If you go to Northeastern University, there really is not much to take pride in when it comes to athletics. The lone bright spot is the hockey team which even then is a middle of the pack team in Hockey East at the best of times. Then again, when you play in a league with annual powerhouses BC, BU, UNH and UMaine, middle of the pack does'nt seem half bad. Since I started there in 2000, the highest NU has climbed in the conference standings was 5th in '01-02 (a first round playoff defeat). So you can imagine my surprise when NU beat reigning national champs and #1 ranked BC (45/50 first place votes) two weekends ago to improve their record to 3-0-1. They followed that up last weekend with a 5-0 and 3-2 win AT UMaine, a very tough place to play where they had lost eight of their last ten games. So now they sit atop Hockey East with a 5-0-1 record (4-0 in conference play) and have climbed to #9 in the national rankings. Knowing Northeastern, this is not going to last so I thought I should take it in while I can...
Speaking of hockey, Tim Thomas has been playing out of his mind and led the Bruins to back to back 1-0 road wins against solid western conference opponents (Edmonton and Vancouver). Can he extend the streak to 183 minutes tonight against Calgary and close out the successful road trip in style? Certainly would be nice...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Bruins-Thrashers
I was fortunate enough to get free tickets to Saturday's game against Atlanta through a friend who won them but could care less about hockey. Back row loge seats in the corner aren't the best but hey, the price was right! Proved to be one entertaining game and the best part of the evening actually had nothing to do with the game. At one of the many stoppages in play, the announcer started talking about a soldier serving in the army and images of him were being displayed overhead on the jumbotron. Not much of substance was being said at first... your typical thanks for serving etc. What got to me was the fact that the applause slowly built up and kept doing so until a few people started standing up eventually leading to the majority of the Garden being on its feet applauding this soldier for a solid 2-3 minutes. It turns out, he re-upped and is being deployed to Iraq this coming week and the Bruins were honoring the season ticket holder with a custom-made jersey. I couldn't believe the ovation he and his company received from the crowd, especially since most of it came before the announcement that he was even present at the game. Definite goosebump moment... made me proud to be a Bostonian and more over, an American. More info.
As for the game... well, it was definitely a rollercoaster ride. The first period was atrocious with the Bruins being completely outplayed. Atlanta outshot them 16-7 and it honestly seemed worse than that. Just no urgency and no one working to get their shots and making the extra play. The worst of it came in the final minute of the first period when it was 4-4 with Atlanta's penalty due to expire before the period ended. Now I can understand holding the puck in your zone and simply trying to play keepaway when there are only 10-15 seconds left on the clock. The Bruins decided to try this tactic while there were 40+ seconds left and at even strength... needless to say, it backfired and Atlanta potted the PPG with ten seconds remaining in the period. Simply pathetic... there was no effort from Boston to try to clear the zone never mind attempting to start something on offense. As stated elsewhere, its a bad sign when your checking line (Noke, Yelle, Thornton) is your best line for a period...
However, sometimes seemingly bad things can actually prove quite beneficial as was the case when the fourth line (14 total goals last season) potted the first goal for the Bruins. I can only imagine the (well-deserved) dressing down Julien gave his team after that atrocious first period but whatever was said certainly worked. Lucic took it from their and simply dominated the game, scoring three goals (his first career hat trick) and assisting on a fourth. His final tally came with under two minutes to go in regulation and was all effort as he fought for the puck along the boards before being sprung by Savard (who deserves much credit for his forechecking on the play). Lucic had the patience to wait for his shot when he saw Kessel was too covered and then he roofed the rebound to start the hats raining and take the much-needed two points.
It was a unique experience to be present for his first hat trick (and my first attended hat trick) and see the dozens of hats come flying down onto the ice. I had just bought a new Bruins hat and was contemplating adding my old Sox hat to the pile but the netting and 26 rows ahead of me changed my mind. Well, that, and the fact that I can't just throw away a good, broken-in hat... especially one that has witnessed a championship ('07 Sox). Hell, I still have the 'hat' (more like disgusting rag) I wore from '01 to '04 that was retired after the Series win. What made it that much more special was the fact that Lucic became one of my favorite players last preseason when I spotted him on his first shift of a game against Toronto. I immediately turned to my girlfriend and said he was going to be something special... he is quickly proving me correct.
Now the problem is... who's jersey do I buy? I fully intended to buy a black Bergeron before the game but they were all out and would need 2-3 weeks to restock. Now I am questioning that decision... with jerseys being so expensive it is always tough to come to a decision on who to buy. After the 2005 season, I had decided on buying a Brad Boyes (26-43-69 in '05) jersey but never ended up following through on it and its a good thing I didn't given the trade. Now I need to decide again and obvious choices are Lucic and Bergeron but I don't want to be one of the many people wearing the same sweater. So is it the standard 17 or 37 or do I go with the unusual 46...
