't even know to such an exclusive and meaningful celebration speaks to the culture and character of the players that have donned the Spoked-B over the years.
"I feel, especially the fans in Boston, are very close to their team, very passionate fans and I've got the same blood as people from Boston," said Mondor, who has also met players at a number of other STH events over the years. "To have Chris be open-minded and say, 'Hey, we've got this guy in Ottawa, he's a Bruins fan, he's a season ticket holder, let's have him join and live that experience with me and my family,' was a demonstration that as a fan you can only just tip your cap and say, 'Wow, thank you very much for thinking of that and making me part of that day.'
"It's his day with the Cup, very close friends only. Technically, I didn't know him - but for him to extend the invite was amazing."