Bruins turn into superheroes to cheer up kids in hospital visit

BOSTON -- With each person he talked to, Patrice Bergeron dropped his voice lower. It started out with his usual French accent, but his tone got deeper and deeper and deeper as the afternoon wore on.

"Hi," the Boston Bruins center would say, a mask covering his recognizable features. "I'm Batman."
When Bergeron walked into Boston Children's Hospital just after 2 p.m. on Friday, it was as himself, a 33-year-old Quebec native and longtime member of the Bruins. He would spend the next couple of hours as a superhero.
"When I take the mask off I'm kind of back to being me," Bergeron said. "But with the mask on, I'm in character."
He wasn't the only one.
Defensemen John Moore and Brandon Carlo transformed into Superman. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk became Mr. Incredible. Forward Joakim Nordstrom was the Riddler. Forward Noel Acciari changed into Aquaman. Forward Chris Wagner donned a Captain America costume.
It was the eighth annual team Halloween visit to the hospital, where every year the players put on themed costumes to bring cheer and presents to sick kids. Some years the costumes are more memorable -- or terrifying -- than others.
Zdeno Chara as a giant bunny. Dougie Hamilton as Elsa.
There have been Ninja Turtles and Minions, characters from "Frozen" and "Star Wars." Sometimes the choices are better than others.
On Friday, Bergeron seemed particularly well-suited to his Batman costume. Though, he said, his young son Zack would have preferred his father as Spider-Man. Alas, there was no Spider-Man to be had, so Bergeron had to settle for the muscled, slightly puffy version of the Caped Crusader.

Moore fit well in his Superman costume, his coif an especially good match for his alter ego.
"He definitely looks like Superman," Bergeron said. "I'm pretty shocked, actually."
Though, in truth, the occasionally bespectacled Moore missed an opportunity to walk into the hospital in his glasses.
"He looks exactly like the real Superman in the movies and everything," Carlo said. "He's got the face for it and all the black hair, slicked back, the muscles. He didn't even need the costume, to be honest."
For Carlo, it was his second chance to participate. His rookie season he dressed as Bebop from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a costume that left him somewhat less recognizable than this year's Superman. As he said, "Nobody knew who I was, including the kids in the rooms. It was the only one that fit."
Carlo, who is 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds, has not had a lot of choice in the matter. He has to take what he can get. Superman came in XXL.
"Coming into each room it's funny to see the reactions on the kids' faces, and even on the nurses as you're walking down the hall," he said. "It's a blast to be here."
The Bruins don't just dress up at Halloween. They also go in Santa suits and elf costumes at Christmas, which Bergeron said gets a special excitement and welcome from the kids. That's his favorite. But being Batman for an afternoon isn't bad.
So does he get a better reception as Patrice Bergeron, Bruins star? Or as Batman?
"It's tough to beat Batman," he said.
Or Superman.
"It's awesome," Carlo said. "I think even though some of the kids are shy, you can tell that it puts a little bit of a smile on their face, and anything you can do to brighten up their day is a pleasure for us to do. This is, by far, my favorite event that we can do. Last year I was kind of disappointed when I didn't get picked to do it, so I made sure I was a part of it this year."