Believing the Bruins

As predicted, Toivonen sent packing

2007-07-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

As I wrote a few weeks back in the post titled "The Bruins Future in Net: And How Manny Fernandez will fit in with Boston," Hannu Toivonen was dealt today to the St. Louis Blues for Carl Soderberg.

Never heard of him, have you?

Don't feel bad. Neither have I. And most Bs fans are probably in the same boat.

Soderberg won't be the Bruins next Joe Thornton, but he will bring some of that size and skill up the middle.

Most Bs fans would also agree that a goalie needed to be dealt, and that goalie may as well be Toivonen, considering the two starters and the young talent (Rask), all of whom are better than the recently departed.

On the same note, Bruins fans don't want to lose Toivonen just because of an overload at that position. Too many times, the talent coming in has to be questioned. The talent leaving, proven.

Soderberg certainly isn't proven, but neither is Toivenen. If anything, Toivonen has proven that he is unable yet to adequately and consistently be a starter in net. There have been flashes, nothing more.

Soderberg is a 21-year-old kid from Malmo, Sweden. Playing in the Swedish Elite League last year, the 6'3 200 pounder posted 12-18-30 totals in 31 games.

At hockeyfutures.com, Soderberg is rated a 7.5 out of 10. Such a rating is give to forwards who are projected to be somewhere between a potential first or second line guy in the NHL. The site also says the following about Soderberg:

"In the 2003-04 season, after totally dominating the junior league and almost averaging 2 points per game, Söderberg was called up to the SEL and immediately showed off his strong skills. He became a regular and scored a goal and an assist in 24 games... Söderberg is a very explosive player...good skater...has a powerful stride. With his quick feet he very easily gets around the opponents. He has an accurate shot, has a fine scoring touch and is a good playmaker as well. His hockey sense is top-notch and the way he handles the puck in full flight is very impressive. A strong player with great size combined with good technical skills. Earlier his defense was somewhat questionable but he has become a much better player without the puck. While his increase in playing time has not materialized this season, next season Söderberg should be given ample opportunity to showcase his strong skills. He is still a long distance away from the NHL, but given time, he will show why he is considered one of the bright spots in St. Louis's future."

Soderberg is of course no longer with St. Louis - however - he was ranked fifth on the team's prospect list on hockeyfutures.com, behind the super-talents of Erik Johnson, Marek Schwarz, T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund.

At 6'3, 200 pounds at age 21, Soderberg will undoubtably fill out even more and could eventually become the Bruins most physical prescence up front.

On paper, I like the trade. We didn't lost much in the trade (a goalie who might never have started in Boston again) and received a 49th overall, 2nd round pick with size and offensive talent. It may be three or four years before we can really evaluate this trade.

In other news, the Bs also re-signed Ryan Sullivan's man out of Omaha Nebraska, Jeff Hoggan. I was a big fan of Hoggan for most of last year but the ex-Blue couldn't sustain a roster spot and eventually was released. Apparently, somebody else in the Bs front office also likes the speed and tenacity that Hoggan offers on a nightly basis. He's a seven, eight minute per night kinda guy, and not one who scores much, but he'll bring some life to this team.

This could be the end of the Bruins pre-season moves. Don't expect anything too significant before the trade deadline.

Schedule released

2007-07-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

The schedule for the 2007-08 season was released today. The Bs kick off the season October 5 at Dallas, the first of a five-game road trip to begin the new campaign. It's an interesting beginning to the season - five on the road, a trip with former Duck Shawn Thornton to Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim (hopefully Selanne decides not to retire) and a showdown with the Sharks and Jumbo Joe himself before returning to Boston for the home-opener against Tampa. The Oct. 20 game against the Rangers should also be a good one, considering New York's bolstered line-up. I'm already excited - not to mention a little nervous.

NHL
BRUINS SCHEDULE
Oct. 5 at Dallas8:30
Oct. 6 at Phoenix9:00
Oct. 10 at Anaheim10
Oct. 12 at Los Angeles10:30
Oct. 13 at San Jose10:30
Oct. 18 Tampa Bay7
Oct. 20 N.Y. Rangers7
Oct. 22 at Montreal7:30
Oct. 25 Chicago7
Oct. 27 Philadelphia7
Nov. 1 Buffalo7
Nov. 3 at Ottawa7:30
Nov. 4 Ottawa7
Nov. 7 at Buffalo7
Nov. 8 Montreal7
Nov. 10 Buffalo7
Nov. 15 Toronto7
Nov. 17 at Montreal7
Nov. 20 at Toronto7
Nov. 23 N.Y. IslandersNoon
Nov. 24 at N.Y. Islanders7
Nov. 26 at Philadelphia7
Nov. 29 at Florida7:30
Dec. 1 at Tampa Bay7:30
Dec. 3 at N.Y. Islanders7
Dec. 5 at New Jersey7
Dec. 6 Montreal7
Dec. 8 at Toronto7
Dec. 10 at Buffalo7
Dec. 12 at Atlanta7
Dec. 13 New Jersey7
Dec. 15 Columbus7
Dec. 18 Ottawa7
Dec. 20 Pittsburgh7
Dec. 22 St. Louis1
Dec. 23 at Pittsburgh3
Dec. 28 at Carolina7
Dec. 29 at Atlanta7
Dec. 31 Atlanta1
Jan. 3 Washington7
Jan. 5 New Jersey7
Jan . 8 Carolina7
Jan. 10 Montreal7
Jan. 12 at Philadelphia1
Jan. 17 Toronto7
Jan. 19 N.Y. Rangers1
Jan. 20 at N.Y. Rangers1:30
Jan. 22 at Montreal7:30
Jan. 24 N.Y. Islanders7
Jan. 29 Nashville7
Jan. 31 at Ottawa7:30
Feb. 2 Detroit7
Feb. 5 Buffalo7
Feb. 8 at Buffalo7:30
Feb. 9 Florida7
Feb. 12 Carolina7
Feb. 13 at Pittsburgh7:30
Feb. 16 at Toronto7
Feb. 19 at Carolina7
Feb. 21 at Florida7:30
Feb. 23 at Tampa Bay7:30
Feb. 26 Ottawa7
Feb. 28 Pittsburgh7
March 1 Atlanta1
March 3 at Washington7
March 4 Florida7
March 6 Toronto7
March 8 Washington1
March 9 at N.Y. Rangers3
March 11 at Ottawa7:30
March 13 Tampa Bay7
March 15 Philadelphia1
March 16 at Washington3
March 20 Montreal7
March 22 at Montreal7
March 25 at Toronto7:30
March 27 Toronto7
March 29 Ottawa1
March 30 at Buffalo3
April 2 at New Jersey7
April 4 at Ottawa7:30
April 5 Buffalo7

Two July events worth checking out

2007-07-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Chances to meet Bruins faces new and old are abundant in July. In addition to the development camp, free to the public, being held throughout the week at Wilmington's Ristuccia Arena, fans also have the chance to meet the guys at the 3rd Annual Frozen Face Off on Wednesday, July 18th from 6-8:00 p.m. at the Water Club of Marina Bay in Quincy.

A view, as pictured on the Water Club website, looking out onto Boston Harbor from inside the club.

Drinks like the "Slap Shot Mudslide" and the "Pina Colada Power Play" will be served to calm the nerves of talking to long-time idols. There will also be food, raffles and a silent auction. And of course, autographs for those who bring along some memorabilia. The place reportedly is situated with views of the Boston skyline - not bad for $40 admission. I plan to check it out if I can get the night off from work. And if the $40 ticket is too steep, the harbor cruise on July 31st is somehow cheaper, only $25. One additional warning: I read a little up on it and usually, there is a cover. Of course for this particular night the cover is $40 for a reason. Also, the specialy drinks are $9 a piece and domestic beers are $5 a pop. Not cheap by any means but depending on the people on hand, it could be worth a look.

On the last day of the month, the Bs are hosting a Sunset Harbor Cruise from 6-9:00 p.m. Jim Plunkett is performing during the cruise and as with the Frozen Face Off, raffles, silent auctions will take place while Bruins players and alumni will be on board. Terry O'Reilly and Bob Sweeney are two confirmed names.

July 31st happens to be a Tuesday, the one day I only work until 4:30, so I'll probably attend.

2007-07-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

As reported on the Bruins Blog, Dale Arnold will no longer be doing play-by-play for the Bruins. His contact was not renewed and now Jack Edwards will be assuming the full-time duty. Edwards and Andy Brickley ran the show on the road last year but will be doing so at home in 2007-08 was well. This was very dissapointing for me to here because Dale Arnold was a great play-by-play announcer.

When I see the name Jack Edwards, I can't relate a face. He is quite tall but otherwise transparent. Dale Arnold's voice would echo throughout my living room following each and every Bruins goal. He was ellated. Genuinly excited, pumped-up for each goal. I might go a little too far here to say...as Zdeno Chara would wind up for a rip-roaring slapshot on the power-play, Arnold would similarly wind up, reaching into the depths of his vocal chords to deliver that sweet scoring sound. He would pick up steam as a Bruin player did the same. He announced the same way some great players, Mario Lemieux first comes to mind, effortlessly glide (so it seems) around the ice, only to explode into a sudden shot or make a mind boggling move toward the net. During a power-play, Arnold is steady, calm, but unable to hind that immenent excitement only moments away, in the air always.

I understand a lot of people aren't big fans of Arnold. I have no problem with that. Some people especially don't like hearing him on WEEI but for me, well his voice signals Bruins chatter and any Bruins dialogue stuck in between all that Sox, Celtics, Patriots clutter is welcomed with open ears.

Reflecting on my previous post regarding Manny Fernandez, the new Bruin stopper is the 11th highest paid keeper in the league. Six of those goalies had better GAAs. Again, he was a good sign.

Lastly I want to remind any local readers that the Bruins development camp begins at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington this week. The players will be skating once on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and twice Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. I've never seen a development camp and I am curious to see some of the news guys so I'll probably head up there once or twice. Tuukka Rask should be an especially interesting specimin - with all the goalie overload going on right now, it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could dethrown any of the season-opening starters by say midseason if all is not well in the Boston net. I guess I'd rather not see too much Tuukka in Boston this year. I'll gladly make the trip to Providence.

The Bruins Future in Net: And How Manny Fernandez will fit in with Boston

2007-07-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Peter Chiarelli signed Manny Fernandez with the intention of making the Etobicoke, Ontario native the Bruins starting goaltender for the 2006-07 season. Fernandez will be making about four million and as such, he should perform as a starting keeper. I am confident he will - but the reaction hasn't been mutual throughout Boston.

Bruins fan have been skeptical because of Fernandez's age - 33 - and Kevin Paul Dupont recently wrote in a Boston Globe article titled Bruins have too many men in the crease that Fernandez "is not considered among the game's elite netminders."

I can't argue with that statement because it would be difficult to make a clear cut case for Fernandez as an elite number. But before I look at some stats to compare the elite goaltenders of the league over the past seven years (Fernandez's first year of significant time was in 1999-00), I will wager that he is among the league's...let's say seven best keepers.

Fernandez has played in 293 with a record of 125-113-24-1 and a 2.47 GAA, a .913 save pct and 13 shutouts.

First let's pit Fernandez against the current Black and Gold. Tim thomas is a career 45-43-0-4 with 3.00 GAA, .909 save pct and four shutouts.

Hannu Toivonen: 12-14-0-1, 3.33, .896, 1 SO. (on paper he's on the way out)

So I guess we can live with Fernandez starting over Thomas and Toivonen. But back to the point here. Let's look at some other goaltenders, all considered to be No. 1 starters and even elite keepers at times, who have played during the same time period, for a similar number of years.

31-year-old Marty Turco is undoubtably considered one the league's top five if not three keepers...during the regular season (although he actually had a good postseason this year). In 320 games, Turco is 175-82-26-5 with a 2.11 GAA, a .914 save % and 30 shutouts. A superior GAA, more wins and shutouts but Fernandez gets the edge, ever so slight, in save percentage.

Moving on to Stanley Cup winning 30-year-old J.S. Giguere. He's played 353 games and compiled a 156-134-25-8 record with a GAA of 2.48, a save percentage of .914 and 25 shutouts. Fernandez with a 2.47 GAA, a .913 save % takes both categories, barely.

Last season, Fernandez was ranked 15th in GAA (2.55), just behind Mikka Kiprusoff (2.46) and Stanley Cup finalist keeper Ray Emery (2.47).

Dupont, in the previously mentioned article, then writes Fernandez "...lost his job to Finnish backup Niklas Backstrom in January when he wrenched a knee. However, Fernandez played in a career-high 58 games two seasons ago, and he said in an afternoon conference call yesterday he felt he could handle that workload again."

Who wouldn't have lost their job to Niklas Backstrom last year? In 41 games, he posted 23 wins and lost only eight times (six more in overtime), while posting a league-best 1.97 GAA and also a league best .929 save percentage. He did stumble in one area however.

It may not be seem very important, if anything conditional, but Backstrom was ranked 36th in shootout percentage (53.1%) while Fernandez ranked 14th (71.9%). Furthermore Tim Thomas, who could easily be heading out of town soon, stopped 38 of 46 (82.6%) attempts. Only Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist faced more shots and only three other goalies (Denis, Holmqvist, CuJo) posted better save percentages in the shootout. It might not mean much but in the current NHL system, shootouts are vital. I don't even want to know how bad Boston would have been without its 9-4 record in the shootout. Tim Thomas, based on save percentage and workload in the shootout, was the league's best. And what was better than watching the emotions Thomas threw all over the rink throughout those shootouts?

And what about longtime teammate of Fernandez, Dwayne Roloson? His stat line over 356 career games: 124-157-42-6, 2.55 GAA, .910 save %. Fernandez has him beat in wins, GAA and save %. Roloson is the goalie, now at age 37, who almost won a cup for Edmonton.

Just for fun, how about one more comparison. Let's take Evgeni Nabokov, considered a franchise goaltender for the Sharks and a very legitimate No. 1 for any team. In 353 career games, the 31-year-old has gone 162-129-29-4 with a 2.43 GAA and a .911 save %. Almost identical numbers to Fernandez just slightly better. Here and now I will rest my case and I believe I was right in my assumption that since the year 2000, give or take a year, Manny Fernandez has been among the league's top six to eight goaltenders in the league.

There's Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo and probably Mikka Kiprusoff. These are the league's three elite goaltenders.

Looking again at the trade for Fernandez, Boston sent Petr Kalus and their fourth-round pick in 2009 for Fernandez. That goes into my book as an unproven, young forward and a late round draft pick for one of the NHL's top ten goaltenders, maybe even a top six keeper (top six is elite).

I say keep Tim Thomas, deal the younger and more desirable Hanny Toivonen. Thomas is one the last remaining personalities, recognizable faces on the Bruins. The fans love him. He plays with his heart and blames no one. He is a guy you want on your team. Maybe not to play 70 games but that problem has been solved. Fernandez is an upper-class keeper and Thomas is a very legitimate guy too.

Manny's career high is 58 games. He's coming off a year of 44 games. 50 games for Manny and 30 for Thomas. Two very capable goalies who will remain fresh throughout the year. Both will be in tune for the playoffs. Deal Toivonen and a draft pick for a defenseman or for more scoring up front.

When you break down the numbers, the Bruins are in good shape if they make the right decisions. And if not, there's always that guy named Tuukka Rask.

Free Agent Frenzy

2007-07-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

The free agent frenzy came and went, in just a matter of days. Since Sunday at noon, all the big names on the market are now off the market and in new locales all over North America. I am only 21 (22 on Aug. 2), but in my 15 or so years of watching the NHL, I cannot recall so much movement of players in so little time. That being said, the salary cap hasn't jumped like it just did (from about 44 million to 50 million).

The Devils welcomed Zubrus from Buffalo and said goodbye to all-star Scott Gomez (Rangers, seven years, 51.5 million) and defenseman Brian Rafalski, who signed a five year with Detroit worth $30 million. Detroit of course had lost Mathieu Schneider to the Ducks at 2 years, 11.25 million, and needed to rebolster its defense. The Stanley Cup champs weren't done there. They brought in 6-3, 254 pound Todd Bertuzzi, who at age 32 still could wreak havoc but posted only three goals and eight assists in 15 games of the 2006-07 season with Florida and Detroit. I remember the devastation I felt at hearing Boston had traded Joe Thornton for those three guys (only Sturm we still own). I cannot fathom how Panthers fans feel at losing Roberto Luongo for one goal and six assists. I am confident that after Roberto Luongo wins a Stanley Cup or two, the Luongo for Bertuzzi trade will go down as one of the worst in history. For the Ducks, little risk is involved. At $4 million, Bertuzzi at the least will provide this already tough club with added grit up front.

The Ducks must have been heartbroken to lose Shawn Thornton, all two goals and seven assists of him. He averages about eight minutes of ice time but according to Peter Chiarelli is a great, up-tempo physical prescence, so great indeed that Chiarelli said no more free agent signings will be necessary. The Ducks win a championship, they bring in Schneider and Bertuzzi. The Bruins...did sign Manny Fernandez, but I'' save that discussion for my next entry.

The Flyers roster has quickly come together into what I believe will be a very competitive team this year. I didn't think the Flyers looked half bad in the second half of last season. With the additions of Daniel Briere from the Sabres, Joffrey Lupul and Jason Smith from the Oilers, Scottie Upshall, Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen from the Preds...they can now play a lineup that might look like this:

Gagne-Briere-Upshall
Hartnell-Carter-Lupul
Kapanen-Richards-Knuble
Eager-Umberger

Hatcher-Rathje
Coburn-Smith
Picard-Timonen
Kukkonen-Gauthier
Jones

Nittymaki
Biron

I didn't mean to place so much emphasis on the Flyers, but there is no way this team won't compete next year. This lineup is big and quick and should excel under the current NHL rules.

Another team that should bounce back this season is the Blues - although the Flyers are far ahead in the rebuilding phase. Tkachuk is returning on a two year deal for 4 million a year and Paul Kariya is the newest Blue, adding to a lineup that already includes Doug Weight, Lee Stempniak, Peter Cajanek and former Bruin Brad Boyes. The Blues are nowhere near competing in the Western Conference but should be able to put out a better starting lineup this year.

Back in the East, as mentioned previously, the Rangers added Scott Gomez from New Jersey and Chris Drury from Buffalo. The Sabres have lost Drury, Briere and Zubrus. That's a combined 93 goals and 131 assists for 224 points. However, not to be forgotten is Tim Connolly who averaged nearly a point per game in the 2005-06 season before missing all but one regular season game in 06-07.

The Caps acquired Tomi Poti and Viktor Kozlov from the Isles and Michael Nylander from the Rangers. Nylander came at 4 years, 19.5 million, not exactly a steal. I've was very dissapointed when the Bruins let Nylander go following their playoff breakdown a few years back, but I've always like Nylander as player. He is a very fluid skates who can control is strong the puck. He also posted a 26-57-83 line and was plus-12 with the Rangers last year. But at 34, Nylander could begin to slow down any year and I don't see the Caps as the best fit for an aging, yet skilled Nylander.

The Canadiens may have the Caps beat, however, on risking a lot of money on an aging player. The Habs signed the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 draft, Roman Hamrlik, to a four-year deal worth 22 million. Hamrlik was +22 on the Flames blueline last year but he is 33. True, defensemen seem to wear down very slowly, but 5 million plus seems slightly excessive.

The Lightning lost defenseman Cory Sarich to the Flames (five years, 18 million) and forward Eric Perrin to the Thrashers. I don't understand why the Lightning would give up Perrin when he accepted a deal worth just 1.5 million a year. Perrin is probably worth the money - he scored 13 times and added 23 assists, not to mention that he is Martin St. Louis' long time friend from the University of Vermont.

The Avalanche, who down the stretch last season were the league's best team, added Scott Hannon from San Jose (four years, 18 million) and all-star leader Ryan Smyth from the Islanders (five years, 31.25 million). With Sakic and Smyth leading up front and a lot of young depth spread around, the Avs could potentially compete in the playoffs this season, possibly rekindling the Avs/Wings rivalry. The Wings, as always, are going nowhere, with Zetterberg and Datsyuk in the mix.

More bad news for the Bruins in the NorthEast. The Maple Leafs 33-year-old Jason Blake from Long Island (five years, 20 million). Blake has gotten better every year since entering the league and scored a career high 40 goals last season. I like his quick, agressive style of play. The Bruins certainly won't enjoy defending him.

On the other coast, L.A. landed a quartet of newcomers, signing forwards Kyle Calder, Ladislav Nagy, Michal Handzus and defensemen Tom Preissing and Brad Stuart. Not a bad foursome to land. The Kings can only get better and have plenty of youth in Alexander Frolov, Michael Cammalleri and Anze Kopitar.

The Blackhawks should also be better, but no better than the Kings, this upcoming season with faceoff mastermind Yanic Perreault and center Robert Lang...let's end this conversation on the West Coast before we head back east to discuss the impact Manny Fernandez will have in Boston.

Chiarelli moving in bulk

2007-06-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

As reported in the Bruins blog, Peter Chiarelli continued to ship out parts of what he clearly believes is a currently dysfunctional organization and a team in the midst of a pretty significant overhaul. First Dave Lewis and now GM Jeff Gorton and Daniel Dore, who is widely considered to be a top-notch scout. Apparently Chiarelli isn't among that Dore fan club.

I'm not against the moves Chiarelli is making right now - something obviously needs to be done, correction, has needed to be done for quite some time. I'm not sure getting rid of all management personell, many of whom I'm sure were well respected, is the way to solve all the Bruins problems. The problem, in my opinion, is on the ice - and yes I know there's talent there but not enough of it. I certainly support the coaching change and in time, we'll all have a better idea of what kind of environment Chiarelli is trying to create.

Back to the players, University of Michigan product defenseman Matt Hunwick was signed by the Bs and hopes to make the team for the upcoming season. Hunwick put up pretty solid numbers for a defenseman over 126 games in four years - 24 goals and 73 assists for 97 points. Lots of defensemen on board in Boston...if only we had a goalie.

