I am a product of a generation who would fight to be Orr, Espo, or Chief when we played street hockey.  We idolized Derek Sanderson, Terry O’Reilly, and Wayne Cashman for the ferocity with which they played the game.  There was Cheesy (“please stay in the net Cheesey” as he was known in many a home) a battling goalie who’s legendary mask was littered with stitches.  They were larger than life and they were supposed to be our dynasty.  As a kid when your favorite team wins 2 Cups in three years, and is arguably known as the most feared team in the league, you think that will last forever.  I do not remember a single kid in school dressing up for Halloween as a member of the Patriots, the Red Sox or the Celtics; We All Wanted To Be Bruins.  But then Espo was traded, Orr left town, The Chief was still here (as he is today), but somehow the tide turned.  The Cup slipped through our fingers again in ’78 and then our hopes were pinned on a flashy young defenseman with a spark to ignite the smoldering embers of Cup dreams.  But it seemed the closer the Bruins got to returning The Cup to Boston, the harder the fall.  Don Cherry, Terry O’Reilly, Mike Milbury, were bench bosses that would make the toughest player tremble.  They kept the identity of the Bruins intact, the proud blue collar team that reflected the way its fans lived and loved their hockey.  However, still no banners, no ticker tape parades, and in the neighborhoods less and less black and gold, more and more red and blue.

Almost unforgivably, Mr. Jacobs had allowed this proud organization in a rich hockey community to become an afterthought.  The Boston Garden was torn down and replaced with a shiny new arena which seemed to change names as quickly as the Bruins changed their identity.  The magic was lost, the new building had no ghosts, the Gallery Gods had been chased from the balcony rafters, and the team was searching for its collective soul as Black and Gold bleeding hearts broke all over New England.  The last link between the Bruins’ storied past and hopeful future was traded away, so he could chase his own Cup dreams.

Then there was the “Lost Season” and the Dave Lewis era, and in an instant, Bruins hockey ceased to exist. There were players in black and gold jerseys taking the ice, (most times too many of them) and the last shred of pride seemed to have disappeared. Players did not seem to understand the Spoked B on the front was far more important than any name on the back.  Our Bruins hockey heroes were to be forged out of blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice, not a birthright or draft spot.  It was painful to watch what had become of my favorite team, and of what had become of a proud fan base that had openly embraced their favorite sons as members of the community.  At that point there was a huge chasm between the glory day and the present day.  There was a complete disconnect between ownership, management, coaches, players and fans.  This proud Original 6 organization was in trouble, the faith of the fans was shaken.  Players would always come and go, but we the faithful had remained and had been forgotten.  We wore our old sweaters, and spoke of the days of Cam Neely, Ray Bourque, Adam Oates, Don Sweeney, Craig Janney, Lyndon Byers, and Joey  Juneau represented the last touchstones of our B’s storied past.  Even though that generation of Bruins did not hoist the Cup, they pulled on their sweaters and played the game with pride, grit, and determination worthy of our hearts.

Then five years ago it seemed that the organization finally realized drastic changes needed to be made if the Bruins were going to survive, never mind return to a station of respect in their own league.  The city had left them behind, teh Celtics had revived their magic, and the Red Sox and Patriots now owned the airwaves, the sport pages, and the city was awash in red, white, and blue (not the favorite colors of your die-hard Bruins’ fan: see Habs).  New management was brought in, a new coach at the helm, trades made, free agents signed, a team started to take shape.  It seemed however that there was still a missing link between what the Bruins played like, and what it meant to be a Bruin.  There was talent being assembled, young and raw, as well as some more seasoned, but how long would it take for the team to reclaim their identity?

The Bruins surprised many in 07-08 pushing the top seeded Canadiens to 7 games.  In 08-09 they were absolute beasts on ice during the regular season, but Scott Walker provided the final dagger for a team that could not seem to live up to its building expectations.  Some would say Bruins fans are impatient, I would argue that we were far too patient for far too long.  The organization seemed to sense the need to put the team back in touch with its rich heritage, and the Winter Classic more than accomplished that goal.  The alumni game, the return of the old guard to be honored at games, The Statue, all seemed serve as an ongoing history lesson for the team, and a way to reconnect with the loyal fan base.  However, Bruins fans are nothing if not a cynical group.  We’ve been hardened by generations of disappointment and promises left unfulfilled.  By the time the team had hit rock bottom many of us had endured so many heartbreaking disappointments that the last of our forgiveness it seemed would be stolen from us on the stick of Danny Briere in game 7 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

Gut wrenching doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling of that loss to the Flyers.  Players, coaches, management none of them even attempted to provide answers or take accountability.  It was spirit breaking, how could we, as fans, been once again fooled into believing that this time would be different? How could the answer be “we don’t know what happened”, and the outcome ever change?  There was the missing link, a group of talented individuals “trying” does not a team make. In fact the problem seemed very clear, Bruins fans were dreaming about the day the Cup would return to Boston, but their team had not embraced that same dream. The 2010-11 regular season was anything but a “dream” season.  There were moments, glorious moments where I thought I was watching the Big Bad Bruins of years gone by, slugging their way through opponents, imposing their will.  There were head scratching lapses where the team seemed devoid of direction or purpose.  There was the loss of Marc Savard, crushing not solely for his value on the ice, but because if nothing else, Bruins fans love the guys small in stature who play the game with immeasurable heart.

Savvy was a Bruins reclamation project at a time the team was building the foundation for future success. Savvy was a player of unquestionable ability, however not known for working especially hard in any zone but the attacking zone. He was a bit of a flopper, and actually upon arrival best described as a bit of a whiner.  Yet, his growth as a player is an exact reflection of the growth of the Bruins team during his tenure.  He became dedicated to playing the game in all three zones, became a clutch playmaker, who would just as unselfishly block shots.  Losing Savvy this season hurt the hearts of Bruins fans and players alike.  It’s not a knee injury like Orr, or the leg/hip injury which cost Neely his career, it’s a devastatingly debilitating head injury, which stole many things from Savvy including the ability to  be there and celebrate the Cup victory with his team in Vancouver.  The loss of Savvy would have derailed a lesser Bruins’ team, but this year they used it as something to fuel their desire.  This team played for one another and they set a singular goal of becoming the team to return the Cup to Boston.  The embraced our dream, and made it their own and they did it AS A TEAM.

The ensuing celebrations and euphoria which has gripped the Bruins and their fans is reflective of just how amazing it is to realize your dreams.  I have said on more than one occasion, players pull on a jersey for a limited number of games, but fans hold a team in their heart forever.  For fans, each passing game over the last 39 years the dream of the Cup returning to Boston seemed to slip a little further away, until a team, the 2010-11 Boston Bruins, made it their singular goal for their fans to realize their dream.  Every hockey player dreams of that moment when the Cup is passed to him and he hoists the 35 pounds of glimmering silver above his head.  It is the moment which validates the physical and emotional toll of their chosen career; the men who have their names engraved on the Cup have a shared glory in the sacrifice necessary to claim their prize.  However as the 2011 Conn Smythe recipient, Tim Thomas said, “You wanted it, We got it”.  This Bruins team cemented the broken bond with their fans, not because they brought the Cup back to Boston, but because as the most beloved teams in Bruins history have done, they believed in our dream, as much as we the fans believed in them.

Thank You Bruins for reminding us old and cynical and young and hopeful alike, that dreams are worth having, and when they come true, celebrating with millions of others is worth every tear shed along the journey.  There will again be street hockey games returning to neighborhoods, fans clad in their black and gold heading to work on the Orange, Red, and Green line sharing a knowing smile, and young dreamers dressing as their favorite Bruins’ hero for Halloween.  Thank you Bruins for sharing our dream, and thank you for bringing the Cup home!

I begged for myself, and for fellow Bruins fans, for my team to make a commitment to a singular goal of winning the Cup.  The 2010-11 Bruins have had their ups and downs, but one thing is clear, the team, the management, and the coaches have not only committed themselves to this singular goal, they have done it in such a way that I could not be more proud to be a fan of this team.  Over the course of their history the Bruins have had a unique ability to endear themselves to their fans while ripping out their hearts.  Last year’s epic collapse was yet another chapter in the book of “Pain and Anguish in the Life of a Bruins Fan”.

As this post season began with the Bruins having dropped the first two games of the season on home ice to Montreal it seemed that Chapter 39 in the aforementioned book might be a short one, but impart a fatal blow to our hero.  Then something odd happened, with experts pointing at the glaring flaws and gaping holes in the game of the Bruins they bowed their backs, pulled together and battled.  The foe was the most hated and bitter, but that seemed to be just the tonic to cure what ailed the B’s.  The realization that you can’t buy the cup in a Pro Shop and that it has to be earned was suddenly real, and the gritty Habs proved to be the ideal galvanizing test for the Bruins and their fans.  Suddenly, with the baggage of past failures packed at their feet, fans began to profess their belief in the Bruins.  With a new hero in town who sports a constant smile in his first playoff campaign, to the netminder who gobbles up pucks like celebratory cheeseburgers, the Bruins needed every bit of magic the Gallery Gods could muster to escape the first round.  In doing so  they took with them a belief in themselves and so began the magical tour of Redemption.

Up next the pick of many pre-season prognosticators, including the geniuses at Verzion with their 82-0 campaign (thanks for that little gem) the Flyers.  Twice in my life the Flyers have dissolved me into a puddle of tears, not just because of the fact they eliminated my Bruins, but HOW they did it.  I swore I would never recover from last season’s heartbreak, but the round two 4 game sweep happened so fast, and so beautifully I hardly had a moment to relish the vindication.  Then onto the team I began to fear the day they announced their new General Manager, one of my all-time favorite NHL’ers, Steve Yzerman.  Stevie Y’s team was more than a formidable foe, their goalie Dwyane Roloson is also among my favorites, making for a bitter sweet series. Bitter that I had to root against a player I would, in any other situation, be cheering and celebrating, and sweet because my Bruins were on the threshold of something special.

After 6 games of a series which can best be described as “bizarre”, game 7 against the Lightening was the gem.  The moment I allowed myself not just to believe in my team, but that they at last believed in themselves and their ability to achieve their singular goal in the same way I did.  The moment I realized that Redemption was at hand. Redemption that may, or may not, come in the form of my team lifting The Cup, but is absolutely steeped in the realization and the belief that this team wanted The Cup as much as I did, and were willing to empty the tank to do it.

Which brings us to the Stanley Cup Final, and I write this as the Bruins trail the series 3-2, and while my belief in my team is stronger than ever, I have come to the realization that I could not be more proud to be a Bruins’ fan than I am right now, regardless of if they raise the Cup.  Redemption for this proud organization has come in the form of an ugly jacket handed down from teammate to teammate.  It comes in the form of two young rookies being forged into steely veterans in quest for the Cup by mentors who will be celebrated in Bruins lore the way we do O’Reilly, Neely, Bourque, Middleton, and Moog. It comes in the shape of a team banding together in the loss of their new hero to find resolve from their brawling netminder from Flint, Michigan; a lunch pail toting shot blocking German defenseman who casts his own long shadow; a penalty killing unit which has scored more goals short-handed than it has allowed; a quiet, respectful lockdown centerman, mocked and undervalued except in the town he has made his home.  The 2010-11 Bruins are the team I hoped they would be, the team I have been watching and waiting to arrive for the last 21 years.  The Bruins have redeemed the fans that have proudly called this team their own since 1924, and given birth to a new generation of Bruins fans who have caught black and gold fever under the blistering sun of hockey played in May and June.

The series is far from over, but I owe a debt of thanks to the Bruins for this magical post-season.  Thank you for believing in and sharing in our dream.  This team owns my heart in ways I never thought possible after the years of bitter disappointment.  Thank you for taking us on this magical roller coaster ride as you battle to bring the Cup home to us.  Thank you for being the team we have been waiting 21 years to be worthy of our tears, both in celebration and disappointment.

Game 6 on Monday night will be one of the proudest nights I have spent as a Bruins fan, and I know I am not alone.  We Believe, Bruins. WE BELIEVE!

Enter Roberto Luongo. The man with an ego as fragile as fine china, and despite great skill is so uncomfortable in his own skin that often watching him is at once both puzzling and painful.  Luongo has refined technique  but the door to his “kitchen” is a swinging one.  He possesses the physical skills to be an elite goalie in the NHL, but his stunning lack of mental toughness often makes it challenging for him to earn respect for his physical abilities.  He plays goal for one of the most potent offensive teams in the league, an embarrassment of riches for a goalie with his talent and abilities.  Yet he struggles, often on the biggest of stages, he has nary the sustained pressures nor the challenges of Thomas and Price, yet inexplicably after righting his listing ship in the Stanley Cup Finals he chooses to take a shot across the bow of Thomas and his play after game 5.  Could he really be so completely devoid of self-confidence that despite his team being ahead in the series 3-2 he would chose to go out of his way to poke the bear that mauled him last week?

In this series, with his team UP two games to none, Luongo made 46 saves on 58 shots, surrendering 12 goals and being pulled.  With his team’s back against the wall in those same two games, Thomas made 78 saves on 79 shots.  In the series, Luongo has made 141 saves, on 155 shots, while Thomas has made 161 saves on 165 shots. When his team has needed him most, Thomas has stood tall, as he has all season and throughout these playoffs.  Thomas continues to be the Bruins’ most valuable player, and in the 3 games after losing their most consistent and viable scoring threat in Nathan Horton, all Thomas has done is allowed 2 goals on 104 shots.  Yet instead of celebrating his team’s strong skating and physical performance in the Canucks’ game 5 win Luongo elected to take a snipe at Thomas and his aggressive style, which has stymied the vaunted offensive juggernaut.

Thomas and Price go out of their way to praise the play of their teammates after winning performances, and shoulder blame in games where it would be easy to point a finger.  Both have a deep respect and understanding for what it means to shoulder the hopes and dreams of deeply passionate fan bases, and not only rise to the challenge but do it in a way that often shames their fans into recognition of what the other has accomplished. Canucks fans cheered Luongo’s departure from Game 4 in the Stanley Cup final, and then celebrate his “genius” against a Bruins’ team that was in reality stifled by a Vancouver team who was determined to recapture home ice.  Did Luongo contribute to his team’s success? Without question, but make no mistake, there is no way Luongo would survive under the crushing scrutiny of netminders in either Montreal or Boston.

