2013-14 Boston Bruins Thread (the offseason)

[BDL]

Here it is...

The day that everyone here has circled on their calendar. That special night that was announced so many months ago...

Yes... It is finally the night of the live broadcast of Carrie Underwood's, Sound of Music. Oh boy... I can't wait. Oh, yeah... The Bruins are playing somebody tonight too. But I'm sure that I'll see plenty of highlights from the game, on ESPN SportCenter.

GOTCHA!!!!!!!

True... The Sound of Music will be airing tonight, but I am DVR'ing it

And

True... I'm sure Sportcenter will dedicate at least 3-6 seconds in their broadcast tonight to cover the entirety of the NHL.

But this is Bruins/Habs. It doesn't get any bettert than this. Some may say Yankees/Sox, but they very rarely get to hit each other (unless you are wearing Hamburger Helper gloves, right A-Rod?). Some may say Celtics/Lakers, but basketball is less physical than baseball. Some may say Cowboys/'Skins, or Eagles/Giants, or Brady vs. Manning, or even Raiders vs. everyone else. But for me, this is THE rivalry. Almost a century of animosity and hate and envy and hate and hate and hate. As it stands right now, the Habs lead the head to head at 350-264-103 w/ a 49% win pct (Bruins are 264-350-103 w/ a 37% win pct conversely). And that's what make a great rivalry. Not having a completely one-sided history (on top of the hate and hate and hate...).

But you know what is really the gravy on top of this rivalry...? The rivalry extends to the sports radio personalities. If any of you follow Tony Marinaro and the 98.5 personalities, on Twitter, like I do, you know what I'm talking about. The slings and arrows that are thrown in this "twitter beef" is hysterical. But Tony had a chinc in his armor today. He gave the Habs an out. He said that they could be forgiven if they lose tonight because this is their 3rd game in 4 nights, after playing a home and home vs the Devils. Hmmmmmm... Do you think Tony would be as forgiving to the B's if they lose their game against the Leafs on Sunday after playing the Habs tonight and Pens on Saturday? I doubt it.

2 pts and 1st place in the "Flor"-theast is up for grabs tonight, and should be a barn burner. Both goalies want to secure thei places as #1 G's for their Olympic teams (Canada and Finland respectively) and time is running out for other players to submit resume's for their countries' teams (not entirely sure when rosters have to be submitted for Feb).

Bring on the hate.

I was at the game Saturday Night!! We really enjoyed it! Was the "heckler" escorted out? We saw a few people that were led out by security and was wondering what was happening. I still have a Thomas Jersey that I wear once in a while. The guys on the back of the shirts/ jersey helped the team out while they were there and I appreciate that.

He did not get escorted out. But he finally got the point when people were telling him to shut up and not even his frat bros were laughing at his lame as$ jokes. And I really wish knuckleheads would realize that louder does not equal funnier.

 

[BDL]

I still can't believe the Bell Centre played the Bruins' goal song with 1 min left.

 

[mommasita]

I can't believe we won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aside from that, it was another horrifying event at the Bell Center with that hit ... The quiet was horrifying.. Thank Goodness he appears to be all right..

 

[stevea20]

Saw the third period last night. What a finish! Thought they did not have a chance when Smith missed the open net

Going away for a week, so I ll talk later.

 

[declansdad]

What was Thornton thinking?

 

[mrodgers]

What was Thornton thinking?

I'm thinking he wanted a 7 or 8 week vacation which is what he should be looking at.

To make things fair, I don't think Neal was intentional, but he should be taking a weeks vacation as well.

They need to stop that ridiculousness.

 

[BDL]

It was definitely an eventful couple of games. 1st was the almost heartless showing against the Habs. Then there is the multi-debate inspiring game from last night. But 1st thing's first.

The Bruins not only lost the game against the Candiens, more importantly they lost an important cog to their defensive scheme, when Boychuk got thrown into the boards. I'm not gonna make the obvious comparisons. The important thing to note is that Boychuk is ok, but will miss a few weeks. Now I'd like to say that the hit and injury was what took the wind out of the Bruins' sails, but it's not the case. The Bruins didn't come to play and the Habs wanted it more. And as such earned their place sitting on top of the division.