Cross your heart

2007-06-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

I have some news to report, as one might imagine I would have after nearly two months away from this blog. I sincerely apologize for that, fully aware that nobody is going to follow this blog with such hiatuses. But I can offer some hope to those hockey fans nervous about the state of the game and some argument to those who maintain that hockey is irrelevant.

Not the case in Madrid. The primary reason I've been unable to blog much over the past few months is because I was first taking finals, next preparing for Spain and finally studying in Spain for the past five months. I knew I was f*ucked as far as following the last two rounds of the Stanley Cup finals. Dissapointing, yes. Even more once Selanne raised the Cup just days before my plane lowered onto American soil. For those who have never read this blog, I've followed Selanne's career since I first put on skates and Teemu joined the NHL, some 14 or 15 years ago. Was the trip worth it? Obviously, for more reasons than cuts Selanne suffered in the playoffs, and one night in Madrid made it all worth it for sure.

The night after, we went to a bar with a cave-like ceiling. And by cave-like, I really mean the place looked like a cave. From the cave ceiling fell milk (or a milk mixture), when summoned by the bartenders, into large bowls. The milk was then mixed with almonds (juice) and various liquors I could not view from my vantage point but a quick Google search of the drink, Horchata, would certainly turn up all the ingredients. Wikipedia, of course, explains it all. It is actually a non-alcoholic drink but of course, there are alcoholic variations. One, as described in Wikipedia, is "...in a Rice Rocket. The drink comprises of 2 parts horchata, 1 part coconut-flavored rum and a dash of Goldschläger over ice." It's delicious.

I'm trying to get to the point here but easier said than done. The next night we visited a hookah bar/lounge. You could rent a hooka for an hour while sipping on whatever drinks you please. You could dance. I did all those things but what made my night was the television showing Game 2 of the Finals. The NBA finals were also on - but there's not much surprise there. Basketball is quite big in Spain. But I couldn't believe Game 2 was on. I guess if it would happen in Spain, it would happen in Madrid. It makes me excited just thinking about it. Drinks. Hookah. Spanish music. Dance. All great, fabulous, foreign things but the surprise of a televised game being played all the way in California was priceless.

So about the draft - I hadn't done much research, not going to lie. I had not even heard of Kyle Turris until Thursday, the day before round one selections. But after researching a little on Zach Hammil and Tommy Cross, the Bruins look like they made some solid picks. Cross sounds like a great guy with good skills and the obvious, size. Chara and Cross, CC, could make for a devastating one-two punch on the first and second D-lines, a punch that would likely take its tole on opponents over the course of a game. Hamill looks even better, potentially. Then again, we are talking Bruins. Lately, we all know what that means. Cross your heart and hope for the best because that's all we can do these days. I don't think it's the coaching change that will fill our void.

It's time to wrap up my first day at the Globe - but I'm sure if nothing else, this job will allow me some time to keep up blogging as often as possible.

Nothing compares to the NHL playoffs

2007-04-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been hectic these last couple weeks with all the final projects and tests due before the semester comes to a close. I'll use that as my excuse for not posting over the past couple weeks, throughout the NCAA college hockey championships and the close of the NHL regular season.

I definately thought Boston College was going to return home with a title this year. I don't understand how all that momentum, built up over a 13-game stretch against some of the country's top teams, was stopped in just one period of play against an offensively-sluggish team like Michigan State.

Then again, could we really have expected BC to come out on top? It hasn't worked out three of the last four years, and I guess that third period collapse wasn't so surprising after all.

I chose to go out instead of staying home with my NHL package on Wednesday night. It was a good night in town but an even better night on TV. Four overtimes in one game, two in another. Maybe I'm glad I wasn't around for the Canucks/Stars marathon because knowing me, that might have been too much fun.

Only two upsets so far. The Rangers over Atlanta and San Jose over Nashville, if you even want to call those upsets. The way things went down the stretch for Nashville in addition to their rash of injuries, it would be no surprise to see them one and done after San Jose. It's a shame one of those teams is only going to be around for one round because both squads are Stanley Cup material at full health. Maybe with Cheechoo down and out tonight, the playing field will be leveled and the Preds will even things up. The Preds need a win tonight anyhow to have a good chance at taking this series. Thornton had two assists, both primary, in Game 1. Could this be Joe's breakout playoff season?

The only game I caught any of so far was the Pens/Sens game on Wednesday night. Ottawa's intensity over the first half of the game was unbelievable. I'm not sure if Pittsburgh also looked a little lost out there with all the young guys, but I was definately surprised to see the Sens dominate like they did. I still don't understand why every season after the Sens are bumped from the playoffs, everyone looks at captain Daniel Alfredsson for answers. He had 87 regular season points and more impressively was a plus-42, second in the league only to Thomas Vanek (+47). And he's no Joe Thornton in the playoffs either. He leads by example in the postseason, I would say, having played in all 80 games over 15 playoff series while amassing team leading numbers in goals (29), assists (30) and points (59). And he looked damn good in Game 1. Still, I'm not counting out Crosby to overshadow his fellow centerman by the time this series is over.

I watched the highlights of the Tampa Bay/New Jersey game and I can say with confidence that Johan Holmqvist lost that game for Tampa. The first two goals were completely garbage, long-range warm up type shots. The Lightning were able to do what they did in 2004 because of great offense and solid goaltending in that guy now nonexistant on the Blackhawks. Right now, it looks like the Bolts might be wishing that guy was still in town. Still, if Holmqvist can bounce back and be solid the rest of the way, Tampa should be able to get this series to a Game 6 and maybe even a 7.

Buffalo and Detroit won handily - no surprises there. Still, I think Calgary has a chance to bounce Detroit if they coudl get back on the right track. The Flames are a very physical team with great goaltending and defense. I realize they weren't playing well down the stretch but if they could turn things around, and quick, the Wings at the least may be prevented from steamrolling over them and into the second round.

There was one statistic from the Detroit game I couldn't believe. Going into the game, Pavel Datsyuk had endured a scoreless streak of 26 games. His last goal came in Game 7 of the 2002 conference finals. I probably wouldn't have believed that Datsyuk had gone even one series without scoring a goal.

Without Datsyuk dominating the playoffs in the past, it's no wonder the Wings have seen little playoff success recently.

Datsyuk ended a 26-game scoreless streak in the playoffs, dating to Game 7 of the 2002 conference finals.

I expect Dallas to bounce back tonight in another very close game. The Wild may not be so lucky - the Ducks are a tough team to beat at home and in my opinion are the West's superior team.

And as for that one "upset" in Atlanta, well Jaromir Jagr came to play. That's going to be the difference for New York. As Jagr goes go the Rangers. No worries if I'm Atlanta though. Kari Lehtonen is a stud and Marian Hossa and Kovalchuk were kept off the scoreboard in Game 1. Brad Larsen and Pascal Dupuis were the Thrashers' high scorers with two points each. That will change, undoubtably in Game 2.

Bruins fans, there's plenty of good hockey out there. That is, outside of the Bruins organization.

2007-03-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

The more I think about it, the more I realize that hockey fans are currently witnessing a historic year in the NHL. I don't know where to begin. But regardless of any pain and suffering Bostonians have had to endure this year and for many years previous, it is important for these same fans to look around the league, around Boston and to other corners of the world where hockey continues to be played.

I decided to go the Bruins game last night not to watch the Bruins but to watch Crosby and co. go at it again. It was a perfect chance to get some reasonably priced tickets to see The Kid play. The Penguins moved ahead of the Devils last night and now have 100 points. That is astonishing to say the least. This is a team that placed second to last in the league just one year ago. They turned 58 points last season into 100+ this season. The Pens already have 45 wins. That's 23 more than in 2005-06. This team actually has a chance at a President's Trophy. It boggles my mind how a team undergoes this kind of transformation over one season. Yet the answer is obvious.

Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Stall have proven their worth. They will go on to have extremely successful careers in the NHL. Jordan may even be better than his brother Eric. Evgeni could be the most prolific scorer over the next 15 to 20 years. Still, the Penguins success begins and ends with Sidney Crosby. It's amazing that a 19 year old is already one of the top leaders in the league. Granted, I wasn't around to see much of Wayne Greztky's statistical stacked seasons. But if the Penguins, say, make it to the Eastern Conference finals or the Stanley Cup, I believe this Gretzky vs. Crosby debate will be mute.

Not a bad look for the new NHL. Photo from GQ Magazine, issue Nov. 06

My argument is that Crosby is dominating the league during an era when it is not nearly as easy to reign supreme. This highlight real featuring "the great ones should be expanded and celebrated. Crosby's goal, I believe against the Canadiens, when he wove through the entire team and danced his way toward the goal with the utmost grace was for the Canadiens, a beautiful disaster.

There's plenty of other great stories in the NHL this year. Stories that you won't see nearly as often in other sports. In Tampa Bay, Vincent Lecavalier, another player who has been compared to Gretzky since entering the league, has finally blossomed into the player we were hoping he'd be. He's scoring at will and has certainly shown maturity that he lacked in past years. Also in Tampa, St. Louis and Dan Boyle, former college stars, continue to shine and set a precedent in the league that smaller players can thrive. That's no revelation of course. The league would be minus a lot of highlights from guys like Datsyuk, St. Louis, Boyle, Savard.

It really doesn't make sense that a guy who was in the running for a Hobby Baker award some years back went undrafted. Boyle is a great example of the kind of player that thrives in the NHL today, and although the league is not perfect, fans need to appreciate the strides that have been made to help these great, undersized players shine.

But best of all in the hockey and sports world, maybe even better than Sidney Crosby, is the Buffalo Sabres success as a team and an organization. The Sabres were recently named the No. 1 team among all teams in the big four.

"Buffalo ranks No. 1 among all Big Four pro franchises in giving fans the most back for the emotion, money and time they invest in their teams," wrote Peter Keating in the above article.

It seems that it's almost been less time that I recall the Sabres nearly going bankrupt than I remember writing about how the Bruins mathematically will reach the playoffs this season. As written in the article, the Sabres' owner John Rigas was found gulity of accounting fraud in 2003. Rigas' departure signaled a new era in Buffalo, as billionaire Tom Golisano purchased the team amd arena for 92 million dollars. What followed was a reverse trend of what was happening around the rest of the league. Ticket prices were lowered, drastically, and now cost 25% below the league average. That's not the only area the Sabres have thrived over the past few years.

I'm not going to analyze the entire article because it's here for everybody to see. However, based the following rankings, Buffalo was the top sports team among the big four sports while the Bruins ranked...117th of 122.

BNG (Bang for the Buck): Revenues directly from fans divided by wins in the past three years

FRL (Fan Relations): Ease of access to players, coaches & management

OWN (Ownership): Honesty; loyalty to players and city

AFF (Affordability): Price of tickets, parking and concessions

STD (Stadium Experience): Friendliness of environment; quality of game-day promotions

PLA (Players): Effort on the field; likability off it

CCH (Coach/Manager): Strong on-field leadership

TTR (Title Track): Titles already won or expected -- soon

The B's didn't crack 103rd in any category and were the fifth most expensive team to follow. Great news for a city that has probably the most poor college students of any city in the country. It's a wonder how we attended around 15 games this year. It will be no wonder when I apply for another loan in the near future. Among NHL teams, only the Blackhawks were ranked worse than Boston. The other teams at the bottom: Flordia, the Kings, Leafs and Flyers. Not exactly an elite class. The Rangers were next, making three of the original six teams among the worst for hockey fans to lend their trust, loyalty and passion.

I do believe these teams will recover the glory that once carried among the best of fan bases. And looking at the big picture, these teams don't really matter that much right now anyways. Sidney in Pittsburgh, Tom in Buffalo and Dan in Tampa have our league headed in the right direction for years to come and for that reason, hockey fans, even those in Boston, should step back and enjoy the world's greatest sport.

A night at Northeastern with Cam Neely

2007-03-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

As we walked through the doors of Ell Hall, I caught site of a familiar face of a large figure just behind me.

"Do you know where Blackman Hall is," he said. "It's right up here. Are you Cam?" I said.

Obviously, it was Cam. I just didn't know what to say at the time. Professional athletes have always intimidated me and a player of Neely's stature was no different.

I shook his hand, introduced myself, and walked inside Blackman Auditorium, as I listened to his explain that he didn't have a ticket to those working the doors.

His presentation was fun and very casual. It was $3/ticket for students and $5 for everyone else. He spoke of his playing days, with some behind the scenes comedic stories and finished with a short explanation of his charity work involving cancer.

After, he opened up the floor for questions. Unforunately, the floor included many dim-witted sorority girls and frat house bozos. There were a lot of real fans in the crowd and from them came some good questions.

What was your favorite place to play? Montreal, by far.
Did you enjoy a hat trick of a victorious fight more? Probably the fight. Players hate to lose a fight.
What was it like to be traded from Vancouver to Boston?
Who do you like most in the league now?
Why do the Bruins suck and where should they start corrections?

Cam was very down to earth and was able to shed a lot of light on both his career and the game today. A few girls felt it necessary to ask questions about rule changes and leadership in the locker room - these questions were not posed with any inteligence.

I was disappointed that there was no meet and greet afterwards but nonetheless, it was a worthwhile experience.

Later last night, our NESHL team won once again against a mediocre opponent, at best. I mean, I played back on D for two periods and I don't think we gave up a goal during that time. Playoffs start next Sunday, so the going should get tougher.

I'm not going to go further into the playoff scenarios of the NHL right now but as we all know, spots are still up for grabs in the East and these final couple weeks should be very entertaining.

One other thing I wanted to mention today was regarding the film "The Rocket," which as I have heard tells the story of Rocket Richard. I had read about this film a while back and based on the few reviews on amazon.com, this movie is on par with the other great hockey films. I'll be sure to check it out over the next week or so and write a full review.

Hope all but lost in Boston, but there's plenty more in the playoffs

2007-03-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

A second straight shutout, albeit not nearly as bad as Saturday's disaster, likely put an end to any hope of a postseason birth for Boston. At the very least, I hope Tim Thomas has secured the starting position in goal for next season. He was once again left out to dry and take away some great saves and some even better luck, and the Canadiens win that game by three or four goals. The Bruins also have Tukka Rask and Toivonen, both of whom have plenty of potential. So, I don't want to hear anything about goaltending this off-season. It's the offense and defense, but more specifically, the lack of leadership and thus the lack of consistency.

Regardless of how the Bruins end the season, and it's not looking good, this postseason has about as much potential as I can remember.

In the East, Buffalo will likely retain the top spot and face perhaps the defending Cup champs, the Smyth and Dipierto led Islanders or the Leafs. All would present an interesting series, certainly no gimmes due to the Sabres recent rash of injuries. Jersey could end up playing one of their crosstown rivals in the Isles or Rangers. Division rivals Atlanta and Tampa Bay are currently locked up, and the offensive firepower that these two teams would display would be unmatched in any other series. But perhaps the most interesting current pairing is playoff failure Ottawa and a much-improved Pittsburgh. With Crosby, Malkin, Stall and co. flourishing and having brought the Pens from worst to, well almost first, the Sens may once again find themselves on the short end of what was a pretty darn good season. My prediction: Sidney Crosby proves he's already a better leader than Daniel Alfredson, who is shipped out following the Sens first round exit.

In the West, we are currently looking at a Nashville/Calgary first round series. These teams are only separated by 14 points and as far as playoff experience and overall leadership, the Flames have to be the favorite. But Nashville plays a fast brand of hockey, one that might be too quick for any of the bottom seeds. The same can be said about Anaheim and Dallas. The Stars are very accustomed to making the playoffs, and Mike Modano and co. are among the league's best leaders. That being said, Teemu Selanne is scoring at will and has a big and fast Ducks team ready for a Stanley Cup run. Not to mention, Pronger and Scotty N., a three-time Cup champ, on the blueline. The Ducks are my clearcut favorite to take it home this year.

A Vancouver/San Jose matchup would be a battle between a great overall team in San Jose against a Roberto Luongo led Canucks team. Luongo would have to be great to win this series, but I think that's pretty much expected at this point? Joe Thornton needs to lead, not just assist, if the Sharks are to finally make it to the Western Conference finals. And the current No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup, the Wings would meet the Wild in a matchup that would surely come down to the wire. The Wings surprised everyone this year with yet another 100+ point season and of course have that much valued playoff experience. Minnesota has been there recently too, and Marian Gaborik is healthy and playing well, but this would be a tough series to win as Detroit has home-ice advantage (26-4-5) at home.

I'm dissapointed about how things are shaping up in Beantown, but that's life. It's nice to have my team, but it's better we have a good postseason to look forward to. I never want to have another 2004-05. We have our hockey and that's what really matters.

Bruins survive; keep good vibe at the Garden with final four Hockey East teams ready for championship

2007-03-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

This watercolor, titled "A Scene on the Ice" by Hendrick Avercamp will hopefully be hung above my mantle some day. If I can't swing that with the wife, I'll settle for a prime spot in the "sports room."

The Bruins poor play and a few gin and tonics had me counting sheep through the first two periods last night. But in the third and into overtime and the shootout, the Bruins woke up, keeping both their playoff hopes and I alive for at least the time being. What was a rough night could have been a lot worse had the Bruins lost that game and a hope for the postseason.

We can thank Phil "The Closer" Kessel, as he has now been officially deemed by the Globe in today's B's coverage. Also important was that the Bruins kept a good vibe in the air at the Garden with the hockey east championships beginning tonight and wrapping up tomorrow. I'll be looking on from up top with the media on what should be an interesting three games.

Tickets are available online at that link but at this point, you are better off just getting them at the Garden. Also, students of any of the Hockey East schools can get $7 off any ticket, which makes possible a $10 ticket (originally $17 for the upper balcony area). Not a bad deal, especially for tonight, because that $10 is admission for both the 5 p.m. UMass Amherst vs. UNH matchup and the 8 p.m. BC/BU rivalry.

For more coverage on these games, check out the BostonBruins.com article The Hub of Hockey Hosts Hockey East. Many former Hockey East stars now current Bruins comment on the games and the likely scenarios that may play out this weekend. It's amazing how many of these guys came from Hockey East teams. Right of the bat, I know Chuck Kobasew and defensemen Andrew Alberts and Bobby Allen were former Eagles and Mark Mowers was a Wildcat. No Amherst guys though...Thomas Pock of the Rangers is the one guy in the league that I know came out of UMass.

Northeastern was shelled in two lopsided games against BC in the first round but three Huskies earned hockey east honors, it was announced today. Morris was selected as a fan favorite and more importantly, freshmen Brad Thiessen and Chad Costello were named to the All-Rookie team.

In bigger knews, 6'4 220 pounds of bigger news, former Husky blueliner Jon Awe is making his finally prescence felt in both the ECHL and AHL this year, possibly a sign of things to come in the NHL some day soon. Just a few years ago, he was manning the point for the Huskies. That is very occassionally when he was granted playing time. Despite his gifted stature, he played like a little man with a little heart. He could barely through a check, nevermind skate backwards.

Now, I'm not the only one surprised by his numbers this season at the ECHL and AHL levels. He has 21 goals and 28 assists for 49 points in as many games for the Gwinnett Gladiators. And that is on defense don't forget. Also, in five games with the Chicago Wolves, he has posted a goal and three assists and a plus-5 rating. Although he failed to make it out of the Atlanta Thrashers training keep this season, those kind of numbers will earn him a spot on some NHL squad come next year.

And to close out today's post with a useful tool in hockey knowledge, I just skimmed through Wikipedia's listing on ice hockey and even for a long-time hockey fan and player like myself, there was plenty to learn in here.

For example, I learned that hockey may have originated in the Beni-Hasen tombs in Egypt, where 4000-year-old drawings show a game that looks like field hockey. I saw for the first time this beautiful picture which I would like to have framed above my future mantle of "A Scene on the Ice" by Hendrick Avercamp. I found out that the biggest crowd ever at a hockey game was 74,554 people at what is remembered as "The Cold War," on October 6, 2001, a game at Michigan State's Spartan Stadium which featured rivals Michigan State and University of Michigan. Apparently, the ice sheet used for the game cost half a million dollars. And lastly, I read up on what I know as "puck sluts" but what are also known as puck bunnies or simply, pucks. And although there's probably a few famous bunnies on each major college hockey campus, one lucky lady named "Emily Freaking Stone, who now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has the distinction of being famous for her behavior with the men of the CHL. I'd be curious to know what other information I could google about Emily Freaking Stone.

It will have to be another day because I've run out of time. Only two hours til the puck drops on UMass and UNH at the Garden.

Mario again super, keeping the Pens in Pitt

2007-03-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

It seemed aeemed almost inevitable that the Penguins would be forced to leave Pittsburgh and relocate in some desolate city. Not that Kansas City or any number of other southern cities are desolate; they are from desolate, in fact. But as much as I'd love to see a hockey team back in Winnipeg, I wanted even more for the Pens to stay put.

Pittsburgh governor and co. finally agreed with Mario and co-owner Ron Burkle on a new multi-purpose $290 million arena that will allow us to watch Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the other young Pens finish their careers, hopefully, in Pittsburgh.

Minnesota should have never left town. We can say the same about Quebec, Winnipeg and maybe even Hartford (despite the Canes' Cup). We've already lost enough history in the tearing down of all original arenas. The least the league ought to do is work to save our historic franchises. Everyone wanted Pittsburgh to work out and in the end, the deal was done.

We can once again thank Mario Lemieux, the man who combined size with super-human skill and made it look easier than anyone had ever before. The man I saw in Boston overshadow Jaromir Jagr, arguably the best player spanning my childhood.

Now some day, I'll be able to add Pittsburgh to my list of hockey cities to visit, a trip not far off that will not be without another historic team.

After 16 years, Selanne still scoring but with eyes on a Cup

2007-03-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

He's been doing it since the 1992-93 season and now as we approach the 2006-07 playoff season, Teemu "The Finnish Flash" Selanne is still scoring at a remarkable pace. But one thing is different this year. He is the leader of the Anaheim Ducks, one of the league's elite teams this season. Selanne has never reached the Stanley Cup Finals but the Ducks recent play signals a possible long playoff run.

