Bruins pulled out all the stops for Vesey, to no avail

The Boston Bruins wanted to keep Jimmy Vesey at home, and they tried. Hard.

Born in North Reading, Mass., only 40 minutes north of Boston, and a Harvard product, Vesey clearly has ties to the area. In the end, though, he chose to sign with the New York Rangers, agreeing to a two-year deal in Manhattan.

But the Bruins will sleep Friday night knowing their pitch was their best.

The Bruins "did a great job" with their pitch, tweeted NESN and NHL Network's Billy Jaffe, who added that Boston was a finalist along with the Rangers and New Jersey Devils.

Close, but not close enough.