Gary Bettman’s Arizona Nudes

For those of you that may be contributing to the recent report showing NHL viewership is down 22% this season, the Boston Bruins are having a heck of a good year. They cruise into the All-Star break sitting atop the NHL with a record of 39-7-5 for a total of 83 points. That’s a 7-point advantage on the closest team overall, and they’re 13 points up on the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs are the closest team in their division, and the Bruins had their way with them last night winning 5-2 in Toronto to get the break started in style. I have four thoughts on Boston after last night’s tilt.

1. They have a lot of character guys. Case in point. AJ Greer. He scores the eventual game winner last night and on the ensuing faceoff he gets challenged by Toronto’s Wayne Simmonds. Listen, I’m a fan of guys that do what Simmonds does today, and what he’s been doing over his career. At this point, Simmonds is in Toronto to do basically one thing, and that is drop the gloves.
   
   As Mike Rupp once yelled at Jody Shelley, “You’re irrelevant out here!” which by the way is the meanest thing I have ever heard someone yell on the ice, that is how Wayne Simmonds is perceived. He’s been waived at least twice this season and has managed 1 assist and 34 PIM in 13 games this year. All this to say, his job is to go out and ask someone to fight when his team just went down 2 goals.
   
2. The guy that scored the goal is the one that gets challenged? Honestly? Is it me? Anyway, Greer being a character guy and wanting to oblige the willing Simmonds, he says “yes”. Really bad idea. Simmonds gave him a hard right that buckled Greer and eventually got the concussion spotters involved. Simmonds did his job, and it worked. The ice definitely tilted in Toronto’s favor after the decided victory. And that’s why we have the fights.
   
3. AJ Greer didn’t have to fight Wayne Simmonds. He just scored, and they were rolling. When a guy with the kind of grit and determination Greer has just to in the Show get challenged, they answer the bell. This Bruins team is littered with guys that would have done the same thing.
   
4. Linus Ullmark is really good. Remember last season when it appeared that Jeremy Swayman was going to be the goalie of the future and they wasted 5 million on Ullmark? I mean, right up until the whole Tuukka fiasco? I’m not saying Swayman isn’t the future, but I am saying Linus Ullmark looks worth every friggin’ penny in his bank account right now.
   
   After the fight the Leafs regained some momentum. They were peppering Ullmark, and he had an answer for everything. What I like about his game is he’s compact. He’s looks like Pete Peeters to me. Really big, and square to the shooter. He doesn’t waste movement or slide around like an asshole like Rask loved to do. I hope they keep Goalie Bob away from Ullmark, because he’ll kill his game.

It would have been nice to go into the all-star break with 40 wins. I know I’m being picky, but, I would have loved to see that nice even number. I think back on the first half, and really the only game that bothers me is the regulation loss in Arizona. How the NHL is allowing teams to play in that barn is laughable.

Dirty Gary
Gary Bettman has nudes of someone in legislation in Arizona. He must. The Coyotes are playing in a top-notch division 1 hockey facility. I mean, it’s practically a pro set up….on the home side. The visitors are dressing in what appears to be Concord Youth Ice Association’s home dressing room. Guys, you remember. The “big” dressing room under the stairs in Rink 2? It’s embarrassing.

The dressing rooms in Arizona aside, the Bruins left one in the desert. They let a really crappy team hang around, and Jeremy Swayman wasn’t very good. They embarrassed themselves and it was close enough to the beginning of the season when all the nit wits (myself included) came out of the woodwork with the old, oh yeah, this is who them are.

I knew this start wasn’t sustainable. I speak for everyone when I apologize. The Bruins are historically good with a ton of heart. Plenty of room on the bandwagon!