Teemu currently tops the league in power-play goals, is second in game-winning goals and fourth in OT goals. Two very telling statistics. With 41 goals thus far, third best in the league, he can make a run at the 50 for the fourth time in his career. I can only hope that the player I have watched and admired since I first put on skates accomplishes the ultimate goal this season.

These old jerseys bring back fond memories of that record-setting rookie season and a team that never should have left Winnipeg.

The Bruins are not in action tonight but have plenty of hockey to watch on T.V. Ottawa is at the Rangers, Florida at Carolina, Tampa Bay at Toronto and the Islanders are at Montreal. Let's sit back and root for the away team.

Back home in Boston over at UMass Boston's Clark Athletic Center, a power outage caused the zamboni to fall through the ice, creating a large hole and ultimately canceling our 10:30 make-up game last night. I didn't see the hole but one man inside the rink did not sound optimistic about the accident. Unfortunately, I had driven all the way there and was ready to play a late game for once, but obviously, it wasn't meant to be.

Consistency key now with 13 to go

2007-03-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

4-1 loss against the league's worst. Less than 24 hours, one flight and a short night of rest later, a convincing 6-3 win against one of the league's best? How, in the last five games, does this team win in Detroit and Jersey and then lose two at home and in Philadelphia? Huh?

It doesn't make any sense. Then again, this team is known for playing remarkably bad against similar competition and often quite well against those in another, much higher class. That was fine for the last 69 games, but for the next 13, losing two in two weeks to Flyers will not be O.K. It might not even be O.K. right now, but yesterday's win in Detroit COULD be the start of something better, perhaps a sretch of consistent games.

Yesterday's win had plenty of subplots. Lewis' return to Detroit, Tim Thomas' first game back in his hometown state in front of his family and friends...there's a few more but regardless of the what many papers reported today, the only thing that mattered to anyone on that team was the win. A loss would have left the Bruins too far in the back seat with no chance of picking up enough speed in time.

Now they have rounded a corner and with 13 games remaining, the playoff picture at the bottom of the east looks like this:

(9) Carolina (34-28-8, 76 pts)
Trailing 8th seed (NY Rangers) by 0 points
Games remaining:12 (7 Home, 5 Away)
vs. +.500: 10 vs. East: 11

(10) Toronto (33-27-9, 75 pts)
Trailing 8th seed (NY Rangers) by 1 points
Games remaining:13 (7 Home, 6 Away)
vs. +.500: 11 vs. East: 13

(11) Montreal (34-30-6, 74 pts)
Trailing 8th seed (NY Rangers) by 2 points
Games remaining:12 (7 Home, 5 Away)
vs. +.500: 11 vs. East: 12

(12) Boston (33-31-5, 71 pts)
Trailing 8th seed (NY Rangers) by 5 points
Games remaining:13 (6 Home, 7 Away)
vs. +.500: 12 vs. East: 13

(13) Florida (29-27-13, 71 pts)
Trailing 8th seed (NY Rangers) by 5 points
Games remaining:13 (7 Home, 6 Away)
vs. +.500: 10 vs. East: 13

The Rangers could still fall out - at 76 points and with a few question marks, a Ranger berth is still up in the air. Across the Island however, there is momentum and a shot at actually pushing toward that cup. The Islanders boast a hot team, a new and proven playoff leader and young and confident goalie.

As for the Bruins, the next five games will be evidence enough. The home game in Washington is a must, after that at Rangers, at Montreal, and the back home again for Montreal and the Rangers. The playoffs have already begun.

Not so wild a break; 3-2 through two in Detroit

2007-03-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Not a pretty week for hockey fans in Boston. I reasoned that because there was so much hockey to see this week that my decision to stick around for spring break would be justified. Well, it turned out to be quite the mess, at times a beautiful disaster.

I picked up 2 tickets for Friday's Northeastern/BC playoff game and three for Saturday's at $20 a piece. Ends up everyone was either out of town or had other plans Tuesday. After a miserable process that involved contacting pretty much everyone on my petite list of hockey followers and rarely seen friends, I ended up getting rid of the pair for $20 - not a bad loss, considering my friend Joe scored a pair of executive box tickets to the Bruins/Wild game at work.

To sum up that game in brief, the Wild looked a much faster, superior team. We did make a run at it toward the end but came up short. Outside of the final few minutes of the game, the highlight was the giant fight in the stands that was taking place as the Bruins scored their lone goal. Most of the guys in our private box (which by the included a giant flat screen TV, fridge stocked with beer including cans of Corona?, large couch and bar table area and two rows of private seating just above the green premium seats, didn't even notice our goal because the fight was going on as the goal was scored. What I did see included at least three or four security guards or police officers and close to a dozen fans, three or four who were throwing haymakers left and right at each other and at the guards.

Friday night my roommates and I did make it over to BC but only for the first 25 or 30 minutes of the game. After jumping out to a 1-0 lead, the Huskies gave up seven consecutive strikes. We only waited around for five of those. A 3-0 loss and a 7-1 beating, not exactly the kind of play expected by the team that had previously soundly beated BU at home.

Yesterday the Bruins were pounded in Philly and I know that as much as I don't want to comment on that game, any readers would be even less enthused to listen to that sort of rant.

To their credit, the Bruins have not thrown in the towel just yet. As far as I was concerned, Philly thrusted a dagger into the spoked-B yesterday. I also expected Detroit to twist that dagger. But after giving up their early lead, the Bruins have bounced back and actually looked like they belonged out their with a Western Conference powerhouse in the second period. Marco Sturm has been a pleasant surprise. After a miserable first half or 2/3 of the season, he has bounced back with a nice stretch of goal-scoring that if nothing else has helped to keep the Bs alive and more importantly reflected well on the recent moves of GM Chiarelli. I wasn't sure he was the lone piece of the Thornton trade worth keeping. At this point, despite the fact that Brad Stuart looked pretty good in the Flames/Lightning game last night, Sturm is finally becoming a consistent producer with top notch speed that he was thought to be when he came to town.

I'm not counting my chickens yet; the Bruins still have that ever elusive good third period ahead of them. If the previous 67 or 68 games have been any indication, Detroit will take over in the third and win convincingly at home. I know I've been saying this for a while, but right now it's pretty obvious. Lose this third period and that's all she wrote.

After the game and some whiffle ball down the road, I'll be heading down to Matthews Arena for my first men's league game at NU with my parents and friends looking on, just like old times.

Mathematically, the Bruins WILL sneak in; And why Boston is my only spring break destination

2007-03-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

That's right folks. Mathematically, that is, if the Bruins and the other teams contending for those final two playoff spots in the East continue on the same winning percentage as in the last 15 games, the Isles will remain at No. 7 and the Bruins will end up with that eighth seed and a likely first round exit at the hands of the mighty Sabres. As cited by Kevin Paul Dupont in today's Globe article "Bruins getting pushy," Boston has gone 10-4-1 (.700) over the last 15 while the Isles are 11-2-3. The Leafs are next at 7-5-3, while the Canes and Rangers are both at .500 over that stretch (7-7-1 and 6-6-3 respectively) and the Havs have been hapless at 5-10-0.

I don't know if I agree with Dupont in that the February/March Bruins have been the Bruins we had hoped for since the beginning of October. We have seen Brad Boyes and Belmont native Paul Mara leave town for players who are questionably limited in their potential. Both Mara and Stuart are good puck moving defensemen and yet, we went out and picked up Wideman, a puck moving defenseman. I'm not sure about the logic in these moves, but the play over the last two games has caught my attention.

And tonight, we will see another piece that came over in those recent trades. Chuck Kobasew, a former Boston College standout, will join Phil Kessel and Brandon Bochenski on the fourth line, a line that I think could be the Bruins best. Of course, I am making the trip down to the Garden for this one to see if these Bruins are as pushy as Dupont has found them to be.

Also this week, I am attending my first Celtics game of the season tomorrow as the C's face Yao, McGrady and the Rockets, but back to hockey. Speaking of Kobasew and B.C., the Eagles will kick off their best of three season with our own Huskies Thursday night. Those tickets as well as entrance to Friday and the possible tie-breaker on Saturday can be found at
tickets on Northeastern's athletics web site. Unforunately, I will have to miss the Wild in town on Thursday because that three game series just has too much potential to be a classic. NU played well down the stretch and is definately capable of knocking off the No. 2 Eagles.

So this is spring break week after all. And yes I was a little dissapointed about my failed plans for Vegas and Toronto, but would I really want to be anywhere else on this day, which according to weather.com feels like -10 degrees? Boston is a hockey town right now for at least another two or three weeks and there's no where, absolutly no where I'd rather be.

Devil of a Time

2007-03-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

A performance like Thursday could have spelled the end of the 2006-07 season for the Bruins. No joke, I wanted to leave the building during the first period. I felt like I was watching a practice, even after the Bruins took an early 2-0 lead.

And it turned out that I was right. The Bruins certainly were not prepared to play a game - a must win game. The Flyers took it to them in every way possible. Shots came in at Thomas from every angle possible.

And just when it seemed Thomas and the Bruins might escape to a shootout where anything can happen, Scottie Upshall beat Thomas with one of those body one way, stick drag the other way goals. It's a move that usually works but it is up to the shooter to execute well. Sure enough, Upshall did just that and sent a very small and quiet crowd home with no hopes of a playoff run.

Last night those hopes were reimagined as the Bruins, can you imagine, showed up to play a hockey game. I'm sure the sellout crowd helped but this team needs to be ready every night. Apparently, the east end of the Garden was filled by Canadiens fans chanting "Go Habs Go." No surprise there. As we left the Boston Sports Grille, there must have been a group of 10 people come in with Canadien/Canada jerseys.

As for the Sports Grille, that place has to be the best around to watch a game. Located at 132 Canal Street, the Grille must have over 100 screens in the house including one miniature version for each table, very helpful for someone like myself with poor vision.

Tonight, the Bruins face the Devils in a matchup they have no faired well in lately, with the exception of the most recent game when Scott Clemenson started in place of Brodeur. Cam Janssen will be out of the lineup of course after his questionable hit on the Leafs' Tomas Kaberle on Friday. Not that Janssen would be the difference maker in this one especially considering the Bruins usually don't fight anyways.

While the Devils are contending for the top record in the East and in the NHL, this game looms larger for the Bruins, who could move to within four points of Carolina if the Canes don't reverse a current 1-0 first period defecit to the Thrashers.

Wideman, Ward join Boston; Smyth starts anew in NY; Hockey in London for '07

2007-03-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

There have been a lot of recent developments in and around the league lately. Jumping ahead to next season (no, I'm not giving up on my team just yet), the Ducks and Kings will play a home-and-home series at the O2 Arena in London. And for those fans thrilled at the news, tickets will be available shortly and in a "of things to come matchup" the two teams are squaring off tonight at 10:30. The London Premiere game is not the first such event - the NHL has held opening games in Tokyo and Japan and also a preseason contest in London. And as I just learned, London is the most appropriate for foreign destinations. Lord Stanley donated a trophy boasting his name in 1892 to Preston, 182 miles outside London.

I don't know if I'll be able to make my way to London but I like the appeal of this game. Globalization is key for any bigtime sport.

Back to the present, the Islanders paid postage with insurance on their prized package, scheduled to arrive on the Long Island ice tonight. A shocked Smyth all but seals the deal on the Islanders playoff fate this season, and maybe the Bruins' fate as well. Considering the Islanders in the mix, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Montreal are the three teams in that still have the potential to fall out, while Carolina, Toronto, the Rangers and Bruins (sorry Panthers) are looking from the outside in.

Based on the recent acquisitions and the current trends, I would swap Montreal out and add Carolina - otherwise, any movement would come as a surprise. Carolina and Atlanta both aren't playing their best hockey right now, but both teams added veteran leaders who can score and play tough. The Islanders certainly did the same and got much uglier at the same time. Toronto and the Rangers made maybe a minor move each (the Bruins too) and will have a tough time moving up.

Unless Chiarelli is smarter than me, but I have all the doubts in the world that it's not possible for a Bruins GM.

A lot of interesting stories will be played out tonight, setting the tone for the final 15-19 games of another exciting season.

Pictured: 2005-06 Dennis Wideman Black Diamond Triple Diamond Rookie Gems
I can only hope Wideman brings a 3-star game to town. Tonight we'll get a glimpse.

Still trying to sort out those post trade deadline feelings; Huskies host BU in regular season finale

2007-02-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

The Predators got Peter Forsberg.
The Islanders got Ryan Smyth.
The Sharks got Bill Guerin.
The Wings got Todd Bertuzzi.
The Thrashers got Keith Tkachuk.
The Canes got Anson Carter.
The Sabres got Danius Zubrus.
The Pens got Garry Roberts.
The Leafs got Yanic Perreault.
The Stars got Mattias Norstrom.

The Bruins lost Paul Mara and Brad Boyes. The Bruins added Aaron Ward and Dennis Wideman. Dennis Wideman? And of course don't forget about Joey MacDonald too, a sure thing to improve our back end, right? I know I'm not the only Bruins fan a little sick of looking at the trades we make and trying oh so hard to the positives somewhere deep within. Certainly, the other 10 organizations that acquired elite players, playoff-tested veterans, additional scoring punch up front, grit and skill down the middle, etc. etc. etc. knew one thing for certain when they made these moves. The FANS would understand.

I don't think Bruins fans understand much of anything anymore.

All the players expected to be moved were moved before the trade deadline. But I heard little knows about action in the Boston area. Then it came, late in the day. It must have been a last minute move. Or maybe it just went way under the radar. Or maybe the Bruins know that this trade is another one of those mind busters.

What are we supposed to think about these moves? Sure, Boyes and Mara haven't put up great numbers this year. But Boyes is still very young and has rebounded a bit over the past couple weeks. And I really wonder if Aaron Ward in place of Paul Mara makes the Bruins a better team.

Chiarelli, obviously, is thinking defense first. And the Bruins have given up the second most goals in the league. Regardless, it is hard for me to see these young guys and guys that were just recently acquired leave town.

We will know very soon whether these additions/subtractions pay off.

Tonight we have a special Wednesday night matchup among the college ranks, as Northeastern hosts Boston University in the final game of the regular season for both teams.

The Huskies are currently in possession of the seventh of eight playoff spots for the Hockey East Tournament, pitting them against BU in the first round. However, a loss tonight to the Terriers and a weekend sweep of Merrimack by Providence would give the Friars the seventh seed, thus dropping NU to eight. An eighth seed for Northeastern means a trip to New Hampshire. A trip to BU or a trip to New Hampshire? Take your pick. At this point, the Morris-less Huskies are going nowhere fast, but a little momentum tonight could go a long way.

Panthers too fierce for these bears

2007-02-25T05:46:00.000-08:00

Blogging is never as fun after losses like last night's 7-2 pounding, the sixth straight and fourth this season at the claws of those all too mighty panthers. I don't understand how that team has given the Bruins the most trouble all year. Four losses by a combined 24-10 score? Someone please explain that to me.

Regardless, the Bruins are still OK and return home for a huge game against an Atlanta team that has had more than its fair share of problems lately. I'll be up in the balcony for that one. If anyone needs tickets, let me know because I'm sure I'll be picking up a bunch.

We get an afternoon college hockey game today as Northeastern takes on UMass Amherst in the second game of a home-and-home this weekend. The Huskies lost 2-0 on Friday night and have struggled as of late, but Matthews Arena has brought the team plenty of joy this season and I suspect NU will rebound today at home. I'm curious to see what kind of crowd comes out - in my opinion, there's no better time to catch a game than a Sunday afternoon. If we had these every week, would football even exist?

And tonight out in Walpole at 9:10, I'll be getting my weekly skate in, hopefully with an improved performance after last week's stinker. I would hate to know how many giveaways I had..

Lightning Crashes

2007-02-24T09:04:00.000-08:00

Ohh, now feel it comiin' baack again
like a rollin' thuunder chasing the wind
forces pullliin' from the center of the earth again
I can feeeel iit.

Wow does that song bring us back or what? It reminds me of all those summers spent in Chatham, Cape Cod. The nights my brother, sister and I stayed at our rented house with that babysitter, who I recall being very friendly and even a little innapropriate with us young kids. And for some reason, this song always brings me back to those times in the Cape.

OK. Enough of that. I have some extra time to shoot the breeze while my Spanish tutor continues to try to make it here. Our 11:00 a.m. appointment has already been delayed until now and now it looks like it's not going to be until 1 or 2. So much for my day! But you know as well as I that I will spend this time eating (done) and blogging about another big day of hockey.

Back to that song and its current relevance. Well as we know, the Bruins buried the Lightning last night, 6-2. That came after a 6-3 win in Philly and a more convincing 3-0 shutout at Toronto, thus giving the team three-straight three-plus goal wins, the first such streak since April of 1999, as ESPN so kindly informed us.

Perhaps what is most impressive about this 4-1 road trip (5-1 tonight?) is that it has come while the Bruins have been riddled by injuries. Alberts, Bergeron and Murray are three of our top five or six players and the trio has been absent for all or part of this trip. I don't think anyone would have predicted this level of success with the starting personel.

But as is the case with any injury-plagued team that finds success, the Bruins have found other ways to win. Tim Thomas is playing some of his best hockey of the season. The aquisition of Brandon Bochenski. for Kris Versteeg and a draft pick has proved to be even more important than I had hinted. He has posted six goals and five assists since joining the Bruins. I'm not sure, but my gut tells me he's probably our leading scorer during that period. Exception Marc Savard.

Phil Kessel has continued to impress me. The guy skates hard, and I do mean on both ends of the ice. We knew about his talent, so it comes as no surprise (although quite welcoming) that we see his skill set rise to a new level night in and night out. But look again at the Bruins first goal last night. Nothing pretty about that. Phil broke through the neutral zone, crashed down on the Lightning D-men, creating a mistake by Denis that led to Sturm's ugly opening goal.

But most importantly has been the much improved play of key guys like Brad Boyes, Marco Sturm. A few weeks ago, the Bruins don't get that kind of break. When you skate hard, the puck bounces your way. And as long as the Bruins continue to skate hard, I have faith in our postseason chances.

Northeastern dropped another game, a 2-0 stinker at UMass Amherst last night, so we're going to stick to the Pro game for now.

Despite all the positives we have to talk about right now, the Bruins could use another piece to add to their puzzle. Carolina, yet again a winner in the Rent-A-Player sweepstakes, aquired Anson Carter (last year a 33-goal man) for a fifth round pisser. And that's after rumors that any team looking for a piece of Carter's caliber would have to give up a piece of their future. So much for that rumor.

I have heard nothing of this, but how about Melrose, Mass. native Keith Tkachuk coming to his former stomping grounds and joining the Bruins. I think he would look damn good in the Black and Gold. The Bruins could definately use a guy of his size and skill set down low. Of course, there's Chara, but with Tkachuk, we would never Need to send Big Z down low on the PP. Although the havok created by both of them would be fun to watch. I would have no problem with the Bruins giving up a first round and a fifth round pick, or maybe a second and a third. Even Toivonen could be used as baite at this point with Tuuku Rask on the horizon. Keith has put up pretty good numbers this year (20-23-43, +3) and has scored five times in the last 10 games (5-3-8). We could even sign him for the next two or three seasons.

This recipe has the right ingredients, but it's up to Chiarelli to measure, mix and serve it up. And he's got about three days to do it.

Until then, we have some scoreboard watching to do, and some Panthers to chase tonight. A win and a 5-1 record on this road trip before heading home would do wonders for this team. And we owe the Panthers a pounding after coming out on the losing end five straight times.

Pride and points at stake in Toronto

2007-02-20T13:55:00.000-08:00

As the Bruins get ready to square off in the eighth and final meeting of the regular season tonight, both teams are well aware of the playoff implications of this game. Toronto, with 66 points, is deadlocked with Montreal and the Isles for that last spot in the East. Boston is just six points back with 60 points and has three games in hand on the Habs, two on the Isles, but just one on Toronto. A win tonight would be huge for Boston against a Leafs team that is 12-5-2 since Jan. 1, 9-2-2 since Jan. 16 and most importantly to the Bruins, 2-0 with 5-1 and 10-2 victories, the latter coming in Boston's own building. That's a 15-3 Leafs advantage over the last two games. That's not what I call a rivalry.

The Black and Gold have had their fair share of bad losses this season but none were as dismal as that thumping at home. Now with perhaps their last change to exact revenge on those Leafs and former keeper Andrew Raycroft, a Bergeron/Murray-less team must man up and take something, anything, if not points away from Toronto in this game. Without the assistant captains in the mix, the young guys like Kessel and Tenkrat who have thrived as of late will have to shoulder more of the load than they have been used to.

If this often-questioned rivalry formatted schedule means anything or has developed any sort of animosity between these two teams over the first seven matchups this season, it would certainly be evident tonight. The Bruins have an axe to grind. The character and enthusiasm they display tonight will show a lot about this team.

Last night's win in Philly wasn't easy but it was necessary. But even more is at stake tonight. There are many subplots. There's more to analyze. More to ponder. Last night was just a game we needed to have. Tonight is more. Before we even think win in Boston, I think we are all looking for a response. A message needs to be sent and it has to be now. One of these teams will elevate its game tonight and that team that refuses to lie down will likely be the same one we see in the race to the end.

Bruins get it done in an unusual game

2007-02-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

I got out of the Northeastern women's hockey game at about 9:15 last night, fully expecting the Sabres to have already put the finishing touches on our very collapsible Bruins team. I had been checking to score in between periods and was receiving text updates from a friend, so I knew pretty much what was going on. He had relayed a message that said "tied now, most f***ed up shit just happened." That meant nothing to me. A 3-1 lead for the B's in Buffalo is nearly worthless.

I was thinking that I could have written the script for this game before it even started. "Boston comes out hard, showing desperation, and gets on top of Buffalo before the Sabres storm back, scoring three goals in just a matter of minutes before distancing themselves in a 5-3 victory." But it wasn't that easy.

Turns out when I got to Uno's just around the corner, the third period was just beginning because a Buffalo goal with 53 seconds left in the second period which was not initially signaled was then awarded as both teams were preparing for the third inside the locker room. Nearly ten minutes later, then B's emerged from the dressing room, forced to re-play out the final 53 seconds of the second period with the score tied at three.

