Another Outstanding Bruin Calls It Quits As Center David Krejci Retires After 16 Seasons With Boston

 

    For whatever weird reason, it will not get nearly the same amount of fanfare that captain Patrice Bergeron retiring did but the news this morning that fellow Bruins center David Krejci is also hanging up his skates after 16 great seasons with Boston is undoubtedly another big moment in the franchise's long history. Like Bergy, Krech only ever played for the B's in the NHL and he was a 2011 Stanley Cup champion along with a member of the teams that fell just short in the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals vs. Chicago and in 2019 vs. St. Louis. Bergeron is a lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame and while Krejci probably will not reach that pinnacle, he is a no-brainer to have his number in the rafters at TD Garden which is no small feat given all the excellent players that have competed for the Bruins over the years. 

    After going back to his homeland (Czech Republic) for one season during the pandemic to be around his extended family more, Krejci returned last season for one last go-around with the Bruins. Ever reliable, David totaled 786 career points (231 goals, 555 assists) and was plus-166 (!!!!) with 203 power play points (54 goals, 149 assists) in a whopping 1032 regular season games but what separated him in my eyes was the way that he usually seemed to take his game to the next level in the postseason. If you like clutch players in modern Bruins history (and who does not?), the soft-spoken and unassuming Krejci was likely one of your favorites. In 160 career Stanley Cup playoff games, he had 128 points (43 goals, 85 assists) and he was plus-20 with 37 power play points (13 goals, 24 assists). In addition to that, he twice led the NHL in playoff scoring including in 2011 when he put up 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) on the way to the Cup and in 2013 when he was arguably even better with 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists) in three less contests (22). Krejci was never flashy and especially early in his career, he drove Boston fans crazy when he did not shoot the puck enough in their learned eyes but we came to love him very much in due time.

    I will remember David for his underrated toughness and dependability as well. He was not the biggest or the most physical guy but he managed to suit up in so many games despite battling the typical injuries that accumulate during a normal NHL season. He twice played in 82 games, once in 81, once in 80 and three other times in 75+ games. That speaks to a person that truly loved his craft and took a certain pride in being available as much as he could. In addition to all that, he is one of the best players in the history of the Czech Republic which is a solid hockey country in Europe. When B's star right wing David Pastrnak came to Boston, getting the opportunity to play with Krejci was a dream come true since Krech had been one of his hockey idols growing up as a young Czech. How cool this past season that those two teamed up with their fellow countryman Pavel Zacha (at left wing) for an All-Czech second forward line. Not just a novelty, it was often Boston's most effective line and it had to have helped that they could all speak another language to each other while they were on the ice together. 

    Not to be a downer (however it is my blog so I will say what I want to!) but this is yet another sobering reminder that only a few players remain on the Bruins (or in the NHL for that matter) that were part of their last championship team in 2011: left wing Brad Marchand (who should be Boston's next captain) and left wing Milan Lucic who has been on a bunch of other teams before re-signing here earlier this summer on a cheap one-year deal. To paraphrase former Celtics head coach Rick Pitino, "Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas are not walking through that door fans, and if they do, they will be old and grey." Indeed, 12 years is a long time between titles for a proud Original Six club. Let's hope that the B's do not become a pathetic club like the Canadiens who last won a Cup in 1993 but still hopelessly cling to that since they have done very little that notable since then. Reliving past glory is fine in small doses but it is time for the Black and Gold to add some new positive chapters to their overall spotty resume.

Daniel Paille: Stanley Cup Finals Hero

One aspect that makes the NHL playoffs so uniquely excellent is that random guys step up in nearly every game. Take for instance Game 2 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals at the United Center. Boston rallied for a 2-1 overtime victory over Chicago thanks to Daniel Paille's first career OT winner (in regular season or playoffs). The Bruins evened the series at one and head back to Boston for Game 3 on Monday (8 p.m., NBCSN).

For many reasons, the B's definitely gained confidence since they were able to withstand an incredible amount of pressure by the Blackhawks in the first period (outshooting Boston 19-4) and only trailed 1-0. From that point on, Boston started to play their game and their constant hits on Chicago (50-34) started to take their toll.

They are still miles away (3 wins) from another Stanley Cup but if the Bruins do beat the Blackhawks four times, I can basically guarantee that Tuukka Rask (33 saves) will earn the Conn Smythe trophy (playoff MVP). He has been brilliant all postseason and he improved to 4-0 in starts after he allowed four plus goals in the previous game.

Boston has the only winning record on the road in the playoffs (6-3) and this one snapped Chicago's six-game win streak at home. Patrick Sharp gave the Blackhawks a well-deserved 1-0 lead at 11:22 of the first period after a crazy sequence of saves by Rask. His ninth goal of the playoffs (tied for NHL lead with David Krejci) was the only time in the first two games that Chicago has led Boston. Technically, the Bruins never led in Game 2, the same way the Blackhawks were never ahead in Game 1. Bizarre.

Nobody has been a bigger dog this postseason for the B's than Chris Kelly but tonight he took a time machine back to 2011 when he had five goals and eight assists in Boston's Cup run. He was paired with Daniel Paille and Tyler Seguin during this game and would you believe me if I told you that they were the best line on either team? Seriously. After Paille's steal and wraparound attempt, Kelly followed up for the rebound which turned into his first goal of the postseason at 14:58.

After Wednesday's soul-crushing 4-3 loss in triple overtime, I can't imagine many Bruins fans were thinking positive thoughts when Game 2 went to overtime but they calmed our nerves by winning a franchise-best fifth overtime game of the 2013 playoffs.

Poor Jaromir Jagr can't buy a goal no matter what he does, he rang the post early in overtime with a laser of a wrist shot. Paille's goal, his third of the playoffs, was a beauty at 13:48. Adam McQuaid kept the puck in Chicago's zone, Tyler Seguin found Paille and the underrated left wing sniped it off the post but past Corey Crawford (26 saves) and in the net.

For a while it wasn't pretty as it looked like Chicago was going to run Boston out of the United Center but when it came time to wake up, the Bruins showed they are right in this series.

I wish it was Monday night already, the atmosphere at the Garden should be nothing short of incredible. These are two great teams and I expect the rest of the series to be this competitive (albeit not all ending in OT). The B's have a chance to really take control with the next two games at home but it would be silly to underestimate the Blackhawks.

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39 years of misery are gone for the B's as they capture their first Stanley Cup Final since 1972

When the Boston Bruins lost three straight Game 7s over the last three postseasons, who would have ever expected that the team could make such a drastic leap in 2010-11?

Honestly, any B's fan had to have serious doubts that head coach Claude Julien, GM Peter Chiarelli, not to mention owner Jeremy Jacobs would ever be in charge of the team when they finally broke their long Stanley Cup drought.

Yet here we are, the day after Boston snapped a 39-year skid and picked up the franchise's sixth Stanley Cup with a thrilling 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals at the Rogers Arena.

Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas picked up the Conn Smythe trophy (playoff MVP) with one final masterpiece, 37 saves, as the B's picked up the first road win of the series for either squad in the Original Six team's first ever Game 7 in the Finals.

Patrice Bergeron (2 goals) and Brad Marchand (2 goals, 1 assist) were the offensive catalysts in the deciding game for a team that didn't have the name recognition of the Canucks but proved that heart, will and effort can sometimes trump talent in this wonderful sport.

One more time, Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo (17 saves), the Sedin twins, Alex Burrows, Kevin Bieksa, Ryan Kesler and Co. cracked under the relentless pressure of the Bruins and the enormity of the moment.

It's also fitting that Boston's fourth line (Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton) was the key to the game as they were able to calm the Bruins down in the first period as Vancouver predictably came out on fire. Thomas held the fort but the toughness of the fourth line was able to impose itself on the Canucks and that's when the game started to flip.

Bergeron scored his fifth goal of the playoffs at 14:37 of the first period as Marchand shook loose in the corner after a Bergeron faceoff win then threw it to the middle for him and a one-timer. Luongo barely moved, showing that he was ready to poop his hockey pants like everybody in New England hoped and dreamed of heading into Game 7.

Marchand (10th of the playoffs, setting a Bruins rookie record) scored a classic Marchmont ("I don't like Marchmont, I don't even understand why he's on the team,") goal at 12:13 of the second period. Dennis Seidenberg and Mark Recchi (playing his last NHL game and going out a three-time champion) assisted on the tally but it was all Marchand. He wrapped around Vancouver's net on his backhand and stuffed it on Luongo. The fraud they call Bob Louie had it tied it but then he kicked it in with his leg pad.