Thomas and Price are not only exciting players, with talent worthy of the praise and adulation of their fans. However their willingness to publically and genuinely admire and appreciate their opponent while savoring the battle, puts them among a class of elite goaltenders which Roberto Luongo can only hope to someday reach.  If Luongo’s name is engraved on the Cup this week he will not have earned an iota of additional respect from fans throughout the league, not because he is “undervalued” but because he has not yet learned that what fans already know, Luongo is not in the same class of Price and Thomas.

He was the Bruins first round draft pick in the NHL Entry Draft of 1981, he was the future, joining Barry Pederson and Steve Kasper as the young fresh faces ready to accept the mantle from Wayne Cashman, Terry O’Reilly, and Mike Milbury.  He was gifted, blessed with a goal scorer’s touch, a playmaker’s vision, excellent skating  ability, and a winning smile; as the 14^th pick in the draft he scored 14 goals and added 19 assists in his rookie season, he had arrived.  Normand Leveille had become a cult hero in Boston almost immediately, and it was easy to see why; his promise on the ice endeared him to the Hub’s puck heads, but that smile…no one it seemed had as much fun playing hockey for the Bruins as Norm.  As the 82-83 season began, young  Leveille notched 9 points in 9 games, and then tragedy struck.  In the 9^th game of the season, in Vancouver to play the Canucks, Leveille was felled by a congenital condition which caused a massive brain aneurysm and left him fighting for his life.

As a young B’s fan we had a rule in our house, on a “school night” we would watch the first period of the game on TV-38, and then head off to bed, only to switch on the radio to WBZ to listen to Bob Wilson with the call of the last two periods.  That night was different, it was a Saturday, and I was excited to stay up late and watch the whole game as the Bruins had gotten off to a great start, having lost only 1 game so far.  All these years later I still can’t put into words how confusing and crushing it was to watch that game unfold.  It was clearly not like the instant information age of today, but I mostly remember in the days and weeks that followed praying for “Normie” as he remained in a coma.  The idea that the 19 year-old would never play hockey again was a fleeting afterthought, as I was crushed by the realization that the young star was fighting for his life.  But fight he did, and today I still can not watch the video of Norm taking his final skate at the old Garden without again breaking into tears.

Normand continues his fight, and generosity of spirit by extending a hand to others in need, with the foundation of Centre Normand Leveille in 1995. “At Centre Normand-Léveillé, anyone living with a physical, intellectual or sensory (takes) part in various social and recreational activities appropriate to their age and abilities. (http://www.centre-normand-leveille.ca/).  Norm remains active in the Bruins’ Alumni, and although he only played briefly for the Bruins, he remains one of my favorite B’s and is a shining example of perseverance, generosity, and fierce determination.  He is vocal about the need for the NHL as a league to step up and protect its players. While he was born with his condition, many believe that the punishing hits of the previous games may have contributed to its early onset and devastating result.

Leveille’s final game as a Bruin was October 23, 1982, against the Vancouver Canucks, and I can think of no more fitting tribute to Normand than to have him begin the flag salute for the Bruins’ return to the Cup Final in Boston.  Norm is a Bruins’ legend, not because of the tragedy that ended his career, but because of how he has risen above the challenge, and continues to live his life as an example of perseverance.  He is and always will be a an example of what it means to be a Boston Bruin.

http://bruinslegends.blogspot.com/2007/02/normand-leveille.html

Yes, for those who have lived the history of the Bruins over the last 40 years, or who have had it passed down to them as a mantle of pride, understand that the weight of the expectations for a captain and coach in the city of Boston can crush a man and his spirit.  Zdeno Chara had the “C” sewed on his sweater before he skated a single shift for the Bruins, and Claude Julien inherited a train wreck known by three words which strike fear and shame in the hearts of Bruins fans around the globe the “Dave Lewis Era”.  The two men have been the target of the ire of fans and criticism of the media, with some validity, but often more due to the role which they possess.  There can be no argument however, that a Cup starved fan base did not want to hear about patience, or systems, or rebuilding, only one thing would satiate their thirst, watching their beloved Bruins drinking champagne from Lord Stanley’s Cup.

As Bruins fans we believe certain truths to be necessary (and absent) from the team’s 39 year Cup drought. Health, leadership, desire, desperation, and talent; some elements are beyond a player and coach’s control, others are believed to be well within their grasp.  Julien is a coach only a team could love, honestly no rabid fans base can be fired up to have him behind their bench, and his approach wore thin in franchises with lofty expectations in New Jersey and Montreal.  However, Julien, while much maligned, by this fan included, seems to finally have this edition of the Boston Bruins in lockstep with the “system”.  There have been missteps, even in the most recent series with Tampa Bay, and he often seems unwilling to become “involved” when the team loses traction.  However there is no mistaking when the team has played two of the most important Game 7’s in nearly 40 years, he has coached near flawless games.  The timing of his decision to call a timeout in gm 7 vs. Tampa Bay was perfect, as was the team’s structure, line combinations, use of Rich Peverley as a lockdown forward, and his defensive pairings.  There is little question that his unflappable demeanor is exactly what this team, which has been more often rattled than not in his tenure, has deaperately needed.  While not an evil super villain, the mild mannered banker has reigned supreme in this post season.

So, what is different about Zdeno Chara?  While many will point to leaders such as Mark Recchi, Shawn Thornton, Patrice Bergeron, and Tim Thomas as critical to the team’s success, I will attest it is Chara’s willingness to allow others to share in the leadership which has made this playoff run different than so many others.  Chara takes his role as captain, and one of the league’s premiere defenders, so seriously that it has in many situations led to his emotions getting the better of him. Until this season, the expectation of game 7’s seemed to be the only thing capable of crushing Big Zee.  After returning from his illness in the Montreal series there seems to be something different about Chara, and Dennis Seidenberg has quietly taken on a greater role at both ends of the ice, allowing Chara to maintain focus and play within himself.  It seems with virtually every playoff game Chara’s quiet confidence has grown and rippled out to his teammates.  It seems he has finally embraced the fact that while Orr and Bourque are living legends in Boston, there is no magic potion to drink (unless it is Coca-Cola) but being THIS team’s captain is about teaching every guy to share the load.  Chara no longer appears distracted with trying to “do it all”, and it is clear that the experience of Recchi and Thornton, both in the room as well as on the ice, are paying dividends for Chara and the Bruins.

No one man can win the Cup on his own, and it is of little surprise there are different heroes which emerge every night. However, for all of the criticism for their shortcomings in the last three playoff campaigns, Chara and Julien deserve credit for wrestling with the demons of four decades of mounting frustration and championship dreams.  Today the sun is shining on the Bruins and their fans, and Claude Julien and Zdeno Chara are stepping out of the shadows.

The Bruins took the body early, and seemed to feed off of the energy of the crowd.  The Lightning weathered the early storm, and then for a fateful 85 seconds pounced on three huge Bruins’ gaffes, and sucked the oxygen right out of the building. As the end of the period neared, The Kid, flashed through the neutral zone, popped the clutch, humiliated the lone Tampa Bay defenseman, and sniped a memorable first playoff goal.  It was the kind of individual effort that has the ability to energize, amaze, and seize momentum.  However as the Lightning dug-in to hold on to the two goal margin it was clear, the Bruins were trying to climb out of a hole, dug because they were not prepared for the moment.

The second period saw a mix of futility (aka The Power Play) and frustration.  The glow which the fans had basked in to start the game disappeared with each passing Power Play failure. The fans frustration spilled over with each blind pass to the point from the half-wall, resulting in the Bolts’ PK never even needing to break a sweat.  All the while, fans in the stands rumbled with the sentiment that since things couldn’t get much worse where was The Kid?  The puzzling lack of ice time for Tyler Seguin on the PP, or at even strength, was further exasperated by Claude Julien insistence on “The System” of rolling four lines.

Apparently Coach Julien’s lack of creativity and flexibility will be on display in this series as it was the first round versus Montreal.  Shockingly while Bruins fans, and Lightening coach, Guy Boucher, see the similarities between the Bolts and Habs, Julien isn’t as quick to recognize the fact the team speed, finesse play, and defensive system aren’t the best match for the Merlot line.  In fact Julien was so oblivious that twice Boucher was able to make a line change which saw Shawn Thornton, Dan Paille, and Gregory Campbell matched up against Steven Stamkos’ line and badly hemmed in their own zone. Need more examples of questionable personnel management? On the PK, against one of the top PP units in the playoffs, Julien countered the loss of Patrice Bergeron with Mark Recchi seeing substantial time on the PK, in fact stuck on the ice for 1:02 of PK time during a second period PP, one of the factors leading to Recchi having the most ice time of all Bruins’ forwards.

So yes, while it was only game one there are glaring issues at hand.  First and foremost, Julien will be outcoached and out classed by Boucher.  Boucher has the flexibility and foresight to switch in and out of an aggressive forecheck or utilize the 1-3-1.  The Bruins seem programmed to only one kind of breakout, and were noticeably flustered and off-balance by the wrinkles incorporated into the Bolts game plan.

The inability for the Bruins to step-up on the face-off dot in the absence of Bergeron was glaring and in fact humiliating.  David Krejci was manhandled on the dot, and all the while, a pure center (who could not have done any worse than Krejci) sat picking splinters out of his butt, with less ice time than Paille.

The Bolts were ready for the Eastern Conference Final, their coach is showing how absurd it was that he was not a finalist for the Jack Adams award.  With both the Bruins players, and their coach clearly outmatched in game one, the Bruins fans sadly followed suit.  After waiting 19 years for a return to the ECF the Bruins fans struggled with their own composure.  Booing the team’s powerplay (dismal or not you do NOT boo your team), littering the ice with debris, actually causing multiple issues and a stoppage in play, and could have just as easily caused an injury to a member of the Bruins. Then they left…walked out. After Johnny Boychuk lost his cool and threw a punch, drawing a roughing penalty, which the Bolts converted ending the slim hopes for any comeback.  Apparently, since the fans couldn’t keep their composure their symbiotic relationship with their team remainedintact; as Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic were a complete embarrassment at game’s end with the dynamic duo throwing sucker punches.

Welcome to the big time boys and girls.  It is the ECF, you can’t throw temper tantrums when things don’t go your way, and the display by fans, players, and even the coach demonstrated just how long it’s been since the Bruins were among the ranks of the league’s elite.  The Bruins’ and their fans need to put on their grown-up clothes and roll-up their shirtsleeves if they are going to make a run at a talented, focused, and composed Bolts team.  Not lost on this spectator, who stayed until the bitter end, is the fact that The Kid, who was supposed to be so ill prepared for this opportunity that Julien has had him parked on the 9^th floor for a month, had as many hits as he had points (2), and skated hard every shift.  The Kid wasn’t perfect, and I have yet to see a player who doesn’t make a mistake, much less at age 19.  However, the one player who was a mere infant the last time the Bruins played on this stage was among the team’s best forwards. Of course in the infinite wisdom of their leader, the Bruins had today off, I guess being 0-4 on the power play, and only generating 4 shots and struggling with breakouts and zone entries isn’t any reason to practice.

Only one thing is certain, the Bruins, their coach, and their fans need to bring their “A” game on Tuesday. While there are many similarities between the Bolts and the Habs, giving back a series, after taking an 2-0 series lead is not likely one of them.

Bruins fans, as loud and energetic as the Garden was on Thursday, tonight MUST have a game 7 atmosphere! As fans, the Garden faithful must lift their team on their shoulders and carry early momentum for the team. The Habs will try and withstand the early storm, which they know is brewing, but as the 7th man, the Bruins crowd must be the x-factor. Tonight it is imperative the fans and their team become one, as they have so many times in the days of Orr, Bourque, and Neely. Tonight, it’s not about hand wringing if the powerplay has early struggles, it is about creating a wave of emotion to lift the team to new heights.

Long ago the Bruins captured the hearts of Boston fans by symbolizing what it meant to be an underdog, roll up their sleeves, and fight their way to new heights; tonight the team needs to hear, see, and feel the fact that Bruins fans Believe!

So tonight at the Garden I will take my place in the balcony, and raise my voice to the rafters, and hope to be joined by the legion of Bruins fans in the Garden and in living rooms across Massachusetts, the northeast, and around the globe. Tonight as Bruins fans we must steady our team, fuel their spirit, and let them know they are still OUR team! There is an entire generation of Bruins fans who see themselves in the eyes of their team. Tonight is the kind of game which fans look back on years from now as the night their favorite players became heroes.

Don’t be shy Bruins fans, tonight is a night which can rekindle the magic between a team and its fans. In the words that rang from the rafters of the old Garden, and serenaded Cheevers, Moog, Sweeney, Doak, Oates, Marcotte, Cashman, Park, O’Reilly, and Middleton…HERE WE GO BRUINS ~ HERE WE GO!

For the apologists who think last night was just “a regular season game” or the Bruins are saving themselves for the playoffs, or the myriad of other black and gold colored glasses excuses, just rewind back two seasons. A chance to close out Carolina, failed, a chance to close out the Flyers, EPIC fail. A chance to close out the Leafs last week, failed. A three goal lead on a leg weary and desperate Rangers team, who played a desperate hockey game the afternoon before to a shootout, you guessed it…FAILED.

The lip service of “this serves as an excellent lesson” is old and weary. After their series collapse against the ‘Canes two years ago there was a parade to the podium with players saying they learned, and this would not happen again. Then the epic record setting, monumentally embarrassing implosion of a year ago, which still makes fans cringe has apparently not left the same indelible mark on the players and coaches. The appalling lack of ownership and responsibility by players and coaches for last night only serves as notice, don’t expect this team to do anything magical anytime soon.

For two weeks we’ve been treated to sound bite after sound bite of players and coaches pronouncing their intentions to make a run “deep” into the playoffs. Yet, when faced with two opportunities to demonstrate their words are not empty rhetoric, they have gone belly-up. The post game remarks?? Coach Julien pontificated that after obtaining the three goal lead the team “got too cute” and “abandoned the game plan”, wow, really coach? From my couch I could feel it slipping away in the second period, never mind taking the ice in the 3rd with the lead whittled down to a single goal. Call a time out? Break up the disastrous d-pair of McQuaid and Ference? shuffle some lines?? Anything?? Nope, point the finger back at the players, take no ownership for not being part of the solution. Make no mistake, the players are the ones who ultimately implement the system, but who puts them on the ice? Who dictates the pace and tempo of a game escaping their grip? If there is no role or responsibility for the coaches, then why do we need them at all? A favorite quote often uttered by legendary NFL coaches Bill Parcells and Vince Lombardi is “when a team wins, the credit should belong to the players, and when a team loses the blame should fall to the coach”, clearly not subscribed to in Boston.