As for the game... well, it was definitely a rollercoaster ride. The first period was atrocious with the Bruins being completely outplayed. Atlanta outshot them 16-7 and it honestly seemed worse than that. Just no urgency and no one working to get their shots and making the extra play. The worst of it came in the final minute of the first period when it was 4-4 with Atlanta's penalty due to expire before the period ended. Now I can understand holding the puck in your zone and simply trying to play keepaway when there are only 10-15 seconds left on the clock. The Bruins decided to try this tactic while there were 40+ seconds left and at even strength... needless to say, it backfired and Atlanta potted the PPG with ten seconds remaining in the period. Simply pathetic... there was no effort from Boston to try to clear the zone never mind attempting to start something on offense. As stated elsewhere, its a bad sign when your checking line (Noke, Yelle, Thornton) is your best line for a period...
However, sometimes seemingly bad things can actually prove quite beneficial as was the case when the fourth line (14 total goals last season) potted the first goal for the Bruins. I can only imagine the (well-deserved) dressing down Julien gave his team after that atrocious first period but whatever was said certainly worked. Lucic took it from their and simply dominated the game, scoring three goals (his first career hat trick) and assisting on a fourth. His final tally came with under two minutes to go in regulation and was all effort as he fought for the puck along the boards before being sprung by Savard (who deserves much credit for his forechecking on the play). Lucic had the patience to wait for his shot when he saw Kessel was too covered and then he roofed the rebound to start the hats raining and take the much-needed two points.
It was a unique experience to be present for his first hat trick (and my first attended hat trick) and see the dozens of hats come flying down onto the ice. I had just bought a new Bruins hat and was contemplating adding my old Sox hat to the pile but the netting and 26 rows ahead of me changed my mind. Well, that, and the fact that I can't just throw away a good, broken-in hat... especially one that has witnessed a championship ('07 Sox). Hell, I still have the 'hat' (more like disgusting rag) I wore from '01 to '04 that was retired after the Series win. What made it that much more special was the fact that Lucic became one of my favorite players last preseason when I spotted him on his first shift of a game against Toronto. I immediately turned to my girlfriend and said he was going to be something special... he is quickly proving me correct.
Now the problem is... who's jersey do I buy? I fully intended to buy a black Bergeron before the game but they were all out and would need 2-3 weeks to restock. Now I am questioning that decision... with jerseys being so expensive it is always tough to come to a decision on who to buy. After the 2005 season, I had decided on buying a Brad Boyes (26-43-69 in '05) jersey but never ended up following through on it and its a good thing I didn't given the trade. Now I need to decide again and obvious choices are Lucic and Bergeron but I don't want to be one of the many people wearing the same sweater. So is it the standard 17 or 37 or do I go with the unusual 46...
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
World Series
With the Red Sox losing game 7 of the ALCS, a game they had no right even playing in, there will officially be a new World Series champion. The nice thing is, the two teams vying for this honor are actually two of the losingest franchises in MLB history instead of two franchises accustomed to perennial success. Now the question becomes, who to support in tonight's game 1?
First off, lets compare the historical stats... Philly has been around since 1883 and has lost more games than any other franchise (8942-10093 for 47.0%) and has one WS title to its credit (1980) in six attempts. Tampa has been around since 1998 and has by far the worst winning percentage (742-1037 for 41.7%) which is including their 97-65 dominance this season. (Depressing to think they entered this year with a 645-972 record for 39.8%... sub 40%!!!). Going into this postseason, I would have been fine with either of these teams winning (though I of course wanted Boston or the Cubs to win it)... after all, who doesn't root for the perennial loser to finally win big? It is practically bred into us that Americans have to support the underdog and Tampa is the extreme underdog considering their miserable history.
Then I thought about it all... they have only been around for eleven years! They have no right taking the title from a team that has existed for a full century longer than they have... one that has lost over 5 times as many games as Tampa has PLAYED! The fact that Philly has only one title to show for those 125 seasons just makes it that much more apparent that they are the more deserving franchise.
Delving even deeper into the comparison, one arrives at the fanbases of these two disasters to discover an even more telling statistic. Philly averaged 42K fans per home game compared to 22K but these figures alone mean little... after all, Boston only averaged 37K per game and no one can doubt their popularity in Boston or their fans' devotion. The reason is, Fenway Park is one of the smallest stadiums in MLB and the 37K average represents a 104% attendance rate which is simply astounding. With that in mind, it is the attendance rate that truly matters, NOT the raw attendance figures. This past season, Philly was fourth with 97.1% home attendance while Tampa was a pathetic 24th with 52.8%. [Top five: Boston 104, Cubs 99.1, Tigers 98.6, Philly, Yankees 92.3] Philadelphia fans also travel better than their Floridian brethren, coming in 14th road in attendance rate (72.7%) compared to Tampa's 24th (66.5%) [Boston once again came in first with 84.1% a full 2.5 higher than the second place Cubs] Now, I grant you that Tampa has been atrocious for their ten season existence, having never posted a win total higher than 70 (2004) but that by no means makes up for a division winning team (that led said division for most of the season) only filling HALF the seats! Had they not played the extremely popular (and well-travelling) Red Sox and Yankees for 18 of their 81 games at home, they probably would have been below the 50% barrier and exceeded only the Florida Marlins (hmm... anyone notice a trend here?) Quite simply, their fans just don't deserve the title anymore than their franchise does... hell, their franchise deserves a hell of a lot better fans!
