Fans got to enjoy some Boston Bruins hockey on Sunday.

OK, sure, we didn’t see them play in what probably would have been a first-round Stanley Cup playoff game (against Toronto? The Islanders?).

But for some Bruins fans, especially those of a religious nature whose Sunday services are via computer or cell phone these days, it was the next best thing. Because it was the only thing.

And it was a very, very good thing.

Three current Bruins – Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo and Chris Wagner – joined former B’s Adam McQuaid and David Backes in a pre-recorded Zoom interview with Nashua area pastor and Bruins chaplain David Ripper of the Crossway Christian Church, with two locations in Nashua and one in Milford. But this aired on the church website at a couple of times Sunday morning, was open to anyone in the world.

We got to see a side of the Bruins maybe never seen before. Yes, the religious side, but also the introspective side. Ripper did a great job bringing out some of the players innermost thoughts. That’s tough to do with some athletes, because their guard is always up, but hockey players are usually the best interviews because they basically say what’s on their mind and are glad to do it without that media-athlete adversarial air of superiority you sometimes sense.

“This,” said Backes, who provided veteran leadership during his time with the B’s before being shipped to Anaheim, “is a pretty good opportunity for us as well.”

Sports and religion have always had a relationship tucked in the background; perhaps the time you see it the most is when NFL players sometimes kneel down in the middle of the field after a game. Carlo remarked how it’s pretty much hidden in the NHL compared to the other sports.

“You just want to stay within your boundaries and be the best guy that you can be,” he said of the locker room interaction.

And then he called his time in Bruins chapel services “the biggest turning point in my life.

Really, who knew?

But along with the religious aspects, there was the talk of these players developing their identity and priorities in life, in and around the game. As Wagner admitted, “As I get older, life gets harder.”

That’s the one thing you can usually count on from the NHL players – pure honesty. This was definitely on display on Sunday. Ripper noted that professional athletes like the ones who spoke yesterday “are in the pressure cooker a whole lot more” that leads them to base their identity on their stats, “on my ice time, my plus or minus, games played, or whatever.” Or, what the media thinks of them.

And they talked about how distracting that can be, especially in today’s social media era.

“Coming into the NHL, nowadays with the social media aspect, it can become very difficult,” Carlo said, “both to focus on a lot of opinion from different fans, whether it be for your team or another team. For me, it’s something I kind of struggled with my second year and it affected me a lot of ways, not only as a person but in a hockey aspect.”

But a focus on religion, and what he called “an audience of one” helped him get over those woes. Again, very transparent, something you really don’t think of with these players.

“Professional sports can many times be a very lonely position in life,” Krug said. “We feel that we’ve based, our value, in how we play. After games I found myself checking social media, searching my name, seeing what other people were thinking about me – the fans, the writers in Boston. Boston is a very, very tough place to play, but it tends to bring out the best in athletes as well.”

That’s an interesting revelation. Krug has been a Bruin mainstay as a defenseman with a powerful shot since his appearance during the Stanley Cup Finals run in the spring of 2013.

Hard to believe that was seven years ago.

Backes talked about probably a thought a lot of players have when they first start out, as he recalled some 15 years ago when he considered that while in the minors “if I could just play one game in the NHL, then all of my work, all my parents’ sacrifices wouldn’t be in vain.”

Then that wish went to 10 games, then 50 games to pay off his car and put a down payment on a house. Then 100 games. Then one more contract. “It was never satisfied where I reached where I wanted to reach,” he said.

McQuaid, now a free agent, offered another dose of honesty. He recalled how he was battling then-Bruin Nick Holden for a spot on the nightly Stanley Cup playoff roster a couple of years ago. Admittedly, he was almost rooting for Holden.

“It was a situation that was a new one for me,” McQuaid said about being a healthy scratch. “I’d been pretty well a regular. Everyone wants to play in the playoffs, it’s an exciting time.

“I think at that time I was being tested in some ways, and wondering how I could grow in my faith through this. Nick Holden was a guy who was easy to root for, he was such a nice guy. And I genuinely wanted to see him do well. I didn’t want to see him fail in order to give myself an opportunity.”

McQuaid thus had to endure a mental tug of war with being competitive to get a spot and want to see a teammate succeed.

“It didn’t mean I wasn’t necessarily happier or content that I wasn’t getting to play,” he said. “I was still preparing like I would if I had the opportunity. But I had to tell (Holden), ‘I’m rooting for you, I’m in your corner. This isn’t me against you, we’re all on the same team.’ ”

A pretty big admission, as McQuaid said he was “going against the ways of the world, where you’re supposed to be bitter and looking out for No. 1. … That was something new for me.”

As we said, Ripper did a great job to bring out these players in an everyday spotlight, out from under the stardom that surrounds them. Wagner said, Some days I definitely don’t want to go to practice, work on my skills. Some games are tough. It’s a long 82-game season. It’s our job, it’s what we get paid to do. Ultimately we love our job,but it’s hard.”

Can’t we all identify with that? Great stuff, as he also talked about how tough it is to keep the faith.

That’s certainly the case now as we all wait for hockey and the other sports to return, with a little sense of normalcy and news coming up later this week with the NFL Draft.

“I’m just thankful,” Wagner said to Ripper, “that we don’t have to give you an awkward hug or handshake right now.”

That’s for sure. But really, these players gave their fans a huge hug on Sunday, and just for the sports and human aspect, it was very much needed.

Meanwhile, can’t wait until it’s Game On. Sunday’s Crossway Christian Church Bruins appearance was a perfect example of Life Still On.

Tom King may be reached at 594-1251,tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or @Telegraph _TomK.