If you thought that goal was soft or leaky, and it was no matter what term you prefer, I have never seen anything in an NHL game like Bergeron's second goal that sucked the life out of British Columbia and Rogers Arena. At 17:35, Bergeron came in on a shorthanded breakaway and was hooked down. He didn't even shoot the puck but it kept moving forward. Luongo is huge but for some reason he was more worried about the bodies coming at him then his job (you know, to stop the puck) and as a result, the puck went in. Haha, one of the most absurd goals I've ever seen in my life in any sport with goals (hockey, soccer, lacrosse, etc.). Seidenberg and Campbell assisted on Bergeron's goal that sealed the Cup even with more than a period remaining.

I said in the third period that Thomas would get another shutout (his fourth of this magical run) not that I was going out on any sort of limb. This was a team of destiny, as cliche as that sounds. How else to explain becoming the first NHL team to win three Game 7s in the same postseason?

Marchand put the punctuation mark on it with an empty-netter (tying the second highest goal total for a rookie in a postseason) at 17:16 and the party was on in Boston which rightfully regains its moniker as City of Champions (three Super Bowl titles, two World Series trophies, NBA title and a Stanley Cup in a ten-year span).

Like children (or so I'm told), it's impossible to rank championship runs for your favorite teams, especially when you've seen them all win in the last seven years (kisses ground). With that said, it's hard to picture a much sweeter and fulfilling run than this one we were lucky enough to witness.

They did it! The Boston Bruins are Stanley Cup champions, I never thought I'd live to see that day.

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Someone Pinch Me: The Bruins Win THE STANLEY CUP

The wait is over.

After watching the other three major sports franchises in town parade through the streets of Boston this decade, the Bruins can finally stand alongside the multiple champions.

The Bruins raised their sixth Stanley Cup last night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, shutting out the Canucks 4-0 and literally setting the host city ablaze.

Patrice Bergeron scored late in the first, as he took a centering pass from Brad Marchand and stuffed it home to shut the crowd up. This goal was vintage March-Mont, who took a faceoff loss, turned it into a win and found Bergeron wide open. Luongo was helpless.

Marchand kept it going midway through the second period, scoring on a wraparound chance on Luongo's stickside to double the Bruins lead. Luongo seemed to have made the initial save but somehow the puck squirted under him in what can be described as a soft goal.

Soft is an understatement compared to Bergeron's shorthanded goal just a few minutes later. Bergy was in alone and got pulled down to the ice. As the penalty was being called, the puck squirted into the net and after video review, the goal was upheld. Marchand's empty net goal in the 3rd put the game on ice and the Bruins won their sixth cup.

The parade is tomorrow starting at 11 am, starting at The TD Garden and ending at Copley Square.

*Game Notes*

*We may have just seen the most impressive single season performance from a goaltender of all time. Besides saving the Bruins collective asses time and time again, Tim Thomas racked up quite a few accomplishments. In the regular season, he set the record for highest save percentage and in the playoffs, he raised his game if that is possible. Aside from winning the Stanley Cup, Thomas was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs and will most likely be the Vezina Trophy winner for the second time in three years next week in Las Vegas. The only other player to win the Cup, the Vezina and the Conn Smythe was Bernie Parent. This Bruins team is simply not even close to champions without Thomas and I think they know that.

*Brad Marchand has continued to impress throughout the year and into the postseason. He may have only been the 3rd star but he set the tone early when he set up Bergy's first goal on a straight up hustle play. Same thing with his wraparound goal. Straight hustle. Anyone want to see a line of March-mont, Bergeron and Seguin next year? Tents de pantalones.

*The Stanley Cup is the best trophy in sports, this isn't a question. And we saw why on Wednesday night, when Big Z raised the Cup and let out a blood curdling yell that the NBC cameras picked up along with several F bombs. I loved seeing Recchi and Bergeron hoist the cup, great moment for the team.

*I don't know how I feel about the "Black Aces" on the ice for the celebration though. I mean Trent Whitfield out there? Really? When I have to ask who they are, that's not a good thing. I don't care that they are dressed if Marc Savard isn't out there, those guys shouldn't be out there either.

*Whoever chose to have the parade on Saturday is my new hero. I wanted to go regardless but I couldn't have went had the parade occurred today (damn real world obligations). I'm gonna crash in Boston tonight and get up real early to see the Cup. Any suggestions as to where the best place to watch the parade is greatly appreciated.

*Lastly, I want to say thanks to Rich Slate aka KitchRich of Boston Bias for letting me jump aboard and contribute to this site. I went to Providence College with Rich and we wrote for The Cowl together. After running into him at the Blackhawks game in March, I started contributing to the site. It has been a blast and I love getting feedback. I feel like we are continuing to grow in bunches and develop a readership. I would also like to thank all my followers on Twitter for being awesome all year, retweeting and linking my articles to their followers. What a ride.

*I will continue to be active on the site in this offseason, and will transfer to football in September (fingers crossed). I might cover Providence College men's hockey as well, if time allows me.

THANKS AGAIN AND CONGRATS TO YOUR 2011 STANLEY CUP CHAMPION BOSTON BRUINS!!!

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Top Tweets (Stanley Cup Swag Edition)

Wow. We are the champions. I still can't believe this is real life. Sharing in the moment was great with my Twitter followers and those that I follow, who were just as excited. So without further ado, here are the best tweets from Game 7 in no particular order:

* @LmBruins46 What Ray did for Colorado, Rex did for us. The man is now a Boston legend.

* @Perry04005 Morning Stanley cup champion #bruins fans

* @Panger40 In this great history of NHL playoffs, TThomas only goalie EVER to post ROAD SHUTOUT in game 7 of Finals. Start to finish=best season ever?

* @megvegBruins > red sox.

* @Talia1115 My boys! You fuckin did it! #bruinstilthedeathofme

* @ChlarrrDear Vancouver, If the riots continue throughout the night your city will be left in bRUINS. Haha.

* @WillieMcGinest A big congrats to the Boston bruins!!!

* @FredToucher I am drunk I will call D.A you guys followed this team when no one did. I can honestly say this is the most excited I have been about title

*@KnucklesNilan30 Better team won, bruins had the jam, the leadership and goaltending. Even though 7 games the Canucks were never in this series. Congrats b's

*@Caseyloves26 This doesn't feel real. BUT IT IS

* @RyeCahill @toucherandrich the whole city of boston just called their employers to inform them they would be sick on Friday

*@Marc_Bertrand Haha Shawn Thornton tells Channel 7 that he wants "old school caddies" for the parade like they had in 70 and 72 #Bruins

*@millsy62188 @sportsguy33 so who do the bruins play next round?

*@CayTheCreator When I was in FL in April, I threw a penny in a fountain and said "I wish for the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup".

*@RichSlate Marchand tied for the second most goals as a rookie in the postseason. #bruins

*@Blk_n_GoldPride "It was Garden ice from back home, I wanted to put it on their ice to make it our ice." - Nathan Horton (via... http://tumblr.com/xcs30rl6sm

*@MichaelSHolley So happy for the B's and their dominance in Game 7. Happy too for @DaleEArnold, who always loved them even when they didnt deserve it.

*@FraudeJulien Is he still the Vegetarian Alex Burrows if we made him eat shit? #Canucks #Bruins

*@toucherandrich Recchi and Seidenberg F Bombs -2, NBC censors -0.

*@jbeaulieu59 Rogers Arena playing Dirty Water. That's pretty awesome.

*@causeway_crowd "FUCKIN RIGHT" -Mark Recchi.

*@_xokathryn I shouyld be douyble fustimg wayert

*@ryan_english128 Love seeing chara rolling his eyes, on burrows flop

*@toucherandrich Marchand just pulled a "Friday" to Burrows and said, "You got knocked the f**k out!".

*@HacksWithHaggs TT would be 1st since Bernie Parent RT @Toucherandrich: Has anyone ever won Vezina, the Conn Smythe, AND the Stanley Cup in the same year?

*@PeterBurnsRadio Just remember Luongo, at the end of the day, haters will have to wake up tomorrow & have the same life they had before

*@bruce_arthur Right now there is more than one Canucks fan looking at his or her ticket and thinking, "Man, I could have bought a boat."