This leads us to last night's game...

What was Thornton thinking?

This is 1 of those rare occassions when Shawn wasn't thinking. I think it'd be safe to say that the Shawn-father was riding on pure emotion. Even though he has never faced suspension, I think that Shannahan may whack him until after the Olympics in February. Though he is responsible for his own actions, I lay 1/2 the blame for EVERYTHING that happened in the 1st 5min of the game at the feet of the refs.

As for the game itself, my dentist is going to be quite upset with me the way I was gritting my teeth. And then reminiscent of RD1 game 7 last yr. the B's pulled it out at the last second (much like the Pats today). A great goal by Krejci with Rask being pulled, ties it up. Then, while 5 on 5, Z blasted 1 past "Flower" for the game winner.

As for the fallout:

Thornton is suspended indefinitely, until he has his hearing

Eriksson has a concussion and will not travel with the team for their 4 game road trip

Orpik travelled with the team. Health and disciplinary status unknown

Neal will have a (I believe) phone meeting with NHL player safety on Monday. This means he can not have a suspension of more than 5 games.

On a personal note, I ask anyone that hasn't seen them yet, to look up the post-game interviews of Thornton and Neal. Let me know if you were as shocked by the differences in the content as I was.

Face-off against the Leafs and a showcase for Spooner and Fraser.

 

[BDL]

As for the fallout:

Thornton is suspended indefinitely, until he has his hearing

Eriksson has a concussion and will not travel with the team for their 4 game road trip

Orpik travelled with the team. Health and disciplinary status unknown

Neal will have a (I believe) phone meeting with NHL player safety on Monday. This means he can not have a suspension of more than 5 games.

***UPDATE***

Neal received the full 5 game suspension during his phone interview today.

Also, it looks like there will be no disciplanary action taken on the hits that put Eriksson and Kelly on the shelf.

 

[BDL]

***UPDATE Pt. 2***

Dion Phaneuf got whacked for a 2 game suspension for his hit on Kevan Miller

Shawn Thornton has his in-person hearing set for Friday

On top of the fact that 6 Bruins are on the shelf, 2 more, have come down with the flu (Chara/Campbell). I wonder if anyone will be able to take the ice for Jerome Iginla appreciation night?

Another thought about the Thornton/Orpik incident:

What Shawn did was inexcusable. I understand it. And I'm sure the outcome was something that he never thought would have been so bad. And I sympathize for Orpik (now on the IR).

That being said, I think I can now put the whole thing into context. With this being the last game between the B's and Pens (unless they face each other in the playoffs) of the year, Orpik ran rough shot, knowing that as long as he kept skating backwards, he'd never have to answer for anything on the ice. I equate this with an American League pitcher that likes to brush back or plunk batters and head hunt. He never has to come to bat, so he never has to be held accountable and is enboldened even more. I do feel bad at the end result. But, this is what happens when you pitch that way in a National League park.

Like a Joe Hags point out on T&R this morning, Thornton had seen his teammates repeatedly targeted in recent games. And, if I may go a step further, the Bruins are ranked 30th (out of 30) in PP opportunities. So, and argument can be made, that if the refs aren't looking out for those wearing the spoked B, than who will?

Bruins face-off with the Flames tonight at 9:30

 

[BDL]

Congrats to the Bo/Pro Bruins for extending the win streak to 3, last night. The B's had 6 skaters playing last night that were not on the ice opening night. That is 1/3 of the skaters. Whether due to injury, illness or suspension, they took the ice, and tried to fill the gaps. Combined, they came up with 0-1-1 for a +1. Not exactly scorching the stat sheet, but not hurting the team either. And it must've been rough for them. Playing on the road, in a building that was so emotionally charged, for Iggy's return (I still say, they should've given him the #1 star instead of #3, dispite the stat sheet). And my compliments to the Calgary fans. No only did they cheer whenever Iggy touched the puck, but they even gasped and groaned when he'd JUST MISS getting a goal. This is something that long time Bruins fans can relate to. Seeing Ray come back in a different sweater was tough, but you still appreciate all he meant to the team and the fans. I still have a Bourque sweater that was puchased the day he was traded, that I have never worn.

