Updated: 9:06 PM EST Mar 2, 2021
By Russ Reed
A Boston Bruins player and a local woman have been recognized among the National Hockey League's stars of the month.The NHL announced Tuesday that Bruins winger David Pastrnak was named the Star of the Month in the MassMutual East Division.Pastrnak scored nine goals in 11 games during the month of February, a scoring mark that ranked second in the league. He also added eight assists to finish the month with 17 points.The 24-year-old Czech Republic native missed the Bruins' first seven games of the season as he recovered from the right hip surgery he underwent in September 2020. Despite playing in just 12 games and making his season debut on Jan. 31, he ranks second on the team with nine goals and third on the squad with 18 points.Pastrnak scored two hat tricks in the month of February, and both came against the Philadelphia Flyers. One was notched in a come-from-behind victory on Feb. 3, and the other was in the outdoor game at Lake Tahoe on Feb. 21. His 10 career hat tricks now rank fourth in Bruins history, as he trails Johnny Bucyk (12), Cam Neely (14) and Phil Esposito (26).In the four weeks of February, Pastrnak was twice named an NHL Star of the Week. He was the league's First Star of the Week in the week ending Feb. 7, and was the NHL's Third Star of the Week in the week ending Feb. 21.Throughout the 2020-21 season, the NHL has celebrated the remarkable efforts of off-the-ice stars during the pandemic by honoring frontline heroes from the regions represented by the league's weekly and monthly "Stars." Cathy Draine, director of community engagement for the State Police Association of Massachusetts, was named the off-ice Star of the Month for the East Division.Draine spearheaded "United We Rise," a COVID-19 response day to commemorate Black History Month. More than 350 sets of masks, sanitizers and food boxes were distributed to older adults and families living in affordable housing, as well as members of the Neighborhood Network Center, Inc.In addition, she headed the "Chat with a Trooper" program, which helps senior citizens engage in friendly conversations with volunteer troopers during the COVID-19 crisis.Draine was also instrumental in planning the State Police Association's turkey dinner distribution program, where troopers volunteered to distribute 250 donated turkeys and full dinners to vulnerable families in the Boston neighborhoods of Dorchester and Roxbury.