James van Riemsdyk is The Peterson School’s Hardest Working Player of the Week
The final stretch of a seven-game homestand may not have gone the way that head coach Jim Montgomery and the Boston Bruins wanted, with just one win and four points over the final four games. But it did come with the return of a sorely-missed scoring presence’s touch around the net.
And with three goals in four games, James van Riemsdyk has earned this week’s nod as The Peterson School’s Hardest Working Player of the Week.
For the veteran van Riemsdyk, the week kicked off with a goal that perfectly encapsulated what’s made the 34-year-old wing one of the game’s premier net-front threats for well over a decade. With the Bruins skating with a delayed penalty on their side, van Riemsdyk absorbed a hard Brad Marchand shot right in the midsection, but he recovered, went right back to the front of the net, and then banged home the second-chance look to help the Bruins knot things up.
JVR getting us even. pic.twitter.com/bF5WoAtIIp
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 14, 2024
The goal from ‘JVR’ wasn’t enough to propel the Bruins to victory against the Lightning, but it did serve as a momentum builder for him, with the high note coming with a tremendous three-point outing in last Saturday’s loss to the Kings.
On the board with two goals and an assist, van Riemsdyk finished Saturday’s contest as the B’s leading scorer, and his five shots on goal were tops among all Boston skaters (and done in just 14:21 of time on ice).
Cleaning it up 🧹 @JVReemer21 | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/BT0zLozQP4
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 17, 2024
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The 6-foot-3 van Riemsdyk’s three goals over the last week were tops among all Boston shooters, and tied for the 12th-most in hockey overall.
Signed on a one-year, $1 million ‘prove it’ kind of contract, there’s no denying that van Riemsdyk has had a mega bounce-back kind of season, as he’s already surpassed last year’s point total in Philly (he has 37 points through 52 games this season after totaling 29 points in 61 games last year), and is now just one goal away from matching last season’s 12-goal output with the Flyers.
The Hardest Working Player of the Week is sponsored by The Peterson School. The Peterson School is now enrolling for their spring semester in Woburn, Westwood, Worcester, and Haverhill. To learn more, visit petersonschool.com.