So if it’s not Coach Julien to blame, let’s look at the players. The team iced it’s “playoff line-up” against a team who has had their backs against the wall for the last 10 to 15 games. The same Rangers team they faced just a week ago, who threw themselves in front of pucks, diving and dropping sticks to earn power play time, and in general sacrificed themselves in anyway possible for victory. This time, the Bruins threw everything, including the kitchen sink at the net, including bodies, and dominated the first 20 minutes of play, staking themselves out to a seemingly insurmountable three goal lead. Then nothing. It was as if someone had flipped the proverbial switch that so many in Boston refer to when speaking of their teams. The Celtics claim to be able to flip it at will, the “idiots” flipped it in 2004, the Pats had idled their way through an undefeated season and forgot to flip it in the Superbowl, and now the Bruins…flipped it to “cruise control” after 30 minutes of hockey, too bad it’s a 60 minute game.

The team handed over control of the game, simply refusing to impose their will and close out a game they SHOULD HAVE WON. Full marks to the Rangers, for not going quietly into that good night; for fighting with the will, heart, and desire befitting a champion. The Bruins have learned nothing, and as a fan of this team it is crushing to see that a group this talented simply refuses to invest themselves in a MISSION to win a Stanley Cup. It is the most hallowed championship in all of sport, won not on the podium, but through total sacrifice, physical and mental. This team is showing no signs that is any different than the last two seasons, a team that talks about wanting to win a Cup, but has no grasp on what it means to actually commit themselves fully to that mission. Unfortunately there is no one at the helm hold them to that standard of play and commitment.

One of the most impressive things in watching Chicago lay claim to the Cup last season was the aura and feeling that they simply would not be denied. This Bruins team does not glow with that aura, and in fact seems to predictably bow under the weight of those expectations. Sadly, it appears to be another season of unfulfilled promise. Enjoy the team for the final few games of the season, and what will likely be another disappointing short stay in the post season. The Bruins organization does not demand excellence, and the fan base continues to accept the empty promises of the management, the coaches, and the players, and the ticket prices continue to rise. It is no longer enough to watch “entertaining” hockey, with the hope that the team will make a good showing in the playoffs. Unfortunately, as was written in a piece born out of frustration this summer, the players do not bleed black and gold and own the identity of this organization the way their fans do. If they fail, there is another 82 game season in October, either in Boston, or in another city, and doubtless they will be disappointed, but not incapable of seeking out another opportunity. The fans of the Boston Bruins deserve a better fate, and a team dedicated to a singular goal, not hoping or trying, but putti everything else aside for the commitment of bringing a Cup back to Boston.

Well…wait until next year.

It has somehow become their identity, and lacks reason and is completely infuriating. How is it possible the team can talk, to a man, about having learned the lesson of last year’s playoff debacle, or claim to recognize how important it is to play a complete game, the need to keep their foot on the gas pedal, or play to prepare to win playoff battles, or any of the other 105 cliches they spout to please the media and their fans; all while failing to send a divisional rival and an inferior team packing for the golf course AT HOME.

Certainly, the Leafs were the more desperate team, but make no mistake, the Bruins failed to close the deal, AT HOME, something that is becoming increasingly more worrisome.  Never mind the obvious fact that playoff heartbreak served up at home over the last two post-seasons has many Bruins fans teetering on the edge of reason, but the puzzle of the Bruins struggles at home remains an immediate concern heading into the current post-season campaign, and the team has as of yet found a consistent solution.

Claude Julien’s selective memory: SO Michael Ryder has been a complete no show for more than half the season, and is forced back into the line-up due to the injury to Shawn Thornton (which should be notice enough the Ryder should have an exceptionally short leash). However after several listless shifts, Ryder was rewarded with time on the PP, perhaps to serve notice to Brad Marchand that he shouldn’t let his emotions get the better of him?? Honestly Claude, I would rather live with the folly of young Marchand playing with an edge and running his mouth a bit than reward the play of Ryder, devoid of any personal investment nor energy.  Marchand gave the team a much needed boost early in the 2nd period when he jumped on the ice, and capitalized on a Leafs’ PP turnover, burying it for the game tying shorthanded tally.  Does Marchand chirp? Absolutely, he is also one of the hardest skating, and consistently most invested Bruins this season. But yes Claude, continue to squash that spirit, the LAST thing we want in Boston is a player with youthful exuberance, reminiscent of classic pot stirring Bruins like Ken Linsemen.  Yes, of course Claude, a team that is struggling for that emotional lift will certainly get it from the play of Ryder.  If there is not a more glaring sign of Claude’s inability to guide the Bruins to Cup, it is his complete inability to manage personnel and his blind allegiance to a player who has not EARNED the privilege to dress for a single playoff game.

Great, so there aren’t any shootouts in the playoffs, but there are plenty of coaching decisions and player personnel decisions and again Claude Julien’s late season decisions do not instill confidence in that area.  Those comfortable on blaming injuries for the Bruins exits the last two seasons are missing the pointed evidence of one of Julien’s primary shortcomings, player personnel management and creativity.  Julien was out coached by Peter Laviolette last spring, and with the “all-important” opportunity to match lines, and create favorable match-ups at critical junctures with home ice there is still no evidence Julien is capable of puling a rabbit out of his hat, or even a horseshoe from wherever Joe Thornton thinks it may reside, to utilize that home ice advantage.

Julien has the team doing battle drills to prepare to play with an edge as they enter the playoffs, but the coach could use some help in that area as well.  Perhaps the “shell” the Bruins went into in the 3rd is not his doing, but giving Marchand “an earful” is the least of his worries.  The inability to guide his team to close out victories against desperate teams, like last night, is just as emblematic of the potential failure in the playoffs as anything.  For some unknown reason Julien’s teams struggle to roll up their sleeves, get dirty and crush the spirit of other teams.  They seem content to play on the fringes and conserve energy, to fight another day.  At some point they need to understand, there are not an infinite number of days.

This Bruins team needs to somehow grasp the immediacy of this season’s playoff run, the East is wide open and ready for the taking.  There has not been a better opportunity since the lockout for the Bruins to stake their claim, and impose their will to take the Cup.  This team should not need to look any further than Marc Savard, to see that things do not always go as planned, and there are a limited number of opportunities like this one, presented in their careers.  Perhaps the core of the team is too young to grasp this on their own, and certainly players like Mark Recchi and Tim Thomas must serve as some inspiration to GET THE CUP NOW!  However, the players are not the only ones necessary to capture the Cup, there is nary a team in memory who has lifted the Cup “in spite” of their coach.  So it is time for players and coaches to grasp the mission at hand, GET THE CUP NOW, no more “wait until next year” or “we tried, but came up short”, start leading, coaching, and playing with the steely determination of a champion.

Loud and proud fans of the Montreal Canadiens, travel well, and they flocked to the Garden as they always have, hoping to make Boston a home away from home for their team. However there was something different in the air last night, the Bruins in their fans sent a resounding message, “This is OUR House”, and together, made it a memorable night in Boston.

Was it a Stanley Cup win, no of course not, and with a desperate New York Rangers team heading to the Garden on Saturday there is little time to rest on the laurels of Thursday night’s effort. It was a complete 60 minute effort, and true Bruins’ hockey; something a Cup starved fan base has been searching for since the team’s resurgence three seasons ago.

It was a Garden Party of sorts, fans high-fiving, fist pumping, and singing…hopefully a glimpse into the future for games in June.

Ryding the Pine…
If there was ONE player who did not seen to be invested or swept up by the emotion of the moment is was former Hab, Michael Ryder. Despite given the opportunitynto skate with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi for 2/3 of the game, Ryder’s play was more reflective of the tentative and sleepy Habs. Unable to win battles along the wall, turnovers in all three zones, he was worse than invisible, he was an anchor.

As young Tyler Seguin continues to find the sandpaper for game, and is growing in front of the eyes of the Black and Gold faithful, Ryder is regressing. It is time to brush the dust off of Dan Paille and insert him on the 4th line, where he will skate hard, and contribute to the PK, and move Marchand back to Bergeron’s wing. The mopey Ryder who “doesn’t know where he stands” has worn out his welcome, and if he is not capable of at the very least, skating with the intensity of his linemates, then it is time to move on.

Ryder was Julien’s guy, and he has been given more rope than any Bruin in Claude’s tenure, and his fragile ego has been treated with kid gloves, Enough is Enough! The goal is for this Bruins team to play 26-30 more games with the same effort and intensity of last night. If Ryder can not get “up” for a game when all of his teammates are skating every shift like it might be their last, then it is time to close the book on the Ryder reclamation project.

The Bruins can ill afford a Habs hangover on Saturday, next up on the dancing bear’s menu? Blueshirts!

What should not go unnoticed on is the apprehension which was bottled up tightly among the Garden faithful, and seemed to be released simultaneously with Chara’s PP strike. See the Bruins had been struggling, no doubt, but for two seasons have seemed to struggle even more in front of the home crowd. Bruins have also been iced at home in consecutive 2nd round game 7 debacles, leaving many Boston fans scratching their heads.

Bruins fans have long taken pride in being the team’s 7th player, and making opponents squirm. After a monstrous run at home in 08-09, the last two seasons the Bruins seem to be struggling a bit, maybe even pressing a bit too hard under the weighty expectations of the Bruins’ fans. The mantra of 08-09 was “WE Want it”, and Bruins fans spontaneously showered e Bruins with it In the emotional game 7 vs. The Canes. What has happened since is something that simply drives Bruins fans crazy, the Bruins seemingly have forgotten how to play at home.

There is a symbiotic relationship between this team and its fans; take the body, and the crowd gets amped; the crowd stars singing to opposing net minders, players, or rising in unison with “Let’s Go Bruins” chants…the team feeds off of that energy. But it takes two to tango, and tonight, in a game against two bitter rivals the Bruins need the fans to be involved, and the crowd needs their team to embrace the moment!

Tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens will be a glimpse into the heart and soul of the Bruins. Not because of the pot stirring media, not because of the rhetoric flying on both sides of the border, but because if this team is SERIOUS about winning a Cup, THIS GAME, is their galvanizing moment.

The Habs are fast, very fast, have had tremendous goalkeeping from Carey Price, and have battled the “Injury Ninja” and remain on the Bruins’ heels for the Northeast Division lead. For generations, he Bruins have been the equivalent to the Habs little brother, living in the shadow of sustained tradition and excellence, never quite able to do what is necessary to grab the spotlight for themselves.

To the “so-called” Bruins fans who sold their tickets for a quick buck to Habs fans, looking to even out the home ice advantage of the Garden, you should feel shame. The lack of team pride is and deplorable and your willingness to sell-out your team and fellow fans is regrettable. Those actions are making every other Bruins fan in attendance work twice as hard and personally, you don’t deserve to be in the Garden tonight.

Tonight, at home, he Bruins need to embrace the moment, and make a statement…no, not a smash you in the mouth statement, but a “we are in this, to WIN this” statement. Empower their fans, who have been waiting for decades, to KNOW their team was willing to make whatever sacrifice necessary to raise the silver chalice.

Yes Bruins, this is your moment, the playoffs begin TONIGHT, in Boston, this is NOT just one of the 82 games you can shrug off when the post-season begins. Take control of your destiny, and help us fans blow the roof off the Garden tonight!!

The Bruins have had a long and interesting line of coaches since their last visit to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1990 guided under the watchful eye of one, Mike Milbury.  Names such as Rick Bowness, Brian Sutter, Steve Kasper, Robbie Ftorek, and Mike Sullivan struggled to do anything more than fuel the post-season frustration of Bruins’ fans, despite seemingly having the personnel necessary to do more than fulfill the moniker of being “one and done” in the playoffs.  In that string the Bruins were coached by arguably one of the finest hockey minds of the generation, Pat Burns; the last Bruins’ coach, prior to Julien to win the Jack Adams’ Award, and the last B’s mentor to get past the first round of the playoffs since 1992.  How bad has the bench boss position been in Boston? Ten years removed from the Bruins’ cup run even NHL coaching legend Mike Keenan couldn’t deliver the goods, earning the dubious honor of becoming the first Bruins’ coach to miss the post season since 1966.

For many years Bruins’ fans were quick to point to the Bruins’ management for many of the team’s woes, failure to secure top flight players, failure to keep top flight players, not securing the best coaching to motivate Bruins’ players, or direct a style of play which Bruins’ fans could embrace.  The culmination of fruitless management and fan frustration was evident in the 2006-07 season; the Bruins’ a proud Original 6 franchise had hit rock bottom with Dave Lewis.  The listless, play of the Bruins was an insult to generations of Bruins’ and their fans, what’s more, the team seemed to have strayed far from the franchise’s identity and became a painful joke for their fans.

Enter GM Peter Chiarelli and his hire, Claude Julien, and the reclamation project of the Boston Bruins had begun.  In 2007 the Bruins went on a stretch run, eerily similar to the current run of desperation of the New Jersey Devils.  They backed into the 8^th seed in the waning days of the regular season, and very nearly turned the upset of a generation, rallying to take the top seeded Habs to game 7 of the opening round.  Julien did not invoke wizardry for the transformation, just structured a simple defense first system, employing a north/south game with an emphasis on an opportunistic offense, born out of turnovers created via the neutral zone trap.  It should have looked familiar to many, it was the same system Julien utilized in New Jersey, leading the club to 107 regular season points, just prior to being terminated.  Despite being the Atlantic Division Champs, and seeded #2 in the Eastern Conference, it was widely reported that Devils’ GM, Lou Lamoriello fired Julien in early April based on his impression the team was not prepared for a run to the Cup.

Is it little wonder that fans in the Hub are uneasy about Julien’s pedigree and ability to lead a team on a run to the Cup?  Despite regular season success in both Montreal and New Jersey, the furthest a Julien lead team has travelled in the post-season was the second round, and back to back Game 7 losses with the Bruins.