*@kengriffeyrules Wonder what the succession girl is thinking right now?

*@robbpizzdoy How is staying in the paint working out for you there Luongo???

*@dannypaille OH MY FUCKING BERGERON.

*@_xokathryn Bar just announced they're at capacity. I feel like a champ.

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Next stop: 1st Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 in Boston Bruins history

It seems only natural that the most exciting playoff run for the Boston Bruins in my lifetime will end in the ultimate finale: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals tomorrow night at the Rogers Centre in Vancouver.

Home ice has carried all the weight in the series, making Boston forget its offense at the border while Vancouver loses its will to compete in the Hub. The home teams have won the first six games so the B's hope to break that tomorrow night while also gunning for their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. Meanwhile the meek and mild, pale folks of Vancouver are praying that the Canucks grab their first Cup in the franchise's 40 years of existence.

Either way, the Cup will be in the building tomorrow night and the entire hockey universe will be watching one more time.

For the third straight contest, Boston absolutely rolled over Vancouver at TD Garden, taking Game 6 by the score of 5-2. It didn't even feel that close as the Bruins basically guaranteed a winner-take-all Game 7 with a Stanley Cup Finals record four-goal flurry in a span of 4:14 of the first period.

LeBron James is the biggest fraud in the U.S. when it comes to crunch time (like say the fourth quarter of NBA Finals games) but can we agree that Roberto Luongo owns Canada in terms of being pathetic and completely unreliable in the big moment? After crying to the media between Games 5 and 6 about how he wasn't getting enough attention and somehow making fun of Tim Thomas, Luongo deserved all the grief he got.

After giving up three goals and making five saves, he lasted for just 8:35 of Game 6 before he took a seat on Vancouver's bench and called his agent with dreams of a sequel to Mr. Deeds 2. Marblehead, MA native Cory Schneider (30 saves; 2 goals allowed) came in for the second straight time in his hometown as Luongo gave up 15 goals combined in two games and less than half of a period.

Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault has already stuck by his emotionally-shattered Vezina trophy candidate for the start in Game 7 and as a Bruins fan, I say yeah Alain! In his limited sample size, Schneider looks much more calm and capable of not getting overwhelmed by the stakes.

With another great game (36 saves) and a win, Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas wrapped up the Conn Smythe trophy (given to the playoffs MVP). It's clear by now that he's completely in Vancouver's heads as they can't bury breakaways or chances that would be sure-fire goals on almost anyone else in the world.

Boston is a team of solid players that are currently excelling at stepping up their games at just the right time. This was beautifully illustrated last night as five different guys scored goals. 10 different players had points for the Bruins and that doesn't even include Chris Kelly (14 of 19 on faceoffs) and Shawn Thornton (game-high 7 hits), who both left their stamp on this performance.

Vancouver has the big stars offensively in Daniel Sedin (1 goal and 3 assists vs. Boston), Henrik Sedin (1 goal, 0 assists vs. Boston) and Ryan Kesler (0 goals, 1 assist vs. Boston) who's clearly hurt but they've been totally held in check by Boston's lockdown defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg.

Brad Marchand (9th of the playoffs, setting a new Bruins rookie record) beat Luongo at 5:31 with a quick snap shot on the high, short side. Mark Recchi and Seidenberg assisted on the goal, Marchand's third in his last four games.

35 seconds later, before the PA announcer had even said the first goal, Milan Lucic scored his fifth of the postseason. It was a soft wrist shot that leaked through Luongo's Paris Hilton-esque five hole. Rich Peverley had the first assist with a nifty drop pass and Johnny Boychuk had the other helper.

Andrew Ference's power-play goal at 8:35 (his fourth of the playoffs) made it 3-0 and signaled the end of Bob Louie's not so excellent adventure. Michael Ryder and Recchi (who had a perfect screen) were credited with the assists.

Only 1:10 into his outing, Schneider gave up a goal to Ryder (his eighth of the playoffs), who tipped home a shot from the point by wait for it, wait for it, TOMAS KABERLE.

Not much transpired in the second period and the Canucks showed a slight pulse as Henrik scored a power-play goal (his third of the playoffs) 22 seconds into the third. His brother and Christian Ehroff assisted on the backhander.

Thomas' shutout was over and Jannik Hansen had a great chance to make it somewhat scary by cutting it to 4-2 but his shot went off the post (haha, that didn't stop the Canucks from celebrating). Replays showed it didn't go in and David Krejci was able to score Boston's second power-play goal of the contest at 6:59 (his 12th of the playoffs from Recchi and Kaberle).

Maxim Lapierre scored in garbage time (his third of the playoffs) at 17:34 from Daniel Sedin and Hansen but there would be no insufferable dancing like in Game 5.

Throw out all the numbers and everything that has happened in this crazy series over the last two weeks. Tomorrow night is all that matters and the Bruins are in a great position to end decades of frustration with the sweetest reward of all: a Stanley Cup on a rival's home ice.

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One Hockey Game

This year's Bruins team is different. Unlike years past, the 2010-11 Bruins know how to respond to adversity. Last night was no different.

Backs against the wall, the Bruins put together a fabulous team effort to a man, humiliating Roberto Luongo and bullying the mouthy Canucks 5-2. Game 7 is tomorrow night.

The Bruins were fired up early on but play quickly halted when Vancouver winger Mason Raymond left the game with an apparent injury after a collision with Boychuck in the corner. Reports during the game said that he has a vertebrae injury and will be out for 3-4 months.

After a brief lull in the action, Brad Marchand gave the Bruins the lead on a nasty wrister from the right slot, beating Luongo high glove side to give Boston a quick 1-0 lead. I'm sure Thomas would've made that save, right LeBrongo?

The outspoken netminder had little time to compose himself, as Milan Lucic took a nasty drop pass from Rich Peverley, or as Bill Simmons calls him "Richard Beverley". Lucic has had a rough postseason in general, but gave the Bruins a lift with his fifth goal of the playoffs.

Luongo was already an emotional wreck, but the "emotional harpoon" (thanks Johnny Most) came on the power play. Yes, the power play. Finger Ference blasted a shot past Luongo that appeared to glance off Recchi. Luongo must have sensed the redirection and moved to his left, putting him way out of position to make the save. Replays showed that the puck did not hit Recchi. Ference's goal put a baseball cap on Luongo's greasy head, and his night was over.

The Bruins offense kept coming when Kaberle blasted a shot from the point which redirected off Michael Ryder to put the Bruins up 4-0. The four goals in 4:14 were the fastest four goals in Stanley Cup Finals history.

After a scoreless 2nd period, the Canucks gave the Bruins a scare early in the 3rd, scoring on a power play just 22 seconds in. Henrik Sedin roofed a backhander past Thomas to give the Canucks a sign of life. The Bruins actually scored on the power play once more, this time on a David Krejci goal, his 12th of the playoffs. Lapierre scored on a nasty fees from Daniel Sedin in garbage time. Doesn't count. When the clock ran out, the Bruins left with a 5-2 victory and all the momentum in the world.

*Game Notes*

*Nathan Horton was in the house, and the Bruins put together a nice video montage tribute. They flashed to an upbeat looking Horton who was waving a yellow flag and going nuts. Seeing him in a loud arena was nice but makes me reconsider bashing Pacioretty for the same thing. So I'm sorry?

*Tim Thomas is going to win the Vezina, we all know that. But after last night, I'm positive that he will win the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoffs MVP. There is literally no competition from anyone on the Canucks, and the only Bruin close would be Krejci. But Thomas has been THE man, elevating his game to the highest level. He is having one of the most dominant statistical season any of us have ever seen. Just greatness.

*Major props to NBC for showing the Luongo quote in regards to Thomas as he got pulled. A guy like Luongo is just impossible to respect, running his mouth and doing jack shit to back it up. Zero character. A guy who talks shit and doesn't last nine minutes in a Cup game. He might has well have pissed his pants on the way to the bench.

*How great was Thomas' entrance to the ice? If you didn't see it, as he took the ice to start the game, he fired a puck down the rink at Luongo. Great stuff and funny to boot. Gigantic "Fuck you" to Luongo, and clearly it had some effect on him.