The game itself was a little bit slow. To the point where the linesmen seemed to eat their whistles on every 3rd offsides call (for both sides), just to keep the flow going. The Flames took a 1-0 lead into the 3rd period. Then, Bruins 1st rd draft pick, Joe Colbourne steps up for the B's. Unfortunately, for the Flames, he was wearing a firey C on his sweater, at the time. His delay of game penalty opened the door for Krejci to tie the game at 1-1 on the PP. A minute and a half later, Smith put it away. He took an outlet pass and was off to the races.

Next game is Thur at 9:30, and is another reunion. The B's will meet up with old friend Andrew Ferrence who is captaining a young Oilers squad. I wonder if he's gotten them to think green yet?

 

[BDL]

T-minus 20 hrs and 20 min before Thornton's hearing.

And tonight the Bo/Pro Bruins will be taking on the Ference led Oilers. On paper, the Oilers have a scoring punch as the Canucks and Red Wings. Yet, those 2 teams are in the playoff picture of their respective conferences, but the Oilers are in last place in the Western Conf and are 16 pts, and would have to leap-frog 6 teams just to get the 8th seed.

Tonight they get a chance to try to take down the injury/flu/suspension riddled Bruins. I have not heard who the 1st goalie was off the ice today. But I'd like to see Johnson get some practice against the top tier snipers that the Oilers can put on the ice. And this way, you can save Tuuk for the Canucks. So, if you are a coach on the Oilers, you are telling your team to embarrass the Bruins, on the scoreboard. This way, not only do you get the 2 pts, but the B's are almost certainly going to take out their frustration on the Canucks. Thus giving Edmonton a 4 pt swing. Not enough to get in the playoffs just yet. But look at the race to the wires we had last year trying to secure 7th and 8th slots.

Face-off is at 9:30

PS: Getting back to embarrassing...

Feaster and his asst GM were fired by the Flames today. Anyone think that it was coincidental, that they were let go the day AFTER, not only Iginla return, but also that the return was with the team that offered you the most for Iginla at the trade deadline? How is that bag of pucks vs. Bartkowski and draft picks treating you, Jay?

 

[BDL]

It was a double gut punch for the Bruins on Saturday. First, Thornton got whacked with 15 games. Then the Bruins got dismantled by the Canucks, 6-2.

Let's deal with the game first then the suspension. I would like to say that the scoreboard doesn't tell the whole tale. But, this close to Christmas, I don't want Santa to put me on the naughty list for lying. It was a good close game in the 1st period. All the stats were about even, except for Vancouver's 1-0 lead. Then, the Bruins came out in the 2nd, and Reilly Lowell tied it up. And it's at this point, the game took an ugly turn. 80 sec later, the 'Nucks retook the lead and would go on to score 5 unanswered goals. Not even pulling Tuuk after Van scored their 4th goal would stem the tide. Johnson came in and let up 2 more. Smith would score a sybollic gesture of a goal with 3 minutes left. But this game was lost from the mid-point of the 2nd period, on.