The final reason I have for pulling for the Phillies... the ridiculously fake fans in Tampa. Suddenly everyone shows up for the playoffs and decides to support them only AFTER they have proved themselves. The team even went so far as to open up some 8000 seats that had previously been tarped over! [Their excuse for this was that they had bad sight-lines... big deal, so does most every seat at Fenway but those tickets still sell! My theory is they were tarped over to make inflate their attendance figures to barely respectable numbers a la the Oakland A's shutting down the second level.] Now everyone is a die-hard Rays fan who has followed them their whole life (even though they are in their 20s and 30s...) and bangs their cowbells while sporting their trendy 'Rayhawk'. What a joke! They are pathetic. They are just the latest in a long trend of bandwagon jumpers (the Red Sox sadly have far more than their share), something I absolutely detest. The majority of their fans have no clue about the history of their team, their league or anything else... they are just jumping on the hot new trend of the day, only to forget about it within a couple months once the next shiny object catches their eye. I actually had a Tampa 'fan' try to tell me their attendance wasn't that bad and that it mirrored that of the Sox in the 90s. When I informed him via email that we last had attendance lower than 18K (their highest value after their debut season) was in 1966 (1966!!!), he countered by sending me the attendance figures for each stadium during its first eleven years. Problem is, Fenway opened in 1912 so he is trying to compare Tampa's 1998 attendance with that of Boston's from 80+ years prior! Just absolutely laughable and goes to show the 'knowledge' and 'loyalty' of their fans.
With all that in mind, here is hoping the Phillies take the title and end the city's tormented sporting history (so long as the Flyers keep sucking!). I don't really like the city or the fans, but they are a far more palatable option than are the Tampa Bay Rays...
First off, lets compare the historical stats... Philly has been around since 1883 and has lost more games than any other franchise (8942-10093 for 47.0%) and has one WS title to its credit (1980) in six attempts. Tampa has been around since 1998 and has by far the worst winning percentage (742-1037 for 41.7%) which is including their 97-65 dominance this season. (Depressing to think they entered this year with a 645-972 record for 39.8%... sub 40%!!!). Going into this postseason, I would have been fine with either of these teams winning (though I of course wanted Boston or the Cubs to win it)... after all, who doesn't root for the perennial loser to finally win big? It is practically bred into us that Americans have to support the underdog and Tampa is the extreme underdog considering their miserable history.
Then I thought about it all... they have only been around for eleven years! They have no right taking the title from a team that has existed for a full century longer than they have... one that has lost over 5 times as many games as Tampa has PLAYED! The fact that Philly has only one title to show for those 125 seasons just makes it that much more apparent that they are the more deserving franchise.
Delving even deeper into the comparison, one arrives at the fanbases of these two disasters to discover an even more telling statistic. Philly averaged 42K fans per home game compared to 22K but these figures alone mean little... after all, Boston only averaged 37K per game and no one can doubt their popularity in Boston or their fans' devotion. The reason is, Fenway Park is one of the smallest stadiums in MLB and the 37K average represents a 104% attendance rate which is simply astounding. With that in mind, it is the attendance rate that truly matters, NOT the raw attendance figures. This past season, Philly was fourth with 97.1% home attendance while Tampa was a pathetic 24th with 52.8%. [Top five: Boston 104, Cubs 99.1, Tigers 98.6, Philly, Yankees 92.3] Philadelphia fans also travel better than their Floridian brethren, coming in 14th road in attendance rate (72.7%) compared to Tampa's 24th (66.5%) [Boston once again came in first with 84.1% a full 2.5 higher than the second place Cubs] Now, I grant you that Tampa has been atrocious for their ten season existence, having never posted a win total higher than 70 (2004) but that by no means makes up for a division winning team (that led said division for most of the season) only filling HALF the seats! Had they not played the extremely popular (and well-travelling) Red Sox and Yankees for 18 of their 81 games at home, they probably would have been below the 50% barrier and exceeded only the Florida Marlins (hmm... anyone notice a trend here?) Quite simply, their fans just don't deserve the title anymore than their franchise does... hell, their franchise deserves a hell of a lot better fans!