*I know there is only one game left, but you gotta love how the power play looks this series. I need to see another goal on Game 7 from the PP unit, especially early, to take the wind out of the Vancouver crowd's sails. The Bruins scored twice on the PP but also had several other quality scoring chances including a series of chances in the 3rd. Lucic was posted up down low and three consecutive centering passes missed his stick. The pressure was good to see, perhaps the Bruins found their groove.

*Brad Marchand continued to show why he is my new favorite player, and it has nothing to do with his goal. Late in the 3rd, the NBC cameras picked up Daniel Sedin yelling in Marchand's face with the referee in the middle. I was surprised that Sedin was displaying so much emotion, and wondered what had happened. Later on the cameras showed Brad Marhand giving Sedin four jabs to the chin in succession. Sedin's head snapped back at every punch but he did nothing to retaliate. Let me ask you, if ANY LEADER from ANY SPORT took four punches to the face from the smallest opponent, wouldn't you expect to see him retaliate? Nope, not Sedin. He would rather take it like a bitch and then cry to the ref. This team has zero balls and I cannot believe that this is a series.

*The Bruins have been the dominant team all series, crushing Vancouver in Boston and barely losing in Vancouver (all three times by one goal). I fully expect them to win Game 7, because the Canucks are mentally beaten. Luongo is getting the start in net and will have to do much better to raise a cup. Luongo has played like shit in big games. In Games 3 and 4, Luongo had a chance to effectively end the series and last night had a chance to literally end the series. Let's see how he plays with the Cup on the line.

*We have one hockey game left this year. Just one hockey game. The Bruins will win because they are the better, tougher, and more resilient team. Let's bring the Cup back to Boston.

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Top 25 Tweets (Stanley Cup Finals Game 6 edition)

What a game last night, we saw goals, saves, Marchand repeatedly punching Sedin, Gretzky, Horton and Lebrongo getting pulled. Let my followers and those I follow on Twitter narrate the action for you in 140 characters or less. As always, in no particular order.

25. @BrUiNBiThEr22 There playing cowboys from hell! Fuck yea ! #letsgobruins #getchapull

24. @CayTheCreator fuck friday, i want wednesday, 8 PM, stat.

23. @ryan_english128 Offsedin!

22. @brentm52 #timthomasswag

21. @rhondam400 @RyanBurns88 Luongo's 5-hole seems to be anybody's girl most of the time too!

20. @TheDavidBarry Rancourts ready it's time to take to the ice! Tie down the jersey cause it could get ugly tonight shot through the five hole off

19. @PezDOYMost girls out there would also collapse between Boychuk's legs. #TrueBruinsGirlFacts

18. @Dan_Mullen Has to be embarrassing to be called for a diving penalty in Stanley Cup Finals. Oh wait, they're Eurotrash so flopping is no big deal.

17. @KenGriffeyRules Rush - Tom Sawyer, playing at TD garden. A good omen.

16. @FredToucher LUCIC YOU BIG NOSED ANGEL

15. @PezDOY "It's an easy save for me" except for the three you just let in.

14. @MurphysLaw74 The goalie expert has been pulled

13. @Toucherandrich What time is it? Three past Luongo.

12. @FraudeJulien Are those tears? #LeBrongo

11. @TheBruinsBlog Uh oh. How are Schneider's tires looking?

10. @PatrickSull Patrick Beverly playing out of his mind. #grantland

9. @stoolpresidente RT @hhayes20: @stoolpresidente I wonder if Rashard Lewis fucked Luongos wife too

8. @NaokoFunayama Bruins 4 goals scored in 4:14 are the fastest in Cup final history. Montreal had the old mark at 5:36. 4-0 Bs after 1st. #VanBos

7. @SavieCV TT uses a blowtorch and the Jaws of life to trim his beard...hahaa Love it! #Bruins

6. @mark_j_burns If Boston wins the Stanley Cup, an Original Six team will have won the cup in three of last four years. Detroit in 08 n Chicago last year.

5. @scottzolak Ha Sedin u pussy getting housed by Marshmont!!! Pussy

4. @causeway_crowd Brad Marchand is my new hero.

3. @Ryan_Durling: Marchand on why he punched Sedin: "I felt like it." #Bruins #VanBos

2. @RichSlateHaha watching Luongo shit his pants in front of the media is priceless. #Canucks #Bruins

1. @stoolpresidente channel 7 murdered my soul by cutting away right at the question "what does noseface killah mean" and cut away....fuck off brah!

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Roberto Luongo is LeBron James, Tim Thomas not so much

From the Vancouver Sun:

OSTON -Roberto Luongo isn't going to be getting any love from Tim Thomas. Before heading to Boston on Saturday, the Vancouver Canuck goalie told reporters he's had lots of nice things to say about his Boston counterpart, but hasn't been receiving anything in return.

"I've been pumping his tires ever since the series started," Luongo said. "I haven't heard one nice thing he's had to say about me, so that's the way it is." And according to Thomas, that's the way it is going to stay. "I guess I didn't realize it was my job to pump his tires," Thomas told reporters today at the TD Garden. "I guess I have to apologize for that."

Quick question. Has there ever been an NHL player more aware of all the media noise than Roberto Luongo? Usually shit like this is reserved for NBA players and NFL wide recievers. And if you need to be praised, shouldnt your play warrant such glowing words?

I mean, first you criticize Tim Thomas who has outplayed you all series long, and then when asked to clarify, you whine that he hasn't said one nice thing about you all series? Hey dickhead, maybe that's because Thomas is focused on winning a championship for his team, not to validate his "legacy". At this point of the season, if you're worried about praise from the opposition, you clearly aren't as focused as you like to think you are.

Maybe Thomas hasn't praised you because of that whole "12 goals in 2 games" thing. But most likely, it's just because he doesn't give a shit. Luongo, like LeBron James, has this sick obsession with what others say about him, rather than focus on the task at hand. Look at this quote:

Luongo: "But at the end of the day, I'm one win away from winning a Stanley Cup and that's all I really care about now. All the other stuff is noise to me and doesn't really affect what's going to take place for me tomorrow night. To be honest with you, I don't really care."

Oh YOU'RE one win away, just like LeBron last night kept saying I rather than focus on his team. Guys like this are one and the same. Love the press when things are going your way and hate it when there is a sliver of criticism. Its just insane that one guy who has been dominated in this series refuses to accept blame while at the same time, whining that he isn't being praised enough. Stop talking and play hockey, Jesus.

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Top 15 Tweets During Game 5

As a new feature (which I will continue during football season) I am debuting my "Top Tweets of the Night." My followers and those I follow that have the funniest, most informative, wittiest Tweets. This is a way for my followers to get more followers themselves. As well as a way *cough cough* to promote the blog.

So without further ado, here's my top 15 Bruins related Tweets during Game 5 from the Stanley Cup Finals. This is in the order I recieved them.

15. @jessmunroeeoh, and the sedin brothers are identical. another fun fact, thanks versus.

14. @drayna14 Who is number 12 for the Bruins? #WhosThatLady

13. @PezDOYI hope Ference scores and gives this crowd the 3:16 special.

12. @CayTheCreator You scumfucks, don't touch Timmy. You will pay greatly.

11. @Toucherandrich I think the grown-ass Canucks fans banging on the glass really got into the Bruins head there.

10. @LmBruins46RT @BlackandGold8: I'm not sure what the Vancouver fans are chanting, but all I hear is "We Love Cock"

9. @AlbertBreer@GreshandZo Ohio State has 105,000 people at every home game. Bruins don't have that many people WATCHING their regular season home games.

8. @pucksage I think even the #Habs would be ashamed to have Burrows and his diving on their team. #VanBos

7. @GlobeKPDA 12-9 VAN shot edge. Something to build on for first time in last three games? Rumor: B's passing around pix of Aaron Rome tween periods.

6. @PezDOY#Bruins go down 0-2 and no one worries. They go down 3-2 and everyone is shitting their pants. Come on people #BelieveInBoston

5. @GlobeFluto If I'm Julien, I tell players to leave watches behind. They can retrieve them when they return for G7. #bruins

4. @canucks__suck So pissed that the bruins played like a bunch of pussies

3. @Buccigross Thomas raised his save percentage to .937. He will probably win Conn Smythe even if Bruins lose

2. @OldHossRadbourn It is so cute that the Canadian people are pretending if they win the Stanley Cup we won't invade and subjugate them.