It was a situation I feel like I've nearly seen and thought about in depth during those instances but had never actually witnessed until last night. The near save by Thomas on the play was a spectacle in itself. On what should have been an easy gift, a bang bang play, a sharp pass from Jochen Hecht across the crease to a wide open Briere for the slam dunk, Thomas somehow got his stick on the puck, deflecting it out of the next just as it completely crossed the goal line.

After allowing two goals in 47 seconds for the imminent temporary collapse against Buffalo, the B's bounced back with a decent third period. Both teams had their chances, although Buffalo probably had the better of them. After a scoreless overtime, both keepers looked solid in the shootout. Finally Tenkrat's snap shot found its way into the net on yet another reviewed play. Nonetheless, the B's walked out of Buffalo with crucial, and very strange, 4-3 win. Next on the menu is a very able Philly team and then red hot Toronto. Three points or more out of the next two mixed in with a few more Rangers/Islaners/Canadiens losses and we will be back in business.

Note: Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau have been nearly vacant from the Flames' scoresheet, despite a trio of high scoring games since the two arrived. And Ference is already looked pretty good.

And in college hockey, Northeastern blew a 3-0 third period lead in Providence, in "it's called Bruins" fashion. But last night, our team didn't quit.

NU bounces back, Bruins look to do the same tonight; Forsberg to make debut

2007-02-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

Northeastern's Bryan Esner scored on a nifty breakaway move and NU added a second goal at 19:59 of the first in a 3-0 victory over Providence last night at Matthews Arena. The Huskies looked pretty solid, even without leading scorers Mike Morris and Chad Costello. I fully expect Joe Vitale to have the best shot at the AHL/NHL after college at this point. Morris, now suffering from back discomfort, is really having a tough time staying healthy and finding some consistency.

Elsewhere in Hockey East action last night, BU knocked off league-leading UNH. NU will travel down to Providence tonight for the second game of the home and home series.

The Bruins will have their hands full once again tonight as they travel to Buffalo looking to bounce back from a bad loss to the Islanders on Thursday night. With the Rangers almost sure to get a win today at home against the Forsberg-less Flyers (Philly has not won a game without Pete in the lineup this season), the Bruins need at least a point to keep pace. It won't come easy.

A bunch of other good looking games to catch today. Atlanta and Ottawa meet with 69 points each. This is always an interesting matchup, which features the two big name guys in Heatley and Hossa that were swapped not long ago. The Minnesota/Nashville game of course is the game of the night with Forsberg making his debut. Look for the Preds to bounce back from last night's 1-0 loss to the Blues. But how about that lone goal by Bill Guerin last night? I'll be the first to admit that I thought his career in the new NHL was all but over.

The Penguins are not in action tonight but host the Caps and Ovechkin tomorrow at 3:30 on NBC. With points in their last 15 games, the Pens should get the best of this one. Again last night, this young group found a way to get it done, holding on against division-leading New Jersey, 5-4 win.

Unfortunately for me, I will be watching the 3-25-2 Northeastern women's hockey team take on Vermont tonight at Matthews Arena. Hopefully, that game will not go into overtime and the Bruins will hold on long enough for me to catch the end of the game around the corner at Uno's.

Poile picked Peter, Predators primed for postseason

2007-02-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

The acquisition of questionably the best all around hockey player in the world has dramatically changed the playoff landscape as we head into the second half of February.

Before Predators GM David Poile brought in Peter Forsberg, his team boasted the league's best record at 39-16-3 and an even more impressive 21-4-3 mark at home. It's almost sickening that a team doing this well just got one Peter Forsberg better. If I was a betting man, which in this case I just may be, I would give some serious thought on this one. The Preds, at least for the moment, are not the odds on favorites. The slumping Ducks and injury-riddled Sabres share that distinction.

Coming out of the West will be no easy task, but the Preds have a lot in their favor right now. The home record speaks for itself. If the Preds retain the top spot in the West until the season ends, which looks like a very likely scenario, they will likely meet a team like Dallas, Calgary, Minnesota, Edmontion, Colorada or maybe even the St. Louis Blues. Calgary is probably the most playoff ready team of that bunch and they are 7-14-7 away from home. Minnesota shares a similar mark on the road. It would be an uphill battle for any of these teams.

Not to mention, I can almost guarantee that at least one of the 6,7,8 seeds will knock off one of the top finishers.

The Preds also have a great mix of youth and experienced guys and a whole lot of depth. Down the middle, we are now talking about Forsberg, 6'2 David Legwand (leads team with +28 rating and has 20-28-48 scoring line) and 6'4 Jason Arnot. All big, talented guys for the top three lines. Then you have your grit guys in Jordin Tootoo and Scott Hartnell. Experienced vets who still have tons in the tank in Kariya, Sullivan, Dumont, Arnott and Forsberg. A great rookie in Radulov. An excellent group of top four defensemen in Timonen, Weber, Zidlicky and Suter.

In net where it counts most, Chris Mason and Tomas Vokoun have put up almost identical numbers. Mason has a 2.35 GAA while Vokoun is at 2.38. Save percentages are at .927 and .921 respectively. Mason, the backup, has better numbers than the number one guy and has shown the ability several times over the last few years to step in as The Man when Vokoun has dealt with his many health issues.

The power play, at 16.8, is tied for the fourth worst unit of teams currently qualified for a playoff spot in either conference. Mr. Forsberg should give that unit a significant boost. Perhaps even a whole five percentage points. And he's certainly not going to hurt the penalty kill either.

Forsberg leaves the Flyers, the team he was drafted by, to join the Preds looking for his third Cup. He makes his debut when Nashville hosts the Wild on Saturday night. His 1991-92 Upper Deck rookie card (right) remains a bargain at just $10.

No team in the East, with exceptions in a completely healthy Buffalo squad and a Jersey team with Brodeur at his very best, will likely be able to match Nashville in depth, grit, speed, talent and goaltending come Cup time. Only Buffalo has scored more goals this year, but minus Afinegenov as of last night for a while and plus Forsberg for Nashville, I'm sure the Preds will overtake the Sabres when all is said and done. Pittsburgh looks great right now, but that ship will sail at some point. If not in the regular season, surely in the first couple rounds when experience really matters.

The Predators are having a franchise season, and with this move, they went from the league's top team in the standings to an instant Cup favorite as the most complete team from top to bottom. It's going to be fun to watch this team make a run at it. And for Forsberg, it could be his last attempt at another championship.

In the Hobby:
Stock up on issues of these Preds guys that are still quite unknown and undervalued. Rookie Alexander Radulov is among the top newcomers in the league, but his talents won't go unnoticed much longer. Take a look at the roster and there are plenty more little known faces to study up on.

Zetterberg "The Magician" zaps the Stars with Awe-inspiring pass and GWG

2007-02-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

The Bruins game was great Tuesday night - a rare 3-0 shutout win that featured zero collapses, at least that the visiting Oilers were able to capitalize on. But what I witnessed in just 10 minutes last night before bed put visions of sugarplums and between the legs behind the back passes into my head.

I've always liked Henrik Zetterberg, who was dratfed in 1999 with the 210th pick by the Red Wings, one year after fellow Wings star Pavel Datsyuk was taken with the 171st pick. Astounding, isn't it?

These two guys were overlooked by a combined 379 other players. Now, post Wings era of Steve Y., Shanny and many others, these two guys are carrying on the winning tradition in Detroit, with a whole lot of flare. They don't just score. They score pretty. And Zetterberg is plus 25 this season (Datsyuk not far behind at plus 22). Below are some definitions of zap. Because that's the first word that came to mind that described what I watched Zetterberg and the Wings do to the Stars, on their home ice, in the last eight and a half minutes last night. They turned it up, silenced the fans and came out of Dallas with a 3-1 win that they flat out robbed from their awe-struck opponents. Watch that highlight real. It is The play of the year in my opinion - I can't remember even seeing a pass this great. He made a very good rookie goalie in Mike Smith look flat out stupid. OK - here are those definitions from dictionary.com.

Verbs:
1. strike suddenly and with force; "This show zaps the viewers with some shocking scenes"
2. to attack, defeat, or destroy with sudden speed and force.
7. to add a sudden infusion of energy, verve, color, attractiveness, or the like (often fol. by up): just the thing to zap up your spring wardrobe.
8. to move quickly, forcefully, or destructively: high-voltage currents zapping overhead.
Nouns:
n. Something that imparts excitement or great interest.
9. force, energy, or drive; zip.

And here is that highlight real again from the Wings 3-1 win last night. Every hockey fan, especially those B's fans, need to watch this goal before they approach the TV for tonight's B's/Isles very important matchup. Biggest road trip of the year coming up.

Hobby Tip:
Zetterberg, once valued right up there among the rest of the superstar class of 2002-03, has dipped over the past few seasons. This season, he is showing why him and linemate Pavel should not be overlooked. They were underated from the moment they came into the NHL and have somehow attained that classification. Get his rookies now, while they are still well undervalued behind fellow classmates Nash and Spezza.

As much as we all would like to like this trade...

2007-02-12T12:15:00.001-08:00

can we really? We have no choice but to accept it and see what Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobesaw can bring to the team. But as a Bruins fan or even just a fan of hockey, this trade simply brings us back to the Joe Thornton trade last season in which we acquired Primeau, Stuart and Marco Sturm for the reigning MVP of the league. Now, the trade looks like this:

Chuck Kobesaw, Marco Sturm and Andrew Ference for the reigning MVP of the league. I don't know if it's much worse now than it was originally. I was beginning to think Stuart was our best defenseman after Chara. He plays hard, hits hard, shoots well, moves the puck effortlessly and has a solid overall game. These are qualities you would expect of the No. 3 overall pick in 1998. Then again, Primeau was the 17th overall pick in 1994, and he isn't much more than a likeable guy and a hard-working third liner.

For quotes from all four players invovled, check out Bish's Blog. Ference and Kobesaw both sound like good character guys with some good stuff to offer. But of course, B's management is going to spin this trade to look as best as possible.

The trade story on the Flames' website reads like this. "The Calgary Flames have nabbed the most coveted defenceman on the market more than two weeks before the NHL trade deadline."

Now that may be a true statement. The Bruins, unfortunately, cannot argue that Andrew Ference, a former 208th overall pick, was among the most coveted defensemen on the market. I recognized the name but barely knew much else. Take a look at the Flames D men. The addition of a talented Brad Stuart just may push them over the top. Overall, they probably have a more talented and if not certainly a tougher group of defensemen than the Ducks. Not to mention the keeper behind them. The good news is that in last night's 7-4 loss to the Red Wings, both Stuart and Primeau were -1 and they combined for three shots. Still, imagine the pairing of Phaneuf with Stuart? Western Conference teams will have a tough time pushing through that duo. More on this trade later.

Now, off to the Beanpot finals. My prediction:

Harvard over Northeastern, 4-2, and BU for another crown over BC, 3-1.

Bochenski "BB" a big pick-up; B's return home with two game streak

2007-02-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

According to the American Hockey League statistics, the Bruins just picked up the AHL's top scorer and perhaps one of the league's best players. Brandon Bochenski had posted 33 goals and 33 assists in just 35 games with the Norfolk Admirals, a total that would likely eclipse the 89 point mark by AHL-leader Darren Haydar over 49 games. At nearly a 2-point per game pace, Bochenski should be a huge addition to the Boston offense, as he displayed last night, lighting the lamp in just his first game with the B's.

The trade itself appears to be a no-brainer and definately one in favor of the Bruins, for once. In exchange for BB, as I think I may now refer to Brandon, we sent right-winger Kris Versteeg and a conditional draft pick to the Blackhawks. Versteeg had posted a 22-27-49 line over 43 games with Providence. Good numbers, but nothing astounding. The one catch is Versteeg was still only 20, while Bochenski, 24, is a bit older and developed.

Still, I remember last preseason when with Ottawa, BB led the NHL in scoring on a line with Dany Heatley. Likely to play alongside the likes of other B's (double meaning) in the likes of Bergeron, Brad Boyes and also Savvy, he should be able to continue to put up big numbers.

It could even be enough to prevent a trade for other offensive prospects - we are looking pretty deep now, especially once Murray and Sturm are back in the mix.

On to last night, Zdeno Chara was the player of the game. He held Ovechkin in check all night long. And when it came down to the last shot in the shootout, The Thrill notched his third goal in three shootout tries. He may just be the Dallas Stars version of Jussi Jokinen, who led the NHL with 10 shootout goals last season. And Phil brings more to the real game as well. With two consecutive road wins and a trio of games at the TD Banknorth Garden to come, the B's (12th) have a chance to close that gap between them and the 8th spot, especially against Carolina (8th) tomorrow and against the Islanders (10th) on Saturday. Big Big games for the B's, the BBs Savvy, Timmy and the rest.

Just how bad are hockey T.V. ratings? This will blow your mind.

2007-02-03T19:14:00.000-08:00

Hockey is no longer one of the "Big Four." We all know that. We know the All-Star got dismal ratings compared to past years. We also know that attendance in the NHL was the highest for the month of January since 1988 (or maybe 1987?).

Something I'm sure nobody could expect is the rating of a recent Devils at Panthers game, televised on MSG. 736 of 7.4 million households tuned into the action, as cited in Richard Sandomir's article from Friday, February 2 in the New York Times titled "It Takes a Village To Put These Ratings in Perspective." That's a TV rating of .01. A shocking number for the Devils, who average 13,206 households and a .18 rating. A few other team ratings: Isles (7,336) and Rangers (36,834).

To be fair, the Devils don’t always draw 736 local households to their televised ice soirees. They average 13,206 (based on a .18 rating), better than the Islanders (7,336), but far worse than the Rangers (36,834). The Red Wings lead the league at 96,915 households.

And here comes the kicker. Last Saturday night when the Eastern Conference best Sabres took out the Islanders, 5-3, 8,103 households watched. BUT. That same night, 10,271 households watched a National Lacrosse League game featuring the New York Titans and the Rochester Knighthawks. I'm going to leave it at that and watch the end of this third period with the Bruins Finally in position to pick up a win. But I'm not going to jump the gun just yet.

BOYES! BOYES! 16 game drought no longer

2007-02-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

Before I post the bad news, us Bruins fans finally have something to smile about. Brad Boyes came out of the box and roofed the puck over Cam Ward with 52 seconds left in the second period following a Carolina onslaught of power plays. That's the end of 16-game drought and hopefully will be a sign of more scoring to come from Brad.

Only points will suffice

2007-02-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

Boston sits 14th of the 15 Eastern Conference teams right now. Carolina, with 10 more points (58), currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot, so tonight is a big game. Any game right now is a big game for Boston, but I'm starting to lose patience. As was the case on Thursday, I will likely watch in relative silence.

I hope every hockey fan in Boston plans on attending the Beanpot. Although tickets are sold out to my knowledge, for a little extra cash, tickets can be had on Craig's List. All four teams have a legitimate shot this year and right now, Northeastern looks primed to make a run for it. BC is coming off a loss, BU a tie against ULowell. More on the Beanpot tonight or early tomorrow.

Worthy photos

2007-02-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

Some good hockey pictures on the links below.
A picture is worth 1000 words. Especially the hockey baby.
The Bruins better fight like bears,
literally if they want to have a chance tonight.

Loyalty is my payment for trust

2007-02-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

I am in the middle of reading Don Quixote for a class called "Cervantes and his times." Last night's reading brought together tens if not nearly hundreds of themes in just a few chapters: friendship, forgiveness, love, lust, perception, temptation, deceit, marriage, courage, loyalty, trust...

I got a call this morning from my Bruin ticket hook-up. He had been out of town earlier this week and apologized but said he still had five tickets kicking around for tonight's game, one which he explained should feature a few fights right off the bat. After watching and also tuning in and out of the last two or three Bruins games, I nearly vowed not to return to the Garden until they showed significant improvement. Maybe even a closely-contested loss would do. But here I am again, lured by promises of fights, a better game plan, immenent action, surely a better all around product, but most of all, by the undying loyalty I have for this team. I can't stay away. But I will stay away if their promise is broken, thus forging my loyalties.

And before the Bruins rush into a trade, let's quickly review what we've let lost over the past year. Joe Thornton, the league's Hart winner last year. Enough said. And on a lesser note but beginning to make his loss evident is Andrew Raycroft, the B's rookie of the year just a short while ago. He boasts a 23-16-4 record, a 2.94 goals against average and he has won his last three games while giving up just one goal in each of those (and also making at least 28 saves in each). Surely, the Leafs aren't a team with as much talent with the Bruins, right? They have held the Rangers, Hurricanes and Canadiens to a goal a piece in the last three games. The Bruins? 19 goals allowed in the last three games.

It's clear that one of these teams needs to realize and react, right away. See you at the Garden and hopefully, tonight won't be a gloomy one for the post-game bar scene.

Bruins hurl Hoagie, regurgitate Monday's performance and then get sandwiched by Buffalo

2007-01-31T07:57:00.000-08:00

Before I make myself too hungry trying to find the right words to describe last night's blowout, I will leave it at that. A 6-1 loss, followed by a 7-1 loss. I see a trend here. Thursday night's score: 8-1. I had attended 11 games thus far and Thursday was inevitably going to be my 13th game. Then, just like that, the B's lost my roommates and I. I think I would rather keep up with my homework.

Not long after my post on Monday, in which I hoped Jeff Hoggan would be awarded with some additional playing time, the Bruins management waived Hoagie. "The Energy Line dismantled" was the quote in the papers. And yet the Bruins have indicated that they are in the market for an aggressive, energy forward?

Now, word on the street is that Milan Jurcina may be sent packing. But unless Brad Stuart or some decent draft picks are thrown into that mix, I can't imagine Jurcina raking in too much in value.

Right now, I can only feel bad for fans of Boston sports. Everyone is going to suffer, even the bloggers.

Gettin' some exposure...

2007-01-30T09:50:00.000-08:00

Aside from the Bruins' current catastrophe, I received some good news late last week. My blog is apparently finding its way into at least a few search engines, as I receieved an email from Margaret DeJesus of the Boston University Daily Free Press She had questions, six of them, regarding the attendance at B's games:

1) How has interest in the Bruins been affected by the lockout?
2) Why did the Bruins start the $10 college nights for students? Is
this a good idea to draw more fans and fill up the garden?
3) How long have you been diehard Bruins fan and why?
4) Why should people come out and see the Bruins?
5)Why do you think hockey isn't as popular as other sports?
6) Do you think the Bruins face competition from college teams?
(Meaning, do they draw in more crowds or are they losing fans to
college games)

I willingly responded and on the 26th, her article titled Bruins attract students to fill Garden seats appeared in the paper. Not exactly mind blowing, but any exposure is exciting, and it's that exposure that keeps the blogger happy and with the go-get-it attitude to press on and write for yourself, while hoping others might give you a minute of their time.

Stinker of the year has left us loyals clueless and the end of Chapter 2 within sight

2007-01-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

Heading into last night's game against NYC, there was one word to describe the feeling in the air, both in the locker-room, around the arena, outside at Halftime Pizza, Sullivan's Tap, and even all-the-way down Huntington Avenue, well into all the corners of the Northeastern campus.

Like every game day, I dressed ready. Long sleeve shirt with a spoked-B. Leather jacket. Helmet-shaped Bruins beanie. Bergeron T-jersey underneath it all. After class and a quick trip home, I rushed back down to campus for a visit with the GF at Starbucks, where I was convinced to purchase a package of Celtics free tickets and buy one, get one free tickets package, a value of nearly $400 for just $40. Losing 11 in a row (or more) and a 4-15 (or more?) record at home will force an organization to go that direction. But the most interesting thing the salesman had to say was how despite the Bruins' recent struggles, the team still carries with it much more fan loyalty. Beginning after last night's game, and as an immenent trade lingers, that loyalty may soon become a thing of the past.

As I waited for my roommate Jon at Starbucks, I receieved a call. Immediately, I knew he couldn't go - I could sense it in his voice. But, that loyalty, loyalty of a fan who got into the Bruins over the past two years likely through watching and inheriting my own immense loyalty, was all too clear after he told me the first thing that came to his mind after he got into a car accident was that he might be running a little late for the game. But we got there, that is to the bar, with plenty of time for a few pitchers before rushing, as usual, to our second row balcony seats.

The first goal was a bad break. Then Bergeron, my elect for THE Bruin who has underachieved this year, got it back. From there on out, other than the notation of Murray's 300th career assist and Bergeron's 200th career game, there were little if any highlights in the game. The Rangers weren't particularly impressive, and bad bounces don't add up to 6-1 losses.

The Bruin of the game, maybe of the last few games, was Jeff Hoggan, hands down in my opinion. I would actually be shocked if he didn't lead the team in scoring chances over the last two or three games. Let's look at the stats. Two shots last night in under eight minutes of ice time. He was one of the only Bruins to throw some hits, one slightly after the whistle on Jagr, that was welcomed and was one of several questionable penalty calls against the B's. He was also one of only four Bruins with an even +/- rating. His stats Saturday were identical - and he was again one of the only B's with an even rating. In my opinion, HE is the energy forward we seem to be looking for. More ice time would seem to be an appropriate reward for a team in need of the tempo he brings every shift.

Stuart, who I think is a must for the Bruins to hold on to, was -4 last night, certainly not helping his chances of remaining in Boston.

You wouldn't think if that the Bruins would lose by five goals if they kept Jagr off the scoresheet, but that is exactly what happened. The lethal line of Ortmeyer, Cullen and Prucha blasted the B's for nine points - the Sabres will put out a team tonight better rested and with twenty players all better than the Rangers O-C-P line.

We ended up taking the Loge tickets of some friends we saw for the third period and still, we could not watch the final five minutes of the game. It was embarassing. With all that build-up. The urgency. The trade rumors luming. The first home game coming off the break. The night before facing the league's best Sabres. There were too many reasons for the Bruins to play well last night, and what was worst was that they didn't lose a heartbreaker on a bad bounce. There were several bad bounces, and you know what that means. Good teams, playing good hockey, get good bounces. It's the shooter's roll in basketball. It's the banger's, the buster's bounces in hockey.