The final reason I have for pulling for the Phillies... the ridiculously fake fans in Tampa. Suddenly everyone shows up for the playoffs and decides to support them only AFTER they have proved themselves. The team even went so far as to open up some 8000 seats that had previously been tarped over! [Their excuse for this was that they had bad sight-lines... big deal, so does most every seat at Fenway but those tickets still sell! My theory is they were tarped over to make inflate their attendance figures to barely respectable numbers a la the Oakland A's shutting down the second level.] Now everyone is a die-hard Rays fan who has followed them their whole life (even though they are in their 20s and 30s...) and bangs their cowbells while sporting their trendy 'Rayhawk'. What a joke! They are pathetic. They are just the latest in a long trend of bandwagon jumpers (the Red Sox sadly have far more than their share), something I absolutely detest. The majority of their fans have no clue about the history of their team, their league or anything else... they are just jumping on the hot new trend of the day, only to forget about it within a couple months once the next shiny object catches their eye. I actually had a Tampa 'fan' try to tell me their attendance wasn't that bad and that it mirrored that of the Sox in the 90s. When I informed him via email that we last had attendance lower than 18K (their highest value after their debut season) was in 1966 (1966!!!), he countered by sending me the attendance figures for each stadium during its first eleven years. Problem is, Fenway opened in 1912 so he is trying to compare Tampa's 1998 attendance with that of Boston's from 80+ years prior! Just absolutely laughable and goes to show the 'knowledge' and 'loyalty' of their fans.
With all that in mind, here is hoping the Phillies take the title and end the city's tormented sporting history (so long as the Flyers keep sucking!). I don't really like the city or the fans, but they are a far more palatable option than are the Tampa Bay Rays...
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Call me Nostradamus... (Part 2)
So this came a little later than expected but work interefered (three weeks of travel)...
Without further ado, here are my predictions for the upcoming season in terms of goals, assists and points. Have to get them up before the season commences after all... if I can get around to it, I will include some more information on here.
Player........................G - A - P
Patrice Bergeron...........27-45-72
David Krejci................12-30-42
Petteri Nokelainen..........6-5-11
Marc Savard................22-78-100
Vladimir Sobotka............2-8-10
P.J. Axelsson................6-12-18
Milan Lucic..................18-30-48
Marco Sturm................30-27-57
Shawn Thornton.............2-4-6
Phil Kessel...................20-20-40
Chuck Kobasew.............24-18-42
Michael Ryder...............30-25-55
Blake Wheeler..............12-25-37
Andrew Alberts..............1-9-10
Zdeno Chara................15-40-55
Andrew Ference.............2-10-12
Shane Hnidy..................2-6-8
Mark Stuart..................2-8-10
Aaron Ward..................4-10-14
Dennis Wideman...........10-22-32
Totals: 247 - 432 - 679
Goalie........................GP - W - GAA
Manny Fernandez...........30 - 16 - 2.88
Tim Thomas.................52 - 31 - 2.55
Record: 47-29-6 100 points
Admittedly these are on the high side but a guy can always hope, right? Besides, a second year in Julien's system and the return of Patrice should help the team a lot in 2009...
(Note: apparently formatting on blogspot completely blows... will have to work on figuring that out...)
Without further ado, here are my predictions for the upcoming season in terms of goals, assists and points. Have to get them up before the season commences after all... if I can get around to it, I will include some more information on here.
Player........................G - A - P
Patrice Bergeron...........27-45-72
David Krejci................12-30-42
Petteri Nokelainen..........6-5-11
Marc Savard................22-78-100
Vladimir Sobotka............2-8-10
P.J. Axelsson................6-12-18
Milan Lucic..................18-30-48
Marco Sturm................30-27-57
Shawn Thornton.............2-4-6
Phil Kessel...................20-20-40
Chuck Kobasew.............24-18-42
Michael Ryder...............30-25-55
Blake Wheeler..............12-25-37
Andrew Alberts..............1-9-10
Zdeno Chara................15-40-55
Andrew Ference.............2-10-12
Shane Hnidy..................2-6-8
Mark Stuart..................2-8-10
Aaron Ward..................4-10-14
Dennis Wideman...........10-22-32
Totals: 247 - 432 - 679
Goalie........................GP - W - GAA
Manny Fernandez...........30 - 16 - 2.88
Tim Thomas.................52 - 31 - 2.55
Record: 47-29-6 100 points
Admittedly these are on the high side but a guy can always hope, right? Besides, a second year in Julien's system and the return of Patrice should help the team a lot in 2009...
(Note: apparently formatting on blogspot completely blows... will have to work on figuring that out...)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
If I pretend hard enough that it never happened, can that make it so?
Of course, I am refering to the devastating hit to the Super Bowl chances of the New England Patriots with the loss of Tom Brady for the season. Watching it live, I saw the hit, knew Brady took a good shot and would be hurting but had no idea it would be nearly as bad as it was. Then the replays and pictures and replays from better angles came out and there was no question... we had just lost our quarterback and face of the franchise. So while contemplating the future of this season I came to the frustrating realization that I was going to have to steer clear of any football articles on ESPN or SI for the simple fact that the trolls would be out in force.
