10:34 AM EST on Tuesday, March 23, 2004

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson Providence Bruins pugilist Brendan Walsh knows no limits when it comes to standing up for his teammates and the beloved Black and Gold.

BOSTON -- Groggy and dazed after a tough weekend of minor-league hockey, the Providence Bruins' Brendan Walsh emerges from the basement of his parents' house in the Dorchester section of the city ready for lunch.

The 29-year-old lives at home because that's where he wants to be. He's comfortable in these Irish-Catholic surroundings, and he's happy that he's playing professional hockey for the organization he grew up watching and imitating.

He goes to the Eire Pub, which is only a few blocks from his house, orders a bowl of beef stew and reminisces about his high school, college and professional careers in hockey.

Walsh was born and bred in Boston. He bleeds the Black and Gold of the Boston Bruins, and his accent and his blue-collar style of play reflect his upbringing. All you have to do is visit his home on Milton Avenue to realize he's a home-grown kid who isn't about to change.

He's one of the pugilists for the P-Bruins, a tough guy from the neighborhoods of Boston who will do anything for anybody. If he had $10 in his pocket and you asked to borrow some money, he'd give it to you. If one of his teammates had a problem, on or off the ice, he would take care of it.

Walsh is a product of the culture he was brought up in. His neighborhood is a place where no one locks his front door. If there is a problem, it's taken care of within the neighborhood. Walsh has lived with this philosophy his entire life. He plays the game of hockey the same way.

"Growing up in Dorchester and being a city kid, there's a tendency to put a few rough edges on you," said Walsh's high school hockey coach at Catholic Memorial, Bill Hanson. "To succeed you have to have a focus and you have to have a plan and persevere to get to the next level, and he's done a great job at doing that."

Walsh is in his fourth year as a pro. He has had stints with the Cleveland Lumberjacks (IHL), Jackson Bandits (ECHL), Wilkes-Barre Scranton (AHL), Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (ECHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) and San Antonio Rampage (AHL), but now he finds himself back in the old neighborhood, playing for his hometown organization.

But before he donned the spoked-P and became a fan favorite for his gritty, crash-and-bang goals and willingness to drop the gloves with anyone, Walsh grew up on the streets of Dorchester.

The Dorchester community is so tight and everything is so close, it's almost like living on an island, or even in Ireland, for that matter.

This time of year, most of the houses have the Irish Tri-Color draped from the front doors to honor St. Patrick's Day. The Walsh family, which numbers five, has lived here for 25 years. Walsh's father is a retired Boston firefighter and his mother works in the travel business. Along with his sister and brother, Walsh said his house was always full of laughter.

"I'm thankful for what I have," he said. "I don't take anything for granted. I'm thankful, I'm grateful. It's an awesome situation. Our parents made a lot of sacrifices for us. We learned the value of school, but we also had an education on the streets."

Walsh's education as a fighter began at a young age. On Saturday mornings, fathers used to take their sons to the McKeon V.F.W. Post for boxing matches for $5. Here, six-year-olds would put on heavy boxing gloves with no headgear and go at each other.

"We used to punch the [heck] out of each other," recalls Walsh.

It was that experience that taught him how to protect himself on and off the ice. The perfect example of this came during Bruins training camp last September. Fan favorite and icon P.J. Stock and Walsh dropped their gloves during an intrasquad game and the local kid got the decision.

"He's an agitator," said Stock. "He's the real deal, he's great. He's a great Irish kid from Boston. He's a street fighter on the ice. He plays really hard and he doesn't back down from anyone, and he's a great locker-room guy."

Walsh began playing hockey at age 4. Watching the Bruins on television was a big part of the Walsh household. The popcorn would be popping and the familiar opening of the broadcast would resonate through the house.

Hockey was something he wanted to be a part of.

Walsh played youth hockey. At age 14, he went to boarding school. Eventually, he ended up at Catholic Memorial and won two state titles under Hanson.

"He taught us to have a killer instinct," said Walsh of Hanson. "To play with fire every shift and play to win."

Deciding to stay local, Walsh played at Boston University for two years but had some differences with coach Jack Parker.

So, it was off to Maine, where he finished his collegiate career under Shawn Walsh before embarking on his professional career.

"He was the same player then that he is now," said Hanson. "Obviously, in high school, you couldn't fight, but there's an intensity when he plays the game. He has a focus when he plays the game. At age 17 and 18, he was all business. Once he gets in that locker room and puts his stuff on, he was incredible as a young kid to concentrate on the issue at hand.

"He's so loyal. He's fiercely loyal to whomever he plays with, and whoever he's playing for."

Because of his experiences as a kid in Dorchester, the feisty Walsh always stands up for his teammates. He takes the role of enforcer very seriously, sometimes personally. He learned at a young age to have an edge, and sometimes it's better to have a sharp tongue than a sharp answer.

"His toughness and his tenacity make him the player that he is," said Hanson. "There are a lot of hockey players out there who may be more talented than Brendan, but are working 9-5 jobs right now. He wanted it and he stuck with it and he's having success now."