The players, organization, and everyone who continues to display that apparently well know loyalty, everyone who paid in money and time on their Monday night to come out for the opener of the second half stretch, was embarassed. As Dave Lewis described it after the game, it was "devastating." Devastating will describe just about everything very soon if something doesn't change, starting tonight. Attendenance, playoff hopes, team chemistry are all about to boil over.

As for tonight, I am hoping that Petr Tenkrat is put back into the lineup. For anyone. He has been one of our bright spots all year. Kessel needs to get more PT. A line for tonight - Tenkrat, Kessel, Bergeron. Or maybe even, Bergeron-Hoggan-Kessel. Or Boyes-Hoggan-Donovan. B and B need, our two supposed go-to centers need a fire lit under their asses.

I can only wonder what is stirring in that organization today. Chiarelli I'm certain is on the phone as we speak. Stuart might be surfing the web for apartments in Edmonton. If the Bruins don't take one from the Sabres over the next two days, someone is heading out.

As for the fans, there's still plenty of hockey to be played, but if this ship isn't righted now, this season will be concluded early as the end of Chapter 2, the second lost creation in a young series of the new generation Bruins.

Second half push starts tonight vs. Rangers

2007-01-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight's pair of tickets is my last from the original $10 seat bundle I bought at the beginning of the year. And tonight, the Bruins' second half push toward the postseason officially begins as they return home for a BIG week of three straight contests at TD. Mr. Jagr and the Rangers will be in town, sporting a record nearly identical (two more games played, two more wins) than the B's, who take on Buffalo Thursday and the Islanders on Saturday. I would say the Black and Gold need at least four points out of these three games to continue to stay in the hunt, and perhaps more importantly, avoid the trade bug that will surely leave a sour look on many faces within the lockerroom and the rest of Boston. Tonight's game will also be aired on Versus. Pending any record attendence numbers, I'm sure we will find our way to the second row of the balcony once again, in this my eleventh game of the year.

Not to be overshadowed tonight is the Habs/Sens game which will open up with the raising of Ken Dryden's No. 29 to the rafters. Winning six Stanley Cups in just eight years with the Habs was an incredible accomplishment. To do all that, while pursuing a law degree and writing a book as good as "The Game," is a feat up there among anything the greatest athletes of any sport have done during their time in the spotlight.

Tune in later for post game results and commentary.

Briere's goal and four helpers enough for MVP

2007-01-24T20:09:00.000-08:00

And there you have it. The West came away with a 12-9 win, but the East's Daniel Briere, who finished with a goal and four assists, took the MVP award. I was thinking Rick Nash, if not Marto Turco for his playful commentary as he played net. All in all, it was an exciting All-Star game and hopefully one that was enjoyable for the fans who decided to tune in, despite all the negative attention the game receieved on ESPN. I had no problem with the game being aired on a Wednesday night - a nice middle of the week break with little chance of conflicts overlapping. Now onto the second half of the season, where the Bruins begin an uphill climb from just outside the playoff picture. It should be interesting here in Beantown.

East down three heading into third, 9-6

2007-01-24T19:19:00.000-08:00

The NHL time on ice leader Zdeno Chara, who also won the slapshot contest and can speak an incredible five languages as well, scored in the second, but it was the West ringing up six goals to take a 9-6 lead into the third period. Look for Crosby and Alex to boost the East in the third, making this a one goal game toward the end.

Otherwise...it looks like Yanic Perreault...who?...might be our player of the game. Certainly would make for a forgetable All-Star game. He's a great faceoff man, but so is Rob Rassey, and you don't see him starting for Northeastern right now. Yanic Perreault and no Marc Savard?

Let's home for a good finish to this one.

First Intermission - 55th NHL All-Star Game

2007-01-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

Six goals and a tie score at 3-3 through one period so far after a night of 17 goals, including a hat trick by our own healthy Phil Kessel, in the Young Stars game. Brendan Shanahan opted that the players finish their checks prior to the game but it seems most guys are doing anything but that. I definately support the no-hit rule for All-Star games, but I think players should skate hard, finish their checks, ride off opponents, etc.

Coming into the game, the Eastern Conference boasted 14 of the NHL's 15 top goal scorers. Only Selanne, who scored the West's highlight goal of the first in which he was described by a commentator as having "nerves of steel," is among those top 15 goal scorers. Likewise, the top eight point getters are from the East. And the also from the East, the leader in goals against average, wins and shutouts and second in save percentage, the league's top keeper, Martin Brodeur, who is coming in for the second period. Add all those stats up and the East should win, right?

But the West has much more experience, so we'll have to see which is worth more over the next two periods.

Who needs football anyways? The Bruins are THE team in Boston right now.

2007-01-24T07:41:00.000-08:00

Well first of all I apologize for the two week plus layoff of updates, but I can lay blame to the Patriots playoff run/post loss depresion and the beginning of school (the beginning of Conversational Spanish and Arabic). Classes have been tough in the early going. That being said, I've seen my fair share of good and great hockey over the past two plus weeks.

Let's start with our Bruins. Thursday night, the best night to see a game, really has proved to be the best time to catch the B's as of late. On Jan. 11th against the Islanders, the B's let one slip away, allowing a late goal and then falling in the shootout. The following week, the B's hung with the Sabres and squeaked one out in the shootout in one of the most exciting games of the season. There was end to end action, including a jaw-dropping save each from all-star keeper Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas. Miller's save on Mara was particularly good - certainly one of his two or three best of the season.

The rematch against the Sabres two days later didn't go as well, but Phil Kessel scored twice, silencing any doubts that cancer or immaturity would slow his development. A nearly full crowd was in attendence for the Pens game the following night. My friends and I were lucky enough to score four $20 tickets and catch the game. It was a game of momentum gained and lost, as both teams failed to hold onto leads and ultimately, it was Phil who provided the thrill down the stretch. He snuck one underneath Fluery in the fourt round of the shootout, sending a lot of B's fans out of North Station in jubilation.

So, the Bruins are only 3-7 so far in the new year, but the Pats are history and the Celtics are boasting a 4-15 record at HOME. That's right. The Sixers, with seven home wins, are the second worst team at home. If that is not reason enough to opt for an overtime thrilling B's game over a Celtics stinker, I don't know what is.

Meanwhile over at Matthews Arena, the Huntington Hounds have continued to gain ground in the Hockey East standings. Every weekend, I try to stress to my friends how great the games always are at Matthews. In January at Matthews, Nu has posted an overtime win against Boston College, a tie and a loss against Vermont and a 2-1 overtime victory against UMass Lowell at Matthews in January. That's three OT games out of four. And these games are free.

Without a home game until Feb. 2 against Merrimack, my roommmate and I are considering a trip up to Orono and Bangor in Maine this weekend to see the Huskies take on the BlackBears on Saturday night.

All-Stars in the Hobby:

Look no further than the top 10 or 20 scoring leaders for the best deals in the hobby right now. Marc Savard's 94-95 SP rookie can still be had at a fraction of Samsonov's RC single from that same year. Savard has come into Boston and replaced Thornton - he has five more goals, three less assists, in two less games than Jumbo Joe. For two million less dollars. Elsewhere, Heatley has led the Senators back to the upper echelon of the league and although his better rookies are already pretty expensive, they have plenty of room for growth.

Huskies gettin' hot; What Harry Agganis and I have in common

2007-01-08T17:34:00.000-08:00

It looks like Mr. McEachern delivered the goods for Northeastern this Christmas - that santa outfit he sported was for real. The Huskies came out of winter hiberation with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win against Boston College on Friday night and then followed up with a 0-0 tie at BU on Saturday night.

The win against B.C. was definately a surprise. Early on, the Eagles were outplayed and watched the Huskies cycle the puck time and time again, but B.C. was sound in the defensive zone and NU was unable to penetrate the slot area. Schneider was able to easly steer aside the early shots coming from the outside and as the Huskies continued to exert energy up and down the ice. It took the Eagles over five minutes to even get a shot on goal, but as is often the case, it was a high quality scoring chance allowed by NU. Rooney's wicked wrister found the top left corner. In the second, Strathman brought NU within one on a great shot and decision. Too often than not, players just circle and circle looking for the perfect play when the best move is to put the puck on net.

I thought the Huskies outplayed B.C. the rest of the way for the most part and in overtime, they topped their earlier dramatics against B.C. with the game-winning goal, this time from Chisholm from the point.

Saturday night at the BU game, I helped out the ESPN 890 crew with stats - so I got a great seat inside their little room, helping out with stats, next to the room where Mike Morris silently watched, with the exception of a few minor signs of frusteration. I guess not much more can be expected of the man that called his game-tying, last second goal against B.C. earlier this season as "good."

Agganis arena was phenominal. I was most impressed with the beautiful scoreboard with awesome highlights and replays.

The name of the rink itself stems from the former BU standout Harry Agganis, who died of a "massive pulmonary embolism" as a 26-year-old. Agganis, whose parents immigrated from the village of Loggonike in Sparta, Greece, was an All-American quarterback and eventually a star for the Red Sox after he turned down a lucrative NFL offer from the Cleveland Browns. "The Golden Greek," as he came to be called due to his heritage, shares just that with me, certainly not athletic ability. Although my mother says I'm only 12.5% Greek (my grandmother, who loved me so but died when I was six months old, was Greek).

http://www.agganisarena.com/about/arena/harry.html

As for the BU/NU game, I thought both teams played well enough to win, although the Huskies seemed more fortunate to come away with a point. McCauley had the best chance of the game for NU - a cross crease pass that landed on his blade. Somehow, the puck went wide or over the net. BU saved its best for last, literally during the final 30 seconds of overtime. "Ooohhhhsss" and "Ahhhhssss" rang out continously until the final buzzer as the Terriers put one and then another and another close range shot on Thiessen. It seems only McEachern's Christmas magic justifies that kind of luck. As for Thiessen, he went on to be named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week.

And as for the Bruins, well, let's take a look at them an hour before game time tomorrow. For now, us sports fans have a pretty good Ohio State/Florida game to focus on.

Oh and an update on my Hawks of the NESHL adult league. After a rare and large family get together for dinner, I managed to make it to our 10 p.m. game in Walpole. We won 7-1 and my line played pretty well together down the stretch. I also scored - and have still gone only one game without a goal. It's funny the little things that bring satisfaction more and more as you get older.

Definately, that kind of appreciation of the little things in life is something that noticably grows as you become an adult.

O-o heading to 3rd

2007-01-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

Game time

2007-01-06T16:05:00.001-08:00

Nu wins on 3 str8! Over bc 3-2 ot

2007-01-05T18:22:00.001-08:00

2006-12-23T11:27:00.001-08:00

Me at the sports museum in boston

2006-12-23T11:23:00.001-08:00

Old school nets

Boston garden penalty box

2006-12-23T11:20:00.001-08:00

Gary cheevers mask

2006-12-23T11:15:00.001-08:00

2006-12-23T11:13:00.001-08:00

2006-12-23T11:09:00.001-08:00

Drydon up close

2006-12-23T11:08:00.001-08:00

Ron francis jers and whalers' 72 wha cup

2006-12-23T11:06:00.001-08:00

2006-12-23T11:02:00.001-08:00

2006-12-23T10:13:00.001-08:00

Career-high 8th game; Gotta love those new Canucks jerseys

2006-12-21T13:20:00.003-08:00

The Canucks and Markus Naslund (bottom) are 6-9-1 away from home and tonight's game in Boston will be no easier for Roberto Luongo (top) and co.

I am attending my career-high eighth game of the season tonight and my first time ever seeing the Canucks (I actually may have seen them once with Bure). I expect the Bruins to win - my guess, 4-2. I have six seats - the biggest crowd yet. It should be a good one.

Brad Boyes has been hot lately and could find himself scoring on Luongo like last year before the Panthers traded away their franchise player.

The Canucks are last in the Northwest division but with win tonight can move into a tie for first with Calgary. The Flames, Wild, Oil, Avs and Canucks are all separated by two points. That's pretty amazing - the second smallest space between the top and bottom teams of any other division is 14 points, seperating Atlanta from Florida in the Southeast. In the Pacific, a whopping 35 points separates Anaheim (60) from Gretzky's Coyotes (25). Then again, the Ducks have nearly double the points of the Bruins (33). Anyways, off to the game.

Why the Bruins are cupless in nearly 35 years and more on Lubomir Visnovsky, Zdeno Chara, the best Slovaks and...Lars Jonsson?

2006-12-21T07:51:00.000-08:00

First round, seventh overall selection in the 2000 draft, defenseman Lars Jonsson was never signed by the Bruins.

As I was sifting through the stats for this year's rookie class, I found a defenseman by the name of Lars Jonsson near the bottom of the list.

Jonsson will never celebrate in a Bruins uniform and could come back to haunt the B's someday

With two assists in just a handful or two of games for the Flyers, he seemd worth a look. Plus, the name Lars brings back sweet memories of the Northeastern men's soccer season and defenseman Lars Okland this past fall. Sure enough, what was revealed was another Bruins blunder swept under the rug. It turns out
Johnsson was the B's number one pick, seventh overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Jonsson

I believe that's their highest pick other than Kessel in the new millenium, and instead of holding on to this guy who they apparently felt very strongly enough and tried to sign several times, as Wikipedia shockingly describes, they let him slip away and decided to trade the league's MVP away for a solid defenseman just a few years later. I never heard about this through all the Thornton pre and post trade dialogue. But you don't just give away the second best defenseman of the draft for the 37th pick in 2006 draft, Russian defenseman Yuri Alexandrov (still playing in Russia).

Yuri looks like an awkward 14-year-old struggling with adolescenc, nevermind NHL players

Yuri doesn't exactly look furocious, but we will wait and see - apparently he was the eligible Russian this year. Don't bother trying to google Yuri because you will only find an old beared man. Just for added emphasis, lifetime Islander DiPietro, Heatley, Gaborik and Rostislav Klesla, the only D-man picked before Jonsson, headlined that 2000 draft, while the following gems came much lower...

118. Los Angeles (from Ottawa), Lubomir Visnovsky, D, Bratislava, Slovakia.
205. N.Y. Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist, G, Frolunda, Sweden.

Henrik Lundqvist and Lubomir Visnovsky (above) were the "hidden" gems of the 2000 draft

How does a guy like Visnovsky go at 118? He was obviously NHL ready, seeing how he made the Kings roster immediately and went on to play 81 games, collect 39 points and finish with a +16 rating in his 2000-01 rookie season. The guy led all rookie defencemen with 39 points in 2000-01 and was previously voted the best player overall in Slovakia for the year 2005 and was six-times voted the best defenceman in Slovakia (1999 to 2003 and 2005). We aren't talking the Japanese league here. The Slovaks are no sloches in the NHL.

See Stan Mikita, Peter Stastny, Peter Bondra, Zigmund Palffy, Pavol Demitra, Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, Ladislav Nagy and guess who, Zdeno Chara. That list is in order by career points, with a few names left out in between (one-time Bruin Joseph Stumpel among those left out, despite 600 career points including four against the B's last Saturday).

Super Stan Mikita is undoubtably the best Slovak to ever play the game

But guess who is the 17th on that list, before Chara at 18th. Visnovsky, who has played 182 less games than Big Z but has five more points and could have been had in the same draft as the should-have-been-a-Bruin Lars Jonsson.

Lubomir Visnovsky has arguably had a more productive career than Zdeno Chara yet the Kings anchor is virtually unknown to the common fan

Visnovsky's stat line against Chara's is quite impressive and surprising in itself. With the miserable Kings, V has posted 44-136-180 line in 348 games since 2000, while Z has 57-118-175 in 530 games since 1997. I guess the Bruins aren't the only team saying What If? about overlooking V in 2000.

Visnovsky hooks ex-Bruin Sergei Samsonov during the World Cup of Hockey

Moral of the story is look how much we just paid to get Chara in town - and look what and where we could have got unheralded Visnovsky - but of course, the Bruins would never hit big like that when they didn't even want the second best defenseman of that draft enough to hold on. Great teams scout well, draft well and find a way to best develop that talent. And with their second highest draft pick of the new millenium, the B's scouted well, drafted well and then gave away a could-be franchise player. I might be overexagerating, but there's something to be said about these decisions. The B's certainly didn't reap nearly all the benefits of Thornton, and you can credit poor decision making from Joe's rookie season for that. We should have Chara, Mara and either Jonsson or Visnovsky in the back with Thornton, Samsonov, Boyes, Bergeron, Savard, Murray, Axellson etc. up front. The reason the Ducks are where they are right now? They scout well, draft well and find a way to best develop that talent. Other than Selanne and the big time D pair, the Ducks average age must be like 25.

6'3 Corey Perry is one of many big, young Ducks forwards helping the team dominate the league this year. Perry scored twice last night in a 4-1 win over the Stars.

Back to Wikipedia, which by the way, is the source for all of the above stats probably not up to date. But apparently you can type in the name of pretty much any hockey player and get their athletic life story. It's a pretty useful tool and makes me wonder how much information, and what kind, can be found here. The list of draftees from 2000 led me to find that Dany Heatley was once a Wisconsin Badger. Surprisingly, he is only 49th on their all-time scoring list with a 52-61-113 line in 77 games from 1999-01. So I guess if he had played 160 games like leader and current head coach Mike Eaves (1970-74), he would be closer to the top (267) in points. I also learned that ex-Bruin, flash-in-a-pan Jim Carey was a Badger. Currently in the NHL are former Badgers Rene Bourque, Chris Chelios, Sean Hill, CuJo, Scott Mellanby, Brian Refalski, Steve Reinprecht, Ryan Suter, David Tanabe, Brad Winchester and Andy Wozniewski.

Dany Heatley controls the puck off the faceoff during his collegiate years at Wisconsin.

IN defending the hobby
Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin's mid to high level rookies are already out of the average collectors price range, but the NHL's future great defenseman are underpriced and overlooked right now.

Visnovsky and even Deon Phaneuf rookie singles can be had at a great bargain.

Wheeling and Dealing

2006-12-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

I apologize to all for not posting over the weekend - especially under the circumstances. Friday morning, a regular but "it's Friday!" morning at the job, some guy came by the office and announced he was with Florida Panthers media. This news came in my right ear and went right out my left - until about 5 seconds later my boss spoke retold the message. Well, it turns out NHL teams do practice here at Matthews Arena on occasion. Last year, my boss watched Lemieux and Crosby up close.

Lucky for me, my girlfriend was still at home and was able to get my camera to me before practice started. I got about 20 shots of practice and took about 2 hours out of work to watch Jokinen and co. The biggest difference I noticed between those guys and our Huskies was how explosive NHLers are on their skates. From the first stride, these guys are off and up to high speeds, sending crisp and effortless saucers passes diagonally across the ice, which apparently all NHL players qualify as some of the best ice around. The Panthers looked pretty damn good - and they didn't look bad either when they took down the Bruins for the third time this year and the second time at TD. I watched that one with the girlfriend and coworkers/boss, my seventh game of the year. Anyways, those pictures of practice will be up shortly.

In other news, I have created a Google Group titled Wealing & Dealing. Why? I was scanning the posts on the newsgroup rec.collecting.sport.hockey again today and realized, again, that there is just way too much filler. For every 10 posts, there might be one worth looking at. It's either poor products offered by lackluster collectors, memorabilia I have never heard of with no description, or money hungry ebayers. None of which satisfy my needs.

My hope is that this group will eventually grow into one that is a tight-knit collection of passionate hockey cards collectors (traders) that can help out one another on a regular basis. It's my first Google Group, so only time will tell. Until then, it looks like more hours scanning on ebay.

Dice-k drops the puck!

2006-12-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

Close up from the Boston Globe

B's/Devils

2006-12-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Off to the game. Hopefully can update with some live audio and pictures - we'll see how it goes. 7th game of the year and counting.

What is your top line? ESPN has narrowed it down to 50 players.

2006-12-13T16:34:00.000-08:00

First a foremost, there's some fantastic non-hockey related news in Boston tonight. Dice-K and Mr. Boras have landed in Boston and are very close, if not done concluding a deal with Boston that will make their new ace the winner of a 6-year, 52 million dollar deal. At that figure, it is safe to say the Red Sox upped the ante, Boras caved a bit as expected, and Dice-K wanted a deal now.

Back to hockey. Selanne could have made ESPN's top 50 players of all time list, but I suppose he was never on one of the top lines of all time...the chosen 50 are listed at Vote for your top line. This is a tough exercise to do for someone born in 1985, like myself. Sometimes stats can speak for themselves, but for other players, take Bob Gainey for example, stats are not half the battle.

Without doing too much research or watching old game film or deliberating for hours, my four lines go something like this:

Crosby-Gretzky-Lafleur
Jagr-Lemieux-Richard
Cournoyer-Howe-Bossy
Forsberg-Messier-Ovechkin.

I really wanted to include Bobby Hull or Mikita - but Crosby and Ovechkin will someday be right behind Gretzky and Lemieux - and Forsberg, throughout my childhood and to this day, is the best all-around player when healthy. This is one tough exercise - and I would like to hear what everyone else has to say about it. Especially those who have a better knowledge of pre 90s - or even better pre 80s hockey.

Also, where is Cam Neely on this list? Jarome Iginla is a great player - but has lacked consistency throughout his career and has yet to really establish himself as one of the game's top 5 or so players year in and year out.

Crosby? Ovechkin? Malkin? Why today's casual collector can only choose one. And why Nick Lidstrom is a better choice.

2006-12-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

Last night's game between the soon-to-be rival Penguins and Capitals featured the three players which we will remember in 20 years as being the best of this generation. While Jagr still tops the league in points and Mr. Selanne sits in third to my surprise and delight, it is Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin that will undoubtably rule the NHL and the hobby over the next decade or two.

Sidney Crosby's upper deck rookie can be had for a benjamin

The Penguins got the best of the Caps on Monday night, 5-4. C&M (too reminiscent of Meg and Chris, my sister and her ex-boyfriend of eighth years - she is 19), ignited a four goal comeback concluding with a shootout victory. That game could be seen FREE on Versus. There is and will be little else to do with C-O-M that doesn't C-O-M-E with an enormous price tag.

