The Boston Bruins’ decision to sign Zac Rinaldo to a two-year, $1.7 million contract was one which was met by some pretty vocal opinions by Bruins fans. The reaction was overwhelmingly negative as Rinaldo has historically been a physical player who has rarely contributed offensively and often plays a bit too far on the edge. Now that he’s starting a new chapter with a new team, Rinaldo is looking to clean up his game and help his club win.
Rinaldo commented about joining the Bruins and he mentioned how he’s aiming to avoid getting suspended and making bad decisions, as seen on the Bruins site.
“[My game] is going to change in a better way for the team. I don’t plan on getting suspended; that’s the last thing I want to do. I don’t plan on taking stupid penalties; that’s the last thing I want to do, is hurt my team.
Changing for the better will happen. More opportunity, a different role, perhaps, and I’m open to anything to help the team win.”
Will Rinaldo follow through on these comments? To be clear, he reiterated that he’ll still play tough and will still be physical out on the ice, but he doesn’t want to hurt his team with moronic behavior.
It may be difficult for Rinaldo to change his game as he has collected 572 penalty minutes in 223 games. Those penalty minutes go along with multiple suspensions and fines – the most recently occurring in January when he was benched eight games for boarding Kris Letang.
