Ryan Donato knows a loaded question when he hears one.
The question in question: Which team has the more intense fan base, the Chicago Blackhawks or Boston Bruins?
Donato, a current Hawk, former Bruin and Boston-area native, took a deep sigh and mussed with his hair.
“That’s so hard to say because either way I’m going to offend somebody,” he said.
He settled on a “middle” answer: “I’m going to go Blackhawks fan.”
However … “Bruins fans are going to be more in your face about it, I’ll tell you that,” Donato continued. “Blackhawks fans will be a little more polite.”
Nick Foligno agreed.
“Boston can be a little more ruthless, but you kind of like that, right?” he said. “I used to hate playing in Boston, but I also love it.
“And then you get there, you enjoy having those fans on your side. Same with Chicago.”
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.
It has been an alumni week of sorts for the Hawks, who also have several former Maple Leafs and played in Toronto on Monday.
“All those guys who played in Toronto had extremely good games moving their feet, which created a lot of (offensive) zone time for us,” coach Luke Richardson said Wednesday morning. “We’re hoping for that again tonight, lots of ex-Bruins and two Original Six teams, it’s always a little extra special. We’re in the West. They’re in the East. You only have one shot at them in this rink.”
Foligno, whom the Hawks acquired with Hall in a 2023 trade with the Bruins, said “there’s a little more juice” when facing a former team.
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 — and an opportunity to seize bragging rights.
“It’s always a little added emotion that you played there, and then you want to show that where you moved on to … we’ve got a little bit better thing going here,” Foligno said. “So it’s the competitive nature of all of us.”
Games against the Bruins are special to Donato and his family. He and his father, Ted, the head coach at Harvard, are both from Boston and were drafted by the Bruins — Ted in 1987, Ryan in 2014.
As Donato alluded to earlier, Bostonians — Bruins fans in particular — can be tough on their players. He should know. He grew up with his biggest critic.
“I could always lean on him for advice, even the hard stuff,” said Donato, who talks with his father before every game while on his way to the United Center.
And after games too. And Dad doesn’t mince words.
“If he thinks I played (crappy), he’s going to call me or text me to say, ‘Hey, not a great game. Focus up for the next one,’” Donato said. “So he’s definitely been one of the biggest reasons I’ve gotten to where I am today.”
Donato entered Wednesday’s game with a team-high 10 goals. That doesn’t buy him any extra currency with his father.
“No, no,” he said. “I mean, he obviously knows (that stat), but at the same time, he’s always trying to give me more.
“I don’t think he’s going to tell me, ‘Hey, things are going great right now. Let’s take it easy.’ He’s going to say, ‘Hey, here’s three or four things in your game that you can work on that maybe you can continue to grow, continue to get better.’”