While searching for tickets to the Pens/Bruins game during the presale way back when, I struck out miserably trying to get balcony tix. Tickets can be had I am sure, but I don't want to know for how much.

In the hobby, this problem is only escalated, a sad but inevitable truth to any young collectors looking to pot a card of their life long role models. Worse so is the problem for rookie collectors. The days of attaining one of a superstar's better rookie cards for a $20 bill are gone. Even for $50 or $100, unlikely. Rick Nash recent set the new generation precedent, with his UD Premier Patch Auto card hitting the $1400 plus mark. That's for a young superstar who has grossly underperformed so far this year. Let me try to get across just how far the hobby has changed over the last decade.

Evgeni Malkin's first rookie release from Upper Deck Black Diamond has been selling upwards of $200 a pop - hopefully I will pull one come Christmas morning.

Take a look at Nicklas Lidstrom's career stats. He is four goals away from 200, is 12th on the all-time assists list among active players, and right now, in his 15th season (14 playoff years), all with the Red Wings, he is the only defenseman to lead his team in points (25). Just glancing at his stats, I am impressive by his longetivity, especially with one team. Ray Bourque almost got there - but didn't. Lidstrom is a model of excellence, of consistency. Perhaps the most remarkable stat of all - he is +322 for his career. Not a single negative season. Another amazing feat - in all 15 years, with the exception of the shortened 1994-95 campaign, Nick has appeared in at least 78 games. And that only happened once. Despite leading nearly all of those teams in minutes, and playing deep into the playoffs almost every year, he has managed to stay 100% healthy. I would have to look around a bit - but I imagine it would be hard pressed to find many, if any, career resumes as impressive, solid and consistent as Lidstrom's.

If I can't resist, Ovechkin will likely have my loyalties before Sidney or Evgeni

I have yet to decide whose rookie I will pursue - although right now I'm leaning toward Ovechkin first - but so you can actually see it played out, look at what I just purchased for $16.15. The pictured Lidstrom lot, which books for $30 (all rookies - including his best at a bargain $3!, a 7-card Sergei Federov lot which includes 3 copies of his best rookie from the 90-91 OPC Premier set, 7 upper deck Peter Forsberg rookies which book at $10 each and 6 Markus Naslund upper deck rookies which book at $5 each. So we are talking about $150 plus worth of hall of famer rookie cards for the price of - say, two packs of your middle-of-the-line 2006-07 hockey product which contain, in every 4 or 5 boxes or maybe 100-200 packs, a $200 or $300 Malkin rookie.

And if the hype is too much too resist, well, I've done the work for you. You can buy a 20-card set featuring Crosby's phenominal beginning in 2005-06 for just $11.99 at this retailer. And on ebay, you can find the Crosby/Ovechkin dual card pictured below for anywhere between $5 to $40. There are plenty available around $10, and for a card that I heard may book at $50, and features two of the three next generation players, this may be the only financially available path for today's casual collector.

For a final comment, I want to add that despite the hobby boom over the past decade, C-O-M may actually be worth it. All three have IT - but more importantly, they all play with that drive and compassion that at some point will bring good fortune to their respective cities. And we can always watch them on Versus for free.

Jack Parker is a good man

2006-12-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Jack Parker is a great man for a lot of reasons, and as I was beginning to write a post regarding now Northeastern assistant coach Shawn McEachern's run with BU to the NCAA finals in 1990-91, I decided instead to combine that post with another, detailing the Saturday night assault on four Boston University athletes.

Well, upon my research on Shawn McEachern's collegiate days, I fell upon the story of the 1990-91 NCAA hockey championship. After reaching the Frozen Four as a second team Hockey East All-Star the year before, McEachern came back with 34 goals and 48 assists for BU’s second highest single-season total of 82 points in 1990-91. The Terriers, with McEachern, Tony Amonte and Keith Tkachuk starting at forward on what head coach Jack Parker called “the most talented team we ever had,” won the Hockey East tournament and reached the NCAA championship but lost in triple overtime to Northern Michigan, 8-7, in an incredible back-and-forth game. It was also the second longest NCAA final game in history. McEachern was named a first team Hockey East all-star, a NCAA East first team All-American and the William Flynn Tournament MVP, given annually to the Most Valuable Player of the Hockey East Championship Tournament. Other recipients have included Brian Leetch in 1987 and Dwayne Roloson in 1994.

Within Dave Hendrickson's article, Parker goes on to say the following: "About two years ago, I saw Tony Amonte at T. Anthony's restaurant," says Parker. "The Black Hawks were in town to play the Bruins the next day, so he came up to his old stomping grounds to say hello. I had just been reading the Globe sports page and it was one of those days where they have all the scorers of every team in the NHL. Amonte was leading Chicago by a mile in scoring. Keith Tkachuk was leading Phoenix by a mile in scoring. And Shawn McEachern was the second-leading scorer for Ottawa. In walks Amonte and I said, 'Tony, here you're the number one guy. Tkachuk's the number one guy. McEachern's the number-two guy. How did we not win the national championship?' He just looked at me and said, 'Hey coach, offense wasn't our problem. We got seven. We just couldn't keep it up.' I would say that that was one of the most exciting teams I've ever coached and without question, the most talented team we ever had. That was the heyday of college hockey and the apex of college hockey as far as talent across the nation, especially in Hockey East. We'd go out for the Beanpot final and put McEachern, Amonte, Tkachuk, [Peter] Ahola and [Scott] Lachance for our starting five and BC would counter with [Steve] Heinze, [Marty] McInnis, [David] Emma and [Scott] LaGrand in the cage. Maine had great players. It was a great league. I think one of the greatest college teams ever assembled was the team that Northern Michigan had that year. They had a lot of talented players who are still in the NHL to this day."

Chris O'Sullivan, who played for the Terriers from 1993 to 1996, said this of his former coach: "Coach Parker doesn't just care about you at the rink. He cares about you as a person. He cares about the rest of your life."

That's where the recent assault on the four Boston University athletes - including star goalie John Curry, captain defenseman Sean Sullivan and another defenseman, Kevin Schaeffer, who was most seriously injured after being knocked unconscience. Lauren Morton of the women's lacrosse team had jaw broken. Apparently, most of the BU hockey team was out at a party in Allston. Many of the players left, but some, including those attacked, got into a fight with some others at the party. Then around 4 a.m., three white men wearing hooded sweatshirts attacked the four with wrenches, baseball bats and hammers.

When reached for comment, Jack Parker had this to say: "He looks like Tony Conigliaro, exactly. Amazing. That's the first thing I thought when I saw him in the hospital was he looked like Tony C [after his beaning in 1967]...Nothing good happens after 2 o'clock in the morning. The team rule is the only night you can drink is on Saturday night and you can't drink if you're under 21."

Without any pictures of Kevin Schaeffer in a hospital bed, you can use your imagination to play out the assault on early Sunday morning

While we have seen other universities have several players thrown off their respective teams, and some involved with coaches, Parker seems only calm and congenial. Too bad he rejected the Bruins offer.

If there's a will, there's a way

2006-12-05T12:03:00.000-08:00

Last night's game was nothing short of spectacular - big hits, improbable saves and nifty goals - lots of them. How the B's ended up on the right side of a 6-5 victory, I do not know. I saw the entire game, with the exception of the three goals scored in the first five minute of the second period.

Brad Stuart scored twice in the third, including the game-winning goal, although I still am sure Wayne Premeau tipped it in. Regardless, Big Bad Brad is making the world of a difference for the B's when he's healthy, and meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Joe is producing, but it seems like he's never on ESPN's top 10 plays. Sergei actually looked pretty good last night. I didn't catch the stat sheet, but he must have had a good five four or five shots on net - including a near breakaway. I bet he just had extra in the take to show up his former team.

Well, somehow Bruins come out on top, and I'll take it. It's not often the momentum can shift that often, in such a negative way, and your team can still win the game.

Stuart Scenario in the Hobby
I have a SP Authentic Sign of the Times Stuart autograph from his rookie year - I think it books around $10. Nothing significant - although it looks like my card made it to this list of Brad Stuart's top 10 cards. But if the Bruins continue to do well - it could be Stuart, not Chara, heralded as the B's best point man. Chara's giveaway leading to 6, YES 6, shorthanded chances during a B's powerplay last night was just heinous.

Former Bruin Shawn McEachern comes bearing gifts

2006-12-05T07:41:00.000-08:00

The Huskies are hoping Shawn McEachern and yesterday's first snow will bring them some midseason magic for Christmas

Former Bruin and 13-year NHLer Shawn McEachern has taken over an assistant coaching position for Northeastern - it has yet to be officially announced, but I just finished writing a 700-word bio to be posted when it becomes official. McEachern is a pretty significant addition to the coaching staff - the Waltham native, who spent three years at Boston University before going on to collect 256 goals, 323 assists and 579 points with four different NHL teams, is also the proud owner of a Stanley Cup. He was a lucky winner in the 1991-92 season, signing with the team in March just before Super Mario and Co. repeated. For more on McEachern's career stats, visit his profile at Yahoo, Wikipedia, Legends of Hockey or at the Hockey Database. All of these links are great resources for information on hockey players at a variety of levels from juniors to the NHL.

McEachern was traded to the Kings for Marty McSorley and back to the Pens in 1993 and then returned home to Boston along with Kevin Stevens in exchange for current Bruin Glen Murray and former Bruin Brian Smolinski. McEachern had 53 points during the 1995-96 season with the B’s and would eventually return to Boston for his career finale, 28 games during the 2005-06 season. He also won the first 1996 World Cup of Hockey during in that first year at Boston.

In between stints in Boston, McEachern played some of his best hockey during six seasons with Ottawa Senators, before being shipped to the Trashers before the 2002-03 season. There, he was quickly named the team captain, squashing previous plans to rotate the captaincy among four players.

McEachearn was second to only Ilya Kovalchuk on the Thrasher's points list during the 2002-03 season.

In his first game at Atlanta’s Philips Arena, he recorded a hat trick and despite missing much of the season with groin and back injuries, the Thrashers re-signed their leader to a new deal. He returned healthy in 2003-04, played all 82 games and finished second on Atlanta with 55 points while helping the team to a club record 33 wins.

McEachern does have some coaching experience - he was an assistant for part of the 2004-05 lockout season at Salem State College - and he has done a lot of hockey-related community work.

NU completes essential sweep of Merrimack

2006-12-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

The Huskies won the second of the home and home series at Merrimack last night, completing a very necessary four-point weekend. The difference in the quality of play between a UNH vs. Northeastern and a Merrimack vs. Northeastern game is astounding. The Warriors are slower, less skilled and not as solid on their skates. Thus, even without Mike Morris and playing their B-game at best, the Huskies won easily, 4-1 on Friday and 2-0 last night.

It was my first trip on a road hockey game, but I was all about helping out with stats. I brought my bulky camera with hopes I could get some pictures for this blog. I was actually shocked at how well I could focus in on the ice. And my boss gave me a tutorial - I learned how to use my Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z10, 3.2 Mega Pixel digital. It's really not a bad camera, especially for the $120 price tag I found it for. The rink was also very small, but I must say, nicer and colder than I expected. It is definately reminiscent of a high school rink. Cold, small, with a max capacity of about 1200-1500.

Brad Thiessen stretches before stopping 30 shots in his first collegiate shutout.

Thiessen makes one of his tougher saves of the night, as Merrimack forward Mikey Rego, 8, winds up for a close range slapper.

Chad Costello weaved past a defender, cut back toward the middle, and then put home his own rebound. The Huskies celebrate their first of two goals.

Joe Vitale tries to sneak a wrap-around attempt past the Merrimack keeper.

Warrior captain Ryan Sullivan and Joe Vitale investigate the barrage of penalties being assessed after yet another post whistle scrum.

The Bruins, meanwhile, lost for the second time in a week to the Canes, 5-2. Apparently, the effort was there according to Thomas and Lewis, but a 5-2 defeat usually suggests a lack of something. Speaking of a lack there of,
Phil Kessel has been reduced to a role player instead of dangerous young talent. I agree with Dupont. If Kessel is on the bench, there will be less thrill on ice, and his maturation will only be delayed, perhaps forever.

2006-12-02T17:33:00.001-08:00

Goal judge's view

2006-12-02T15:08:00.001-08:00

57 minutes til game time...morris out

2006-12-02T15:05:00.001-08:00

Huskies on the board, BC/BU in a fog, B's in action

2006-12-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

Ray Ortiz played well last night, but his line will need to pick up its play even more if Morris is out.

Northeastern finally picked up its first Hockey East victory last night, defeating visiting Merrimack 4-1. Tons of penalties and sloppy play characterized much of the game. Amidst a second period NU power-play, I saw Mike Morris take a shoulder or elbow to his head - he shook it off but before long, skated off from the his post on the point and headed to the bench. I noticed he didn't return, and as I went to drop off the shot charts in between periods, there was Morris, dressed in a shirt and tie, with a dejected look on his face. Without jumping to any conclusions, I can only muse that he suffered a minor tweak, keeping him out the rest of the game, or in the worst case scenario, another blow to the head which could mean any number of serious consequences.

Down at the end of the B-line, most hockey fans and media were geared up for the BU at BC matchup, only to see the game called midway through the first due to unsafe ice conditions. Apparently, BC had seen condensation build up along the glass during a day-time pregame practice. But the ice seemed fine at the start of the game, only to break down, forcing the refs to determine couldn't see it fit to play. The second game of the home-and-home series will be played tonight at BU's Agganis Arena.

Captain Ryan Sullivan and the Warriors will need to score at least twice to have a chance tonight.

My plans to see the "Newsical" have been wiped out, as I am now headed to Merrimack's
Volpe Center in North Andover. The facilities have recently been renevoted, with updates in the visiting locker rooms. You can't help but laugh when looking at this web post, which as of yesterday appeared on the front page of the hockey section. Even worse, a few days prior, it headlined MC's athletic website. I've heard MC's hockey facilities are pretty poor, and renovations are always great, but advertising an extremely lackluster facility, with pictures showcasing its downfalls both before and after, is not something any university should take on. I would understand if there were shots of a newly carpented, painted lockerooms, with intricate shelving for equipment, video equipment in the corners for mid-period examinations and white boards lining the walls for instruction use. But we are talking stalls, shower heads and bare walls here.

With an extra shower head, I expect to be out of Volpe twice as fast tonight.

I'm excited for my trip to the Volpe. I think I might have played high school hockey there.

The B's are back in action tonight - I'm going to miss the game, but I suspect the Bruins will have a better effort tonight than they did last Friday against the Canes. Nothing will top Thursday's game, however. Note, Paul Mara will not be in the lineup tonight, despite earlier reports that he was determined and willing to play through any leg pain.

2006-12-01T16:05:00.001-08:00

2006-12-01T16:04:00.001-08:00

Jon and Ally at Bruins, 2-2 in third

2006-11-30T17:56:00.001-08:00

Tied at 2-2 heading into the third, the Lightning struck midway through the third, but Boston responded, setting up the eventual shootout and Thomas' chance to shine.

He turned away seven consecutive shots, prompting Phil Kessel's rise from the bench. After reversing his rally cap, he skated down on Denis and beat the keeper high over his blocker, sending the Bruins to their eighth win in 10 tries.

Thomas continues to get my vote of confidence, while keeping the team intact, derailing any further trade talk involving Murray or another forward. Thursday's shootout win was heart-wrenching upon each Tampa chance to end the game.

2006-11-30T17:53:00.001-08:00

Mobile test success

2006-11-30T09:50:00.000-08:00

Well, here is an old photo of Boston College's football field that I took from the top floor of the facility while trying to find my way to the Conte Forum press box before the Northeastern vs. BC hockey season opener. I'll see how well this service works tonight from the Bruins game at TD. Unfortunately, from the balcony, the pictures are unlikely to be any more focused or zoomed than this shot.

Leafs falling as winter approaches

2006-11-29T11:27:00.000-08:00

A few more games, maybe a few more years, and a handful of fights, and fans will start to realize why facing divisional foes eight times is much more appealing than traveling to the Sunbelt for feelingless contests.

December 22nd, the first day of winter, is fast approaching, and in the Bruins/Leafs developing rivalry, we could see a fourth Leaf fall from the tree on Dec. 7 before the Winter Solstice creeps up on us. Pretty soon, I will have a clear view of the city from the roofdeck, with all the leaves on the ground, and the Bruins playoff chances within sight. Chalk up another November victory against the Maple. The B's have now won 8 of 13 in the month, including three over Toronto and one over Ottawa. These three most recent wins against the Leafs have been just huge - a 12 point swing if you want to look at it from a divisional standpoint.

From the B's website earlier today: "It's a lot about hard work," said Glen Murray, whose goal was the eventual game winner. "If you go out there and work your tail off, things will happen and we've done that the last two games."

Not only did Boston look very quick on the puck, but the Bruins were moving fast in the transition game and were pushing hard on the backcheck just as hard as on offense. A few weeks ago, I was all about sending Murray away to one of those teams with two No. 1 keepers. Now, I'm starting to feel comfortable with Thomas, and Murray is starting score consistently and more importanty, he is starting to look like a guy who is finally happy wearing the black and gold and ready to work following a year in which he saw his good friend and setup guy leave.

The guy was excited from start to finish, end-to-end. There were very few lulls in this one - I felt like I was watching a different matchup.
I love the B's third line. Chistov was a great pickup.

I thought Kessel, although he failed to score again, looked frighteningly fast on that coast to coast rush that resulted in a solid wrister on Raycroft.

Tenkrat continues to produce - he fed Murray nicely and credit the B's new management for bringing him up while sticking with Thomas in goal and keeping Murray in town. Three crunch times decisions, all paying off. Unlike past management, Chirelli didn't fret and send all the B's good pieces packing.

Shean Donovan, who I thought would add some scoring, grit and determination in the form of an above-average third-liner, finally potted a goal for the B's. It was a nice one too, fittingly up high on Raycroft (see Savard's pregame comments).

In the end, it all starts and ends with Thomas. He made 45 saves last night, and if the Bruins are to continue to succeed, they will need probably one 30-35+ save performance per week from "Tank." More than anything, I like Tim's approach to the game, and I think it's becoming contageous around the locker room.

Hobby Baker blemishes; B's at Toronto

2006-11-28T12:08:00.001-08:00

David Brown

Brian Elliott , Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, Scott Parse, David Brown, Nathan Davis, Byron Bitz, Jay Barriball, Kyle Okposo, Michel Leveille and T.J. Hensick

Well, there's your Hobby Baker list, according to Dave Starman's article, "The Contender."

Hobby candidate number one, "the contender) Michigan's T.J. Hensick

Why not Erik Johnson of Minnesota, I ask? It seems odd that the No. 1 overall pick of the Blues and the top blueliner of the nation's No. 1 team isn't even on the list. I think there are at least a handful of other blemishes on this list.

Hobby candidate number two, No. 1 ranked Minnesota's Kyle Okposo

But let's check these kids out. I must say I am excited by the knowledge and enthusiasm I have acquired since becoming an active participant in covering Northeastern hockey.

Out of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Scott Parse.

Nathan Davis

I also never understand how there are so many great athletes, particularly hockey players, that were named using illiteration.

Byron Bitz

There are a few here, including Bitz, who is apparently one of the Bruins' prospects. I'll have to start checking up on him now every week, too.

Maine's magician, Michel Leveille. Representing Hockey East.

While searching for all these photos and other information, I came across another great website for prospects that I will add to my template. Looking at how low some of these Hobby candidates were on some NHL teams' top prospects list, I was surprised to find Mike Morris rated in the Sharks' top 15.

Goaltender, Brian Elliott

Apparently he is projected as a future second or third line winger. As much as he has progressed since the beginning of the season, I think he still is a long ways off from an NHL appearence.

Jonathan Toews

Bruins at Toronto tonight. Another "four point" game. A win would be huge for the B's, moving them past Ottawa (likely to lose tonight at Carolina) and within a few wins of the Leafs and Nos Canadiens.

Phil Kessel's replacement man, Jay Barriball

Thomas will have to be big, and Mara will have to take fight number two against Darcy. I see the B's taking this one, 4-2, with two goals from Kessel.

North Dakota's T.J. Oshie

Former Husky Mike Ryan makes NHL debut with Sabres

2006-11-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

More news here at Northeastern University today, as former Husky winger Mike Ryan recently made his NHL debut with the NHL-leading Buffalo Sabres (19-3-2) and has now played in three games, recording six shots and averaging 9:07 of ice time. Nothing too impressive so far, although he did manage to find the back of his own net in his first game. Lucky for him, he plays for the NHL's best team, so his own-goal was soon forgotten by everyone else. Captain Daniel Briere even promised Ryan that he would make sure the Sabres won during the second intermission. Following Briere's third period tally, Ryan was quoted as saying "He did deliver on his promise. I think I jumped about four feet off the ground on the bench when he scored."

For more on that blooper, check out any of these articles: Briere bails out the new kid, Depth lifts Sabres to new heights, Ryan shakes off misfire in NHL debut.

On Wednesday, the day of Ryan's debut, my boss had heard rumors of the former Husky's promotion, but we waited on posting anything until we got a confirmation. Apparently, an article would have gone up immediately following his debut had he not scored on his own goal. Anyways, another highlight for NU, as both Jim Fahey (Devils) and Ryan have now played in the NHL this season.

I just did the writeup for the website, titled Former Husky Mike Ryan makes NHL debut. Here are Ryan's complete stats of his time at Northeastern.

On the blog BleedingBlueandGold, the blogger wrote, "I'm still feeling sorry for Michael Ryan's 'own-goal' that got the Leafs to within one near the end of the second period. Ryan was very impressive in the first half of the game, especially on the penalty kill. However, his play fell off a bit after that miscue and he carelessly iced the puck one time when he easily could have reached the centre line. However, my impressions of his game are mostly positive."

Coming from a Sabres fan, that sounds like a positive review. Hopefully, Ryan will start put one in the other team's net soon and get his +/- up a few points.

I'm hoping Ryan at least retains his spot on the roster for another week so I can catch a game on All-Access.