Well my curiousity got the best of me and I decided to go and look at some comments with surprisingly mixed results. There are of course the people who act like Brady's injury is some karmic payback for the 'Spygate' bullshit (not even going into my opinion on that) or for running up the score last year. They cheer that another human being is severly injured and I just can't comprehend that any mature, rational human being could find such an event to be gratifying. I don't think I ever would have openly cheered if Peyton Manning or Derek Jeter were injured, even during the height of my anti-Yankees sentiments (post 2003 ALCS).
After reading these people I started fearing for the future of our society but then the unexpected happened... there were actually decent people who supported other teams but were still sympathetic towards Brady and the Patriots! Most of them expressed sadness that one of the NFLs best was out for the season and what it meant to the rest of the league... that any win over the Patriots now comes with something of an asterisk. Most of these people were even fans of our strongest challengers for AFC supremacy; the Chargers, Colts and Steelers. For the past seven years (if not more) we have been a thorn in the sides of these teams and their fans and have developed a healthy distaste for one another. So it came as quite a surprise to see these rabid fans of our bitter rivals unhappy about the loss of Brady and the removal of the Patriots as Super Bowl favorites. Looking at it now, it makes sense though... all those teams want to go through us to take the title and they want to do it with as at full strength so there are no excuses. Just as the 2004 Red Sox World Series title would not have been complete had we not exorcised our demons and defeated the Yankees, any title for San Diego would not be complete without taking care of us first. I am not going to lie... the sympathy from these fans actually restored the faith in humanity I had lost from the immature posters and even took it higher than where it started...
As for the Patriots, I see them as a 9-11 win team that takes their division but loses in the playoffs. I just don't see them pulling it together like in 2001 to win the title without Tom Brady but I have most certainly been wrong before. There are even silver linings in this injury... for one, we were in a lose-lose situations... win the title and everyone says we were expected to... lose it and we choked. Now, we are in a win-win situation... we have an excuse for any level of failure, whether it be failing to win the title or failing to even make the playoffs... win it and we are labeled the greatest organization in NFL history. The team now goes back to the mentality of our previous title-winners when they could play the 'Nobody believed in us' card and it will be 100% legitimate. Mind you, I don't believe it will actually happen but then had someone told me seven years ago today that we would win the title that year, there is no way I would have believed them and look how that turned out. We still have a supremely talented team with an excellent coach and what looks to be a favorable schedule so winning is not impossible... stranger things have happened.
This whole ordeal makes me think of a quote from one of my favorite authors... the first half is especially fitting for the circumstances surrounding the Patriots and Brady's injury (even works to some extent for the Red Sox now that I think of it...)
"Never forget that when they all love you there is something awry. Every scapegoat was once a star, and every star will soon fall. Let us never forget, again, that we all love to celebrate the failure of our heroes. We live in a world of scapegoats because we all want the same things in our evil, evil hearts. Let us never forget that the same crowd that cheers at your triumphant entry will be the ones to crucify you in the end. And in the search for a moral, consider: The very thing that is worth dying for is the very thing they will hate you for." - A.Schwab
Well my curiousity got the best of me and I decided to go and look at some comments with surprisingly mixed results. There are of course the people who act like Brady's injury is some karmic payback for the 'Spygate' bullshit (not even going into my opinion on that) or for running up the score last year. They cheer that another human being is severly injured and I just can't comprehend that any mature, rational human being could find such an event to be gratifying. I don't think I ever would have openly cheered if Peyton Manning or Derek Jeter were injured, even during the height of my anti-Yankees sentiments (post 2003 ALCS).
After reading these people I started fearing for the future of our society but then the unexpected happened... there were actually decent people who supported other teams but were still sympathetic towards Brady and the Patriots! Most of them expressed sadness that one of the NFLs best was out for the season and what it meant to the rest of the league... that any win over the Patriots now comes with something of an asterisk. Most of these people were even fans of our strongest challengers for AFC supremacy; the Chargers, Colts and Steelers. For the past seven years (if not more) we have been a thorn in the sides of these teams and their fans and have developed a healthy distaste for one another. So it came as quite a surprise to see these rabid fans of our bitter rivals unhappy about the loss of Brady and the removal of the Patriots as Super Bowl favorites. Looking at it now, it makes sense though... all those teams want to go through us to take the title and they want to do it with as at full strength so there are no excuses. Just as the 2004 Red Sox World Series title would not have been complete had we not exorcised our demons and defeated the Yankees, any title for San Diego would not be complete without taking care of us first. I am not going to lie... the sympathy from these fans actually restored the faith in humanity I had lost from the immature posters and even took it higher than where it started...
