![\"Blackhawks](\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/CTC-Z-Blackhawks-Avalanche-Hockey_209832196-e1730849293782.jpg?w=527\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Ryan Donato knows a loaded question when he hears one.<\/p>\n
The question in question: Which team has the more intense fan base, the Chicago Blackhawks or Boston Bruins?<\/p>\n
Donato, a current Hawk, former Bruin and Boston-area native, took a deep sigh and mussed with his hair.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s so hard to say because either way I\u2019m going to offend somebody,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He settled on a \u201cmiddle\u201d answer: \u201cI\u2019m going to go Blackhawks fan.\u201d<\/p>\n
However \u2026 \u201cBruins fans are going to be more in your face about it, I\u2019ll tell you that,\u201d Donato continued. \u201cBlackhawks fans will be a little more polite.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nick Foligno agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoston can be a little more ruthless, but you kind of like that, right?\u201d he said. \u201cI used to hate playing in Boston, but I also love it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then you get there, you enjoy having those fans on your side. Same with Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donato and Foligno are two of six former Bruins facing their old team Wednesday night at the United Center. The others are Taylor Hall, Pat Maroon, Craig Smith and Tyler Bertuzzi.<\/p>\n It has been an alumni week of sorts for the Hawks, who also have several former Maple Leafs and played in Toronto on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cAll those guys who played in Toronto had extremely good games moving their feet, which created a lot of (offensive) zone time for us,\u201d coach Luke Richardson said Wednesday morning. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping for that again tonight, lots of ex-Bruins and two Original Six teams, it\u2019s always a little extra special. We\u2019re in the West. They\u2019re in the East. You only have one shot at them in this rink.\u201d<\/p>\n Foligno, whom the Hawks acquired with Hall in a 2023 trade with the Bruins, said \u201cthere\u2019s a little more juice\u201d when facing a former team.<\/p>\n He said these matchups bring memories of trainers and other staff, a chance to catch up with old teammates such as David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle \u2014 and an opportunity to seize bragging rights.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always a little added emotion that you played there, and then you want to show that where you moved on to \u2026 we\u2019ve got a little bit better thing going here,\u201d Foligno said. \u201cSo it\u2019s the competitive nature of all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Games against the Bruins are special to Donato and his family.\u00a0He and his father, Ted, the head coach at Harvard, are both from Boston and were drafted by the Bruins \u2014 Ted in 1987, Ryan in 2014.<\/p>\n As Donato alluded to earlier, Bostonians \u2014 Bruins fans in particular \u2014 can be tough on their players. He should know. He grew up with his biggest critic.<\/p>\n \u201cI could always lean on him for advice, even the hard stuff,\u201d said Donato, who talks with his father before every game while on his way to the United Center.<\/p>\n And after games too. And Dad doesn\u2019t mince words.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he thinks I played (crappy), he\u2019s going to call me or text me to say, \u2018Hey, not a great game. Focus up for the next one,\u2019\u201d Donato said. \u201cSo he\u2019s definitely been one of the biggest reasons I\u2019ve gotten to where I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n Donato entered Wednesday\u2019s game with a team-high 10 goals. That doesn\u2019t buy him any extra currency with his father.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, he obviously knows (that stat), but at the same time, he\u2019s always trying to give me more.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s going to tell me, \u2018Hey, things are going great right now. Let\u2019s take it easy.\u2019 He\u2019s going to say, \u2018Hey, here\u2019s three or four things in your game that you can work on that maybe you can continue to grow, continue to get better.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chicago Blackhawks forwards Ryan Donato and Nick Foligno are two of six former Boston Bruins facing their old team Wednesday night at the United Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago-blackhawks"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"For](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/CTC-L-blackhawks-ducks030_212062576.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1\")