Julien’s disciplined style has been both wildly successful, and roundly criticized.  It has clearly been a source of success as well as frustration, as it has allowed the team to mask weaknesses in the way of lacking a perennial top 10 sniper, but has been blamed for stifling offensive creativity and at times has put a strangle hold on the physical play of two players who thrive on the emotion physicality provides, Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara.  In addition, Julien’s hallmark of “rewarding” players, has lacked consistency, especially in the last two seasons, as certain favorites never seem to raise his ire (see: Michael Ryder) as easily as others who may slump (David Krejci).  Then there is his puzzling struggle to nurture and develop young talent, especially young forwards.  Julien may very well be a “my way or the skyway/9^th floor” kind of coach, but it seems to only be when it suits him.  Young talented players Phil Kessel, Blake Wheeler, Vladamir Sobotka all wilted under the heavy hand of Julien.  Young forwards Krejci and Lucic have also struggled to please the bench boss consistently, but reuniting them on the Bruins’ top line has gone a long way to bolstering their confidence of late.  Julien pension for publically calling out some players, while letting others seemingly slide only lends to the “favorites” theory.  Prior to the last 15 game stretch, Julien called out Krejci for lack of consistent production while Ryder and Nathan Horton, both mired in deep droughts weren’t publically flogged to near the same extent.  It is worth noting young defensemen Johnny Boychuk , Adam McQuaid and Steve Kampfer have not struggled to the same magnitude as the young forwards have under Julien.  Perhaps that is the strength of Julien’s system, or perhaps it is Julien’s ability to clearly communicate his expectations as a former NHL defenseman.

Then there is young Tyler Seguin.  When the Bruins made the decision not to send Seguin back to junior hockey there was only one choice for Julien, to work closely with the talented first round pick and mentor him in building his game.  Julien’s system is challenging for players who have logged seasons in the NHL, and in the best of circumstances a young player who is learning the NHL game and Julien’s system simultaneously will encounter a sizable learning curve.  Julien seemingly “simplified” Seguin’s life by basically relegating him to the bench in the 3^rd period, even early in the season when points are not necessarily at a premium, but learning experiences are plentiful.  After a recent benching Seguin returned to play with both “high energy” (sorry, but a spokesman he is not) and a willingness to pursue the puck and go hard to the dirty areas.  His reward? A healthy scratch in favor of Daniel Paille, a defensive forward, by virtue of the fact he has hands of stone.  Julien pontificated that Paille was being inserted on the 4^th line as it needed an “identity” and personality, and if you read between the lines, somehow that is more valuable than the speed, playmaking, and scoring threat that Seguin possesses well and above anything Paille can generate on his best day.

When examined closely, Julien’s biggest bugaboos, his proven inability to make changes on the fly, and the continued struggle of the power play come to light.  Julien has been guilty of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in each of the last two post seasons, lest we forget the Bruins were not only up 3-0 in the series to the Flyers, but also 3-0 in the painful and humiliating game 7.  His defense first shell collapsed, and after the team suffered the loss of Krejci, Julien was never able to shuffle the deck in any way to close out the series.  On Saturday, at home, against the Penguins and in the midst of a 7 game win streak, the Bruins skated without Patrice Bergeron and Steve Kampfer, and played with an astonishing lack of chemistry, despite having won 7 straight games.  Line shuffling throughout the game, the team seemed disjointed and lost.  Once again, after all of the demands for a powerplay quarterback the Bruins management acquired Tomas Kaberle, and while the puck is at least moving, the PP is no closer to being a weapon.  Given the fairly consistent success of the Bruins penalty kill, one would think that Julien would be able to devise some sort of PP to at least generate scoring opportunities.

Not unlike the fact that top tier goalkeeping from Tim Thomas was able to hide the cracks in the Bruins armor early on, the fact the Bruins earned 15 of a possible 16 points is also clouding the issue for many staunch Julien supporters.  Was Julien the best man for the reclamation project in 2007?  There is little argument that his team defense and trap style allowed the Bruins to seize opportunities, and likely win games that they should not have won in year one of his tenure.  The more important question, given the addition of Chris Kelly, Rich Peverely, and Kaberle along with the stellar play of Thomas, Bergeron and burgeoning confidence of Krejci, Lucic, and Tuukka Rask is this…Is Claude Julien the best coach to bring the Stanley Cup to Boston?  Maybe it is moot, since there is no one waiting in the wings to take the reins the way Harry Sinden or Lamoriello did at signs of trouble with their teams in the past.  However, this is the best team the Bruins have iced in over 20 years, and in the salary cap era there are no longer dynasties, but teams who seize the moment and capture their destiny.  Only time will tell if Julien is able to shake the moniker he has earned over the last 5 seasons as an NHL head coach and prove himself as a big game coach, and capable of out managing the likes of Dan Byslma, Peter Laviolette, Guy Boucher, Bruce Boudreau, Mike Babcock, Terry Murray, Joel Quenneville, and Todd McLellan en route to capturing the Cup.  Until then…the questions will linger.

Fast forward 39 years, and Bruins fans have been living off the hope and promise of “The Goal”, for almost four decades, having had Cup dreams dashed in the finals at the hands of the Flyers, Canadiens, and Oilers.  In fact each season since their last finals appearance in 1990 has begun with fans of the Black and Gold daring to dream of watching their heroes vindicate the promise of the Big Bad Bruins, only to see them fall in an unceremonious and heartbreaking ways; the last insult coming at the hands of the Flyers proving almost too much for the proud fans of the franchise to take.

Fans who have boldly given their hearts to Bruins have suffered the indignity of having it ripped out at almost every turn, as the hockey world chooses to continually highlight their collapse last spring as the NHL’s post lockout signature moment.  Fans of the Black and Gold have lusted for the swagger and the talent of the Big Bad Bruins to return to The Garden, and have been treated to glimpses against the Stars and the Habs this season.  The resurgence of the ultimate lunch pail netminder, Tim Thomas was seen by many as a harbinger of a “now or never” moment for the B’s, but in the eyes of the deservedly pessimistic Bruins fan there were clearly flaws, gaping holes to be filled, in order for the B’s to be considered serious contenders for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

In the past, Bruins fans have pointed their collective fingers at the miserly ways of the Jacobs brothers for their death grip on the purse strings, resulting in the failure to assemble the pieces necessary for a serious Cup contender.  In the team’s recent resurgence under the wheeling and dealing of GM Peter Chiarelli, ownership can no longer be seen as the villain; spending to the NHL cap, while of course charging $8.00 for flavored water (beer).  However ironic it may seem, the home of the original, and game defining, puck moving defenseman has been void of hockey’s mythical lynchpin since favorite son, Raymond Bourque, departed Boston on his quest for the Holy Grail.

Along the way the Bruins have shown glimpses of being the kind of team which when choosing to dictate tempo and style is one of the league’s most dangerous teams, again almost forcing their way into the discussion of Cup contenders.  What was notably absent from being considered among the league’s elite? A puck moving defenseman, and a few seasoned players forged with the steely determination, contagious in a room of willing and eager youngsters.  Enter Tomas Kaberle, Chris Kelly, and Rich Peverely, a trio well versed in doing the little things which are signatures of Bruins’ hockey, physical grinding hockey, team defense, and yes…a puck moving defenseman to run the show on the PP.

Kaberle is not Orr, nor Bourque, however he does bring both the ability and the confidence to afford the Bruins the luxury of returning to their North/South style of play, and to allow the Bruins to employ their rock ‘em, sock ‘em style from their physical d-men through to their power forwards.  Peverley and Kelly upgrade the depth and experience of the forwards, and should provide the necessary competition for ice time which seems to have already ignited young forwards Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand.

Yes Bruins fans, Peter Chiarelli and the Bruins management paid a price to bring what we all hope are the final pieces to solve the puzzle of returning the Stanley Cup to Boston; but after nearly 40 years it is time to put on the Black and Gold colored glasses and look at this Cup as half full. It’s time to raise your glass and cheer loudly, this is the most talented team the Bruins have fielded since 1990, and dreams of seeing the Bruins playing hockey in June may just become a reality!

Dare to Dream Bruins fans, and join the Bruins in making the Garden the most dreaded stop for all opponents on the road to the Cup.

* Where are the critics who lamented the Milan Lucic signing, and who continued to state he is overhyped or overrated? The kid set a goal of scoring 20 goals THIS SEASON, and has reached the mark at the break with the GWG vs. the Panthers on Wednesday, January 26^th. Not too shabby, and after seeing his snipe against Vokoun all the time he spent working on his shot under the tutelage of Mark Recchi over the last two seasons is paying dividends.

* Complete and utter failure by many Bruins fans (and some scribes) who expect Tyler Seguin to be a finished NHL product at 18 yrs old. Remember Steven Stamkos as a rookie?  Give the kid a break, he came straight from juniors where he could easily rely on his natural ability in almost every situation.  The speed of the game, additional defensive responsibilities, and the physical nature of the NHL takes a bit of adjustment.  Give the kid a break, he clearly cares, and wants to learn. He will be a major factor in the success of the Bruins for years to come.

Would LOVE to see Coach Claude Julien cut the kid some slack too.  Glad to see him not put him in situations to fail, especially when the team needs to play tough in the own end to hold a lead late, but give him some line mates to help him grow!! Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder?? I realize Julien thinks Ryder hung the moon, but is he the example you want Seguin to aspire to emulate? Biggest fear is that come playoff time Julien will wreck this kid, his track record with managing young players in the post-season is ugly, at best!

* Hate the fact that people feel the need to weigh in on if Marc Savard should retire or not.  Are these the same people who thought Patrice Bergeron would never come back following his subsequent concussion during his comeback season?  Or that he was never going to return to form and was an albatross?? Yes, concussions are serious business, and there is EVERY reason to be cautious.  I was shocked at the fact Savard played after sustaining the hit vs. the Pens which resulted in him being shaken up and a stiff neck, and to me it indicates management (or the B’s medical personal) still does not know how to communicate the big picture on a SLOW return to Savard, or have the guts to just hold him out as he finds his feet (and 20 games back does not constitute the ability to completely ignore the need to manage his return).

* Nathan Horton needs a new stick, and about 4000 pucks to conduct his own private skills competition over the break.  Seriously, wouldn’t hurt to have a shot “doctor” work with him, it’s not like baseball players in hitting slumps don’t have someone help diagnose their swing, or build confidence via extra time in the cage.

* Steve Kampfer (right now) everything fans hoped that Matt Hunwick would be, and more.  I hope he continues to grow into his role, and his demonstrated mental toughness and ability to play through mistakes leads me to believe he will continue be a true student of the game.

*Brad Marchand: Mayor of Munchkin Land, King of the Lollipop Guild, Motormouth, The NOSE…could just steal the Calder while everyone sleeps.  “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”

* Patrice Bergeron is one of the most underrated centermen in the game.  I desperately wanted him to be in the Selke conversation last season, and he has been even better this season. Bergy leads the team in scoring with 40 points in 50 games and is a +/- PLUS 21!  The line of Bergeron, Recchi, and Marchand is a lunch pail line and matches up, cycles, forechecks, and scores gargantuan goals (9GWG between Bergy and Rex).  Pure BRUINS hockey!

* Leave David Krejci and Lucic together, there is clearly very good chemistry between the two, just need to add another winger…hmmm…too bad Miro Satan isn’t available.

* Gregory Campbell is Stephane Yelle, PJ Axelsson, and Shane Hnidy rolled into one…makes me want to say “Thank You Wideman”.

*Shawn Thornton is a going to take Andy Brickley’s seat when he finally hangs up his skates (which is hopefully no time soon), great perspective, excellent understanding of the game, and could get Jack Edwards to finally shut his trap.

* Dennis Wideman and Phil Kessel are a +/- MINUS 17 and MINUS 19 respectively. Horton for all his struggles is +/- PLUS 16; Campbell PLUS 6;  Seguin PLUS 1. Just Sayin.

* Tim “The Tank” Thomas should never have to buy a cheeseburger in the city of Boston again.  He has put this team on his 36 year old surgical repaired hip and is having one of the best seasons of any netminder in recent NHL history.  Oh, and for the naysayers, Timmah has a waffle or two to feed you, just wander into his crease. Dare ya, Triple dog dare ya!

* Last Season the Bruins scored an average of 2.39 GPG and allowed 2.33 GPG, not much of a margin for error.  This season through 50 games they are scoring 3.02 GPG and allowing 2.04GPG. More balanced scoring (8B’s have 10 or more goals at this juncture) and Thomas  and partner Tuukka Rask both sport a sparking  save percentages (.945 for Thomas and .923 for Rask).  The blueline struggled for continuity, especially in the first 25 games, but Andrew Ference and Dennis Seidenberg have shored up their play, and Johnny Boychuk continues to throw bone crushing hits and is a force along the wall and in the corners.  Adam McQuaid has quietly added some grit and demonstrated a willingness to throw down when needed or challenged.  Mark Stuart has, for the second season in a row been sidelined for significant time due to injury, and is either a potential trade piece, or the B’s a showcasing McQuaid for that role, since they are essentially the same player.  Kampfer has been excellent both on the powerplay, and stepping up on the rush, and partnered with Zdeno Chara allows him the freedom to acquire on the job training.

*Chara continues to be a bit of an enigma, clearly possessing the physical tools to manhandle the NHL’s premier forwards but sometimes appears to struggle under the weight of the expectations of his team and a cup starved fan base.  His biggest knock is in his passive aggressive play, which leaves him caught between a rock and a hard place on the ice and with fans.  As the sprint to the Cup commences after the break the Bruins will rely heavily on their Captain to play with composure in high pressure situations while maintaining the physical edge to his play which makes him most effective.

If the Bruins can maintain the traction they developed heading into the break, points in 7 of their last 10 games, and avoid the roller coaster ride of the first 25 games then there is reason to believe, not just hope, that the Bruins have the bears in the den capable of bringing home the Cup.

However, Jacobs must have seen the benefits of spending to bring players to Boston, as Boston is squarely against the cap for the second season, and last year Jacobs even invested the necessary time, effort, and resources to bring the NHL’s showcase Winter Classic to Boston, no easy feat.  Yet here we sit, year 4 of the Bruins reclamation project and with a resounding thud, the Bruins hand over 2 points to hated rival Montreal Canadiens.  Not your ordinary loss to the Habs,  this one was extra special, as they folded after holding a 2 goal lead with under 4 minutes to play, another choke job for a franchise which has rightfully earned the tag of being the NHL’s best at snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory.  The Bruins and their fans appear equal parts frustrated and confused, this is not how things are supposed to go this season with a relatively healthy squad and Tim Thomas having returned to Vezina form.  After all, shouldn’t the rhetoric of “learning the lesson” from the inability to close out the Hurricanes in the ’08-09 playoffs, the  roller coaster ’09-10 regular season, and the epic meltdown at the hands of the Flyers  to end their season have taken root by now??

I have been critical, for two seasons now, of Claude Julien’s personnel management decisions, his lack of consistency, and his inability to hold players accountable and prepare the team for sustained success.  Some would argue that as the team sits atop the division (by virtue of having 2 games in hand) that Julien’s work is beyond reproach.  While I would like to “celebrate” the team’s success on their past lengthy road trip, I find it hard to get excited about OT points with Buffalo and Toronto, division foes neither of whom is likely to sniff the playoffs.  Further, it is the lack of urgency and apparent recognition that the “prevent” defense approach is successful. Oh yes, I know, until the Bruins were 16-0 with a lead after two, but I will chalk at least 10 of those wins up to the play of  Thomas, and his ability to hold off the “storm the castle” approach of opponents.

