NEWS RELEASE

With the start of hockey season right around the corner, young readers across the Commonwealth received Boston Bruins prizes based on their participation in the statewide summer reading programs at public libraries.

Prizes include at-game experiences like riding the Zamboni, high-fiving the players as they take the ice, or getting to sit on the Bruins bench during pregame warm-ups. Team-signed Bruins jerseys and Bruins pucks signed by Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy were also awarded. "It's a great way to encourage kids to keep reading," said one librarian.

Librarians from across the state were asked to submit names for the random prize drawing. In all, 27 children and teens from the following libraries received prizes:

Grand Prize Winners
Zamboni game experience: Topsfield Town Library
High Five game experience: Westwood Public Library
Bench Assistant game experience: Erving Public Library

Team-Signed Bruins Jersey
Thayer Public Library, Braintree

Woburn Public Library

Nahant Public Library

Mansfield Public Library

Griswold Memorial Library, Colrain

Seekonk Public Library

Reading Public Library

Georgetown Peabody Library, Georgetown

Mason Library, Great Barrington

Charlie McAvoy Signed Bruins Puck
Flint Memorial Library, North Reading

Millbury Public Library

Concord Free Public Library

Sawyer Free Library, Gloucester

Westport Free Public Library

Haverhill Public Library

Chicopee Public Library

Douglas Public Library

Eastham Public Library

Jacob Edwards Library, Southbridge

East Longmeadow Public Library

Sharon Public Library

Weston Public Library

Duxbury Free Library

Newbury Town Library

The Boston Bruins began partnering with the MBLC and the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) in 2009 and have been active participants in libraries' efforts to encourage young people to read. In addition to supporting summer reading at libraries across the state, Bruins players worked with libraries to develop the Bruins Favorites reading list that includes favorite books from Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask, and more.

Bruins mascot Blades also makes special library visits during the summer months. This summer, Blades visited libraries in Agawam, Attleboro, Boston’s West End Branch, Chelsea, Clinton, Hampden, Lee, Lowell, Methuen, Northborough,  Royalston, and West Tisbury.

On average, more than 350,000 children, teens and adults participate in summer reading events, programs, and workshops held at libraries across the Commonwealth. Since 2007, Massachusetts has also offered a statewide online summer reading component through READSinMA.org in which participants register, write book reviews, set goals, and track their progress. Massachusetts was the first state in the country to offer such a program.

The Bruins' financial support of the statewide summer reading program, along with federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding from the MBLC and MLS, has allowed libraries to receive summer reading materials at no cost.