1. @HackswithHaggsLuongo on GW goal: "Not hard [save] if youre playing in the paint. It's an easy save for me. But if you're wandering out...its gonna happen"

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Canucks blank Bruins 1-0 in Game 5, move one win away from Stanley Cup

I don't know what it is about the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals but neither team can put everything together on the road. As a result, the home team has won the first five games. That's great news for the Vancouver Canucks (who have home-ice advantage) and bad news for the Boston Bruins who cannot find the back of the net North of the border.

Vancouver won 1-0 last night in Game 5 as Maxim Lapierre scored on a lucky bounce and Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo (31 saves) put his Game 3 and 4 misery behind him.

Boston trails 3-2 in the series and they have to win at TD Garden on Monday night to send this series back to Vancouver on Wednesday for a winner-takes-all Game 7.

It's hard to explain how the B's could pile up 12 goals on Luongo in Games 3 and 4 at home and yet they've so far combined for two goals in Vancouver over three games (1-0, 3-2 in OT, 1-0).

On the same note, Luongo is seemingly a different guy when he's at home. Instead of a mess, he turns into a competent goaltender capable of winning a big game. I will say that the Bruins didn't really test him that much, other than Chris Kelly hitting the crossbar and Patrice Bergeron putting one off his blocker, but they don't ask you how you get it done at this level (unless your name is Tim Thomas).

Thomas (24 saves) was once again the best player on the ice and he deserved a better fate. Can we agree that he's secured the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) regardless if the Bruins win or lose?

Lapierre scored at 4:35 of the third period after Kevin Bieksa shot it off the back boards intentionally and it took a fortunate bounce to Lapierre who was stationed on the other side of the crease. Lapierre didn't get much on the shot but Thomas was scrambling to get in position so he got a piece but he couldn't completely stop it from going over the line. It was nothing like the Game 2 overtime winner which was all on Timmy. This one was simply a lucky play for that dirtbag Lapierre (his second goal of the playoffs) and shit luck for the B's. Raffi Torres had the second assist.

From the start, it was obvious that the Canucks were a different team since they were throwing their body around, a stark difference from Boston where they reverted back to a soft, Eurotrash style game. At times, Vancouver was still flopping and pretending to be on the verge of death (Lapierre after getting slightly poked by Zdeno Chara in the stomach) so I guess that's totally ingrained in their DNA.

Boston got the first three power plays of the evening, all in the first period, but before you could say Gregory Campbell, they were 0 for 3. Claude Julien put Campbell on the power play for over two minutes of action while rookie Tyler Seguin logged only 12 seconds on the man advantage. This is not why the B's lost and I'm not going to dump on Claude too much at this point but really dude? That head scratching move was compounded by the fact that Seguin was one of the only Bruins that had any jump and speed. Most of the other Bruins looked a step slow, victims of the brutal cross-country travel and a 5 p.m. local start (yes, both teams have the same circumstances).

I'm not going to bank on a Bruins win in Game 6 but all signs point to them getting the job done at home one more time. The most important thing is for Boston to get a lead and put some doubt back in Luongo's mind. This series is not over and I'm confident in the proven fact that Boston has bounced back from every tough loss they've suffered this postseason. You know Thomas will show up and ditto for the Garden crowd. Now we just need the Bruins to pop a few goals in and shift the pressure back to Vancouver.

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Well folks, we got a series now

Since Nathan Horton got knocked out in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals (by a vicious cheap shot by Aaron Rome), the Boston Bruins have outscored the Vancouver Canucks 12-1 and most importantly, they've gone from life support to having all the momentum in the world with a 2-2 series tie heading back to Vancouver.

The B's closed out an extremely memorable two games at the TD Garden with a 4-0 win last night in Game 4 that was every bit as impressive as their 8-1 Game 3 ass kicking. One had to wonder if Boston could carry over the emotional response to Horton's injury. Now, I think everyone has to question whether Vancouver has the balls to not only fight back in this series but avoid choking away a 2-0 series lead.

Perhaps nothing signifies the tenor of this series than the two starting goaltenders. Tim Thomas of the Bruins has been dumped on his whole life and now in the biggest stage of his career, he's showing why he's undoubtedly the NHL's best. On the other end of the rink, we had all heard that Roberto Luongo was the outstanding player that somehow usually screws things up (minus the 2010 Olympics, but Canada was a wagon).

Thomas made 38 saves in Game 4 for his fourth career playoff shutout and the third of this magical run. Luongo had 16 saves and he was mercifully pulled in the third period in favor of Marblehead, MA native Cory Schneider (9 saves) by his asleep at the wheel coach Alain Vigneault. Hey, it only came one game too late (since Luongo was left to give up all eight goals in Game 3). As Ryan said, there's no doubt that Louie will be back in there tomorrow night, but yeah, good luck with that. Dude must have the confidence of an ugly porn star at this juncture.

Like every championship team in any sport, Claude Julien and the Bruins can do no wrong right now. Rich Peverley and Michael Ryder picked up the slack on the first line with Horton out and both responded in a big way. Peverley scored twice (his third and fourth of the playoffs) and Ryder (seventh of the playoffs) had another tally.

Brad Marchand continued to be a lovable rat, getting in the Sedin sisters' faces and not backing down from any of the other fake tough guys on the Canucks. Marchand scored the other goal (his eighth of the playoffs, tying a Bruins rookie record).

Peverley opened the scoring with a wrist shot right through Luongo's huge five hole at 11:59 of the first period. David Krejci started the play with a slick one-handed pass while Zdeno Chara had the other assist.

Ryder's goal at 11:11 of the second period was further proof that Luongo was a puddle. It was a long wrist shot that was just slightly tipped by Sami Salo's stick. It went right under Luongo's glove hand. Tyler Seguin and Chris Kelly had the assists.

Marchmont ended it with a backhander following some top-notch work behind Vancouver's net by Patrice Bergeron. Again, another shot that Luongo could have stopped if he was on his game.

Finally, Peverley put in his second at 3:39 of the third period after a sweet move by Lucic that left Kevin Bieksa looking for his jock strap. Lucic threw it at the net (he had a great game by the way) and it ricocheted off Peverley's body. The perfect goal for such a hard-working, versatile guy.

For the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years, they'll have to win a game in Vancouver. Why not Game 5? Get a lead, continue to bury Luongo and I think this is over on Monday in Boston. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves though. This series is far from over and the B's know that. Tomorrow is the third consecutive huge game and the Canucks play great at home.

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Thomas shuts out the Canucks, Bruins tie series

After getting humiliated in Game 4, the Canucks bitched, moaned, whined, and complained about the Bruins.

They probably should have practiced more.

For the second time in as many games, the Bruins' aggressive play not only beat the Canucks on the scoreboard but may have shattered their psyche in the process.

Coach Alain Vaingault of the Canucks stuck with Roberto Luongo in net after he let up eight goals in Game 3 in an attempt to restore confidence in the fragile netminder. Last night however, Luongo continued to be part of the problem for the Canucks.

Boston got on the board at 11:59 of the 1st, as Rich Peverley scored his third of the playoffs. David Krejci made a great play against the Vancouver Defense, poking the puck ahead to the surging Peverley, who the beat Luongo five-hole to put the Bruins up 1-0.

Michael Ryder sniped a shot past Luongo in the second from the left faceoff dot, beating him glove side to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. To be fair though, Luongo said that the puck dropped three feet in the air so it wasn't a bad goal. So basically we have an answer to the question "Is Luongo soft?"

Brad Marchand then took advantage of a hell of a forecheck from Patrice Bergeron, who went behind the Vancouver net, battled one of the Sedin sisters, and fired the puck to the goal mouth. March-mont was waiting on the doorstep, lifting a backhander past Luongo's glove....again. No word on whether that puck dropped. Peverley added a second goal on a centering pass from Lucic to chase Luongo from the game. Former Boston College star Corey Schnieder came in and stopped all eight shots he faced.

Game 5 is Friday night in Vancouver.

*Game Notes*

*How great was it to see Bobby Orr wave Horton's flag pregame? It's a great idea for the B's to bring out all the legends and ifGgame 6 is a possible clincher, I wanna see em all. Give me Schmidt, Orr, Bucyk, Bourque, Neely, Sweeney, Blake Wheeler, etc. Well maybe not Wheeler.

*Vancouver stayed true to their game plan, being passive and afraid to engage any Bruin at any point throughout the night. Early on, the Versus cameras picked up Marchand slashing Henrik Sedin repeatedly before a faceoff. What did their CAPTAIN do? Nothing. Just stood there and took it like a bitch. Just inconceivable that a captain and supposed leader would take such punishment from the smallest guy on the ice.