Now, the suspension... I knew that Thornton was going to be suspended. I expected him to be suspended. He deserved to be suspended. But 15 games is ridiculous!!! What I would've liked, is to see him get 8 games. 10-12 games is acceptable. But 15 is wrong. There can be only 1 reason to suspend a guy who has been in the league 11 yrs and has never even had so much as an angry phone call from the league. They are making an example of Thornton. Just listen to the terminology that Shanahan uses in the video HERE . You'd think that Thornton had a checklist of a plan. Never mind that Marchand was tripped (by Crosby that has yet to be mentioned by anyone in the league) then knee'd in the head 1 min earlier. Never mind that Orpik took liberties with his hit on Eriksson. And TOTALLY IGNORE that the refs of the game were more spectators than I was. And I was sitting in a booth, with BDLsgal, at John Brewer's, in Waltham, Ma. Shanahan could have easily given Shawn between 8-12 games and then at the end say "Ordinarily, we would impose a stiffer penalty. But this player has never been brought before disciplinary action." That way, you leave to opening to smack repeat offenders with whatever penalty you deem fit. Thornton will be consulting with NHLPA personnel today to discuss his options and seeing if appealing is 1 of them. The 1 good thing is that Orpik is skating with the Pens again. And once he's fully able, he will serve his 5 game suspension for putting Loui on the shelf for a few weeks. Wait, what? Nothing? HE GOT NOTHING?!?! You know, someone should hold him accountable for his actions, someday...

A little off topic here, but they announced who was going to be Sports Illustrated Man of the Year. The winner is Peyton Manning. Now I appreciate what he has done this season. Espeically after the surgeries he had, and the records he's going to break. But, and I'm going to sound provincial here, I think SI should have made Boston, the Sports People of the Year. We were attacked at a world reknowned sporting event and rallied around each other. The local sports helped us deal, cope and even heal. The stirring moment at the Garden when Rene took a back seat in favor of those in attendance. We had the support of other major cities and rivals across the country. We saw the epitome of "the whole being more than the sum of its parts" in the Red Sox World Series. Just my opinion. "This is our bleep-in city!"

The Flames come to town tomorrow night.

 

[BDL]

Joe Hags has reported that Shawn Thornton has officially filed an appeal of his suspension.

 

[BDL]

Tonight the Bo/Pro Bruins face the Calgary Flames. The Flames are coming off a hard fought game against the Rangers, that went into something like the 49th round of the shootout to decide a winner. I think in a couple of rounds, the coaches and goalies had to take shots. But in the end, the Rangers got the 2nd point. So coming that close may be a motivating factor. On top of how close they came to beating the B's before. On a side note, latest reports are that Iggy will play tonight. So this will be reunion pt. 2.

Below, are a couple of suggestions, for entertainment, if you have some spare time today.

For those of you that have Twitter, check out Joe Hags' account. He made a comment about the cheap shots that the Pens were throwing in their game last night, and a Pens fan started a whole twitter beef with anyone that had even heard of the city of Boston. It got comical.

And for immediate entertainment, here is the St. Louis Blues doing their rendition of 12 Days of Christmas. It is a great video, and don't forget to watch the outtakes. Watch the video HERE .

 

[BDL]

Thanks to BDLsgal. My face was hurting from trying to keep from laughing at work. See it HERE .

 

[skier_pete]

Chiming in for Home at Home with Sabres this week. Not going to this game either. Sabres at playing much better under new (old) coach Ted Nolan. However, they were all-time awful and have raised their game to "still pretty bad".

Scored four times against Winnipeg last night for only the second time all season last night. Brings there total # of goals to 55, which is still on pace for the lowest goal total in almost 30 years. It is also only their THIRD regulation win this season, out of 34 tries. (Yes, they are exactly THAT bad.) But they are 3-3-2 in their last eight, which may sound pretty mediocre, but this is a team that is 8-23-3 on the season.

The Sabres also outshot their opponent for the fifth straight game last night for the first time since 2010, so they are "hot" right now, and might be a tougher opponent than Bruins fans think.

As a Sabres fan I am actually rooting that they don't win these two games even though I love to see them beat the Bruins. Right now I mostly want the #1 draft pick, so unless I'm either at the game or they are playing the Leafs, I am rooting for them to win, but hoping that they lose.

 

[BDL]

Congrats to the Sabres last night. They clearly wanted the 2 pts more than tha B's did. Yes, Johnson did not have his best showing. And yes, the rookies made some rookie mistakes. But that's when the veterans have to step up and put the team on their backs. Through it all, I still thought that the Bruins had a chance to win the game. Even when down 3-2. But when I changed the channel for 1 min to check out the SNL Christmas special (with recently added skits), and then changed back to see that it was 4-2, I knew the Sabres were going to take it. The B's did put in their effort with the goalie pulled, 2 min remaining in the game. SOOOOOOO many pucks that just trickled harmlessly across the blue crease behind Miller. Oh! So close. The Bruins will have a chance to even up the home and home tomorrow night.

