Something's Bruin with Cougars

From The Daily News of Jan. 19, 2008. . . .

Bruin McDonald has heard all the questions so his face doesn’t register any
surprise when he is approached one more time.
A hockey player with a first name like that, well . . . how did you guess
that it all started with his dad, Murray?
“My dad is a Bruins fan,” offers Bruin. “Growing up he loved Bobby Orr.
Bobby Orr was his favourite player. He always idolized Bobby Orr.”
Which may be why Bruin lists Orr and Calgary Flames defenceman Dion Phaneuf
as his favourite players.
Bruin, who turned 16 on Jan. 4, is from Coquitlam. He plays for the major
midget Vancouver-Northeast Chiefs. He was at Interior Savings Centre on
Friday night as a member of the Prince George Cougars.
A 5-foot-10, 175-pounder, McDonald has 13 points and 68 penalty minutes in
24 games with the Chiefs. In his first stint with the Cougars, he was
pointless in two games.
With the Cougars’ back end having been bitten by the injury bug, McDonald,
the 142nd pick in the 2007 bantam draft, was brought up to help out over the
weekend.
But back to the name. . . .
It seems that Murray and his wife, Andrea, weren’t on the same page when the
discussion began.
“My mom (Andrea) wasn’t super into it; she didn’t want it,” Bruin says,
flashing a disarming smile. “But once she got into labour, she was in enough
pain that I think he convinced her to go with it.”
And what’s it like having a name like that?
“I love it,” he says. “I love having the unique name. I’ve gotten used to
it. I think it’s pretty cool.”
And, yes, he is used to the questions. As he says they come from “teachers .
. . everyone.”
But, sheesh, what if Dad was a fan of the Red Wings or the Devils?
“I don’t know,” Bruin says with a laugh. “I think Bruin kind of fits . . .
it can be a first name. If he was a fan of most other teams, it wouldn’t
have worked out, I don’t think.”
As for what happens if down the road Bruin ends up playing for the Montreal
Canadiens, well, they’ll cross that bridge if they get to it.
In the meantime, the family motto remains: GO BRUIN(S)!
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca