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#BoyleStrong mural artist wanted to give Devils forward a ‘pick-me-up’

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A few blocks away from Madison Square Garden in New York City there’s a special piece of art honoring a New Jersey Devil.

Walk down to 28th and 7th avenue and you’ll find Tony Capparelli’s mural dedicated to Brian Boyle, who was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia last month.

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The #BoyleStrong mural is part of a larger collection of chalk art that Capparelli, a teacher at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and senior class illustration students have created for their annual “Chalk FIT” event.

Usually only students are involved, but this year Capparelli and two other teachers created pieces.

“I wanted to give a little get-well card for Brian Boyle because I heard about what was going on with him,” Capparelli told PHT on Friday.

The Boyle piece isn’t the first Devils-related art that Capparelli has done. If you’ve watched any Devils game featuring a celebration for a milestone or for a member of the organization, chances are you’ve seen some of his creations. He’s worked with the franchise since 1989, with his first piece the cover of the 1989-90 yearbook featuring goaltender Sean Burke.

Over the years Capparelli has done pieces with the New York Islanders, New York Rangers and other teams and leagues, but most of his stuff has been Devils-related, thanks to a long-time relationship with their former general manager, Lou Lamoriello.

The Boyle mural has received plenty of attention in the media and social media since its completion, which Capparelli said took roughly five hours over the course of a few days in-between classes. The Devils forward has yet to see it in person, but did notice it via Twitter.

The plan is to keep the mural up for a few months, which will likely require some touch ups depending on how the New York autumn and winter treats it.

“Just something in the heart of the city there that would be a pick-me-up,” he said.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.