Need some examples of the personnel struggles of Julien and his staff? With the Bruins leading by two entering the third, in a game which featured long cycles in the Canadien zone, two of which leading to Patrice Bergeron tallies, the Bruins went into their famed defensive shell and lost their grip in the 3^rd, being outshot 18-8.  Struggling to hold on late in the 3rd, Michael Ryder took a lazy hook/trip penalty at the Montreal blueline, as the single man in on the forecheck.  The Habs capitalized, scoring a PPG, and sending the Bruins into the tailspin you could see coming for most of the 3rd.   Zedno Chara, playing with a well documented head cold, logged 28 minutes, while young d-man Adam McQuaid, who is now second on the team in fighting majors, logged under 5 minutes.  Wouldn’t it have made sense to manage Chara’s minutes, especially with a 2 goal lead perhaps in the 2nd or early 3rd, and have Chara fresh for the critical juncture of the game?  Under a minute to go, with a one goal lead and Carey Price pulled for the extra Hab skater, Julien has Chara out with the B’s 4^th line (Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton, and Dan Paille), now I am all for rolling 4 lines, but in a game that was slipping through the B’s fingers perhaps a more skilled approach would have been warranted.  What comes next is an immense mental error, by the player oft lauded  as one the best defensemen in the league.  Shooting for the empty net, Chara failed to gain the red line, and his clear failed to find the back of the net, resulting in icing, and trapping the 4^th line on the ice for a critical face-off.  It is an inexcusable lapse in judgment, in fact eerily similar to something that occurred in the 2010 WJC to the Russian team, and something that you might expect at the Junior hockey level, but not in the NHL, on the road, against the Habs; it reeked of lack of mental toughness and something that simply can not happen from the stick of the team’s captain.

The debacle continued in the OT with Blake Wheeler taking one of his patented offensive zone penalties, just seconds into the start of OT. The Bruins’ killed the entire 2 minutes with the same 4 PK’ers on the ice, and featured a monstrous block by Dennis Seidenberg.  Only a short shift after the PK, Chara was back on the ice (WHY? When 2 other pairs of dmen had been treated to a 4 minute rest) and caught in no-man’s land, seen more often of late, neither taking the body, nor playing the puck, but forging a dandy screen on the GWG.

For those who want to delude themselves with the belief it is “only one game” and “this is the first time they have blown a lead in the 3^rd this season”, I will submit that this is a symptom of a much larger and deeper problem that has been plaguing this team for the better part of a season and a half.  I have no desire to see the Bruins languish in 6-8^th place in the Conference, or merely aspire to win the obviously weak Northeast Division.  I want this ORGANIZAZTION to set their sights on the Stanley Cup, and do whatever necessary to attain that goal.  I am tired with a “season by season” approach which has resulted in a fan base who are resigned to saying things like, “wait until the playoffs, then we’ll see what they are made of” or the ever famous marketing campaign turned poisonous, “It’s called Bruins”.

I want the organization who espoused the “We Want It” campaign, because  I have not, nor am I presently, seeing any signs that as an organization they do indeed want it as much as their fans.

I want accountability; I wanted someone to answer for the light switch play of last season, and the despicable exit to the Flyers.  I am not saying it is any one person or thing, it is an organization without a clear direction, and the intestinal fortitude to make the commitment to doing what is necessary to win the cup.  Albatross contracts have made moving offending players a virtual impossibility; in fact, the Bruins shed Marco Sturm for NOTHING in return, except the salary flexibility to return Savard to the line-up, not exactly brilliant business, nor asset management.  Julien has no issues benching Tyler Seguin, Marc Savard, or Nathan Horton (nor should he) but where is the accountability for Ryder or Chara (one assumes Wheeler will feel Julien’s wrath as he has never been bashful about whipping Wheeler).  Still, in post game remarks, an opportunity to show SOME emotion or displeasure following the meltdown, it was business as usual for Julien, no fire nor fury, and Chara was not available to answer for his own personal meltdown.

If Julien goes, who would replace him? Would Chara consider giving up the C, would the Bruins consider taking the gift they bestowed upon him on his arrival before so much as skating a single practice or shift?  Will Jacobs or Neely begin to do the dirty work necessary to create the accountability, and structure necessary for a potential Cup winner, or will this be another lost season with the fans asked to stomach yet another second round playoff exit.  I don’t disagree with the view that the Bruins do not possess elite players, but winning a Cup is more about heart, desire, and sacrifice than it is about elite players, look no further than the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions for evidence of that claim.

With the team at the cross roads of their season, and arguably with the identity of their organization at stake only one question remains unanswered;  how will the Bruins organization ever recapture the magic necessary to win a Stanley Cup? HOW…

Fast forward to the present day and the Bruins are still the best Sybil team on ice, flipping in and out of various personalities in a 60 minute game.  No two games are alike, and not unlike last season, spectacular goaltending has camouflaged the 800lb gorilla in the room, Julien is mismanaging this team.  His rhetoric is absurd, phrases like “up their compete level”, “disappointed in our ability to create chances”, “disappointed in our ability to finish scoring opportunities”, “need to play with more confidence” might as well be on a continuous loop for the Bruins’ mentor.  Following his Jack Adams award worthy campaign his team has been nothing short of inconsistent, and lacking both accountability and as we have heard many times, leadership.

As I mentioned in my last post “Pushing the Envelope”, Julien has been handed the coaching gift of all coaching gifts, the best goaltending tandem in the NHL.  Tim Thomas has returned to Vezina form after hip surgery, and while young phenom Tuukka Rask has predictably struggled in his sophomore campaign, Julien demonstrated in mismanagement of the tandem on this roadie that he will not be of any assistance in getting Rask back on track.  Goalies are quirky, a jumble of humility and cockiness wrapped in a fragile shell of lucky or unlucky bounces.  Julien has now done to Rask what he did to Tim Thomas last season, relegate him to the bench for unnecessarily long stretches and then tap his shoulder and expect the goalie to step on the ice as if he’s been immersed in game action all along.  Last season fans and the media crucified Thomas for playing like he was rusty, and who knows how long he had been playing with his hip injury as well, but no matter…No slack for Thomas no sir, Tuukka Time all the time, and ten not surprisingly the fatigued Rask could not carry the load, and succumbed to the Flyers with a very human performance in the crushing playoff loss.

Now there is a major difference between Thomas and Rask, and it is from the neck up.  Thomas has had to battle his entire career for respect and listen to criticism about his style and ability to play at the NHL level, or win big games. The very nature of his rise to his current level of success has given him thick skin and an extra layer of mental toughness.  Entering the league Rask was seen as the petulant golden child, prone to a tantrum or two if things don’t go his way, an image he has worked hard to shake since being called up to the big club permanently last season.  I would even go as far to say made major strides having been thrust into the spotlight last season, with the responsibility of being the go-to guy. But Rask is young, and Julien has demonstrated time and time again that as much difficulty as he has managing personnel, he is absolutely incapable of nurturing and developing the confidence of more mentally fragile young players (see: Kessel, Sobotka, Wheeler, Hunwick, Seguin).

So the popular saying in sports is, “you can’t fire 20 guys, but you can fire the coach.”  Ironically the Bruins, as a team, got fairly prickly when the fan and media radar seemed to be honing in on the “Fire Julien” message for the team’s consistent underperformance.  To a man they stepped up and played their best game of the season, and routed Atlanta at home.  However, less a week later the team is right back to their Sybil-esque play turning in a game against Buffalo worthy of an NHL11 novice setting.  Is it any wonder that when Julien was relieved of duty in NJ it was not in the midst of losing streak, but entering the playoffs?

In “Pushing the Envelope” I asked if Julien was truly unaware of the message he was sending Rask by sitting him in the back end of the back to back against the Panthers, which now further begs the question, what message is he sending Rask pulling him at the end of one period WITH THE LEAD? On the opponent’s bench the crafty Lindy Ruff left faltering American Hero Ryan Miller between the pipes. Even when the Bruins came back to reclaim the lead on the stick of rookie call-up Steve Kampfer, off of a beauty of a set-up by much maligned rookie savior Tyler Seguin, Ruff held pat, expecting the team to do what was necessary, and Miller did his part as well with timely saves against snake bit Nathan Horton and Julien’s favorite enigma, Michael Ryder, and maybe the best Bruin on the ice, Brad Marchand.  Maybe there is a reason there have been 157+ coaching changes in the NHL in the time Ruff has been behind the Sabres bench.

Julien poured gasoline on the fire with his post game remarks, well chronicled by CSN’s Joe Haggerty, in Haggerty: Julien should quit rattling Rask’s cage http://www.csnne.com/01/02/11/Haggerty-Julien-should-quit-rattling-Ras/landing_bruins.html?blockID=383320&feedID=3352 . What continues to be most puzzling is that Julien is oblivious as to the NECESSITY to instill confidence in his young netminder and the NEED for his TEAM to take accountability for their inconsistent play.  It is damning evidence that Julien lacks confidence in the Bruins TEAM, who until last night had been undefeated this season when leading after 1 period of play.  If Julien felt this game, the first of January, was a “must win” but pulled Rask with the lead, after his team had given up countless stretch passes leading to odd man rushes, what he is REALLY saying is, no boys, you don’t have to protect the puck, play sound positional hockey, or have any neutral zone awareness, we’ll just put Thomas in since he’s better at covering for your ineptitude, after all he’s been doing it all season.  So much for the vaunted Julien defensive system. Was there a single shift where Drew Stafford was actually hit?  Julien is the  “match-up master”, noted for home or away putting Chara on Staal, or Richards, or Ovechkin, or other top guns.  Drew Stafford has now scored 6 goals against the Bruins in two games, think that might have elevated him to match-up status? Or how about consecutive icing calls with his patchwork quilt 4^th line on the ice in the waning moments of the game? Yes, undeniably, both teams put on a sloppy and dismal display of hockey; watching you would have assumed they were playing outdoors in the pouring rain, but nothing was more deplorable than Julien giving up on Rask, and in turn giving up on making his team accountable for their undisciplined play.

I have seen enough; honestly I don’t want to wait for the 10 game losing streak, or Julien to ruin Rask, AND Thomas, and further retard the development of the clearly gifted Seguin.  It is time for Bruins management to send the ultimate message in accountability, relieve Julien of his coaching duties.  Management can not expect the players to be held accountable when there is an absolute lack clear direction from their head coach. Perhaps more importantly with as much young talent present on this team, the health and future of the franchise can not have a head coach clearly uncomfortable, if not incapable, of guiding the development of future cornerstones of the franchise.  The current and future success of the Bruins is at a crossroads, I only hope that at the end of the season we are not taking a trip Back to the Future.

Claude Julien has obviously missed the memo that he has TWO of the most talented players in the most physically and mentally challenging position in the game.  He seems entrenched in the idea of riding Thomas until his surgically repaired hip gives out or maybe he has stock in Timmay’s favorite celebratory burger joint.  Regardless, as the Bruins near the midpoint of the season, Julien seems to be oblivious to the fact that the Stanley Cup is not won in December, and playing an already fatigued Thomas, while Rask picks splinters out of his behind is reckless personnel management.

When was the last time the B’s appeared the Cup final?? See the previous post with the comparison of the ’10-11 Bruins with the ’89-90 B’s.  Andy Moog and Reggie Lemelin split the netminding duties down the middle during the regular season in both 88-89 and 89-90.  The B’s had the good fortune of having a fresh Lemelin step up in 88-89 and Moog in 89-90, and the tandem brought home the President’s Trophy in 89-90.  WHAT IS SO BAD ABOUT HAVING GOALIES SHARE STARTS???  Think that the Devils or Rangers would like to have a young protégé waiting in the wings to spell Marty Brodeur or Henrik Lundqvist?  Granted, the Habs traded away Jaro Halak as to not disturb the delicate mojo of Carey Price, but teams like the Penguins, Capitals, Predators, Red Wings, and Blue Jackets have benefitted greatly from developing balance between the pipes.

I am fully aware of(and generally agree with) Julien’s oft stated philosophy of riding the hot hand in goal, and rewarding strong play; however, getting Rask a start and getting him into the fold should be atop the“to do” list.  Keep in mind; it is not like Thomas plays a compact, energy conserving style, and he did have major hip surgery in the off-season.  In fact it was evident in his game against the Lightning on Tuesday, the second game of a back to back and his 26^th start (of 35 Bruins’ games) that Thomas was fighting a bit of fatigue, and fighting the puck a bit as a result.

What is Julien telling young Rask about his confidence in his ability to contribute by leaving him on the shelf?  This season Julien has benched Tyler Seguin, Adam McQuaid, Nathan Horton, and Marc Savard to “send messages” to the players, yet is he really oblivious of the message he is sending Rask?

If the Bruins are to make a serious run in the second half of the season the team needs to play a strong defensive game and be consistently gritty, their failure to do so has been, by and large, camouflaged by Thomas and his unreal play this season.  Julien needs to rest Thomas and send the team a message that they can not rely solely on the play of Thomas to hide their deficiencies.  It is also a necessity to include Rask in the flow of play, and give him the opportunity to develop and grow in game play.

I have been critical of Julien’s personnel management decisions, defensive pairings, line combos, and even the PP combos, but nothing has the potential to be as damaging to the team’s success, in both the short and long term, as his current mismanagement of  Thomas and Rask.  Managing goalies and their egos is a tricky business, but with the B’s on a 5 game roadie and having Thomas start the first 3 (and 7 straight) is pushing the envelope for both Thomas and Rask, as well as sending the B’s the message that Rask can not be counted on to get them a win on the road.  Being honest, it’s not like Atlanta is the most difficult rink to play in as an opposing goalie, and there is likely to be a bit of a buzz between the teams tonight after last week’s clash.  THIS would have been the perfect moment to hand the reigns to Rask.  If Julien can’t demonstrate trust in Rask and the Bruins to step-up in this game then there are much bigger problems looming for this team in the second half of the season.

As The Pup christened every tree, the talk turned to one of our favorite Bruins’ seasons. We both agreed that the B’s team we hold near and dear to our heart was probably not the most talented, but what we remember is that every piece and part who made “guest appearances” during the season found a way to contribute. We decided along the walk it might be fun to compare the 2010-11 Bruins with the last B’s team to have given us, as fans, a glimmer of hope at grasping the grail.  What we realized is that while blessed with far less talent, the 19998-90 Bruins’ had the heart of a lion.