As for the Patriots, I see them as a 9-11 win team that takes their division but loses in the playoffs. I just don't see them pulling it together like in 2001 to win the title without Tom Brady but I have most certainly been wrong before. There are even silver linings in this injury... for one, we were in a lose-lose situations... win the title and everyone says we were expected to... lose it and we choked. Now, we are in a win-win situation... we have an excuse for any level of failure, whether it be failing to win the title or failing to even make the playoffs... win it and we are labeled the greatest organization in NFL history. The team now goes back to the mentality of our previous title-winners when they could play the 'Nobody believed in us' card and it will be 100% legitimate. Mind you, I don't believe it will actually happen but then had someone told me seven years ago today that we would win the title that year, there is no way I would have believed them and look how that turned out. We still have a supremely talented team with an excellent coach and what looks to be a favorable schedule so winning is not impossible... stranger things have happened.
This whole ordeal makes me think of a quote from one of my favorite authors... the first half is especially fitting for the circumstances surrounding the Patriots and Brady's injury (even works to some extent for the Red Sox now that I think of it...)
"Never forget that when they all love you there is something awry. Every scapegoat was once a star, and every star will soon fall. Let us never forget, again, that we all love to celebrate the failure of our heroes. We live in a world of scapegoats because we all want the same things in our evil, evil hearts. Let us never forget that the same crowd that cheers at your triumphant entry will be the ones to crucify you in the end. And in the search for a moral, consider: The very thing that is worth dying for is the very thing they will hate you for." - A.Schwab
Friday, September 5, 2008
Flashback to 98...
NHL 98 that is... on the good old Nintendo 64, my first hockey game since the epic Blades of Steel. What does this have to do with the Bruins you ask? Well, when I got the game the Bruins were of course terrible (starring Allison, Khristich, Carter, Bourque and rookies Thornton and Samsonov) so I played as the far superior Colorado Avalanche which boasted Stephane Yelle as its 3rd or 4th line center. To be honest, I didn't think much of him at the time but grit and defensive-minded forwards don't usually translate well to the digital world so it is no surprise. However, knowing the type of player he is I like the signing, especially considering that it is fairly cheap for another Axelsson like player. With this addition, I would think the lines would change slightly with Yelle taking over for Sobotka on the fourth line. More likely however, my guess is that this opens the team up for a trade since we now have 24 NHL-caliber players for a 23 man roster. This would also free up some cap space for team that is spending right to the limit. Therefore, the question becomes who is most likely to be traded.
Schaefer - Disasterous debut season in Boston, especially considering his $2.1M salary. Still, he has the talent to merit more consideration so my guess is he sticks around for some of the season. Trade option would be a team like the Kings who are rebuilding and are WAY below the salary floor.
Kessel - Has not yet lived up to his potential though seemed to wake up after being benched in the playoffs. One of our best trade chips since he is so young and talented but the fact he is on a contract year means he will probably produce for the team and make others less likely to trade for him. I would like to see him given another year to mature in Boston.
Axelsson - Longest tenured Bruin who plays a similar game to Yelle for $1.1M more. Would definitely free up cap space but would hurt the team from a defensive and PK standpoint. Could still see him going based on his age and somewhat diminishing skills.
Alberts/Ference - Both young defensemen making $1.3M/$1.4M respectively who have shown promise but could be replaced by cheaper options in Hnidy, Hunwick and/or Lashoff.
No trade - Most likely outcome in my eyes... I see the Bruins demoting Reich (and saving his $500K salary) since there is no need for Shawn Thornton lite when we have the real thing and better players available for the last roster spot. My only concern with this is that it leaves little playing time for young guys like Nokelainen and Sobotka who may be better served from further development in the minors. Question is, how does that affect their confidence after spending most of last season with the big club and doing everything asked of them? Will be interesting to see what Chiarelli and Julien ultimately decide to do...
Schaefer - Disasterous debut season in Boston, especially considering his $2.1M salary. Still, he has the talent to merit more consideration so my guess is he sticks around for some of the season. Trade option would be a team like the Kings who are rebuilding and are WAY below the salary floor.
Kessel - Has not yet lived up to his potential though seemed to wake up after being benched in the playoffs. One of our best trade chips since he is so young and talented but the fact he is on a contract year means he will probably produce for the team and make others less likely to trade for him. I would like to see him given another year to mature in Boston.
Axelsson - Longest tenured Bruin who plays a similar game to Yelle for $1.1M more. Would definitely free up cap space but would hurt the team from a defensive and PK standpoint. Could still see him going based on his age and somewhat diminishing skills.
Alberts/Ference - Both young defensemen making $1.3M/$1.4M respectively who have shown promise but could be replaced by cheaper options in Hnidy, Hunwick and/or Lashoff.
No trade - Most likely outcome in my eyes... I see the Bruins demoting Reich (and saving his $500K salary) since there is no need for Shawn Thornton lite when we have the real thing and better players available for the last roster spot. My only concern with this is that it leaves little playing time for young guys like Nokelainen and Sobotka who may be better served from further development in the minors. Question is, how does that affect their confidence after spending most of last season with the big club and doing everything asked of them? Will be interesting to see what Chiarelli and Julien ultimately decide to do...
