Keith Garman Death, Obituary – On Wednesday, Patrice Bergeron, the captain of the Boston Bruins, encapsulated the sorrow felt by the whole National Hockey League squad. The Greater Johnstown High School graduate Keith Garman, who had served as the Bruins’ chef for the previous four years, passed away unexpectedly, according to the 18-year NHL veteran.
Bergeron was heard saying in the video that was shared on the Bruins’ official Twitter account, “Yesterday was an awful, horrific day for all of us.” “Chef Keith played a significant role in our team, family, and business. Every day, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, everyone in the corporation had to pass by his kitchen. I’m speechless right now.”
Garman, a 2008 Greater Johnstown alumnus, passed away suddenly on Tuesday at the age of 33. There was no mention of the reason of death.
In a statement provided by the organization, Bruins president and former star player Cam Neely said, “We are heartbroken by the tragic passing of our friend and our comrade, Chef Keith Garman. “Everyone who had the privilege of working with Keith over the past four years at TD Garden and Warrior Ice Arena adored him. Every player, coach, and staff member who walked into his kitchen saw the dedication, love, and care he provided to the rink every day.”
Garman, whose parents reside in Johnstown, graduated from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island before spending a decade working in restaurants throughout the Boston region. He joined the Bruins in 2018-19. “I felt like I hit my plateau in the restaurants and was kind of looking for a new opportunity,” Garman said in a 2020 BostonBruins.com article. “I reached out, told them my story, and talked about my passion for hockey. I don’t know if that contributed to the hiring process or not. They loved what I was doing and the rest is history.”
The dishes Garman cooked were well received by the Bruins’ players, coaches, and staff. In the statement, Neely noted that “he cared profoundly about giving the Bruins the absolute best meals, from his pan-seared salmon to his homemade soups to his game-day bolognese sauce to his legendary chocolate chip cookies.” He was just a chef of the highest kind. Sean McTighe, the hockey coach at Greater Johnstown High School, was Garman’s assistant coach when he played for the Trojans, so his praise wasn’t a surprise.
“He was a great kid, a really good student in school, a good teammate,” McTighe said. “He always came to the rink and worked hard. He was a model citizen on our team. It was a pleasure to work with him and get to know him.” McTighe said he hadn’t connected with Garman for a few years when he saw a BostonBruins.com feature article on the young chef in 2020. The story brought a smile to the coach’s face, just as news of Garman’s sudden passing brought heartache.
“It just hits home, being that he is so young,” McTighe said. “It really makes you reflect and put things in perspective. “It’s really sad to me because I saw how far he went (in his career). He was a good student and a good person. He really took his talents, had great schooling, and got what anyone would consider a dream job. To have it cut short is a sad situation.”
Garman played for the Eastern Conference Champion Boston Bruins, who lost to the Western Conference Champion St. Louis Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Superintendent Dr. Amy Arcurio of the Greater Johnstown School District expressed her sympathies to the Garman family. Keith Garman was an accomplished student-athlete at Johnstown High School who was able to combine his passion for hockey with his training in and competence in the culinary arts. “He was able to use his talents for the Boston Bruins organization and combine two things he was extremely passionate about. We are sending our condolences and prayers to the family of this great alumnus.”
Arcurio said Garman’s name recently was discussed prior to an announcement about a partnership between the culinary arts programs at Greater Johnstown School District and Penn Highlands Community College. “We had just talked about Keith last week because of the partnership we are having with the Penn Highlands’ culinary program,” Arcurio said. “We talked about the very successful culinary students and developed a list of those students whom we could go back to and feature in a video. His name was one of those.”
Garman certainly made his mark both locally and in the NHL. Bergeron described a young man who had an important role with the team and was respected by his teammates. Full Story