*It got better later on, as Marchand knocked over Ballard and then ducked to avoid a hit from Sedin, prompting Ballard to engage Marchand, who unlike Sedin, stood up for himself. Adam McQuiad then dropped the gloves and attempted to fight Ballard, who bitched up and turtled. Textbook Vancouver.

*My favorite moment came during the third, when Burrows repeatedly chopped at the stick of Tim Thomas. After a while, Thomas said fuck this and plowed Burrows (although he called it a love tap) to the delight of the raucous Garden crowd. Dennis Seidenberg came into the crease and took Burrows out. Classic. The scrum ended when Marchand once again messed with Sedin and gave him the best face wash I have ever seen.

*Luongo is mentally screwed and both he and Vingnault are to blame for leaving him in in Game 3 to get lit up to the tune of eight goals. There is no chance that he sits on Game 5 in Vancouver but one has to wonder whether or not he has psychologically taken himself out of the game.

*While the Canucks as a team are dispicable, I still am shocked that the Green "Men" aren't floating down the Charles right now. Especially after reports surfaced that they attempted to place a Canucks jersey on Bobby Orr's statue outside. Really, how dumb do you have to be? If I were a Boston cop, I would have looked the other way while the Big Scary Man Guy beat the shit out of both of them.

*The whole team is mentally drained. The last two games have been embarrassing for a team that led the NHL in scoring this season. And this is all on them. From the bite, to the Burrows vegetarian joke, to Lapierre, to the hit on Horton and beyond. This team is already beaten. Mentally checked out, and there is no doubt in my mind that the Bruins win in six.

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Bruins annihilate the Canucks 8-1 to get back in the series but it comes at a huge price

Well this has gone up about 12 notches in terms of intensity.

It's one thing for Alexandre Burrows to bite Patrice Bergeron's finger in Game 1 (which went unpunished by the NHL) or Maxim Lapierre to mock Bergeron in Game 2, but things took on a much more serious tone with the actions in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals last night at TD Garden.

The Bruins roared to an 8-1 win, getting them back in the series and cutting Vancouver's lead to 2-1. However, it came at a big price as Boston's first line winger Nathan Horton was blindsided by Canucks scrub defenseman Aaron Rome.

Horton was carted off on a stretcher and spent the night in Mass General. He has movement in all his extremities but also a severe concussion for his troubles. He's done for the rest of the Finals while Rome was suspended for the rest of the series.

I've never been more upset over a play in my life (real talk) and that's why I waited until now for some of the venom to wear off before I blogged. Still, it was a reprehensible play by a team that gets scummier and dirtier by each period.

I couldn't be more proud of the way that the Bruins responded to that incident which happened only 5:07 into Game 3. Rather than just turn it into a bloodbath, they hit Vancouver where it really hurts: on the scoreboard. They also played with a real edge, not backing down to any challenge and when the score was safely secure, they proceeded to beat the hell out of the Canucks in the third period (145 penalty minutes combined, second most in Finals history).

Seeing Boston explode for eight goals (second most in Finals history) after struggling to score two goals combined in Games 1 & 2 was the most surprising part of last night's blowout.

Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (40 saves) erased Game 2's bitter ending with another strong performance. Conversely, Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo (30 saves) was extremely shaky as he allowed four goals in the second and third periods.

Don't ask me why Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault let Luongo take his beating in the third period. I certainly enjoyed it though, hopefully it has a carryover effect to Game 4 which is also a must-win for the B's.

Shawn Thornton made his first appearance in seven games, stepping in for the ineffective Tyler Seguin. I didn't like the move when it broke on Twitter right before the puck dropped but Claude Julien looked like a genius (for once). Thornton only played 5:50 before he received a bogus game misconduct in the third (for being too tough?) but he very clearly gave the Garden and his team a jolt of energy. He threw a huge hit right on his first shift and also drew a penalty that led to a power-play goal.

Haha yup, this game was so crazy that Boston scored two power-play goals and two shorthanded goals and I didn't even mention it until now. And for the record, Vancouver's All-World power play is 1 for 16 in the first three games of the series.

After a scoreless first period that was all about the Horton incident, the Bruins woke up with a goal 11 seconds into the second period. Andrew Ference's shot from the point had eyes and it got through traffic past Luongo. Ference's third of the playoffs was assisted by Rich Peverley and David Krejci.

Recchi had his second power-play goal in two games at 4:22. His attempted pass was deflected in off Ryan Kesler's skate. Recchi's fourth of the playoffs was assisted by Michael Ryder and Ference.

From there, Brad Marchand turned in the play of the game. Boston was shorthanded and Marchand stole the puck from one of the Sedin sisters in his defensive zone. He chipped it off the boards to himself and beat a defender before coming in on Luongo. He waited him out and then roofed it (his seventh of the postseason), a stunning beauty of a goal at 11:30.

Krejci's snipe at 15:47 (11th of the playoffs, assisted by Ryder and Zdeno Chara) ensured that the Bruins weren't going to be swept and there would be a Game 5 on Friday in Vancouver.

Daniel Paille's shorthanded goal at 11:38 (his third of the postseason) of the third was a great reward for a stellar game from the penalty kill specialist.

Jannik Hansen (third of the playoffs) broke Thomas' shutout at 13:53 off assists to Raffi Torres and Lapierre.

Boston stepped on Vancouver's throat with three goals in the final 2:21 of Game 3. Recchi (from Marchand and Patrice Bergeron), Chris Kelly (fifth of the playoffs from Paille and Chara) and Ryder (sixth of the playoffs, on the power play from Tomas Kaberle) had the honors.

Game 3 was incredible (other than Horton's injury) from a Bruins fan's perspective. However, Boston has to bring that same energy and physical play to Game 4 or this series will be over soon with the result none of us want. The Canucks are collectively rattled and the B's have to keep that momentum going. Get a goal early on Luongo and I like their chances to even this up.

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Boston Steps Up For Horton, Look to Even Series Tonight

There was that feeling again Monday.

That same feeling I got when Patrice Bergeron's face met the boards in Philadelphia. The same feeling when Marc Savard got knocked silly by Matt Cooke. But this feeling was worse.

That stomach churning feeling never left me for the rest of the first period, and it stayed there for a while.

Minutes into the contest, Vancouver's Aaron Rome absolutely leveled Nathan Horton at the Canucks blue line, a vicious hit that left the playoff hero motionless for one very long minute. The Garden quieted to a hush, the Bruins' tempers flared and the first period came and went with no scoring.

Then the Bruins opened the floodgates.

The second period was an eruption of offense from the pissed off Bruins, starting with a goal from Andrew Ference just 11 seconds into the period. After a Mark Recchi power-play goal, Brad Marchand beat Luongo with one of the prettiest individual efforts of the playoffs, beating his man and catching Luongo sprawling out of position before lifting a shot into the top of the net. David Krejci added a goal to put the Bruins up 4-0 at the end of the second.

The third period was when things got entertaining. The returning Shawn Thornton got a game misconduct, as did nearly everyone else on the ice. There were dives, more finger taunting from Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic, and oh yeah, four more Bruins' goals. Vancouver added one to break up the shutout but fuck them who cares.

Many people will point to Thornton's return as the catalyst for the Bruins' physical play but as bad ass as he is, this was a team effort of ass kickery. Shit, even Seidenberg fought Ryan Kesler during a commercial break, and I use the word "fight" loosely. Thornton"s leadership can never be questioned, and by simply having him on the bench, the Bruins were a more driven and focused team. Last night was quintessential Bruins hockey. Let's just hope they can win one for Horton and Savard.

Game 4 is tonight in Boston.

*Game Notes*

*In my last post, I said I think I hate the Canucks. Check that, I DO hate the Canucks. Maybe it's because I don't see them as much as teams like Montreal, but what a group of weasels. They were the ones that started this with the Burrows bite on Bergeron, and they only fanned the flames when Lapierre taunted Bergeron in the next game. After the hit on Horton, they opened themselves up to anything that the Bruins had to dish out.

*How absurd was that flop by Sedin? Ference lined him up and made contact with his shoulder. Attempting to draw a penalty when the game was all but over, Sedin grabbed his face as if Ference gave him a haymaker. Shortly thereafter, Sedin spooned Ference and both were given misconducts. Just zero respect for this team.