Monday, August 25, 2008
Call me Nostradamus... (Pt 1)
Who knew the 16th century crazy Frenchman was a Bruins fan! As I previously mentioned, I have been on something of a Bruins kick lately so I thought I would put down some predictions for the upcoming season. Start with the easy stuff... line combinations:
Sturm - Savard - Ryder
Lucic - Bergeron - Kobasew
Schaefer - Krejci - Kessel
Thornton - Sobotka - Axelsson
Chara - Wideman
Ward - Ference
Stuart - Alberts
Thomas
Fernandez
Healthy scratches: Reich and Hnidy.
Cavalry: Nokelainen, Wheeler, Lashoff, Hamill.
Questions/Changes:
Swap Kobasew/Ryder - Kobasew showed promise last season playing on the top line and in my mind brings more grit and toughness to protect relative finesse guys Savard and Sturm. At the same time, Ryder would probably do better with a gifted assist-man like Savard centering him and boosting his confidence after last years debacle. Could see it going either way... Ryder is the more talented of the two and his status as the big FA acquisition means he will probably get the majority of time on the top line.
Schaefer - the obvious roster question after he was a flop last year... I heard talk of a foot ailment for much of last season contributing to his poor showing but seen no hard evidence (articles etc) regarding it so I may just be making that up. Still, he showed signs of life in the playoffs and 2.1M is a lot of money (and supposed talent) to healthy scratch...
Kessel - What to do with him? Possible breakthrough came during the playoffs when he realized an all-around game was required to play under Julien... definitely the best hockey of his young career. If he can follow that up with similar play to start the season, it will be hard to keep his talent and pedigree off the second line and could force Lucic down to the third line.
Lucic - Second line too much for the kid? He is only 20 after all and second line of an expected playoff team may be a bit too much pressure for him and may stunt his development. At the same time, he performed admirably last year, was a major spark plug for the team and has consistently won at all levels of play prior to his unexpected tenure with the Bruins. Also love the fact that he will drop the gloves (and absolutely punish his opponents) when needed, thus protecting Bergeron. I expect big things from him this season...
Goalie-go-round - who gets more starts? Fernandez's salary implies he should be the starter but Thomas's performance over the past few years cannot be ignored. For his career, Thomas is 73-62-0-20 with a 2.80GAA and .913% in 155 starts on some TERRIBLE Bruins teams. On the other hand, Fernandez is 127-115-24-8 with a 2.49GAA and .912% in 281 starts, mostly on the playoff-caliber Minnesota Wild. Personally, I prefer Thomas... never thought too highly of Fernandez but his more standard technique and higher potential (better single season GAA and save percentage) may give him the edge in this contest.
Bergeron - The biggest question of the season. Can he come back from the illegal Randy Jones check that could have cost him his life, never mind his career. Will he be gunshy and unwilling to go into the corners after the puck? Will he be playing scared, listening for footsteps coming up behind him? Or will he recover like an invincible young athlete and return to the promise of stardom that he displayed with his 70+ point seasons on poor teams. My money is on nearly full recovery and I expect big things from him as well... along with Lucic, he is (hopefully) the future cornerstone of this ascendant organization.
As for what those expectations are, I will be back later in the week for Part 2 and a look at my optimistic view of the point totals...
Sturm - Savard - Ryder
Lucic - Bergeron - Kobasew
Schaefer - Krejci - Kessel
Thornton - Sobotka - Axelsson
Chara - Wideman
Ward - Ference
Stuart - Alberts
Thomas
Fernandez
Healthy scratches: Reich and Hnidy.
Cavalry: Nokelainen, Wheeler, Lashoff, Hamill.
Questions/Changes:
Swap Kobasew/Ryder - Kobasew showed promise last season playing on the top line and in my mind brings more grit and toughness to protect relative finesse guys Savard and Sturm. At the same time, Ryder would probably do better with a gifted assist-man like Savard centering him and boosting his confidence after last years debacle. Could see it going either way... Ryder is the more talented of the two and his status as the big FA acquisition means he will probably get the majority of time on the top line.
Schaefer - the obvious roster question after he was a flop last year... I heard talk of a foot ailment for much of last season contributing to his poor showing but seen no hard evidence (articles etc) regarding it so I may just be making that up. Still, he showed signs of life in the playoffs and 2.1M is a lot of money (and supposed talent) to healthy scratch...
Kessel - What to do with him? Possible breakthrough came during the playoffs when he realized an all-around game was required to play under Julien... definitely the best hockey of his young career. If he can follow that up with similar play to start the season, it will be hard to keep his talent and pedigree off the second line and could force Lucic down to the third line.
Lucic - Second line too much for the kid? He is only 20 after all and second line of an expected playoff team may be a bit too much pressure for him and may stunt his development. At the same time, he performed admirably last year, was a major spark plug for the team and has consistently won at all levels of play prior to his unexpected tenure with the Bruins. Also love the fact that he will drop the gloves (and absolutely punish his opponents) when needed, thus protecting Bergeron. I expect big things from him this season...
