Chris Bourque Is The First Casualty From Boston's Underachieving Third Line

Even when they were playing great, winning six in a row and being talked about as the top team in the Eastern Conference last week, Bruins fans weren't satisfied with left wing Chris Bourque. To get him going, the team made him a healthy scratch a few times but nothing seemed to wake him up. Today, they were forced to waive him since somebody had to pay for the third line's season-long struggles.

Teams around the NHL will have until 12 p.m. tomorrow afternoon to make a claim on Bourque, if he clears then he'll go to the Providence Bruins. That's where he played during the lockout and truth be told, where his limited skills make him best suited for. In 18 games, Bourque had one goal, three assists, six penalty minutes and 24 shots on goal.

For whatever reason, Bruins head coach Claude Julien thought that Bourque deserved more than his share of ice time on Boston's awful power play. How'd that work out? The real numbers that show the third line's struggles are their plus/minuses: Bourque (-6), Kelly (-7) and Peverley (-8) have the three worst marks on the team. Obviously, Kelly and Peverley have more value so the B's are more reluctant to give up on them yet.

Still, the NHL Trade Deadline is less than a month away (April 3) so stay tuned. Boston is almost guaranteed to add another defenseman or Top-9 winger by then. Boston hosts Toronto tonight, Jay Pandolfo will be on the fourth line with Daniel Paille bumped up to the third line (where he's been taking regular shifts latey).

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Chris Bourque Starts To Earn His Keep In Boston

After being humbled 7-4 on Thursday by the Sabres at the Garden, the Bruins (6-1-1) bounced back like the great team they are with a road win 1-0 tonight at Air Canada Centre against the Maple Leafs (4-4-0). Tuukka Rask (5-1-1) made 21 saves for his first shutout of the season and Chris Bourque scored his first goal as a Bruin for the game's lone strike.

Bourque's goal, his second in the NHL and first since December 30, 2008, came at 8:54 of the first period. It was the result of some fine work by the third line. Rich Peverley passed to Chris Kelly who backhanded the puck across the crease where Bourque was able to redirect it past Toronto goaltender James Reimer (33 saves) before knocking the net off its moorings. He did his dad's signature low fist pump celebration which was cool to see since of course that goal meant a lot to him in his career. If nothing else, it should shut up the haters for a few days.

Befitting of a 1-0 game that wasn't in the playoffs, it lacked much noteworthy action. Lane MacDermid and Mark Fraser fought twice-in the first and second period-something that rarely happens and Brad Marchand left in the second period after running into the boards awkwardly. He never returned, it looked like he hurt his shoulder/arm but we'll have to see. Patrice Bergeron did the same thing against Buffalo but he came back later in the game so hopefully Marchand's isn't too serious either.

We have three days to mentally prepare ourselves for the first installment of Bruins-Canadiens. So watch the Super Bowl tomorrow, the Beanpot on Monday and something else on Tuesday before you get ready to go crazy on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network) when Boston visits Montreal (5-2-0, 3rd Northeast Division). All the jokers will have the Bell Centre rocking, it doesn't get much better than B's vs. Habs.

UPDATE 2/4: The Bruins recalled forward Ryan Spooner on an emergency basis, in case Marchand can't play on Wednesday in Montreal. A second-round pick by Boston in 2010, Spooner has been playing well in Providence with nine goals and 21 assists in 35 games this season.

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Providence Bruins Are Sure To Have A Killer "Slap Shot" Promotion Next Season

In a move that can only be described as Red Sox-like in its cheesiness, the Bruins signed free agent center Christian Hanson to a one-year, two-way contract.

It's worth $600,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 in the AHL for the former Notre Dame star who's best known as the son of actor and hockey player Dave Hanson (from the movie Slap Shot). He scored 16 goals and had 15 assists in 37 games for the Fighting Irish in 2008-09 when they reached the NCAA title game.

The 26-year-old has played in 42 NHL games (all with Toronto), most recently in 2010-11 when he appeared in six games. His career totals are three goals, six assists and a plus/minus of -3 with 22 penalty minutes.

His best season was 2009-10 with the Maple Leafs, when he played in 31 games, scored two goals, had five assists and 16 penalty minutes.

