I'm going to be honest up front, I don't typically watch a lot of hockey. At least not compared to the amount of time I spend following the other major sports. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the Bruins and have always rooted for them, but with the hockey season taking place at the same time as the NBA season, as well as partially overlapping the NFL and MLB seasons, it doesn't leave a lot of time for the NHL.
That's not to say that I don't care about the team or that I know nothing about the sport - that's simply not true. I did come in first place in my Fantasy Hockey league, so I'm not completely ignorant about the league. I'm too young to have seen the last championship season for the Bruins, back in the days of the great Bobby Orr. I grew up watching guys like Ray Bourque and Cam Neely. I still have my autographed Neely photo from when I met him at a Stop & Shop when I was about ten years old.
For a variety of reasons (no titles in my lifetime, a cheapskate owner, dwindling popularity and a plethora of foreign players with names that were difficult to pronounce), hockey has taken a back seat to the other three major sports. I have still always followed the Bruins, they just weren't the priority amongst the other great Boston sports teams. This season, the B's managed to pull me back in, as I found myself getting wrapped up in the excitement of their playoff run that resulted in their first Stanley Cup title in my lifetime. In honor of their achievement, I'm attempting my first ever hockey column. Let's see how this goes.
The Bruins journey through the postseason was packed with drama. Whether it was opposing fans calling 911 to report Chara for a vicious hit in Montreal, avenging last year's agonizing defeat in Philly, or the emergence of Tyler Seguin in the Tampa series, there was always a dramatic storyline to help fuel the excitement. It all culminated in the end with a thrilling 7 game series against Vancouver for the Stanley Cup.
The first two games of the series could not have been played any closer, with both games ending in heart-breaking fashion for the B's. Game 1 slipped away as the Canucks scored the only goal of the game with 18 seconds remaining to damper what had been an outstanding battle between the two goalies. Game 2 would need to be settled in overtime, but it wouldn't last long, as the Canucks again shocked the B's by scoring 11 seconds into the OT period. It only added insult to injury that the hero of the game for the Canucks was Alex Burrows, who many believed should have been suspended for the game for biting the fingers of Patrice Bergeron during a scuffle. The league ruled the evidence of his shameful actions were not conclusive enough to warrant a suspension, but it was clear to anyone wearing black and gold. Despite a resilient effort in both games, the B's found themselves down in an early hole.
Back in Boston, the fire was finally ignited for this team. The biting incident with Burrows and the annoying flopping routine by the Sedin twins angered the B's, but the turning point was when Nathan Horton was blindsided by a cheap shot from Aaron Rome. While Rome was suspended for the rest of the series for his actions, Horton would also be forced out due to a concussion. At the time it seemed like a crushing blow to lose one of their top forwards in a series where they already trailed, but the cheap shot seemed to awaken a sleeping giant. The B's used this as motivation as they piled up 8 goals in the final two periods to trounce the Canucks. The Big Bad Bruins were back!
The Bruins would dominate each game in Boston, as they shut out Vancouver in Game 4 and won a convincing Game 6. In between, the Canucks pulled out another narrow 1-0 victory as goalie Roberto Luongo continued his trend of appearing unstoppable in the comforts of their home building, while being an unreliable wreck on the road. His home/road differential was shocking, as he let up a total of only 2 goals through the first 3 games on their home ice, yet was a mess for the games in Boston. Credit the Boston offense for playing well at home, but there were several goals he let up that a goaltender of his caliber typically would stop. This from a guy who was critical of Bruins goalie Tim Thomas for the one goal he gave up in Game 5, stating Thomas' aggressive style cost him, while his approach would have allowed him to stop that game winning shot. “It’s an easy save for me," he boasted. Great, pick on the best goalie on the planet for letting up one goal after you just let up a total of 12 goals in the previous two games. Good idea.
Luongo would ignite further controversy by complaining that he felt disrespected by Thomas for his lack of praise for him. "I have been pumping (Thomas’) tires ever since the series started. I haven’t heard one nice thing he had to say about me.” Sorry, but this is the Stanely Cup Finals. Timmy has more important things to think about than your feelings and injured pride. Plus, given how Luongo had played in the games in Boston, there wasn't a lot of good things to say about him at that time. Perhaps Thomas gets more praise, from you and everyone else, because he's better than you! If his outstanding Vezina award winning season, in which he set an NHL record for save percentage (.938), wasn't enough to prove that, then this series certainly was.
The series shifted back to Vancouver for Game 7, where the Canucks had appeared unbeatable. It wasn't just Luongo that played far better at home, they were a different team at home from top to bottom. Their struggling stars, such as Ryan Kessler (1 assist) and the Sedin Twins (combined 2 goals, 1 assist) had yet to contribute much in this series, but seemed primed for a breakout performance in front of their passionate home crowd. Instead, it was the opposite, as the Bruins jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Canucks seemed exhausted and disinterested by the end of the game as they accepted defeat without much of a fight. Actually, this game really did have the least amount of penalties and fighting of any game in this series. The two teams stood toe to toe all series long, exchanging blows, but it was the Bruins that delivered the knockout punch.
Watching the Bruins players take their turns skating around the ice hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup was a special moment for Bruins fans. The die-hards will scoff at so called bandwagon fans like myself celebrating this victory. While I appreciate their passion for their team, I disagree with the "bandwagon" label. I've been a fan of the Bruins my whole life, they just weren't as big of a priority as the Celtics, Red Sox or Patriots. They were a clear 4th of my list, but it wasn't a distant 4th, and it takes nothing away from the pride I feel as a fan in this championship season. What it boils down to is that I'm a Boston fan. I'm passionate about my city and all it's sports teams. Ok, maybe not the Revolution, but nobody cares about soccer in this country anyway. Each of the 4 major sports teams in Boston has won a title in the past decade and I proudly cheered for each of those teams. Just because I happen to know more about basketball, football or baseball takes nothing away from they joy I felt last night watching Tim Thomas accept the Conn Smythe award for his outstanding postseason performance before raising the Cup high above his head in triumph. It was a hard earned victory for this Bruins team and a victory for all Boston sports fans.
Congratulations to the Boston Bruins for a fantastic season. This playoff run was more exciting than any stretch of hockey that I can remember. You've successfully pulled me back in. Maybe now you will be more of a priority.
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