Acciari making high school coach proud

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 3/24/16

When Johnston native and former Hendricken All-Stater Noel Acciari stepped on the ice for the Boston Bruins to make his NHL debut on March 1, he had a proud coach in the stands.

Sure, his …

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Acciari making high school coach proud

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When Johnston native and former Hendricken All-Stater Noel Acciari stepped on the ice for the Boston Bruins to make his NHL debut on March 1, he had a proud coach in the stands.

Sure, his Providence College coach, Nate Leaman, was in attendance, but so was another coach that helped mold Acciari into the player that he is today even before suiting up for the Friars.

Acciari played three seasons under Hendricken head coach Jim Creamer back in high school, and when Creamer heard that Acciari got recalled by Boston, he wasn’t going to miss his former player’s debut.

After all, it wasn’t just a milestone for Acciari, but for Creamer, as well. In all of his years of coaching, he had never had a player reach the NHL.

“I went up to his first game, and I’ve seen every game since,” Creamer said. “It’s funny, I watch it like I’m his dad. I watch the Bruins in a different way now. He’s the first NHL player that I’ve coached. I heard something like there have only been 19 native Rhode Islanders to play in the NHL, and you look back, and a lot of those guys only played 20 games. It looks like he’s going to stick up there, so he’s doing a pretty remarkable thing.”

Acciari has played in each of the team’s 10 games since getting called up, centering the fourth line, while bringing his gritty and physical style of play to a Bruins’ team that had previously been lacking in that department.

Boston head coach Claude Julien has praised Acciari for his play, particularly in the defensive zone.

Creamer isn’t necessarily surprised that Acciari has made it as far as he has, and is having this type of success, though. While at Hendricken, Acciari displayed a work ethic that was second to none. He has continued to display that work ethic through the college, and now professional, ranks.

And less than a week before getting recalled by Boston, Acciari was back at his alma mater speaking to athletes about just that – work ethic – not only on the playing field or in the rink, but in the classroom, too.

After talking in Hendricken’s theater, Acciari joined the current Hawks’ team for practice that afternoon, where he was just one of the guys.

“Five days before he gets called up, he’s speaking at [Hendricken] and practicing with us,” Creamer said. “It’s because he wanted to. He got dressed in the locker room with the team.”

Acciari getting recalled just days after talking to and practicing with the Hawks couldn’t have come at a better time. Creamer is hoping that Acciari will give his current team a bit of extra motivation on the ice. But, more than anything, he’s hoping that his players now realize the work ethic that is required to become successful.

“The timing of everything was great,” Creamer said. “He talks about, and he’s pretty realistic about what kind of student that he was, and what he had to do to get where he’s at now.”

For Creamer, this couldn’t have happened to a better player and person.

“I’m really, really happy that he’s having this type of success because of the kid that he is,” Creamer said. “Anyone that knows him will say the exact same thing. If you met him, you’d want to be his friend. He’s genuine, he’s sincere and he’s humble. He works his tail off, and he’s worked his way to the NHL.”

Creamer wasn’t able to watch Acciari play at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night because his Hawks were set to open the state championship series.

But one thing’s for sure – Creamer will be watching whenever he can. And he’ll be watching with pride.

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