Not Blaming the Bruins

For those of you not in the Boston or Pittsburgh area, or may have been off planet under a rock with your fingers in your ears and your eyes shut, the big rematch between the Penguins and the Bruins happened on Thursday. I am thankful it is over, as I can stop listening to dipshit sports radio hosts that know zero about hockey spouting off about running Crosby, and brawling with anyone and everyone in a Pittsburgh uniform. Along those lines, I’d like to apologize to the Pittsburgh sports radio guy that Mike Felger called on Thursday afternoon. The Pittsburgh guy handled himself well. Mike Felger on the other hand, was embarrassing to the level it made me wish humans ate their young. Thankfully the calls from every season ticket holder (allegedly) claiming if they don’t do anything they aren’t renewing have stopped. For this week anyway. So, I am a season ticket holder, and I already renewed. Why? Because I love the Boston Bruins, and hockey, and I am not turning my back on my favorite team because they are having a bad, no check that, mind bendingly bad, a monumentally frustrating season. A season so dreadful, that even sports radio is getting involved.

Typical Boston. If I may slander my own environment, we used to be the lovable losers. 86 years of futility for the Red Sox. The Patriots SUCKED for most of their existence. 5 Titles between them since 2001, and suddenly, no one can have a bad year. Sure the Bruins were supposed to be much better this season. After the year they had last year, I thought they were going to make a very serious run at the cup this year. It hasn’t happened for several reasons.

1. They faced almost zero adversity last year. With the exception of Marco Sturm being hurt all season (oh and as an aside, he’s not hurt this year. Didn’t hear his name ONCE Thursday. Invisible most of the year) they had the same group of guys, and they were firing on all cylinders all year.

2. The players that have played have not played to their potential. I’ll start with the award winners.

a. Zdeno Chara: 2009 Norris Trophy Winner. Chara is at his worst when he is forced to play too many minutes. Due to the fact Dennis Wideman’s game has totally gone to shit, Ference has been hurt, Morris sucked, Hunwick has regressed slightly, and Johnny Boychuk is a rookie, it has forced Chara to play more minutes than he should. Couple that with the dislocated finger he’s had all year, and he has been ineffective all year.

b. Tim Thomas: 2009 Vezina Winner: He has zero goal support, but has also given up a ton of really soft goals at the most inopportune times. I am not 100% sure what he’s thinking of, but it sure isn’t hockey.

c. Milan Lucic: Hurt. All year. Ineffective when he can’t crash and bang.

d. Michael Ryder: You know that Cindy Lauper song, True Colors? Well, that’s Ryder’s theme song. Wanted to overachieve last year to show people in Montreal they made a mistake in benching him, and not resigning him. This year, true colors shining through. Stuck on the perimeter seemingly very bored.

e. David Krecji: Coming on a little now, but needs to come on faster.

f. Marco Sturm: Favorite show is Where in the World is Carmen San Diego. Favorite book? Where’s Waldo. Favorite movie? Memoirs of an Invisible Man. For most of the year, he’s been totally invisible.

g. Dennis Wideman: Sucks.

h. Blake Wheeler: Totally surprised by the fact he has 15 goals this year.

I could go on and on. I think you get the point. I think Mark Recchi, Patrice Bergeron, and Shawn Thornton are the only three Bruins that have played to their potential all season. Can’t have that and be successful.

Bottom line why they haven’t played well all year? They just don’t like each other. Plain and simple. Shawn Thornton went out and did his job Thursday by fighting Matt Cooke. I like how Cooke knew he had to do it, and did what had to be done. I would have preferred he take his helmet off, but 22 took care of it, and took care of him with a very nice hard right hand. I have no problem with him getting the extra 10 for continuing to throw after Cooke was down. He broke the code, but Cooke had to pay. This is where the nitwits that spent the whole week frothing at the mouth get lost. It’s over and done with after Thornton fights Cooke. This isn’t the 70’s anymore. No Bench clearing brawls. No stick swinging. Thornton did his job well, and Cooke answered the bell. Over. Done. Play some hockey.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Boston played very well in the first. They hit a couple of posts, and they had the fight. The tempo was upbeat, and they were hitting. Usually when the Bruins play like that, it is their blueprint for success. They gave up a goal and were down 1-0 going into the first break. Does a team that likes each other come out and play the way the Bruins did in the second period the other night? Not on your life. Someone in that room probably said in a non believable tone, C’mon guys, let’s get one here..inset cliché here.. If they liked each other, nothing would need to be said. It would be known. There is no fucking way we are losing this game tonight, and if we do lose, it will not be without a fight. Instead, the Bruins came out with zero urgency, and lost a really shitty game.

So, it’s over and done with. Boston is left with 15 or so games on the schedule. I am guessing they will make the playoffs, and probably lose in the first round. I would love to see them go farther if only to hear the same nitwits that gave up on this team a long time ago come back out of the woodwork to claim they never gave up and so forth, but I just don’t see it happening. My guess is, they will lose in the first round, spend the summer making some moves to improve the club. Give Claude about 20 games next year to see if the problem is him (which I don’t think it is. You can’t coach chemistry) and if they get off to a slow start axe him. For a season that started with so much promise, it sure hasn’t been much fun.