In other local news over Thanksgiving weekend, the Huskies were defeated 3-1 by UNH. After coming out fast and generating the first handful of great scoring chances, NU let up in the second and before long, the Wildcats held a commanding 3-0 lead. Morris eventually got the Huskies on the board, but it was evident from the time UNH added a third goal that there would be no comeback on the night. It's now or never for NU with a home-and-home series with Merrimack coming up this weekend.

I missed Saturday's Bruins game after watching the disgusting 5-1 whopping by the Hurricanes the day before, but I'm pretty happy with what I've seen as of late. The Chistov/Kessel/Tenkrat line is very appealing to me and I would imagine to the B's overall fan base. Any line with that kind of speed and creativity, albeit some defensive liability, helps us fans of the Black and Gold to forget the glory day of Samsonov and co. On that note, Savard and Jumbo Joe are currently tied with 27 points, but Joe is a -5 while Savard is a +4. I'm not holding my breath yet, but imagine if Savard outscores the big guy?

In College Hockey news, Minnesota claimed all 40 first place votes, while Northeastern's latest bully, UNH, climbed all the way to No. 2.

A big week in local hockey ahead -
Tuesday - choice of UMass at BU or Vermont at Harvard. I'll probably go with the less expensive admission (Harvard). Or, Bruins game at a local bar.
Wednesday - San Jose at Minnesota. Two former Boston middlemen, Joe Thornton and Brian Rolston, square off. The real questions remain: Who is better? And how good would the Bruins be with both of them?
Thursday - A date with Tampa at TD. My fourth trip and counting this season.
Friday - Merrimack here at Northeastern's Matthew's Arena. A must win for NU.
Saturday - At Merrimack. A must win. B's will get revenge at Carolina.
Sunday - My return after a week off.

Hobby News
Selanne's Stock Looking Up
Despite his nagging knee injuries a few seasons back and the drop in market for 90s cards, including his own singles, Selanne's issues could see some progression as the season moves on. He has six goals in his last six games. He leads the NHL's best team in points (29). He isn't far from the league leader in points. Just imagine if the Finnish Flash continued to lead the Ducks and eventually carried them to a Stanley Cup, while earning Conn Smyth and Art Ross honors. Very unlikely scenario, but it could happen. I would relish a Ducks/Sabres matchup, pitting Anaheim's D against the Sabres' high-powered offense.

Donruss Limited Exposure

2006-11-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

I'm taking some time to post one of my ongoing wantlists while at home. This one is for the missing pieces of the 1997-98 donruss limited exposure hockey set. I consider this to be perhaps the best designed set from the 90s decade, although like all other 90s cards, the value has dipped significantly. I remember a long time ago when I traded a Bure star factor exposure for three 96-97 upper deck game jerseys, including a multi-colored Lemieux. Now that same BureI already have the following:

3, 4 (Gretzky SF), 8 (Jagr UL), 11 (Selanne SF), 14, 18, 20 (Hull SF), 21, 35 (Kariya SF), 38 (Shanahan UL), 49, 52, 54, 55 (Jagr SF), 58, 61, 67, 69 (Yashin SF), 73, 79, 83, 86 (Hasek UL) 89, 91, 93, 96, 98 (Federov SF), 103 (Joseph SF), 110, 111, 112 (Oates SF), 113, 118, 120 (Roenick SF), 127 (Brodeur UL), 141, 143 (Selanne UL), 147 (Hasek SF), 151 (Roy UL), 153 (Bure SF), 156, 162, 163 (Palffy SF), 165 (Yzerman UL), 169 (Shanahan UL), 172, 178, 183 (Lindros SF), 193 (Modano SF), 195, 200 (Gretzky/Marleau UL).

I also have the Thornton UL and Forsberg SF. Anything else not on this list I need. I am also willing to trade for rookies I need.

Also of note. The following number exist of each subset.
Star Factors: 25
Unlimited Talent: 40

I'm not sure about the Double Team and Counterpart subsets, but I believe it is around 60 and 90 exist, respectively.

Three top forwards commit to Northeastern

2006-11-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

I just researched and wrote the article titled Huskies sign three recruits for the Northeastern website, so I am not going to go into any further detail regarding the transaction and the players NU signed, but I do want to note how much there is out there to learn for even the biggest hockey fan like myself.

The British Columbia Hockey League (BCJHL), Peace Cariboo Junior Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) are all more or less at the same level of play. For more on these leagues, check them out on Wikipedia.

Current starting keeper Brad Thiessen played for the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL last year, and the current No. 2 scorer of the BCHL, Wade Macleod, also of Merritt, will be joining Brad on NU's roster next season.

Here is a full list of the league leaders. Also available at the Merritt Centennials link at the top of this graph are thousands, literally, of pictures of him and the rest of the team over the last three years. Seems like some impressive photography up on the web for a Junior A team.

The other recruit from the BCHL, Tyler McNeely of the Barnaby Express, is eighth right now in scoring, but his resume is quite impressive, as detailed in my release. He is supposed to be the big name of our three recruits. Maybe he is projected as Mike Morris' replacement? Maybe not. But he's still draft eligible.

The United States Hockey League, which happens to have produced tons and tons of college and professional hockey players, is pretty much on par with those Canadian Leagues. Northeastern happens to have more than a handful of former USHLers, and Steve Silva of the Green Bay Gamblers is one of the three recent recruits to sign with the Huskies. NU will have at least seven former USHLers on the team next year.

More Hobby News

Milan Michalek of the San Jose Sharks, as I have mentioned, is having an awesome start to year and may be the Sharks best player right now, despite playing with the likes of people named Thornton, Cheechoo, Marleau and the Dynamic Duo in goal. To make matters even more urgent on capturing his rookies, I read today that he is the lockeroom leader. That might sound stupid, but the combination of skills, production, size and leadership could one day result in a big time superstar. It's a reach, but I just keep hearing good things.

Streak snapped; Selanne scoring; Frolov fulfilling

2006-11-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

Neither team was really able to establish a rhythm during Tuesday's game, featuring the visiting Panthers and the streaking Bruins. The crowd seemed to have an equally tough time getting into the game. As I walked around inside the arena toward our section, I could have heard a pin drop during the opening minutes of action. And as I watched from my seat, the B's seemed in control for much of the first half of the game, but still they found themselves down 2-0 heading into the third.

Tim Thomas singlehandedly paid for my $15 ticket (cut down from $25). He made a hefty handful of flat out brilliant saves, saves that I would say a keeper would have a 1 in 5 chance of coming up with. And he made at least three or four, if not five or six. Especially big was his reaching glove save while on his back with his helmet falling off. There was just one minute left following that save and the Bruins couldn't find the magic.

It wasn't the most exciting game, but for $15, Thomas made it worth it. And two very good signs. Thomas is establishing himself as a legitimate No. 1, and Glen Murray, who was The guy being mentioned day after day in a seemingly inevitable trade for a No. 1 keeper, scored twice and leads the team with 11 goals. He isn't too far off the league leaders either.
I have some pictures of the game but uploads await.

I'm hoping for a better effort tonight. The Penguins have four sensational players, but I still see the Bruins as the better team. And to the Senators credit...that No. 25 power ranking is just absurd. The Sens are playing much better right now, yet they are ranked below the Blackhawks. If those teams squared off for the next 10 games, I don't know if Chi Town would claim a single victory. I guess the Sens will just jump like 15 spots in the coming weeks.

Also of note: Selanne scored twice last night in the Ducks' 5-0 beating of the Sharks. I guess the Ducks showed the No. 1 ranked Sharks who's best. #8's goals weren't bad either and came one game after he posted a career high five assists. It brings me great pleasure to see my all-time favorite producing like he once did pre-injuries.

Hobby Hot Streak:

Alexander Frolov, that 6'2, 210 pound elusive forward selected 20th overall in 2000 by the Los Angelas Kings, is not very well known. He has been completely overshadowed by his fellow rookie class (Zetterberg, Spezza, Nash), but his time to shine might be approaching. Frolov has scored twice in each of his last three games while accumulating eight of his 21 points in those games. On pace for 45 goals and nearly 80 points, this Russian could soon become an elite scorer rather than a potentially gifted scorer. He soon could be mentioned in the same sentence as hobby superstars Nash, Spezza and Zetterberg, who all have gotten off to slow starts (not so much Spezza). In any such case, if Frolov approaches the 40 goal plateu, his rookies should triple in value.

What us sports writers do...and the occassional perks...and how a true fan is affected in the conscience, and subconscience

2006-11-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I can't help but think about the future I could have had, had I went the extra mile and really worked to be a great hockey player. Now, it is too late, and it looks like my chosen path in life is to become a sports writer of sorts. It seems like such a drop off in being one that writes about the great players rather than being a great player. But some articles, and not necessarily extraordinary pieces, help to show why us writers are such a crucial piece of sport and its history. The players make history, but is us who shape that history and dictate how long and in what way it will be remembed and told.

One such article, titled NU thinks outside the box was written by Jim McCabe in Saturday's Globe. The article will never appear in any "The Best of Sports Writing..." books, and it probably won't be remembered much past Northeastern's next big win (or tie), but this was a well-written piece that stands out.

It stands out to me for several reasons. The lead..."Whistles dominated the first 59 minutes 57 seconds..." set up the dramatic. The reader must read on.

The second graph: "But what defined the penalty-filled Hockey East game last night between Boston College and Northeastern was the eruption that shook the rafters of Matthews Arena, which certainly qualifies as an "old barn," having been around since ice was invented. But perhaps never has the place hosted anything as wild as this 3-3 tie, which was earned when the Huskies' Mike Morris pushed home a loose puck with 2.6 seconds left."

McCabe captures the essence of the game right away. The multitude of penalties. More importantly the crowd's eruption at Morris' game-tying goal at this historic arena. And he even goes on record, saying that the goal might have concluded the wildest event ever held at Matthew's? It's very unlikely, but I'm sure it ranks somewhere high on the all-time list, and it again adds excitement and feeling, bringing the reader to the game.

The main point I want to make is, that as the keeper of the shot charts during the hockey games and particularly Friday's agme against BC, I found the game exciting. I knew there were tons of penalties. I watched as several controversial calls were made and as one accidental goal light went on. I wanted to leap out of my seat when Morris jabbed Costello's rebound through Schneider's legs, sending the packed "old barn" into hysterics. But as the reporter, and even more so as the keeper of stats, I find it difficult at the end of the game, during the calm after the storm, to sift through everything that just perspired and come to the simple realization that "hey, that was one strange but incredibly remarkable game." Two days after the game, McCabe helped me to see the game how everyone should see it.

Following Friday's game, I met up with my mother, her boyfriend Laurence and my cousin Thea at Uno's. We got some beers, some food and I drank some straight alcohol to ease the pain of my wisdom teeth surgery after being recommended to do so by my elders. My friends met up with us too, and then we headed to Connor Larkin's, where the night started to get really interesting.

After a short delay in getting in (the bar was full), my cousin managed to "convince" the door man and my mom and her boyfriend and probably my 26-year-old cousin entered as the three oldest people in attendance. As we walked further in, there was part of the soccer team, for the second time that week, and third or fourth time in the last month. And just ahead stood at least three or four players from the hockey team, already at the front of Connor's after earning a dramatic 3-3 time with BC.

First, I saw Greg Kilkenny, the leading-scorer of the soccer team. I had seen him earlier that day or another earlier on the street, exchanged hellos and this time, I talked to him for a little bit again. I told him the hilarity of the situation already, and before long, I was moving on toward the front of the bar. I pushed threw the dense crowd to get a few pitchers and before long, we were drinking in the midst of Mike Morris, who sat front center and Joe Santilli. Also right there was Dennis McCauley, teammate from about 10 years ago. I told my mom and everyone else of the situation with the soccer team and the hockey team, and the best players from both squads. I watched Morris, who is of my age, but looked elegant, glorious, cool and composed, above-and-beyond and a man among the surrounding crowds of boys and girls. Santilli, who I have learned is the character of the team, was even closer (right next to me). I don't know how it started, maybe I played the "are you on the hockey team? act. I can't be sure, but my mom and I struck up conversation with the short, clever-speaking character with slicked back hair and a black leather jacket to complete his Italian appeal. He was extremely nice and lived up to his reputation as a great interviewee. I learned a thing or two about him, and a thing or two about my boss, who Santilli had a story or two about.

I was there, behind the scenes with some lesser-known heroes of mine, drinking at a bar. As weird as it was, I had an unbelievable, eye-opening time that only got better as I watched my mother approach The Star, front and center, and shake Mr. Morris' hands while saying something along the lines of "nice game tonight," or maybe something funnier that I will just never know. My mom also recently said to me, "he reminds me of Gretzky...am I wrong on that?" Come to think about it, he does look a little bit like the Great One.

Now, on to my dream from Saturday night. It's been a few days, but I remember most of this dream taking me around my neighborhood, to a friend's house and then back to my place, where we were having a big family get together. With me was Dennis McCauley, and perhaps other members of the hockey team, and we had a good time. I wish I could elaborate, but that's all that's coming to me right now.

Ffor now I'm off for some ceremonial lighting at Christopher Colombus Park, some free Mike's pastry and Legal Seafood's chowder before we watch the B's go for their fifth straight at TD.

The blues fuels moves in Boston

2006-11-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

Having already endulged in a good five plus hours of sports news and with nothing on my palate but more sports news for the remaining hours of my work day, I figure it is time to take a break and summorize the recent frenzy among Beantown's teams.

The Red Sox, reacting to their dreadfull collapse in 2006, have officially posted the top bid ($51 million) to begin negotiations with Japanese pitcher and hero, Daisuke Matsuzaka, who will likely be inked to the Sox starting rotation by the December 15 deadline. Already having generated more news than the Bruins will all season long, Matsuzaka will come with some mighty high expectations that I can't help but believe will fall short. I could be wrong but instict tells me it will be more difficult for a pitcher to come over from Japan and dominate the MLB as much as star outfielders Matsui and Sasuki have been able to. Nonetheless, the 26-year-old does have nine pitchers, including some scientifically studied "gyroball," which seems like an attribute of a create-your-own-player in MVP baseball, not a Japanese superstar hurler. Read more about that in today's Globe article Dollars and hopes sky high already. But back to the $51 million the Sox gave Matsuzaka's Japanese team just to hold negotiation rights.

The Sox-Matsuzaka transaction is a perfect transition into the negotiations between Evgeni Malkin and his former Russian owner, team Mettelsburg. As detailed in today's article, Malkin's story is one of great illusion, dishonesty, scandal and bravery. I don't want to go into detail because it is all explained in great length in the article, but it is amazing to me what these Russians (Mogily, Federov, etc. and I'm sure other players as well) have had to do just to get out of Russia and into the NHL. If the Russians still possessed enough talent to compete with the NHL, I can only imagine what kind of rivalries would come out of a Russia vs. U.S. matchup with all the current animosity.

As for Malkin's continued dominance in the earlygoings of his NHL career, I watched the Pens beat the Flyers the other night, 3-2, after Evgeni's last-minue game-winning goal. Crosby carried the puck deep into the zone, attracted three opponents, freeing up Malkin, who spun around in a crowd of players along the top of the faceoff circle and ripped a one-timer past Nittimaki to the upper-right corner. It was an absolute blast, placed perfectly, that looked so easy. If the Pens do manage to keep these two together, and possibly pair the two on a line together, with Staal on another line, the team should win a Cup within five years if there is anything resembling a supporting cast in the Burg.

Two other Russians also guilty of defecting to the NHL illegally, Alexei Mikhnov and Andrei Taratukhin, will likely face future trouble with Russia's legal system, along with Malkin. Mikhnov, as I just found out, is a former first-rounder who possesses great size at 6'5 for a forward. He's only played about five minutes for the Oilers all year but some fine tuning and this kid could probably be a force somewhere down the line.

Continuing the Russian theme, the B's picked up Stanislav Chistov, a former first round (fifth overall) pick in the same draft that Kovalchuk went No. 1. I balk at this notion, but according to the article, Chistov was considered by one source to be the top talent of the draft. A local agent made comparisons to Ladislav Nagy, as Nagy also took time and a trade to ignite. Chistov's numbers certainly aren't anywhere close to supporting either of those statements. But I'm not going to lie...I'm pretty damn excited to see Chistov suiting up on our fourth line (with Tenkrat, who looked great and was a pleasant surprise in his first game with the B's against Ottawa) tonight against Toronto. He can only add offense there, and I can only hope he will prove to be half of what his original expectations were. The best part about the deal though was that Anaheim, too good and already with a full roster, couldn't use the underachiever anymore. Their organization admitted that "there is nothing wrong with this player." I'll be watching tonight game at Uno's, hoping the Bruins can win a seconss-straight game for the first time this season and move toward becoming Boston's most consistent team, with the Celtics, Sox and recently the Patriots all dissapointing.

Speaking of dissapointing, Northeastern (0-6-1 and last in Hockey East) lost once again, and once again by one goal in a game that should have been won. The Huskies did fore Thiessen to make 42 saves, but from what I have heard, it wasn't the best 42-save outing, and after going up 2-0, NU just can't afford to squander leads like it did in last night's 4-3 overtime loss at Providence.

Hobby Happenings-Player to Watch

Stanislav Chistov has not made a mark in the NHL yet, and as a result, his rookie cards actually dipped quite a bit over the last year or two. If Chistov emerges in Boston, as Nagy did under similar circumstances in Phenoix, his rookies could easily double in value and then some. Given Boston's lack of scoring depth, Chistov has space on this roster to make a move and it wouldn't be that shocking to see him on one of the top two lines by mid-season.

Hockey wisdom

2006-11-13T06:23:00.000-08:00

I'm finally back in Boston after a weekend at home, recovering from the removal of my Wisdom teeth on Friday morning. I was in pain for a much of the weekend, and much longer than I expected, but I thoroughly enjoyed my first weekend off in a long time. Even though I was away for sports information, I still caught two college hockey games and two Bruins games, building on my hockey wisdom. Also of note, three of my wisdom teeth were impacted. For more information, see this page.

I turned Thursday night's game off pretty quickly and turned to video games with a friend I hadn't seen in months. I'll admit, I did come back to watch the closing minues of the failed comeback against the Leafs, but all-in-all, it was a pathetic performance.

Friday, I watched most of the Northeastern at UMass Amherst game on a live video feed on the Minutemen's website. It wasn't great quality by any means but I still enjoyed the live coverage. BU vs. UNH was televised as well, so I checked that out of the corner of my eye here and there. NU got dominated from what I saw. As the announcer continously reiterated throughout the broadcast, the Huskies are first in the league in penalties, while UMass is last. That difference was the difference again on Friday, and if it wasn't for Thiessen, NU could have lost by a lot more than the 2-1 final score.

The Bruins provided the only home team win for the weekend on Saturday, as they just barely got by the Senators,
4-3
http://bostonbruins.com/pressbox/pressreleases.asp?ID=1825. Nonetheless, the victory was absolutly crucial and the game was very entertaining. I still think the Senators will finish second or third in the East this year, behind only below and a team to be determined.

Recent transactions:

Picked up Michalek, Gleason and Liles rookies from 03-04 Upper Deck Ice for $4.35, including shipping. Not too bad for a $26 lot. Michalek in particular could jump significantly if he finishes the year with something like 50 or 60 points and factors in the Sharks likely playoff run.

the girl of your dreams would never take you away from hockey...right?

2006-11-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

In the mail bag of letters recently received by John Buccigross, ESPN hockey writer, was the letter below penned by a wife of a big-time hockey fan...

John,

I just had to respond to that letter from ex-hockey fan Mark. You said
"the girl of your dreams would never take you away from hockey."
Exactly.

Speaking from experience -- and my husband will vouch for this --
instead of taking you away from hockey, she'll get you Rangers tickets
for Valentine's Day so you could see Gretzky play before he retired.
She'll watch every game of the Stanley Cup playoffs (Bourque going for
the Cup was a compelling story, especially living in Boston). She'll
listen to you patiently, at midnight, when you get back from pickup
hockey -- late because the kids get the better ice times, which is as
it should be -- as you describe the sweet goal you got, low, stick
side. She'll start ordering the NHL Center Ice package for you,
watching all the games and understanding what offsides and backchecking
are. And finally, she'll start playing the game herself -- goalie if
you're really lucky -- so that you'll always have at least one net
filled at your scrimmages. (Besides, what better marital therapy is
there than firing slap shots at your wife?)

Anne
Minneapolis

I just filed for divorce and am now hitchhiking to Minnesota.

OK. As soon as I read this, I sent it to my girlfriend. I must say, through the ups and downs of our relationship to this point (11 months tomorrow), there have been mostly ups, and now in our first full season of hockey, I am seeing and playing more of my favorite past time than I have in years. I am covering Northeastern games. On Tuesday, I plan to travel to Providence to visit a friend and watch the Huskies take on the Friars. I have already seen two B's games. I am back into the collecting swing of things, having just recently picked up rookies of Rick Nash, Marcel Dionne, Illya Bryzgola (golla check that spelling) and Pavel Datsyuk on ebay for a combined $70 (minus $25 with ebay gift certificate).

While on the topic, I want to quickly mention NHL tough, hot-mouthed Sean Avery of the Los Angelas Kings and how well he is literally making out in life. Long considered no more than an AHL quality guy, he is now NHL quality and dating even out of his league.

Elisha Cuthbert, voted the second hottest woman with sports ties, is the Avery's biggest score for sure. But I'm sure he treats her a lot better than anyone else on the ice.

But most importantly, which brings us back to the letter, is that I am back on the ice for the first time since high school. That does not include a minor stint in Northeastern's intramural league, where I would too often decide to go out drinking rather than opt for the possibility of being outplayed by a girl. The NESHL gives me nearly 20 games and playoffs if we make it, and this time I feel like I am much more committed. The games are all on Sunday nights for our team, the guys are all pretty cool and Dinah spends the night with me.

After my first game two weeks ago, she congratulated me on my goal (low, just inside the post on a 2 on 1) and said that I looked like a pretty good hockey player who hadn't played in a while, which I think is a fairly good assessment. She provided good critique on the car ride home, but best of all, she really seemed to enjoy coming out to the rink, at 10:10 on a Sunday night, to see me play. And she came again this past Sunday. It's looks like it's going to be a routine for the next 15 or so weeks. Now I have to keep up my end of the bargain, to myself, and continue to run and workout, and eventually, play a decent two-way game that is non existant right now. Also of note: this is a metro Boston league, and although my roommate said I could use his car in most cases, I would be unable to get out to these rinks without D.