Also, am I the only one that thinks Ciarelli should have a weekly press conference addressing non-existent trade rumors concerning Brad Marchand? I think that last night proves that he likes it here and does NOT want to "take his talents to South Beach."

As a Sabres fan I am actually rooting that they don't win these two games even though I love to see them beat the Bruins. Right now I mostly want the #1 draft pick, so unless I'm either at the game or they are playing the Leafs, I am rooting for them to win, but hoping that they lose.

Congrats on the 2pts Skier Pete. Sorry it didn't help with the ping pong balls.

 

[skier_pete]

Congrats on the 2pts Skier Pete. Sorry it didn't help with the ping pong balls.

Yeah, I told you there game is coming around. Unfortunately all it will help with is to prevent them from getting Sam Reinhart. Their in too big a hole to dig out of. They would need to win on a pace exceeding the Bruins current record to even have an outside shot at the playoffs. Hopefully your B's can wake up and beat them on Saturday....then we get a win on Monday against Phoenix since I'm going to the game!

 

[BDL]

I forgot to add a couple of things to my previous post.

1) Shawn Thronton, Peter Ciarelli and the NHLPA rep will be meeting with Bettman today in the hopes of reducing the number of games. He has already served 6 of the original 15 games. So if he is denied his appeal, it is most likely that Thornton may not pursue the 3rd party arbitor to hear his case. The reason being, by the time they would rule, the 15 games would have already been served, and the only reason to go to the arbitor would be to recoup money.

2) I had been running fairly luke warm in the job that Jamie Erdahl had been doing. I still miss Naoko Funayama. She held her own during the interviews and you respected what she said. Last night, Jaime lost all credibility with me. She was plugging NESN's online pole for peoples' favorite hockey movie. The options were:

Mighty Ducks II
Miracle
Mystery Alaska
The Rocket: The Legend of Rocket Richard

When she was running through the titles, she got to the last 1 and pronounced it "The Rocket: The Legend of Rocket Ritch-ard" instead of the french pronounciation. I had a flashback to a couple of years ago, when the Real Housewives butchered Martin St. Louis' name at the NHL Awards.

 

[BDL]

Merry Christmas everyone! Including a 'Joyeux Noel!' to all Canadien fans.

Here we are. NORAD Santa says it's less than 10 hrs til the jolly elf makes his flight around the world (speaking of Santa, there will be a video at the bottom).

It seemed that the Bruins were out to rectify the loss that they took on Thursday. And they were not about to take any guff. Most notably Chara and Bergeron. Bergeron threw hands with Tyler Myers after about 5 min of mutual slashes. It was a pretty good fight. But Myers won on points. Then there was Chara. He took 1 hit too many, and went into crazy squirel eye mode and just conitued hitting whatever white shirt was in front of him. Smith added 2 goals to the cause, while Krejci and Lucic each netted 1. But for unsung heroes, I got 2. 1, is Ryan Spooner. He played a more physical game than we've seen from him and was passing the puck clean. But his best play came when he pinned down a Sabres' stick, with his own, to prevent the open net shot. My #2 unsung hero, Jonas Enroth. He may have taken the loss, but he's got the fastest glove hand I've seen in a while.

HERE is that video that I promised. If you saw the ESPN pre-game show yesterday, you know what's coming. If you didn't, you're in for a laugh. I especially liked the kid that was a Pats fan. NOT!!! Hope Santa brings him coal. Just kidding.

And to all my New England followers, just thought I'd share this with you... Stop n Shop is having $2 off of Oscar Meyer bacon. So if you are looking to make some appetizers or have a Christmas breakfast, you may want to swing by.

Merry Christmas everyone.