So here begins our examination of the Bruins, and with apologies to Alice (and my bro), as we take a little trip “Through the Looking Glass”, as not unlike Wonderland, things seen through a lens tinted with Black and Gold aren’t always what they seem. It also seems appropriate that since most B’s fans are ready to employ the “Off with their head” strategy to garner success, that this walk down memory lane serve as an entertaining reminder that a team is really nothing more than a sum of it’s parts; and leadership is truly the glue that holds together dreams.

The 1989-90 Boston Bruins and the 2010-11 Boston Bruins

It should be said that if you look at the 1989-90 Boston Bruins you would have to scratch your head in disbelief at the accomplishments of The President’s Trophy and a trip to the Cup finals.  Weren’t around in 89-90 , which seems to be the case for a number of “true believers”; do the names: Jim Wiemer, Wes Walz, Ron Hoover, Lou Crawford, and Graeme Townshend ring a bell? No?? How about Michael Thelvin, Billy O’Dwyer, Mike Millar, Bruce Shoebottom, Jarmo Kekalainen, Greg Johnston, and Ray Neufeld? Each played their bit parts in the regular season campaign which was tops in the NHL, the above group was led by Millar with 15 games played, and Kekalainen’s 2G, 2A, +2 in 11 games. In fact upon close examination my bro lovingly uttered the phrase, “god we went to the Cup finals with these guys?” After all teams can’t all have Gretzky, Messier, and Lemieux!

Aside from receiving contributions from a variety of sources, who were the everyday players and how do they compare with the characters in our tale today??

On Defense:

We know there is no reaching the pedestal of one Raymond Bourque, he was the second on the team of points and for the sake of this story he is probably best described as the Caterpillar, and answered for his team on a nightly basis the character’s most famous question, “Who are YOU?” with a smart slapper from the point or a lift of the stick in the corner. However, the B’s did carry 7 dmen into the playoffs (hint, hint Mr. Julien), so there are 6 others for us to compare…

The Bruins’ oft underappreciated Andrew Ference, does resemble Don Sweeny. Both undersized and gritty their work in their own end is often overshadowed by the expectation that everyone is supposed to score goals, but both utilized of their understanding of the game became their greatest asset. Despite the urge to compare Ference with Humpty Dumpty (all the kings’ horses and all the kings’ men…) Ference, like Sweeney, does the little things that allow their blueline mates to shine.

Dennis Seidenberg has elements of the wily vet Gary Galley.  Generally asked to be the responsible dman in his own zone, but both demonstrated the odd flashes of offensive output, just to keep things interesting and keep their foes off balance.

How about the loveable “Big” Al Pedersen of the B’s of old? Not there to score goals, but to kick ass, and take names, and try too skate backward too much.  Is Adam McQuaid a “Big Al’ in training??

The 89-90 backline was bolstered in the playoffs by the resurgence of hardnosed, honest blueliner Bob Beers.  Beersy’s style is most like Mark Stuart, but one wonders if Stuart will be wearing the black and gold come playoff time. If the Bruins look to make a move come the deadline to bolster the backend will Stuart be the odd man out?

Stephane Quintal, not unlike Matt Hunwick, nuff said.

Glen Wesley, “The Knave of Hearts” beloved by a few, loathed by many.  AKA: The Bill Buckner of the Bruins, staring a WIDE open net in the face in the 2^rd OT, with a chance to give the Bruins a 1-0 series lead got a case of the yips and “shanked” Bruins’ fans in the heart.  Since Dennis Wideman was voted off the island at the end of last season, is there a more likely candidate for Wesley “honors” than Zedno Chara?? This season a 100 plus shots on goal and 3 goals to show for it, he wears the crown (the C) but we (at least my bro and I do) question will he ever really live up to the promise of his lauded talents in Black and Gold? As the Knave of Hearts, Wesley of course stole the tarts (or the Cup as it were) and went on to win the cup in another uniform.

The dman with a popgun shot who was eventually converted to a winger for an additional spark for 89-90 team was none other than Greg Hawgood. Is it a stretch to say Steve Kampfer would be a candidate for a spot up front? He would certainly backcheck harder than Michael Ryder, well so does The Pup, but that is another story for another time.

So if Bourque is the incomparable dman for the 89-90 B’s, Johnny Boychuk is the Frankenstein’s Monstah of this Bruins team (or if you don’t like mixed metaphors the Jabberwocky monstah).  Boychuk is the product of former Bruins’ defensive evil mastermind Craig Ramsey, and every championship caliber team needs a “Monstah”. Boychuk is only beginning to tap his limitless potential and deft ability to deliver destruction upon those who dare to tread lightly into his expansive reach. Too bad, Ramsey isn’t around to admire his handy work, nor to prevent McQuaid from becoming Al Pedersen.

The Forwards:

Beyond the obvious comparison of Cam Neely and Craig Janney, with the likes of Milan Lucic and Marc Savard it was the experience of players acquired via trade and the blue collar lines which defined the character of greatness of the 89-90 Bruins team. The B’s added vets Brian Propp, Dave Poulin, and Dave Christian, via TRADE, none were the typical Nathan Horton style sniper, but more closely resembled the leadership and play of Mark Recchi, Patrice Bergeron, and Gregory Campbell.  Bobby Gould brought his hardhat to the Bruins, a tough two-way winger who added depth and toughness to a bruising forecheck, something notably absent in the current edition of the Bruins.  Oh and if you are hanging on for more Alice references, we’ve got none here…bro is growing tired of being referred to as Alice, so I’ll have to sneak in a few more when he is not looking.

Despite all of the tremendous talent up front the 89-90 B’s had their invisible sort as well. Peter Douris virtually skating around in circles, and invisible when the game was one the line. Ryder has more talent in his left pinkie than Douris, but is just as invisible at crunch time.  Just a little bit ironic that Lyndon Byers had more markers in the playoffs than Douris, and willing to bet that with his current play Shawn Thornton will outscore Ryder in both the season and at this rate, the playoffs.  No rookies on that 89-90 Bruins team, and certainly not any young guns with the expectations placed on the shoulders of young Tyler Seguin, so that should be marker on the side of today’s team.

Blake Wheeler, who possesses size, a demonstrated scoring touch, and a dizzying lack of consistency has the potential to be interchangeable with 22 goal scorer Bob Sweeney, Wheels just needs to develop the consistency Swoop displayed nightly. Actually if you look at old Bruins’ media guide pics of Sweeney in his youth, he and Wheels have the same crazy “fluffy” hair.  I won’t say Tweedledee and Tweedledumb, but there is an uncanny resemblence! Brad Marchand is cut from the same cloth as Randy Burridge, player they called “stumpy”, who also happened to be a demon on the PK and often finished his curl off the wall with a  Rene Rancourt “stump pump” goal celebration. Marchand and Burridge both utilize a run around pesky style, that creates the kind of havoc that could have cast them both in the role of the White Rabbit, “I’m late, I’m late for a very important date!”  The 89-90 Bruins didn’t NEED an enforcer, after all every Bruin was more than content to fight his own battles (except maybe Janney), but the Bruins had bruiser Lyndon Byers, and today the B’s have Shawn Thornton, who ALREADY has more goals than Byers in the 89=90 campaign, those grinning, cunning dudes are two of the best Cheshire Cats Boston has ever seen!

Before he was the voice of reason on the NESN broadcasts, Andy Brickley scored 12 goals and added 28 assists in 43 games in the 89-90 season. In addition, durable winger John Carter, chipped in with 17 goals and 22 assists in 76 games as one of the “then” group of Bruins which boasted 10 players with 10+ goals.  This is where the present-day Bruins are lagging, the team struggles for scoring balance and consistent supplemental scoring from wingers not named Lucic and Horton.  If anyone could paint white roses red, it was Brick and Carter (see Five and Seven, the Queen’s gardeners)…

However, the most glaring difference between the “Then” and “Now” Bruins is clearly the position of bench boss. The 89-90 Bruins were piloted by a shoe wielding, referee chasing, donut offering, Mad Hatter who does not appreciate the “wussification” of the NHL.  Today the Bruins are guided by a mild mannered, “disappointed” bank branch manager who would give you 23 reasons for denying your loan, but never say it’s because your credit stinks (sorry, but the imagery of the King of Hearts for CJ just wasn’t getting it done).

Mike Milbury might have been a lot of things, including a lousy GM and an annoying analyst, however he was bright enough to recognize he had the best goalkeeping tandem in the NHL.  Milbury took the talents of Andy Moog and Reggie Lemelin and split the games virtually down the middle with Moog playing 46 games (24 Wins), Lemelin playing 43 (22 Wins) and each boasting remarkably similar 2.80 and 2.88 GAA. Claude Julien, not unlike Milbury, has been blessed with two of the league’s top netminding talents, in Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask, but insists on riding the one returning from major hip surgery into the ground.  Julien is utilizing Thomas to paint the white roses red, and to camouflage the team’s flaws on the blueline, up front, and on the power play.

The bruising Bruins of days gone by reflected the personality of their coach, punch first, ask questions later. Neely led the way with 55 goals and also led the team with 117 PIMs, and remember, clutching and grabbing was generally the only tool a defenseman had to slow the likes of the forwards of the day, and Neely wasn’t racking up too many of those ticky-tac penalties.

Milbury didn’t expect the league office to take care of on-ice issues, and in fact kindly referred Don Koharski to the local Dunkin’ Donuts to obtain the tools necessary to brush up on his rule enforcement. Today we have Julien, who rescued the team from the depths of the Dave Lewis era; yet, in the last two seasons has left us to question the heart of the team and their coach, wilting in the hot spotlight of the expectations that come from a Cup starved fan base. Dropping two game 7’s in front of the home crowd does not seem to be enough to spark the competitive fire necessary to fuel a team to make a run for the Cup. Nor does the team seem to share the desperation and embarrassment of their fan base, unable to wake from the nightmare of missed opportunities.

So how did the 89-90 Bruins win the President’s Trophy and make a march to the Stanley Cup final? With leadership, desire and wearing the Spoked-B with pride.  A nightly demonstration by their best players (Neely, Carpenter, Poulin, Christian, Carter, and Bourque) that they could be counted upon to be the best players, lead by example and not be afraid to shoulder the load.  Role players understanding their role, and doing whatever was necessary to contribute to the best of their abilities.  A savvy, if not somewhat certifiable, coach who put players in a position to succeed and who rolled up his sleeves time and again demonstrating he was just as invested in the task at hand and did not shrink from the challenge.

Neely, who was a critical component in that 89-90’s team’s magic is now called upon again to help right the listing and lifeless ship of the 10-11 edition of the Bruins.  Will he be able to step up and play the role of the White Knight and save Alice, or is it time for us as fans to wake up to the reality that this team is very content to sit at the table of an endless tea party?  This question is probably best answered in the words of Alice herself, “You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret, all the best people are.” So we two bonkers Bruins fans, members of a legion of bonkers Bruins fans will continue to watch and hope for our team to wake to the secrets that can only be found in Adventures Beyond the Looking Glass.

1)      For the Bruins to wake up to the fact that Tim Thomas can’t carry the team through 50+ minutes of lack luster play on a nightly basis.  Thomas has been spectacular, however consistent failure to clear traffic from his doorstep is requiring him to make far too many “10 bell” saves.

2)      For Claude Julien and Peter Chiarelli to recognize that Daniel Paille is NOT a better option than Jordan Caron, and send Pie packing to Providence.  Caron is a physical, strong skating presence that would be FAR more effective in helping Savard find his game, while also giving the Bruins strong penalty killing.  Paille’s speed does not compensate for his poor decision making and inability to finish ANYTHING.

3)      For the Energy Line of Brad Marchand, Greg Campbell, Shawn Thornton to continue to be showered with praise, in fact Santa should make sure they are showered with gifts, and their teammates should make sure the trio never pays for a meal!)  They are truly a throwback to the hardhat and lunchpail days and a gift to all who love blue collar effort.  Still waiting for the other 3 lines of “talent” to get with the program and start playing with a glimmer of the fire that line brings to their every shift!

4)      For Milan Lucic to add a bit more snarl to accompany his scoring touch.  Looch is lighting the lamp, making passes, and skating hard; however, I believe that David Krejci, in particular, would benefit greatly from Looch throwing hits like he did at the end of regulation vs. the Flyers.  In fact, if he wants to really embrace the role of power forward then he needs to take the body MUCH more consistently and stop gliding by opposing d-men on the forecheck or opposing forwards in his own zone.

5)      For Jack Edwards to have a case of laryngitis lasting approximately until the first week of June.  I am tired of Edwards asking “How’s your entertainment factor” (which by the way wasn’t all that great until mid-way through the third period Jack, but thanks for asking).  Lost in all of the screeching and hollering is an actual hockey game which he is missing.  He is actually beginning to render one of the NHL’s best color men, Andy Brickley, virtually invisible.

5a.       For NESN to stop jamming the STOLEN Jack Edwards BINGO down my throat.  I didn’t used to be an Edwards hater, but at some point NESN wanted to become ” little ESPN” and having talent believe they are bigger than the team they are covering is unacceptable (no, I don’t like Chris Berman or Stuart Scott either).  By the way, not only has NESN never given the creators of Jack Edward’s BINGO their due I have NO desire for Jack to be encouraged to Jack roll out his nonsensical phrases at a level that would tip the TD Garden noise meter.

5b.        For NESN to come to their senses and go back to the three man booth (yes, they used to have Fred Cusick, Derek Sanderson, and Dave Shea all in one booth) and have Dave Gaucher, Brick, and Bob Beers join forces and drop some hockey knowledge on the airwaves!

6)      For Michael Ryder to become the platoon forward to give Mark Recchi an occasional rest, or Tyler Seguin the opportunity to watch with Cam Neely.  Not like Dino Rex NEEDS the rest, but rather than riding Rex into the ground, give him the occasional night to drink a glass of red wine and recharge the battery.  Seguin would benefit from the occasional opportunity to learn the defensive concepts and see the game unfold from above.  Then I also wouldn’t need to watch Ryder glide back on the back check as he did on the Flyers first goal of the game.

7)      For someone to explain the logic of getting NOTHING in return for Marco Sturm. Yes, I understand the need and purpose of the salary dump, but not even a prospect or draft pick of any kind??  The team just unloaded 3 forwards from Providence and then get NOTHING in return for Sturm, seems like someone left expired milk out for Santa.

