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Bruins bruiser — and team DJ — Nikita Zadorov sets tone for team, on and off the ice
“It's my job to bring energy, right — on and off the ice."
Sean Kuraly didn’t mince words when asked of the responsibilities that fall on teammate Nikita Zadorov’s shoulders.
“It’s a hard job. I would not want it,” the Bruins veteran forward acknowledged.
On the frozen sheet, the 6-foot-7 Zadorov serves as Boston’s battering ram — called upon to police post-whistle shenanigans, eat up pucks on taxing PK reps, and dole out bone-crunching checks.
It’s a tough task, but someone’s got to do it on this Bruins roster.
“I wouldn’t want to do it myself,” Pavel Zacha added on Zadorov’s job description.
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Granted, Zadorov’s teammates aren’t talking about the hits he delivers on the ice.
In Boston’s dressing room, the 30-year-old Zadorov has also assumed the role as the team’s DJ — entrusted with the aux cord and the duty to keep his teammates fired up over the long grind of an 82-game NHL season.
It’s an overlooked — and oftentimes thankless — gig in an NHL dressing room.
But, for a player like Zadorov who has established himself into a vocal figure on a reworked Bruins team, crafting playlists and keeping tabs on his team’s pulse comes as second nature.
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“It’s my job to bring energy, right — on and off the ice,” Zadorov said. “So this is my part to do it off the ice as well. So far, so good.”
An established resume
Zadorov is no stranger to setting the tone in the NHL ranks.
The Bruins signed Zadorov to a six-year contract in July 2024 with the expectation that he’d add some snarl and size to Boston’s D corps.
He’s been as advertised since donning a black-and-gold sweater. In 121 games with Boston, Zadorov has racked up 242 penalty minutes, 324 hits, and 171 blocked shots.
His physical presence and vocal role has especially been felt on a Bruins team that has embraced a “piss and vinegar” identity in Marco Sturm’s first year as bench boss.
“Sometimes you don’t want to hear it, but I think it’s a good thing,” Sturm said of Zadorov. “He’s not shy. So I think it’s always good to have a guy like him.”
It took little time for Zadorov to offer up his musical curation services in Boston.
“I jumped in. I told [Brad Marchand] when I got here — I’m gonna run the music, if it’s okay,” Zadorov said. “Because they didn’t really have a DJ.”
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For years, Torey Krug served as Boston’s dressing-room maestro. In 2023-24, it was veteran journeyman Kevin Shattenkirk who took the helm of the team’s iPad — synced up to the booming JBL speaker propped up in the room.
This isn’t Zadorov’s first rodeo, having first started spinning tunes during his time with the Avalanche during the 2018-19. Since then, he has concocted mixes of top-40 hits and deep cuts for teams like the Avs, Flames, and now the Bruins.
It’s an undertaking easier said than done.
A thankless job
Beyond an aversion to country music, Zadorov doesn’t consider himself a gate-keeper when it comes to his musical preferences.
“I can listen to anything — it depends on the mood,” Zadorov said. “Usually when I drive to the game, it takes me like 30-35 minutes. I usually put on a couple songs. I listen through them before I decide what to play in the room.”
The likes of Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs may not be featured on Zadorov’s Spotify Wrapped. But, the veteran tries to seek input for his teammates to help compile playlists that placate all parties.
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“It’s nice to have feedback from the guys when they like it,” Zadorov said. “Sometimes they request something. Sometimes you have a song that kind of fits the season or fits the timing.”
Granted, accounting for multiple musical tastes is a daunting mission — especially on a Bruins roster currently featuring 10 Americans, five Canadians, three Swedes, and pairs of Russians, Czechs, and Finns.
Whereas Kuraly opts for old-school hits from Bruce Springsteen, Fraser Minten and Morgan Geekie are more fans of EDM and house artists like John Summit. Zacha goes for more of a “chilled” vibe before games, especially artists like The Lumineers.
An ideal playlist for Zadorov usually involves an eclectic mix of popular rock licks like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, EDM remixes, and hip-hop music catered to whichever city the Bruins are playing in — choosing Nas’ “Illmatic” in New York or Eminem when Boston takes on the Red Wings.
There’s not one overarching playlist that Zadorov turns to, nor is there one fixed post-victory song in Boston’s room — although Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” has been a popular pick since the end of November.
“I like the variety,” Minten said. “Right now he’s actually really hot. He’s got some good songs going right now.”
Beyond augmenting Boston’s set list to whatever city they’re playing in, the self-described “superstitious” Zadorov usually opts to change up the playlist whenever the team loses.
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Along with submitting a couple songs for the team’s warmup mix on the TD Garden ice, Zadorov also has to account for different music tones for different junctures during a daily hockey itinerary.
(Want to listen to the Bruins’ TD Garden warmup mix? Here’s every song that they’ve played so far this year.)
There’s the morning-skate mix, oftentimes littered with classic hits to shake the cobwebs out before the Bruins hit the ice for practice. Zadorov opts for a mellow approach in the Bruins’ room when the team arrives at the rink for pre-game meetings and video review.
And of course, the hour leading up to puck drop is rife with heavy riffs and blistering rap beats to raise the heart rate before Zadorov is tasked with tenderizing puck carriers and snuffing out scoring chances.
It’s a clash of musical tastes that Zadorov must corral, one that has led to a few chirps from his teammates.
“We have our main meeting at 5:30. Anything from then to gametime, I think that he’s really good — kind of changes the vibe,” Geekie said of Zadorov’s music choices. “Anything before that, he should be arrested. Like, it’s just not good at all. … It’s house lounge, but like — Ibiza house lounge, like you’re getting a cocktail.”
Geekie’s disdain of Mediterranean-based beats aside, Zadorov’s arduous undertaking has been appreciated by his teammates.
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“I will say, he’s getting better,” David Pastrnak said. “He listens and he gets better.”
“As much as I’d like to give him a hard time, and there’s plenty of things to give him a hard time about, I have to give him credit,” Kuraly acknowledged. “He has come up with a couple really good songs after our wins.”
A growing voice
The ever-candid Zadorov was quick to point out that “team DJ” falls far down on his list of responsibilities for this Bruins team.
But, in a dressing room that saw several key leaders exit via last spring’s fire-sale, Zadorov has taken it upon himself to be more of an authority figure and resource on a franchise currently in transition.
Still, Zadorov shirks at a question rooted in his expanding role as one of the team’s top leaders.
“It’s great to see guys leaning on you and give you respect, and we have a really close group,” Zadorov said. “But we have 23 leaders here.”
If Zadorov figures himself as just one piece of the puzzle, the fit has been evident on this Bruins team.
On the ice, Zadorov has been a foundational fixture on Boston’s uneven defensive corps — with the Bruins outscoring opponents, 31-23, in the defenseman’s 676 minutes of 5-on-5 reps this season, per Natural Stat Trick.
Be it delivering pies to those in need on Thanksgiving morning or chugging beers at Celtics games, Zadorov has ingratiated himself to a Boston community that has resonated with his bruising play style, headline-grabbing comments, and willingness to embrace the spotlight.
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And beyond the tunes he blares in Boston’s room, Zadorov has been a key conduit in cultivating the Bruins’ reworked identity.
“With identity, it’s not about this team. It’s about this organization. It’s playing Boston Bruins hockey. It’s been here for way before us for 100 years,” Zadorov said. “So I think we’re just trying to recreate it a little bit in our way.”
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