*I loved when Lucic popped Burrows in the face after Burrows flopped in the third. Lucic then removed his glove and put his fingers near Burrow's mouth. This type of comedy will live on through highlight reels forever.

*Headed into tonight's game, the Bruins will have to juggle their skaters around to account for the loss of Nathan Horton. Shawn Thornton will be in the lineup, and I am assuming that Tyler Seguin will return to the ice for the B's. Julien has not announced who will be replacing Horton on the top line, but both Rich Peverley and Michael Ryder spent time on the first line in Game 3. I would imagine that Michael Ryder would get the call to the top line, as he will benefit from playing with the bruising Lucic and the skilled David Krejci. Look for Peverley to join the third line with Chris Kelly and the returning Tyler Seguin.

*After Tuesday's disciplinary hearing, Mike Murphy made it clear that he would not put up with any "crap" for the rest of the Stanley Cup Finals. Don't expect to see any more fingers in the mouth in Game 4. It's going to be interesting to see not only how the referees will call the game, but also how the Bruins will play their game knowing that the refs are going to try to cut down on the chippiness. The Bruins are going to play their physical game but will have to do so without taking stupid penalties.

*Which Roberto Luongo will show up tonight? He has had a propensity for being somewhat of a headcase and after refusing to get pulled the other night and then allowing eight goals, I wonder where his head is going to be tonight. The pressure of Canada is squarely on his shoulders, and hopefully for the Bruins, they can get after him early.

*I wouldn't say that this game is a must-win, but the B's need this game to split the series and get revenge for the Game 1 theft.

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Are the "Green Men" really coming to Boston tonight?

From Boston.Com

VANCOUVER, British Columbia --The Green Men–the body-suited Canuck superfans named Sully and Force–are excited about their impending trip to Boston for Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. "We're coming, we're going to be loud, we're going to bring it. So be ready," Sully said before the start of Game 2 at Rogers Arena. "It's going to be relentless." "I'm very excited about coming to Boston," Force told us. "It will be a great series, a great game. Canucks take it in four."

Today, the Green Men eschewed the Ben Affleck cardboard cut-out from Game 1 and brought a really old school Boston icon along ... Norm from Cheers. In a press conference in Vancouver on Friday, Sully and Force announced that online travel company Travelzoo will pick up the tab for around $3,700 bill for the airfare to Boston, hotel costs, and tickets to Game 3 and 4 at the Garden. "Travelzoo was the first company that was really cool about it," Force said regarding the sponsorship deal on Friday. "They wanted to make sure we got to Boston."

These guys are number 4 on my list of why I hate the Canucks. "We're gonna be loud? We're going to bring it so be ready?" Who the fuck do you guys think you are? Maybe I would be afraid if this was like the Raiders fans coming into Gillette where there was a legit chance they would kill somebody. But these two guys? C'mon son. What do green men have to do with the Canucks? Not even a clever gimmick either. Spandex suits with pictures of Cliff from Cheers? Real creative stuff. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia must have just been beamed into Canada (obviously four years late).

Really this is more of a Fireman Ed type scenario, two obnoxious blowhards who probably haven't seen more than 3 seasons worth of hockey combined vs a obnoxious blowhard who shows up at NFL games and acts like he's the whole fucking show (what's up Rob Van Dam). Kudos to Brad Marchand for squirting them with water during game one, and kudos to any Bruins fan who has the balls (and drunken decision making) to throw a beer at either one of those tight pants wearing, nut hugging, attention craving losers. More and more, the Canucks are turning into Montreal West. Let's fucking go boys!

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It's Not Me, It's You

The road to the Bruins' current 0-2 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals has been disappointing so far, and I'm sure I'm not the only fan who's been heartbroken. For me personally, the lowest point was when I opened up the Globe yesterday and found myself agreeing with everything Dan Shaughnessy was saying. (I'm surprised Shaughnessy Lite, aka Jeremy Lundblad, hasn't yet pointed out that only four teams in the history of the Stanley Cup Finals have rallied from 0-2 to win and just how much the odds are stacked against the Bruins).

But I realized something. Maybe Shaughnessy is right, maybe the Bruins really are just "the old Red Sox on skates." Maybe it is inevitable that they're going to lose to the Canucks, who admittedly have looked like the better team so far. That doesn't, and shouldn't, take away the enjoyment we've had watching our team this postseason.

The near-heart attack experiences of watching Thomas make yet another impossible save. (Or even Michael Ryder). Seeing Seguin grow up right before our eyes. Praying for Bergeron's recovery after his concussion, and the joy and gratitude of watching him return, playing as if he never had left. The power of Kelly's cage. Having no words for Horton's overtime goals.

Throughout each series, there has been a moment that has made me proud of each individual player (yes, even Kaberle) and the team as a whole. What a ride it's been. There's no reason not to appreciate that. The losses had made me lose perspective, but I've always believed that is the true gift of sports. Our teams do not owe us more than that. Championships are not our divine right as fans. There are only two teams left playing right now, and we're lucky enough that our team is one of them. That we simply have the privilege of turning on our TVs and seeing our guys.

About a month ago, I was listening to the B.S. Report and Bill Simmons had Kevin Millar on his podcast that day. It was just after Manny had retired and that was the main topic of discussion, but inevitably the 2004 Red Sox came up. The last Old Red Sox team. Millar said that the weight of 86 years without a championship, the expectations and the heartbreak and the bitterness, all of it created an energy that the players could feel. It took on a life of its own, and many players crumbled under the pressure. What it finally took was that group of guys with just the right temperament, the "idiots," who didn't let any of that stuff get to them, who just let it all hang out and played the game. Maybe we the fans are partially to blame. Maybe if we'd never created that energy in the first place, we wouldn't have been starved for so long for a championship.

I think we can do better for the Bruins. We're lucky, we really are. We've got a good, young core group of players who should only get better. Seguin is only 19. Bergeron is 25. Horton is 26. Krejci is 24. McQuaid is 25. Rask is 24. Lucic is 22. Marchand is 23. They should get their fair share of chances. Winning any championship is difficult enough. Let's not make it tougher on them. The Bruins are coming back to the Garden tonight. Whatever happens, let's just appreciate them. And things just might fall into place.

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I Think I Hate Vancouver

48 Hours ago, if you asked me for a list of NHL teams that I absolutely, unequivocally loathed, the list would look like this:

1. Montreal Canadiens.

No team can ever match the Habs in my eyes, but after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, I am prepared to say that I hate the Vancouver Canucks.

Granted, its not the Canucks's fault that the NHL didn't suspend Alex Burrows for biting Bergeron, but after last night's game, the NHL has to be ashamed at the way Vancouver handled it.

First, it was a commercial featuring Burrows and the Sedin twins, where they joked that Burrows was a "vegetarian", obviously alluding to the bite on Bergeron.

Then it was former Canadien Max Lapierre taunting Patrice Bergeron, putting his gloved fingers near the Bruins' center's mouth. Smiling brightly, Lapierre's dispicable taunting of Bergeron underscored just how absurd it was that Burrows was not disciplined. In a playoff where we have seen Andrew Ference fined for his use of the finger, it was irresponsible for the NHL to not only not discipline Burrows, but allow the Canucks to poke fun at the situation.

Fnally it was Burrows himself, who scored the first goal of the game, as well as the overtime heartbreaker. I'm convinced that this type of shit only happens to the Bruins. Of course the guy that should've been watching the game with the rest of us was a major factor in the Bruins heartbreak. If you're wondering why this sounds familiar, you're probably thinking of Scott Walker (former Hurricanes forward). And if you don't remember him, congratulations, I just ordered you a pink hat.

Burrows put Vancouver on the board at 12:12 of the first, taking advantage of a Zdeno Chara penalty and squeezing the puck through the inside of Tim Thomas' right arm and his torso, giving the Canucks a 1-0 lead.

The Bruins responded nicely in the second, as Milan Lucic scored on the Canuck doorstep to knot the game at 1. Shortly thereafter, Mark Recchi tipped in a Zdeno Chara dribbler to give the B's a 2-1 lead. The power-play goal momentarily silenced Recchi's critics, who called for reduced time on the power play.

Because they are the Boston Bruins, they allowed a game tying goal by Daniel Sedin midway through the third. Naturally, it was Burrows, whose nasty assist set up Sedin to tie the game. This goal woke up the crowd and deflated the Bruins.