She's not die hard about any sports or teams yet, but she is willing and usually interested in going to any Bruins/Northeastern/NESHL game. Now, I don't think any hockey nut should be looking for a hockey chick (or puck slut), whatever you want to call it, right off the bat. That likely is not great long term material. But gradually, as you should with her dance performances and other activites, she should recognize and take an interest in your passion. That recognition and interest will come from "the girl of your dreams who would never take you away from hockey."

And hopefully, for your own sake and her sake, her recognition and interest isn't the only good quality she has to offer. As much as I love hockey, a well-rounded life is essential for my happiness and overall well-being, and right now it is safe to say she offers me everything I need in that kind of life. And I gladly attend all different social events, theater, art that she pursues.

Our second date, my idea, says it all. A bite to eat, a salsa class (one of my weekly at the time) and a game at the Garden.

Turning of the Tables; Week 2 with the Hawks

2006-11-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

I just had an entire entry deleted thanks to Microsoft Word, so now I am forced to write a much shorter, less in depth analysis of this weekend's activities. Well looking back to Saturday, upon finishing the booklets (shot charts for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd periods with the box score on top) of Northeastern's second loss, 3-1, of a home and home series with New Hampshire, I returned to the office and immediately jumped on the computer to check out the Bruins score...back to that in a minute. The Huskies and Bruins seem to be having similar difficulties establishing the right mindset this year. NU led 1-0 early and dominated all of the first period, only to wilt away in the second. Actually, it was only about a five or ten minute span that NU just completely melted down. One very minor defensive zone error turned into an ugly goal and a 1-1 game. That minor error and ugly goal quickly turned into two more goals and an eventual 3-1 UNH win.

Well, the B's were down 5-4, an odd score for the lowly B's, when I first looked. But I looked away, looked back and it was 5-5. I went up to the press box to clean, came down and it was 6-5. They will need a similar offensive outburst unless Thomas comes to play tonight.

Game 2 with the Hawks of the New England Senior Hockey League didn't go much better than game 1. Despite having a second line and facing a team with just one line, we still got smoked. I felt like I was just running around every zone the entire game, particularly the defensive zone. After winning much of the early faceoffs at center, I started to lose almost every one down the stretch. Some of their guys were definately pretty good players, but we should have been able to tire them down. I did score once. Nothing great. Season totals: 2, 0, 2 with a plus/minus of around -10. If I could play a game at even, I would be a lot more satisfied.

I found some logos from the teams of the NESHL. Our play seems indicative of the Sloths logo.

I also think I have confirmed the rumor regarding NESHL teams that carry with them handsomely dressed coaches, videographers, web designers and commitments to hold press conferences following games. The Labaat Blue Polar Beers, a "C" level team, one which we will likely be playing at some point, since we apparently have been dropped down to "C" after our uproarious start. At least we don't take it this seriously.

HOCKEY CARD NEWS:
I am asking for a scanner for Christmas. It will be a great asset for this site. Other than that...new release coming Wednesday, Nov 08, 06: 2006-07 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey. I'm not sure if it will be the first new set to feature Malkin or Kessel or not. Stay tuned.

Niche Sports

2006-11-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

I never thought I would say this in a million years, but I have grown to really enjoy and appreciate soccer. I guess it all started with my trip to Europe this past summer. I flew into Frankfurt, then traveled by train to Munchen, Praha and Berlin. I was in Berlin for the Italy vs. Germany game and I could just sense all the anticipation leading up to gameday, the preparation made around the city before and after the game and how everybody embraced the game and their team. That kind of passion, in any kind of contest in life, has to ignite that competitive nature within any true athlete or fan.

Following my trip, I started working in the sports information office at Northeastern University. I was given men's soccer as my sport to cover during the fall season. I wasn't thrilled at first, but as the season progressed and the team built some momentum (an all-time team record six-game winning streak), I really started to take a liking to the game, the team and all the players. I'm sure any reader would be able to tell by looking at my coverage on the Northeastern Athletics Website GoNU.com. After a tumultuous start to the season (0-8-1) in September, they somehow turned it around and made the playoffs. I traveled with the team down to George Mason in Virginia earlier this week for the semifinals. The team lost 1-0 , but it was still a fun trip. I got to talk to some of the players, I had a long chat with the coach, I went out to dinner and to a bar with the coaching staff and an admin and we had a good time playing 2 on 2 darts. And Everything was free. Plane ticket, hotel, food, drink. A nice fleece. I might have a future in sports information. And already, I can't wait until the 2007 Northeastern men's soccer season. Wow. Note: I saw some of the soccer guys out at Connor Larkins last night...one of them is dating a girl from my high school. Everyone is somehow connected to Westford.

Well, I think I might need a week or two or three off from the Bruins after last night. My brother, my girlfriend and I went to the game, moved up about 10 rows from our row 14 seats, and watched the B's play a dominating game for like 50 something minutes. They held a commanding 4-1 lead with a half a period to play. Then we left a little early so my bro could catch the last train. Final score: Buffalo 5, Bruins 4. And Coach Lewis somehow had the soul to say that there were positives to take out of the game. I'm sorry, but what more motivation does a team need in a game? There are no positives here. It happened AGAIN.

If they win every game up until the Wine Tasting, I'll consider going to the event and being a fan again.
P.J. Axelsson, Shean Donovan, Marco Sturm, Hannu Toivon are expected to be in attendance.

No longer the rivalry Dryden speaks of; Eye on Donruss Preferred; Bruins or Northeastern men's soccer?

2006-10-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

I've shot up to page 176 of Ken Dryden's "The Game," and I can say already with confidence that it is one of my favorite books of all-time. Definately, along with Bidini's book on hockey in unlikely places, it is the best hockey book out there. Despite being a die-hard fan, I had little knowledge of what it was like to grow up in Canada, learn to play hockey back then and spend about a decade backstopping the legendary Canadiens teams to six Stanley Cups. Dryden paints a picture of every arena and city he travels to, every player he encounters, every obstacle he stumbles upon. You learn how NHL players started, how they fell apart, how they succumbed to guilty pleasures, how the life of a hockey player isn't always what it is cracked up to be. I have learned what Really made Bobby Orr so special and so different than any other great defenseman. Or why Scotty Bowman never had an NHL career. I found out what made Pete Mahovlich so special to those Canadiens teams, and it wasn't his superstardom. The Canadiens didn't really need any one player's talent; they needed things more abstract, things that you could never buy and never teach.

I will eventually offer a full review, but for now, I just want to say that I would relish a Canadiens vs. Bruins original 6 rivalry like it was 30 some odd years ago. Dryden describes the Stanley Cup-winning Bruins of 1970:

It was a team of great personal chemistry, free-spirited in the worst of times, now as champions rousing and carousing like a pier-six brawl ready to happen. Hard living, hard laughing, a team both on and off the ice, they seemed the image of what every team should be. And on and off the ice, the wind finally at their backs, in the glow of good feeling that had taken over the city and their fans, they built an enormous roll of momentum."

Tonight we have:
* Matt Lashof and probably another no-namer called up from Providence
* Sergei Samsonov, once the B's most exciting first-liner and now of MTL's fourth line, returning to Boston
* The B's and Habs both trying to recover from beatings suffered at the hands of the mighty Sabres

* Cristobal HugeGay with a 50% chance of ruining my night
* Cristobal HugeGay with a 50% chance of sending the Bruins into a tie with the Flyers for the league's worst start
* A viewing dilemma: Do I watch the B's or the William & Mary at Old Dominion men's soccer game, which has playoff for Northeastern's men's soccer team, which can clinch a postseason birth tomorrow night at home? I don't know whether to root for the team I've covered for three months, or hope for a loss so I can attend my first adult league hockey game on Sunday night and my halloween party on Tuesday night.

At this point, I might as well root for the Sabres and see how far they go without a loss. So far this year, there seems to be a real discrepancy in talent. There's like four teams with zero or one loss and four with two wins or less (Bruins). I saw a Sabres fan sporting a jersey (not the new one) of the NHL's elite outside Matthews arena today.

My boss is out today and traveling with the hockey team to Michigan two hockey games this weekend. I couldn't believe they have four first round draft picks, including Jack Johnson on the team. McCauley, me ex-teammate, playing against Johnson? What happened to my career? Now, as I have experienced during free skate hours at work the last couple days, I need 15 minutes to recoup after a few sprints.

HOCKEY SET TO WATCH:

1997-98 Donruss Preferred.

This is a fancy looking set, one a few put out by Donruss that year, including the donruss limited exposure series which I continue to build. The Preferred issue also packed some high-quality rookie cards of a few superstars just reaching their peak now. In the silver verson, Olli Jokinen and Marian Hossa. The gold version has Vaclav Prospal. Prospal is rarer, but Jokinen ($30) and Hossa ($50) have great potential to grow this year. The Thrashers look for real and Hossa looks just as good as Kovalchuk. Jokinen leads an up-and-coming Panthers team. I expect both to at least double in value over the course of this season. In Hossa's case, maybe quadruple if the Thrashers make a postseason run.

I HAVE: one BGS 9.5 Jokinen, one BGS 8.5 Jokinen, one ungraded Hossa, and one BGS 8.5 Hossa.

I was just reaching my 15th row balcony seat when...

2006-10-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Brad Boyes beat Kiprusoff just 18 seconds into the Bruins' 3-2 victory in the home opener on Thursday night. The fans went wild, the guys in front of me gave us high fives and Boyes helped to usher in a new era at "The Garden." Apparently it was the fastest goal scored in a home opener since 1998, when Geoff Sanderson did it in 11 seconds in 1998.

Murray made it 2-0 before long, and other than a somewhat lackluster second period, the B's played a pretty good game. I witnessed someone, that someone being Stephane Yelle, being carried off on a stretcher. I bought beer ($6 a pop) for the first time at a game (other than playing Hey Mr. last year at a B's/Sens game). We snuck in flasks of liquor. And we went home happy.

I nearly forget we had Kessel, Chara and Savard until I heard their names or saw them do something siginificant. I was asking myself, who is No. 71 at center? There has definately been a changing of the guarde. The scoreboard was fantastic, and I am really feeling the whole Hub of Hockey thing the B's have going on. It's much bette than "It's called Bruins..."

Every time Hoggan stepped onto the ice, we yelled "Hoggie!" or just "Hoggan!" He was promoted to the checking line because of Sturm's injury and looked great, taking a team-high six shots.

I have some pictures to upload but I am waiting Sully to send them over.

And what better than checking out ESPN.com this morning and seeing a Bruins win and a charismatic interview with my one and only all-time favorite athlete, the Finnish Flash Teemu Selanne. If not the B's year, it has to be Teemu's year to taste Stanley.

First Game of the Year. First Home Opener Ever.

2006-10-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

I was unable to get the cheap seats on ticketmaster when the Bruins tickets first went on sale, but it wasn't too hard scoring today. I emailed everyone listed on Criags List selling tix and sent out my own want ad. I came away with three nosebleeders: Section 326, Row 15, Seats 14, 15, 16. I'm excited. My roommate, who has probably never been to a NHL game, bought a Bruins T and blank-backed jersey. It's also my first game as a 21-year-old. I'm hoping for the best.

Home Opener

2006-10-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

I've never been to a home opener, and I have no obligations tonight, so I am frantically trying to score some B's tix for my friends and I on Craigslist.

I was wrong on my prediction last night...the Penguins went down in regulation. But Malkin did break the glass on a third-period one-timer.

Tonight: Bruins 4, Flames 2

10/18/06 - Malkin's Day

2006-10-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not declaring he is the next Mario Lemieux. After all, Malkin didn't score on his first NHL shift. It took him until 18:38 of the second period, at which point he had logged 9:58 of ice time during 12 shifts. Not a bad goalie to score your first goal on either. But more impressive than his jab at a frozen Brodeur was his play in the first period, particularly when he dished a pass to the point, curled to the net, spun around a defender and tipped the shot from the point toward the net. I actually thought it got net, but on second look it definately hit the post. It would have been a more memorable inagural goal, but nonetheless, the next great player has his first goal, the only Penguins' goal, in just under two periods of play.

In this day and age of $6000 Ovechkin and $5000 Crosby rookie cards actually selling, I don't see myself landing a Malkin anytime soon. At least not one of much appeal.

Other notes: Havlat continues torrid pace with seventh goal already tonight. Mets still alive, ahead 1-0. Prediction for end of Pens/Devils game: tied in the shootout with Malkin left to go, he makes Brodeur look foolish and the fans go wild.

Celebrity Bartending

2006-10-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been over two weeks since I have updated. I can attribute that to three things: lazyness, depression and work. I'm not actually too lazy to get on here, and by depressed I am only referring to the B's 1-3-1 start. The Bad, Bad Bruins and the Broad Street Pussies are the only two teams with just three points. They are also two of a handful of teams to have suffered flat out heinous defeats, notably the B's 8-3 meltdown at Florida to open up the season and the Flyers brutal 9-1 showing in Buffalo last night.

Buffalo at least will probably win the Cup this year. I give them best all-around and best goaltending as of now...and have almost completed a trade in which I will acquire a Titanium Ryan Miller RC. I see this trade paying off big time as the playoffs role around in May. If he wins the Cup, I expect this $125 RC will be unattainable for under $200.

While watching the Sabres skate circles around Esche and the Flyers last night, I was also throwing down a sample platter and a few Blueberry Wachusett beers at the Celebrity Bartending event at The Sports Grille across from TDBNC. Sully and I walked in without being asked to pay the $10 cover charge, then scored a free Miller Lite foam beer-holder (coozie?) for drinking one Miller draft, a free Miller Lite T-shirt, a WAAF car freshener some other junk, but most importantly autographs from the Bruins best four players: Andrew Alberts, Wayne Primeau, Yan Stastny, Mark Stuart. That is according Dave Lewis' current mixup of the lines. The fourth line, as cited in today's globe article has been the B's best line thus far.

Malkin Madness

2006-10-03T13:29:00.001-07:00

I received my October edition Beckett in the mail the other day. Featued player: Evgeni Malkin. What a stud this kid is...

In the featured article highlighting this year's rookie crop and those that will undoubtably lead the collecting industry was Malkin, and in a close second mention, Boston's Phil Kessel. I am interested to see what kind of value Kessel's rookies bring in comparison to Malkin's. I would have to think Malkin's would stand at least at twice Kessel's, but we'll see.

This kid just doesn't look like one of the world's great hockey players.

I couldn't move Malkin up in my fantasy hockey pre-draft rankings because of his preseason injury, although that will probably come back to haunt me.

I guess looks can be deceiving.

I can't wait to see what Pittsburgh's top line does this year - and who will be that lucky bastard to float on the other wing alongside S&E.

Hoggan appears he will make the squeeze...

2006-10-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

It looks like Jeff Hoggan will make the team. He had a goal earlier in the preseason and recently was applauded for his high-energy physical play, particularly in his five minutes of ice time in the last preseason game against the Rangers, when he drew a penalty. And Fluto thinks he's in too.

Three more days until opening night. I have to help cover a field hockey game from 2-4 and then a women's soccer game from 6-8...and then I have to do my writeup for men's soccer as soon as I get home...I'm really getting overly excited about opening night.

And the $10 tickets for the four games I bought have all come in. So far I am seeing the Sabres (Nov. 2), Lightning (Nov. 29), Panthers (Dec. 16) and Rangers (Feb or March?) from the 14th and 15th rows of the balcony. Still, at about $15 after fees per ticket, I don't feel bad. Plus, there's a great offer going on right now. After you buy tickets to a game, Entertainment Rewards offers you $25 off your next purchase if you sign up for their free 30 day trail. It's not a catch, until you don't cancel as soon as the 30 days are up. So basically, I'm going to two Bruins games for free.

Hoggan hurdles second cuts...one to go

2006-09-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

As I was interviewing possible candidates for the fifth and final room in my apartment, one kid mentioned that he had a friend of a friend named Jeff Hoggan, who was trying out for the Bruins this season. This was not the selling point for my new roommate, one of the only people I did not interview in person because he was from Omaha, Nebraska. After all, there was a huge Sabres fan who needed a place...but he didn't drink, and every time we talked I felt less like I could watch the NHL full season package with him this year. Not that drinking is a requirement on my prospective candidate's resume, but I do find satisfaction in knowing that the person I will "shit, shave and shower" (as my father once said) in the same building with for at least a year might also find enjoyment in joining me at the bars for at least a Bruins game or 82.

So I did accept the Omaha native, Ryan Sullivan, a great guy. And it turns out his friend of a friend is Jeff Hoggan. It also turns out Jeff Hoggan REALLY is trying out for the Bruins, and not only that, he has earned his way through the first two cuts. I thought for sure he was gone after Monday's 12-cut reduction, but there he was still on the roster. I was surprised because if nothing else, I had never heard of him when RS mentioned it back on that first phone interview, and I had the full season NHL package last year. And more or less the last five or six years. But nobody is perfect.

Hoggan even turned up in the Globe article Hopefull Hoggan sticks to it today, so I got to learn a little more about the man. He is from Hope, British Columbia and believes that hard work and solid all-around play are both necessary to have success at any level. This is nothing shocking to hear but something you do want to here. A forth liner if he does make the team, Hoggan now has to beat out at least three of these guys to make the team I believe...Tenkrat-Mowers-Brookbank-Yan Stastny,-Petr Kalus...of those five guys and Hoggan, I think three will make up the fourth line. It seems to me that Mowers-Hoggan-? would be a solid trio...but I don't know too much about any of these guys.

I also just read that Hoggan will not be playing in tonight's game at Madison Square Garden. The starting fourth line will be Tenkrat-Mowers-Brookbank. That would mean Hoggan-Statsny-Kalus will probably start in the B's first home exhibition game at TD this Saturday. And, Jagr is not playing tonight for NY but will Saturday, thus making a trip to TD look like something worth while. I just have to find a way to snatch some cheap tickets.

I don't know what to take away from the TMB line starting tonight and the HSK line starting Saturday...but maybe the guys starting at home will be more pumped up.

If Hoggan makes the team, I think there might be a chance of RS and I scoring some tickets to a game or two. We might even score a North End dinner date with Hoggan and friends. Who knows. If I score anything I'll be happy. Maybe if Hoggan scores his second preseason goal on Saturday, that will solitify a fourth line spot.

I will definately be a little surprised if Hoggan makes the team. But what I am really shocked by is how many trading cards he already has out there. I might have to pick one up while they're still cheap. You never know.

It's called Bruins...

2006-09-11T11:19:00.001-07:00

I can't get over this awful slogan the team adopted last season, especially after the way things panned out. Pride. Passion. Persistence. It’s called Bruins. The only “P” words I seemed to find resemblance with the organization last year are pathetic and pessimistic.

For the 2006-07 season, there is may be a new meaning for what it is to be a Bruin: criminal. With the implementation of a new program called “Be A Bruin,” designed by Brad Park and then accepted by Sinden and Chiarelli, anyone has the chance to tryout and fulfill the lifelong dream of skating the ice as a Bruin.

One of three to make the cut so far is former NHLer, and convicted rapist, Billy Tibbetts, who was skating on thin ice back in 1992. The now 31-year-old was found guilty of child rape. The victim, who was with Tibbits at a party and gave him oral sex, was about to turn 16. Tibbets, 17 at the time, thought she was older.

Now I don’t know the details of this case, but I would like to think that Tibbetts deserves a second chance if he indeed is a new man as he claims to be in the Globe article Tibbets to get his shot. No pun intended here.

As stated in the article, “If people work with him, he could be a No. 2 center in the NHL,” said Park. “He's as strong as a bull, and he will go through a wall for you. Hey, he's trying to resurrect something here, and I give him credit for that. He’d love to put it all behind him. He made a mistake, did his time, and it's time to move on.”

This statement, referring to Tibbetts as a potential No. 2 center, seems a bit farfetched. But hey, if Brad Park believes in him, I guess I should too.

Not to mention, there is a website dedicated to Tibbetts. That has to count for something, according to Steve, who created the site and can be seen above alongside one of his hockey heroes (Tibbetts), who apparently is in tip-top shape, NHL-ready shape.

It’s almost funny the article that currently sits atop the news section at the Boston Globe online, following Tibbetts invitation to "Be a Bruin."

No. 14 in the preseason rankings...?

2006-09-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

No, not the Bruins, although 14 actually seems about right...Anyways, I recently added a link to the blog "OddManRush" under the links section. I just came across the blog and found it very interesting, particularly the videos and songs and more so the post which featured a ranking of all of the NHL's arenas. The list of arenas begins with a shocking number one, and it isn't until number 14 that we come across the one and only TD Banknorth Garden. The list was compiled by the website's creaters, Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell. They wrote,

"Set atop the North Station and built next to the old Boston Gardens, streets around here are congested and the
mess from the "Big Dig" is taking years to clean up. Real nice New England Sports Museum rings the entire club
level concourse. Otherwise, about the most plain jane new facility we've seen.
Arc- 4.5, Food-6, Scbd-5.5, Ush-6, Fans-6, Loc-6, Bann-10, Ent-4, Conc-5, Bonus-7.5 Total: 60.5"

This is the evaluation given to the Boston Garden's replacement. I wonder what the Garden would have been rated? I guess the real question is, will the Big Dig finish in my Boston lifetime? I agree the Big Dig is an eyesore, but TD is located in a rich area. Nearby, the often unnoticed Paul Revere Park and the dam, the North End and Waterfront sections, Paul Revere's house. the oldest restaurant in America (Union Oyster House)...Ernesto's Pizza (sorry Regina's). There is obviously a lot of congestion in the area, especially with the Big Dig, but in no other city is there anywhere near the amount of beauty, and more importantly, history that is in walking distance from TD.

There's no better date, first or 500th, than a B's game, a walk through the North End, a stop for some dessert at Mike's Pastry and lastly a seat by the waterfront under the polluted but beautiful Boston skyline.