Hanson signed with the Capitals last summer around this time then spent the entire 2011-12 season with the Hershey Bears (their AHL club) where he had 10 goals and 11 assists in 52 games. So far Hanson and winger Chris Bourque (another Bear) have been the only signings that the Bruins have made since July 1. Sad but true.

If you ever hear of Hanson after this post, it will probably be for something like this. I found a video on hockeyfights.com (one of my favorite hockey related websites) featuring him whaling on Ottawa's Brian Lee on September 21, 2010. Haha not only was it a preseason game but there was 1:31 left in the game and the Leafs trailed 5-0 at the time. Can you say goon?



When the Providence Bruins give out "Slap Shot" bobbleheads or some other shameless crap like that next season, somebody be sure to let me know so I can get my hands one of those gems.

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Bruins Re-Sign Daniel Paille, Finalize Deal For Chris Bourque

It is still particularly painful to watch the Stanley Cup Finals with the New Jersey Devils (a team that's not all that good) taking on the Los Angeles Kings, knowing that there's no good reason why the Boston Bruins couldn't have at least made it out of the first round of the 2012 NHL playoffs.

However, it's time to turn the page on a team that's been gone now for over a month (April 25 was Game 7 against Washington). On the heels of yesterday's bizarre speculation that Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas could possibly sit out the 2012-13 season, comes the actual news today that as expected, Boston has re-signed forward Daniel Paille to a three-year deal through 2014-15.

A staple of the fourth line since he was acquired in a trade with Ottawa during the 2009-10 season, Paille's future in Black and Gold was always obvious. A responsible two-way player (something they stress as much as anything with their forwards), he's also an exceptional penalty killer and unassuming team leader.

Paille's game will never be about numbers, in 69 games last season he put up a modest nine goals and six assists. In three seasons with the Bruins (186 regular season games), he has 25 goals and 22 assists and he was a key member of the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2010-11. He can't shoot (part of the reason he doesn't score more goals) but he is tough (he fought through a bunch of injuries this past season) and a very smooth and fast skater. He will make $1.3 million per season.

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli also gave the details on Chris Bourque's contract. Ray Bourque's oldest son signed a two-year through 2013-14. Next season, it will be a two-way deal meaning $550,000 if he plays in the NHL and $200,000 if he plays in Providence (Boston's AHL team). In 2013-14, it's a one-year contract worth $550,000.

If he makes the B's, Bourque will most likely be on the third or fourth line. That makes you wonder what Boston's plan is with fourth line center Gregory Campbell (a free agent July 1) who should also no doubt earn a trip back here after he played two solid seasons for the Black and Gold. I guess we'll have to wait and find out.

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Another Bourque Joins The Bruins, Hamill Is Officially A Bust

Ray Bourque will always be one of the greatest players in Boston Bruins history, that is undisputed.

Today the Black and Gold tried to recapture some of that past magic as they traded for one of Ray's sons. The Bruins dealt center Zach Hamill to the Washington Capitals for Chris Bourque, a forward with the Hershey Bears (their AHL team). His brother Ryan Bourque is a forward for the Connecticut Whale (the Rangers AHL team).

The ironic thing is that while Chris will get most of the headlines based on his last name and who is father happens to be, this move is much more notable since it signaled that Boston is fully wiping their hands clean of Hamill.

Last season, Bourque was a much better player than Hamill as he put up 93 points (27 goals, 66 assists) in 73 games for the Bears. In 33 career games in the NHL with Washington and the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bourque had one goal and three assists. He's due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

After growing up in Danvers, MA, Bourque prepped at Cushing Academy and played one season at Boston University before turning pro (in 2004, he was the Caps' 2nd round pick at No. 33 overall).

Hamill was Boston's 1st round pick (No. 8 overall) in 2007. He only had eight goals and 13 assists this last season with the Providence Bruins in 41 games. He got a chance with the big club in 2011-12 due to injuries but he didn't take advantage of it as he only managed two assists in 16 games. In total, Hamill finished with 139 points in 256 career games with Providence.

More than anything, this move serves as a fresh start for both players. They are both undersized guys so their games are based on superior skills and quick hands. At 26, Bourque had clearly done all he could in Hershey yet he still could not find a spot in Washington; Hamill's career has completely gone off the rails in Providence but he's only 23 so maybe going to a new organization will revitalize his once promising form.

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