8)      For the Bruins to add some snarl to their game.  Thomas and Tuukka Rask have had an inordinate amount of uninvited company in the crease of late, and the truculent Toronto Maple Leafs took the body at will, with little to fear in way of retribution.  Jody Shelly had a “bad moment” when he boarded Adam McQuaid, giving Bruins’ fans flashbacks of another horrific hit from behind on an icing call doled out in a Flyers/Bruins game at the Garden.  Yet, the Bruins have continued to sleep walk through most of the first quarter of the season.  Last night they demonstrated no snarl, not on the ensuing 5 minute powerplay, and not in the one on one battles along the wall, and not sending any signal a sleeping giant had been awoken.

If the Bruins TRULY want to be a tougher team to play against then maybe Santa needs to deliver them some coal to fuel the fire that Neely exhibited from his perch after the boarding of McQuaid.  The lone exception to all of this seems to be the bruising play of Johnny Boychuk.  it appears the young dman still thinks he is playing for Craig Ramsey, here’s hoping those dreams of sugarplums continue to dance in his head!

I could ask for more, but it would seem greedy, especially in light of the fact I should be thankful for the gift of Nathan Horton, Lucic, and Krejci delivering goal cookies. However if the Bruins are going to set their eyes on the prize of Lord Stanley’s Cup then they will need start to work like Santa’s elves with the fat man cracking the whip on December 23^rd. It is time to stop making excuses, and time to stop relying on the magic corn Julien has been feeding Thomas.  The bad habits of this talented team need to be addressed, and the team needs to step on the ice ready to carry the play to their opponents, not determine how much or little effort the game will require.

On “Black and Gold” Friday at the TD Garden the Bruins played in front of legions of young fans with “My 1st Bruins game” signs in virtually every section. There was an energy of youthful expectation; fans young and old eagerly anticipating this would be the afternoon their Bruins would serve notice that the Garden is a home advantage they covet. However it was not to be, as not unlike many other games in their barn since the 08-09 season the B’s seemingly wilt under the expectations of the faithful.

In the 08-09 season the fans flocked to the Garden in droves, as a hockey starved fan base became once again engaged by the team’s play, especially on home ice. An old time hockey fracas against the Stars, Milan Lucic and his glass shattering hits, Shawn Thornton, Zdeno Chara, and Mark Stuart doling out doses of frontier justice brought a packed house which became the Bruins’ true 7th player. Messages from Bruins’ players and coach Claude Julien spoke of how important the crowd was to the team’s success and the fans took their role in the game to heart.

A year later, Phil Kessel seemed crushed under the weight of a unified fan base turned against him, but the Bruins struggled for consistency all season, not the least of which was their apparent sense of urgency and their nearly absent physical signature. The mantra of the the return of “The Big Bad Bruins” was not as advertised, and the long frustrated fan base seemed forgotten, and worse, unappreciated. Home ice was not only not where the Bruins played some of their worst games of the season, the team seemed genuinely surprised at the venom from their blue collar fans for lack of effort. In a dismal economy where luxury items like one of the most expensive tickets in the NHL are not easy to come by, the team appeared notably absent at home, adding fuel to a long burning fire of fan frustration. The team seemed bemused by the increasing sense of frustration from their fans and unable to carry the weight of expectations past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Yet for die hard Bruins fans, hope springs eternal; the off-season acquisition of sniper Nathan Horton, the healthy return of Lucic, Tim Thomas, and the anticipation of budding talent Tyler Seguin, the Bruins seem primed for a run to the Cup. Early in the season the Bruins demonstrated a snarl to their game, sorely lacking last season. Thomas racking up wins, and returning to Vezina form. Horton, Lucic, and David Krejci working the kind of top line magic reminiscent of Cam Neely and Adam Oates doing it with, jam, finesse, and fire. However something is still amiss for the Bruins, as their tale of home woes took another turn for the worse on Friday with their loss to Carolina, a team they have dominated back to the days of the Hartford FailWhale. It was not simply the fact they lost, or that ‘Canes goalie Cam Ward turned in a gem of a performance, it was HOW they lost. In a building filled with youthful exuberance and brimming with holiday cheer the B’s lost battles along the wall, were sloppy with the puck in all three zones, and their league best PK was systematically dismantled by Carolina. Coach Julien’s line juggling was horrific, splitting up arguably the Bruins’ most consistent line, “The Energy Line” to produce 4 lines of disjointedness. The lack of mentorship for Seguin, in a defensively focused system remains baffling. Putting Seguin with Dan Paille and Thornton was the height of nonsense; assuming Seguin is the playmaker, and Pie is the line’s grinder (as he is devoid of any scoring touch), that makes Thornton the sniper. While Thornton does have 3 MORE goals than he had all of last season, it defies reason that a blue chip prospect like Seguin be relegated to the 4th line when Caron comes down with the flu. Add to the misery, the Krejci, Blake Wheeler, Michael Ryder line, which has not produced gold since the three burst on the scene in 08-09 was reunited, leaving Greg Campbell, Brad Marchand, and Mark Recchi as the team’s third line?!? It was not too difficult to see why there was little to zero chemistry in the offensive zone, which spilled over to total chaos when the Bruins attempted to breakout of their own zone.

Julien has struggled with pushing the right buttons since the 08-09 campaign where as the Adams award winner, he could seemingly do no wrong. Is it lack of buy-in from the players, or is it the non-sensical and seemingly random application of his reward system which is causing frustration? Paille’s gaffe and giveaway of the puck on the PK in the waining seconds of the first period cost the Bruins dearly, yet there was not even a dent in his ice time. Yet, not long ago, Caron and Seguin were benched in the third period of a close game with St.Louis for careless play with the puck, an interesting double standard. Matt Hunwick continues to be overmatched along the wall in his own end, and for a puck moving defenseman (a term I abhor) he seems incapable of consistent breakouts under the pressure of a two man forecheck, yet is rewarded with time on the first PP unit. In a game in desperate need of a spark the Bruins appeared disinterested, and after back to back PP failing to generate even as much as a shot on goal, the frustration of the Bruins fans boiled over into disgust. How did the Bruins respond? Sadly, they did not respond at all. No scraps, no booming hits, no fire, no visible frustration, no attempt to utilize home ice and involve the fans to help fuel their emotion; they might have as well been playing in Prague, in fact after an embarrassing game one in Prague, game two against the ‘Yotes was played with far more emotion than yesterday’s sleepwalking affair.

No more excuses Bruins, no more woe is us we don’t have Mark Savard (the team has played some pretty amazing games against far better teams already this season without him), no more BS about who is this season’s whipping boy of the Bruins’ fan base. Truth be told, when the team is playing with a consistent sense of accountability and physicality there are very few calls for the head of ANY player. Time to step up to the expectation of a fan base and play with the characteristics which are engrained in the identity of this organization: toughness, pride, hard skating, and a sense of urgency. This fan base has waited a long time for a team with this kind of promise, and their patience are wearing thin. The team needs to watch the History of Bruins to understand what this fan base has come to expect and what it has endured. As I wrote last spring, the players may come and go, but the fans remain, clinging to the hope that their faith and loyalty will be rewarded. The Bruins need to begin by embracing the expectations of the fans, and step on the ice in the Garden with understanding that the time is NOW! If the team is serious about being a “tough team to play against” then they need to start with embracing the expectations of their fans and rising to that challenge. To make the Garden faithful their 7th Player the Bruins need only to put a chip on their shoulder and do as their new ad suggests, and “Respect The Jersey!”

This season two promising rookie forwards Jordan Caron and Tyler Seguin have burst onto the scene for a talented and hard skating team.  The team’s injuries to Marc Savard and Marco Sturm have likely pressed them into action a bit earlier in their development than originally planned; however, it is impossible to deny they have each contributed to the team’s strong start to the season.  Six goals between them, they have not had the benefit of slow transition to the pace and physicality of the NHL game.  Not only have both Caron and Seguin been logging significant minutes, Seguin has been dumped into the deep end of the pool, centering a line with two of the least defensive responsible Bruins’ forwards, Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler.  While Ryder has certainly upped his play in the attacking zone, over the dismal performance of a year ago, both he and Wheeler are notoriously bad in their own end.  For Caron, he has been paired more recently with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi, giving him additional support in grasping the role of utilizing his size and strong skating ability on the forecheck, along the wall and in his own end.

So why in last night’s game vs. the St. Louis did the rookie duo appear to vanish into thin air?? While both players seemed to be playing free and easy with the puck in the early going, the Bruins, as a team, seemed once again a bit flat out of the gate in the first period, only generating a handful of shots.  As the Bruins adjusted to the pace and physicality set by one of the league’s top teams, Seguin’s minutes evaporated, and Caron’s vanished soon after.  Yet Wheeler, who has 1 goal, 2 assists, stands at a plus/minus, minus 1 and has only mustered 15 shots on the season continued skate regular shifts.  Bruins’ Coach, Claude Julien is notorious for his “rewarding” players with ice time and PP time based on effort, and also has stuck with the philosophy of rolling 4 lines being a key to the Bruins’ success; which begs the question, what is it that Julien expects from his two young rookies 11 games into the season?

If the benching of the duo had less to do with effort and more to do with their ability to make the necessary adjustments to a very physical and up tempo opponent, what exactly is being done to tutor Seguin and Caron, and prepare them to play teams like Washington, St. Louis, Montreal, Pittsburgh, et al?  What is being done in practice, via film, extra workouts, in-game personnel management, and linemates designed to support the players in the learning process?

With David Krejci on the receiving end of a wicked hit delivered by the Blues’ T.J. Oshie and removed from the game, Julien was still unwilling to put either youngster into the overtime.  However, Julien remarked in his post game presser that he told Seguin he “had a chance to make a difference” in the shootout, Seguin responded, as the only Bruin not to ring iron in the shootout and find the back of the net.  Clearly the youngster possesses the talent and skill set necessary to play with the big boys, but some of the responsibility for his continued development must rest with the coaching staff and the learning environment they create, tempo of practice, and providing the tools necessary to support his growth, particularly in a defense first system. Playing 9 minutes and change against an opponent the likes of St. Louis builds neither confidence, nor maximizes the learning environment afforded by the style of game played last night.

In no way should Julien sacrifice results and put Seguin and Caron in situations which would be detrimental to the team, nor their individual development.  That being said, it was a gaffe by Dennis Seidenberg, and an subsequent screen by Matt Hunwick which afforded the pesky Vlad Sobotka all the time and space necessary to pick the corner on Tuukka Rask.  Yet neither was relegated to picking splinters out of their behinds like Caron and Seguin.  They are both rookies, and will be prone to rookie mistakes, however there is something to be said for taking the the bad with the good. If the point of last night’s benching is for them to learn by watching, then by all means give one of them a seat for a game with the coaches and play their other “healthy scratch”, Daniel Paille.  Gee, suddenly a couple of hard skating, talented rookies with a deft scoring touch, and the ability to contribute on special teams doesn’t look so awful, does it Claude?

Goal Cookies:

Andy Ference: I have been quick to malign the “fragile” state of Ference, and his propensity for breakage.  He rebounded from a disappointing effort against Washington by throwing his weight around, jumping into the rush, and throwing down with Bluenote tough guy David Backes for delivering a big open ice hit on Recchi.  Despite being on the very wrong end of the “Tale of the Tape” the feisty Ference more than held his own and gave the Bruins a burst of much needed energy.

Michael Ryder: Welcome back Michael Ryder!  While Ryder still seems to wear his cloak of invisibility from shift to shift , I believe it is the speed and creativity of Seguin (see above) which has caused Ryder to return to skating hard through the neutral zone and looking to take the puck to the net.  Despite his well known lack of interest in the defensive zone, he turned on the jets and made a huge effort on the back check to disrupt a St. Louis break-in late in the game.

Nathan Horton: Horton had been wearing Ryder’s cloak of invisibility for the last few games (the Bruins need to donate that thing to the Habs), but despite being snake bit by the post/crossbar and stoned by the remarkable effort of netminder, Jaro Halak, Horton’s focus was clear;  to be engaged in the offensive zone, along the wall, and on the forecheck, and when all else fails…SHOOT.

Greg Campbell: I realize I might be in the minority, but the more I watch him, the more I like him.  Yes, he does make some poor decisions which can lead to penalties; however (taking the bad with the good) contributes to the PK, skates hard, wins draws, and as he proved last night, can snipe.

The Energy Line: Brad Marchand, Shawn Thornton, Campbell are pests in the best possible sense of the word.  They forecheck, crash the net, cycle, draw penalties, chirp, and if you underestimate them, will score too!  With Campbell scoring the game tying goal against the Blues, all three have scored already this season.

There was something different about this visit by Kessel and the Leafs; off to a hot start as a team (parade route being planned in Toronto), and Kessel was among the league’s scoring leaders was the stage set for Kessel to finally stick it to the B’s and the fans?  The Bruins of course had other ideas, and on Milt Schmidt’s night the B’s were focused on giving the icon a result which reflected all he has meant to the organization.  After the loss of the injured Johnny Boychuk, defenseman Dennis Seidenberg put on his hard hat and blocked 6 shots during the tilt, including a key block on a scramble in front.  Thomas continued to play the part of the brick wall, and Patrice Bergeron etched his name into the Bruins’ history book, notching his 100^th career goal with the Black and Gold to put the B’s on the board with his first marker of the season (shhh….on the POWERPLAY).  However, in a fitting twist of fate the kid who grew up a fan of the Leafs, the kid who now wears the Spoked-B because his favorite team coveted a not so truculent sniper, the kid expected to shoulder the weight of expectations of Cup starved fan base, the number TWO pick in the draft, THE KID, Tyler Seguin, lit the lamp and once again united the Bruins and their fans in one of those special Garden moments that no one will soon forget.

Seguin’s goal was an insurance goal, but not just in the 2-0 win.  It was the kind of goal which pushed Bruins fans one step closer to the realization that this season is different.  The team has a different swagger, a different chemistry, and are creating an electric atmosphere more reminiscent of two seasons ago, something that was sorely lacking all of last season.  The Bruins fans (in unison) spontaneously expressed their gratitude; “THANK YOU KESSEL” rang from the rafters and could be clearly heard on the NESN broadcast; if you were doing anything but beam with pride, turn in your Bruins fan card!  Of course Bruins fans could just as easily thank Brian Burke, Peter Chiarelli, or even Cam Neely, but Kessel wanted to play somewhere else, so he really does deserve the thanks of Bruins’ fans.  Kessel never really seemed to understand Boston, and never seemed comfortable with the expectations and accountability associated with wearing the Black and Gold.  To his credit, young Seguin not only seems to be cut from the cloth of Bergeron and Milan Lucic who as young players immersed themselves in the lore of the Bruins, but he has also prepared himself for the pressures of playing in Boston.  Seguin appears to be doing things that Kessel struggled with, accept there are areas of his game which need work, and understand the team’s system is defense first.