After the teams traded scoring chances near the end of the third, it became clear that Game Two was headed to overtime.

Overtime didn't last long though, as Tim Thomas came waaaaay out of his crease to try to cut down an angle on Burrows. The hungry winger skated around Zdeno Chara behind the net and then stuffed the puck in a wide open goal just 10 seconds into overtime. The puck was barely in the net and the entire Bruins team sprinted down the tunnel.

If Game 1 was encouraging, Game 2 was depressing. The Bruins have serious adjustments to make in tonight's Game 3 at home in Boston.

*Game Notes*

*The rest of this series could of one of two ways. The Bruins have either given their all and it hasn't been enough, or they have fallen short due to a few miscues and errors. I think that it is the latter. Boston is here for a reason, and unlike many critics and writers, I don't feel as if they have played their best hockey. Defensively, they have been solid except for a handful of defensive mistakes. They are however, capable of scoring more even with Luongo in net. The Bruins will have to raise their level of play at home in Game 3 to claw back into this series.

*Mark Recchi has been a hot topic in the last few games, mostly because of his lack of production on the power play, and he is not happy. After the game on Saturday night in which the veteran winger scored on the man advantage, he told critics to "kiss his ass". While it may have been a good sign to see Rex score, i'm curious about his choice of words. Here is a man who has been in the league long enough to know that fans and the media will criticize a player if they are not playing up to expectations. Still, it was encouraging to see Rex get on the scoresheet, especially on the power play.

*I love Mike Milbury, but he came across like a homer during NBC's broadcast of the game, saying that Boston fans should be mad that Burrows was not suspended. While I agree that there should have been disciplined, Millbury's allegiance to the Bruins came across on the screen.

*On Burrows, I think that regardless of the NHL's decision, the responsibility lies with the Bruins inability to stop him all night. He scored twice, assisted once more, and was the best player on the ice. He should have been watching, but he wasn't, and the Bruins failed to contain him, or even make life difficult for him for that matter.

*Due to the fact that the Canucks are winning on the scoreboard and also winning the psychological battle, the Bruins might have to bring in Shawn Thornton to even the score. The next question of course is who to sit. Seguin has came back to earth after his amazing Eastern Conference finals Game 2, but is still relied on to produce offense. Daniel Paille doesn't get a ton of ice time, but he has been a big part of the Bruins PK. I'd like to see Thornton out there, but I don't think that Julien is going to mix up his lines with the season on the line tonight. Look for the lineup to stay the same.

*Did anyone see the commercial for ADT Security? Wow. Creepiest shit ever. It starts with a mobile app that let's you set your alarm system from a smart phone (and probably disarm your system if your phone is stolen), and then shows a hidden camera in a daughter's bedroom that alerts a parent when their child comes home. If you need this, you lost at parenting.

*Eddie Olczyk is pretty brutal at color commentary, and had this to say about the NCAA rugby tournament. Oh yeah, this was during game action. "You know the guys on the outside of the rugby field are called "hookers". Followed by Doc talking forever. Stick to the game and stop trying to be funny. Same goes for the younger guy during intermission who used the word "bite" a million times.

*Not sure what more to say about tonight other than that this game is essentially the season. The Bruins have dealt with adversity and obstacles all playoffs long and tonight is a perfect opportunity for the Bruins to make it a series at the very least. If we lose in six or seven that's one thing, but the B's and their head coach cannot afford to let this opportunity get away.

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Canucks score with 18.5 second left, take Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals 1-0 over the Bruins

I was getting set for overtime in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals last night at the Rogers Centre. I was going to crack another Sam Summer with my buddy, tweet my overtime winners for both teams to ESPN's John Bucigross and pray that the Bruins could find a way to steal it.

Ryan Kesler, Jannik Hansen and Raffi Torres had other plans though as they teamed up for a goal with 18.5 seconds left in regulation en route to a 1-0 Vancouver win over Boston.

Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (33 saves) deserved better since he played outstanding, particularly in the third period when the B's started to skate in quicksand and the ice tilted towards the Canucks. The winning goal wasn't his fault at all either as it was the result of a misplay by defenseman Johnny Boychuk, a great pass by Kesler to start the play, Hansen's pass to Torres and his professional finish.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo is a Gold medal winner as we all know and one of the NHL's best but he's prone to giving up weak goals and juicy rebounds. Not last night. He had 36 saves which is a little misleading since Boston only had a handful of great chances.

Since they're so heavily favored and carry the weight of Canada on their shoulders, a loss in Game 1 for the Canucks would have been huge. The pressure would have mounted and who knows how they would react? Now, I'll say that the Bruins need to win Game 2 or else this series might not go past five games.

Two subplots to come out of Game 1: Alexandre Burrows clearly bit Patrice Bergeron's finger in a scrum after the first period ended. We'll have to see if the NHL comes down hard on him or looks the other way during its showcase series. 2) Dan Hamhuis left in the second period with an injury after flipping Milan Lucic near the boards. He's one of Vancouver's top two defensemen so his loss would be a big one.

The Rogers Arena crowd was pumped during the pregame but the B's (and refs) systematically took them out of it. There were a ton of penalties on both sides but each team went 0 for 6 on their power plays.

The good news is that Boston's penalty kill was awesome but they won't keep that up if they continually put Vancouver's lethal power play (28%) on the ice. Ditto for the Bruins' pathetic power play which has now dipped to 7% in the playoffs. They had a four-minute advantage in the first period that they couldn't cash in on despite nine shots and a 5 on 3 in the second period that didn't give them anything tangible except a partial breakaway by the Canucks.

There's an extra day off before the pivotal Game 2 on Saturday night. I have faith that Thomas will play great again but the real question is if the Bruins can solve Luongo and stay out of the penalty box?

Hell yes! Woooooo! Bruins reach their first Stanley Cup finals since 1990

I never played a day of organized hockey in my life so I'm not going to sit here and claim that the Boston Bruins have been my everything since I strapped on a pair of skates.

However, I will say that as I've gotten older and the three other Boston professional sports teams have all won championships in the last decade, the Bruins have become the last place for a real fan existence that you can find in this town. Up until now, the B's haven't been trendy, they always let their fans down and they are one of the most frustrating franchises in sports.

Well no more complaining from me or other true Bruins fans as they won the Eastern Conference finals last night by virtue of a scintillating 1-0 Game 7 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden.

Boston is back in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1990 and they'll get it started on Wednesday in Vancouver against the Canucks.

It's only fitting that their epic series was capped off with one of their greatest wins in franchise history. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas made 24 saves for his second shutout of the series and Nathan Horton had the game-winner at 12:27 of the third period (his eighth of the playoffs) to send the Garden into delirium.

People hate on soccer when it's 0-0 but it's hard to picture a hockey game being much more exciting even though both teams failed to score a goal for over 52 minutes of regulation. Unlike the NBA where the refs have to be front and center all the time, the NHL refs assigned to the game last night stayed out of the way and didn't call a single penalty (first time that's happened in 20 years)!

When Milan Lucic was stuffed on a breakaway on the first period, it was clear that Lightning goaltender Dwayne Roloson (37 saves) was sharp and it would probably be a very low scoring game.

Kudos to Tampa Bay for playing their asses off. Star Steven Stamkos took a Johnny Boychuk slap shot right off his nose in the second period and he only missed a few minutes of action. His face was disgusting but I have a new found respect for him since he sucked it up and got right back out there.

Andrew Ference started the goal with a long breakout pass to David Krejci. Dangerous David put a perfect backhand pass right between Roloson, a pair of Tampa Bay defensemen and on Horton's stick. All he had to do was redirect it in.

The Bruins will be heavy underdogs against the Canucks, who rolled through the Western Conference, but they wouldn't want it any other way. It's been clear in the postseason that this is a different Bruins team. They're not the choke artists of the past as they proved again and again (beating Montreal in a Game 7 overtime, sweeping the Flyers, beating Tampa Bay in another Game 7).

I'm not making any predictions but I think it's going to be a really good series. You have to remember that Vancouver has never won a Stanley Cup in their 40 years of existence (a longer drought than the B's by a year) so it's not like Boston's facing Detroit or something. The Bruins have Thomas, Zdeno Chara and a team full of guys that know their roles and don't get rattled.

Hockey in June! Pinch me.