Goalie-go-round - who gets more starts? Fernandez's salary implies he should be the starter but Thomas's performance over the past few years cannot be ignored. For his career, Thomas is 73-62-0-20 with a 2.80GAA and .913% in 155 starts on some TERRIBLE Bruins teams. On the other hand, Fernandez is 127-115-24-8 with a 2.49GAA and .912% in 281 starts, mostly on the playoff-caliber Minnesota Wild. Personally, I prefer Thomas... never thought too highly of Fernandez but his more standard technique and higher potential (better single season GAA and save percentage) may give him the edge in this contest.
Bergeron - The biggest question of the season. Can he come back from the illegal Randy Jones check that could have cost him his life, never mind his career. Will he be gunshy and unwilling to go into the corners after the puck? Will he be playing scared, listening for footsteps coming up behind him? Or will he recover like an invincible young athlete and return to the promise of stardom that he displayed with his 70+ point seasons on poor teams. My money is on nearly full recovery and I expect big things from him as well... along with Lucic, he is (hopefully) the future cornerstone of this ascendant organization.
As for what those expectations are, I will be back later in the week for Part 2 and a look at my optimistic view of the point totals...
Friday, August 22, 2008
Changing of the guard?
It is strange... I, just like most everyone in and around Boston, have always split my fandom between the Red Sox and Patriots. It only made sense, growing up playing Little League and Babe Ruth baseball then transitioning to high school football. Both parents are also big Red Sox and Patriots fans and so they were always watched during their respective season and I had a wealth of information on the rules and history of the sports through my father's encyclopedic mind. They are the sports I know best and in which I show the most aptitude (which believe me, is not much!) and so it startled me when I came to a recent realization... the Bruins are my favorite team right now. The BRUINS?! When the hell did that happen?? I never even played hockey... I can't even skate!! Hell, I only started paying any mind to the sport about eight years ago when a high school friend got me into and it was the only decent sport at Northeastern (for comparison, my interest in baseball and football have existed since before I can remember).
However, I have hardly been watching the Red Sox and don't have the typical level of anticipation for the opening kickoff of the Patriots season but I absolutely cannot wait for the puck to drop on the 08-09 Bruins campaign. Don't get me wrong... I have kept up to date on Red Sox news and check the box score of most every game and will watch a few innings at a stretch but it is nowhere near the typical passion I have had in years past, watching every inning available to me. Same goes for the Patriots... I know who we have signed, drafted and brought in to camp and have followed their progress through the internet but I couldn't tell you when their season starts or who we will be playing in the first few games. Instead I find myself turning to any source I can find for Bruins and NHL news, even going so far to peruse Boston Globe reader forums which are full of useless, whining 'fans'. Who knows... maybe it has something to do with the investment I made in the upcoming season; a 12-pack of tickets for my girlfriend and I, a first-of-its-kind purchase for me. Maybe it has to do with a championship hangover and media overexposure hangover for both the Red Sox and Patriots. Maybe it has to do with wanting to see the underdog black-sheep Bruins come through when the majority of Boston fans have turned their backs on them and given up... being one of the few supporters to get on before the bandwagon started picking up speed (like it did for the Celtics where 'life-long fans' materialized with every win). More than likely, it is a combination of all these factors. Whatever the cause may be, I suddenly find myself in the strange position of being focused on the Bruins above the Red Sox and Patriots. Hopefully, they reward my newfound devotion by living up to their considerable promise and making a deep run in the playoffs...
However, I have hardly been watching the Red Sox and don't have the typical level of anticipation for the opening kickoff of the Patriots season but I absolutely cannot wait for the puck to drop on the 08-09 Bruins campaign. Don't get me wrong... I have kept up to date on Red Sox news and check the box score of most every game and will watch a few innings at a stretch but it is nowhere near the typical passion I have had in years past, watching every inning available to me. Same goes for the Patriots... I know who we have signed, drafted and brought in to camp and have followed their progress through the internet but I couldn't tell you when their season starts or who we will be playing in the first few games. Instead I find myself turning to any source I can find for Bruins and NHL news, even going so far to peruse Boston Globe reader forums which are full of useless, whining 'fans'. Who knows... maybe it has something to do with the investment I made in the upcoming season; a 12-pack of tickets for my girlfriend and I, a first-of-its-kind purchase for me. Maybe it has to do with a championship hangover and media overexposure hangover for both the Red Sox and Patriots. Maybe it has to do with wanting to see the underdog black-sheep Bruins come through when the majority of Boston fans have turned their backs on them and given up... being one of the few supporters to get on before the bandwagon started picking up speed (like it did for the Celtics where 'life-long fans' materialized with every win). More than likely, it is a combination of all these factors. Whatever the cause may be, I suddenly find myself in the strange position of being focused on the Bruins above the Red Sox and Patriots. Hopefully, they reward my newfound devotion by living up to their considerable promise and making a deep run in the playoffs...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