Many people around the game believe that team chemistry is over-rated, and that last season the biggest issue for the Bruins was a missing sniper.  Considering the Bruins organization made a clear effort to work on their team chemistry in both Vermont and on their opening tour, it is not a reach to believe that the cohesiveness of a team can make up for personnel voids.  Look no further than the fact the Bruins are 6-2 to start the season without Marc Savard, Marco Sturm, and Tuukka Rask starting the season on a bit of a sophomore slump.  Boychuk, arguably one of the team’s most consistent blueliners to start the season out with an injury, no problem, Seidenberg, Zdeno Chara, and Andy Ference put on their hard hats and went to work on both Toronto and Ottawa, blocking shots and making breakout passes.

This is a team that is playing for each other, and is keenly aware that they are also playing for a fan base who has not lifted the Cup since Milt Schmidt was wheeling and dealing in the front office.  Maybe Chiarelli’s deal for Seguin isn’t the same as Schmidt’s, which brought Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge, and Fred Stanfield to Boston, but maybe it is one that will help bring the Cup back to the Garden. #ThankYouKessel

Goal Cookies:

Timmay Thomas – Timmah is healthy, sporting a new mask with a different sightline, and the puck must look like a beach ball! Tank is proving once again he loves a challenge, and thank the hockey gods that no GM took a flyer on Thomas because it is another chapter in the Disney Tim Thomas Story!

Milan Lucic – in his 4^th season in the league Looch is shaping into the power forward that Bruins’ fans have been thirsting for since they tabbed him as the second coming of Cam Neely.  Looch has worked on his skating and his shooting (thanks Mark Recchi) and skating with Horton and David Krejci makes for lots of goal cookies!

Dennis Seidenberg – In the absence of Boychuk has stepped up his game and is blocking shots like a fiend!  He even stepped to the challenge of Sens’ tough guy Chris Neil late in Saturday’s game.

Passing of the torch? – Mark Recchi’s set-up of Tyler Seguin on the power play against the Sens was a thing of beauty.  Rex with the crafty breakout and threading a perfect pass to the high flying Seguin was exactly the reason why Rex was brought back for one more season.  There is simply no better tutor in the game than the ageless and classy Recchi.

The 4^th line – Brad Marchand, Shawn Thornton, Greg Campbell (thank you Wideman) – the “energy line” continues to set the tone, and despite being snake bit, Marchand continues to go to the net hard and create havoc, along with linemates Campbell and Thornton.

The “other” rookie – quietly toiling in the trenches is the hard skating Jordan Caron.  Caron and Bergeron are developing good chemistry on the PK, and Caron doesn’t seem to be having trouble adapting to the pace nor the responsibilities of playing on a “defensive” line with Bergy, and has demonstrated he can bury his chances, with 3 goals in 6 games.

So who is next up for the Bruins to fill the sizable void left with Boychuk’s broken wing? Likely Adam McQuaid, but don’t count Matt Bartkowski out of the mix either.  A large factor in the rapid development of Boychuk a year ago was defensive mastermind and blueline whisperer, Craig Ramsay.  Without Rammer, it will be interesting to see how much progress McQuaid has made and if the 3^rd piece of the Panthers deal, Bartkowski, can compete for time with the big club.

The Bruins struggled on Saturday with their team breakout, sitting back and allowing the Rangers the time to set up a deep forecheck.  It is something that had not been an issue since their opener in Prague against the Coyotes.  I would say it has far less to do with who was leading the breakout, and more representative of their passive play (which was also very evident on the power play).  Hunwick and Andrew Ference are the two d-men saddled with the label “puck moving defensemen” which might have more to do with their style of defense than anything they actually do moving the puck out on transition.  In fact, in their four wins the d-men who most successfully broke the puck out on transition via the pass or by their own skating ability were Chara and Boychuck.  The Bruins transition has employed the forwards along the wall and aggressively attacking the passing lane on the wide side of the ice.  That is not a skill only a puck moving defenseman possesses, in fact the bigger d-men, skating with a full head of steam seem to have much more success than the diminutive “speedy” d-dmen.

Hunwick has not shown the consistent promise he did in his rookie season, when he surprised many stepping in for an injured Ference.  He skated with confidence and while his limitations in the defensive zone were chalked up to inexperience, he was a major contributor on the powerplay.  The Bruins should check to see if the doctors removed more than Hunwick’s spleen in his surgery during the series with the Habs back in 08-09, as he has not been the same.  The lack of responsibility in his own end, and his physical struggle to clear out the slot, or separate an attacker from the puck along the wall are not being countered by any offensive contribution.  In fact he is virtually invisible on the breakout, often sending the troublesome “buddy pass” to a teammate in an impossible position, or the Jack Edwards favorite, “D to D” lateral pass, allowing the forecheck to eliminate options, and stagnate the B’s transition.  Nothing, NOTHING in Hunwick’s play exudes confidence, a sense of purpose, or a physical presence in any of the three zones;  for all of Ference’s propensity to shatter on impact he is far more physical than Hunwick, and while he may make mistakes he makes plays, with and without the puck with a decisiveness Hunwick lacks.

With any luck Claude Julien will demand that Hunwick earn his minutes, not simply gain them via attrition/injury.  Last season the oft utilized excuse for Wideman and Hunwick’s minutes was a lack of depth in the defensive corps.  The Bruins do NOT need to replace like with like, in fact Boychuk earned an opportunity to crack the line up when Hunwick was underperforming last season, and it was only an injury to Stuart which kept Hunwick (and/or Wideman) from watching the game at Neely’s elbow.  If Julien is going to send a message to Dan Paille (which is completely understandable, and opportunity well siezed by Jordan Caron) then he MUST have the depth in the organization to send it to the d-men as well, or else the “minutes are earned” philosophy has no teeth.

Goal Cookies:

Lucic – Krejci- Horton: What a difference a year makes,  Krej must be thanking his luck stars that he has wingers Lucic and Horton skating shotgun for him.  They continue to be red-hot and the unique talents of all three have successfully meshed and bring fans to the edge of the seat every shift.

Mr. 500: Shawn Thornton’s tilt with 6’7” Monstah Derek Boogaard earned him a stick tap for not only tangling with the Boogaard to give the B’s a spark, but for not getting killed!  The scrap put Thornton over the 500 mark for career PIM’s. Fellow Ginger Taz must be proud!

Protect the Dino Rex: Mark Recchi played in every game a year ago, but looked like he needed a blow on Saturday.  Julien must do a better job of managing his personnel and give Recchi the occasional night off.  While we all know Rex HATES to sit, he needs to have fresh legs to be effective on the ice, but could be very valuable sitting up in the box with a couple of the younger guys and teach his class from above.

Power Outage: The Bruins undoing on Saturday was their powerplay.  Despite taking it to the Caps’ vaunted PK on Thursday, Saturday was a different story against the Rangers.  Would LOVE to see Kreji take the puck off the wall and SHOOT, instead of always looking for the passing lane, more lanes will develop if the PK recognizes him as a threat.

Time to feed Azreal: If you didn’t grow up with the Smurfs I feel badly for you, and this won’t make any sense to you either!!  Greedy Smurf is coming to town this week (Phil Kessel) and it might be Lucic playing the role of Azreal the cat, licking his chops.  Will Looch feast on Greedy Smurf, or maybe have a bowl of Turtle (Komisarek) Soup? Stay tuned!!

However, Sunday was a new day, and from the opening face-off it was clear that the line of Horton-David Krejci-Milan Lucic would set the tone.  Lucic applied the pressure on the forecheck and all lines responded by skating with the sense of urgency sorely lacking in the Saturday opener.  The ‘Yotes Ilya Bryzgalov, who stood tall all of last season,  and made 40 saves in the opener,  was again strong in the opening stanza and in fact had the look of the netminders who have given the Bruins fits for decades.

The most promising thing was that the Bruins remained composed and stuck with the defense first game plan.  Coach Claude Julien gave Dennis Seidenberg the chance to redeem himself from Saturday’s debacle by unhitching him from defensive anchor Matt Hunwick. Seidenberg, Zendo Chara, and Johnny Boychuk rotated and led the defensive effort in front of Tim Thomas.  The Bruins are counting on Hunwick to fill the puck moving dman void left by the departure of Dennis Wideman.  Not unlike Wideman, Hunwick seems to fall into the trap of focusing more energy on the offensive aspect of his game, resulting in defensive miscues and a lack of awareness and coverage in the defensive zone.  It remains a mystery to me as to why teams insist on focusing on the puck moving element and seem to undervalue the talents of a stay at home defenseman.  In order for Hunwick to have success he must be paired with a dman who can not only cover for his high risk play, but can utilize their size to balance Hunwick’s in ability to clear the slot.  As a fan I would have hoped that Seidenberg could have filled this role, as Boychuk is still developing his game.  The physical play and stay at home skills of Mark Stuart might be the only remaining hope to balance Hunwick’s skill set.  Andy (Mr. Glass) Ference logged only 10:42 of ice time in 14 shifts.  Rookie forward Jordan Caron hopped on for as many shifts as Ference, and at 9:42 of TOI was the only Bruin to play less than Ference.

With the defensive game shored up by Chara, Boychuk and Seidenberg it was time for the forecheck to apply the same stifling pressure on the ‘Yotes which wilted the Bruins on Saturday.  A neutral zone turnover created by Krejci was followed by a nifty touch pass to Horton, who head-manned the puck to a streaking Lucic.  Lucic used the dman as a screen and rifled a shot past Bryzgalov for the all important breakthrough tally.   Under the tutelage of Mark Recchi, Lucic has worked hard on his shot, both during his injury riddled 09-10 season and in the pre-season. Flanked by Lucic and Horton, Krejci must feel like a kid in a candy store with wingers who crash the net and can finish plays.

Nothing is more evident in the first two games of the season than the fact that all of the Bruins faithful should be sending a fruit basket, thank you cards, and thanking the newest resident of the Sunshine State, Dennis Wideman, for finally contributing to the B’s success.  Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli seems to have pulled a second Brinks robbery (Recchi acquisition being the first, Seguin for Kessel could make him public enemy #1) by dealing Wides to Florida for super snipah, Horton.  Horton has figured in 4 of the Bruins 5 goals on the season, and leaves no doubt via his tallies that he is a sharp shooter extraordinaire.  His roof job for the B’s second goal came after Recchi dug a loose puck off the sidewall and was a thing of beauty and a rarity in Boston since the days of (shhhh *whispers* Neely).

Not to be left out of today’s coming out party was Bruins’ backstop, Tim Thomas.  Timmah, returned from off-season hip surgery, and was his usual heart stopping, unconventional, athletic self.  Thomas made a key save on yet another ‘Yotes breakaway on a Bruins’ PP, and while certainly not as busy as Rask on Saturday, seemed to be at ease in the crease. Thomas also picked up his first point of the season directing a puck to the corner off a save, finding Michael Ryder, who lifted the puck up and out, connecting with streaking rookie Tyler Seguin, to send the speedster in alone on Bryzgalov.  Seguin did not miss on his chance, making a nifty move without losing a step and crashing full speed into the net for good measure.  It was a memorable moment, his first NHL goal, but it also seemed a fitting way to wrap-up the complete effort by the black and gold.

So is Sunday’s game a sign of the rollercoaster Bruins from a year ago, or is it the team fans hoped and expected would make this a season of redemption?  The Bruins demonstrated some grit, with Chara throwing big hits in both zones, and Shawn Thornton reminding Ed Jovanovski that teams should reconsider taking liberties with the Bruins talented forwards.  The Bruins activated their defense, playing a North-South game, reminiscent of 08-09, with Chara jumping into the play and heading to the net.  Chara led all Bruins with 29+mins TOI and 7 shots ON goal, and played like the leader his team needed to follow after Saturday’s skate through the fog.

The Bruins have a week to review and prepare for the struggling NJ Devils.  The B’s odd man out could be Dan Paille, who was a healthy scratch on Sunday, making room for Caron’s debut.  Despite the stifling defensive effort, which held the ‘Yotes to 8-8-13=29 shots it would be to the Bruins advantage if Hunwick and Ference could contribute more consistently in the defensive zone.  Perhaps Matt Bartkowski or Adam McQuaid will take a path similar to that of Boychuk a year ago; fine tuning their game for the first 20 or so games before working themselves into the line-up.  Will Ryder build on Sunday’s effort and build chemistry with Seguin? There is little doubt that Seguin will make rookie mistakes along the way, and Thomas saved his bacon on one breakaway causing gaffe.  However it would be infinitely more reassuring to know that Ryder can support Seguin’s learning process by upping his compete level the way he did today.

So yes, there are 80 more games left to anguish over and celebrate, but the Bruins did show fans what they had waited for since the gut wrenching end to last season, this team does have the pieces to make a run for the Cup.  However, as the NHL campaign says, “Questions will become answers”; for the Bruins they have 80 games to answer the question: do they have what it takes to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup?

Goal Cookies:

Horton Hears a WHOOO!

Horton has been showing off the goal scoring touch which made him a coveted Chiarelli acquisition.  Paired with Lucic and Krejci he has linemates who work to get him the puck and create room for him to operate.  However it is Horton’s ability to use his body and work in the dirty areas which make him a complete player and will make him a darling in beantown.

Cheeseburgers and Milk

Tuukka (Milkkrate) Rask and Tim (Cheeseburger) Thomas just might comprise the best goalkeeping tandem in the NHL.  With the physical nature of the game, as well as the compact schedule and travel the days of any netminder backstopping their team for 70+ games a thing of the past.  Moog and Lemelin, Thomas and Fernandez, and now Thomas and Rask…egos do not seem to be an issue for Rask and Thomas, and the sooner as the Bruins faithful realize the team is better off with two top quality goalies the more they will enjoy the ride!

Sandpaper and Foil

Thorts, Chara, Lucic, Campbell, Boychuk, Seidenberg all made sure to announce their presence with authority on Sunday.  Since the dawn of the Big Bad Bruins the B’s have always played better when they are dictating the physical nature of the game.  Best way to slow a speedy team? Hit ‘em! Hit ‘em early and often.  Best way to make sure your skill guys have the room they need? Make sure the opponent realizes there will be a hefty price to pay for taking liberties.  Oh, and don’t forget tough guy Brian McGrattan gets to put on the foil soon.