Monday, November 22, 2010

Postgame Recap: November 20 - Goalie be Nimble. Goalie be Quick.

Yeah, I know this post is a bit late. But faced with either breaking my vow to blog each game I go to or posting a week late, I'm going to fulfill my obligation to myself and you, the home reader.

So without further delay....

Just the facts, Jack (Edwards)

  • Regular Season game #18, home game #9
  • Boston Bruins (11-5-0-1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (12-6-0-0)
  • First game vs. Los Angeles (Bruins are 1-1 vs. Western Conf. teams)

John Blue Plate Special

I was at an engagement party in Salem earlier in the afternoon. So when it came time to drive into town, I had a couple of options: Drive back to Peabody and hop on 128 or head into Revere on 107.  Fighting mall traffic in Peabody didn't seem like the way to go, so I went the other route.

That was a mistake.  A commute that should have taken 30 minutes took well over an hour. Consequently, I got to the Fours a bit late. Fortunately, Heather and Pete (with a major assist from Ian behind the bar) were able to save me a seat on the Brady shirt side of the bar.

Having stuffed myself at the party earlier (they had a tre-mendous spread!) I wasn't all that hungry.  However, when I took a look at the daily specials on the menu, I know I had to scrounge up some sort of appetite.

Pulled Pork Sliders.

Oh man, they were good.  Now they weren't 'pulled pork', per se.  Rather than the traditional shredded pork shoulder, these featured thin slices of juicy pork loin covered in tangy barbecue sauce and cheese served on a warm and chewy dinner roll.

I really hope they appear on the menu again soon.

The Couture Corner

The Kings are one of those teams that have sported a variety of looks throughout their history. The original Jack Kent Cooke purple and gold, the Gretzky era black and silver and the modern day purple, silver and black.

In addition, LA is a team that traditionally gathers a number of visiting fans to Boston as their top minor league affiliate is based in Manchester, NH.  In the past, sections of the garden have been awash in the garish purple of the Monarchs sweaters. For whatever reason, there weren't a lot of Monarchs jerseys in the house.

That said, there were plenty of Kings sweaters to go around.  We've already seen a renaissance of sorts with the vintage purple and gold look at the Garden for non-kings games, so I fully expected a decent showing on this night.  And I was not dissapointed.

Let's take a look:



Late 80's/Early 90's Marty McSorley

McSorley made his name as Wayne Gretzky's bodyguard who was traded to LA with the Great One in 1987.  Eventually, he made his way to Boston for the 1999-2000 season. He played 27 games for the Bruins, his final one on on February 11, 2000 against Vancouver. The Bruins lost 5-2. But this game will be remembered for something else. It was in this game that McSorley whacked Brashear upside the head with his stick with 3 seconds to go, rendering the Cannuck enforcer unconscious.

So, to recap, this guy is wearing the shirt of a guy on the other team who was also pariah on on the Bruins.

This one is easy:

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No good.

Then we have this guy:



Yeah, I know it's hard to see, but focus on the guy standing up in the second row to the left of the LA bench.

Mid 80's Luc Robitaille.

Robitaille was one of the all time great wingers who had three separate tours of duty with the Kings en route to a Hall of Fame career.

The word from the off ice official?



Good!


The Row 12 Rundown

Slow night in 307.  Heather brought Pete and Chis and Lauren represented the Kaspers.  Patty brought Eric and Paula was there too.  And don't forget the Barrys.  But Charla, Kathi and the kids weren't there.

Doosh of the Day

First, let's announce the runner-up.

With around 30 seconds left in overtime, Linesman Steve Miller took a puck to the head that rang his bell pretty good.  He was down for a while and when he got up, he looked incredibly unbalanced and woozy.  As he made his way back to the locker room with help from his fellow officials, the crowd gave him an encouraging cheer, as respectful fans are wont to do.

Except one guy.  The one who loudly booed him off the ice.

Classless. Completely classless.

But he wasn't the doosh of the day.  No, that dishonor is reserved for someone with a more egregious display of boorishness.

Before the game, the Bruins offered up a short photo montage honoring the memory of former coach Pat Burns who passed away at the tender age of 58 after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

At the end of the display, fans were asked observe a moment of silence.  And the vast majority of the crowd did.  Except one guy.  The jerk who screamed at the top of his lungs ZDENO CHARA!!!

Seriously, that was incredibly poor.  If that guy was in 307, he would have had his ass handed to him by a number of people.  That is no way to honor a man who was a great coach and an even better person.


The Clothes Line

I saw some decent Bruins sweaters, but nothing spectacular.  I did see one guy wearing a Brad Stuart sweater.  That was bit of a head scratcher.  Unfortunately, my phone died and I was unable to grab any decent photos.

As for what I wore?  I wanted to get back to something that was working and that meant a return to the opening night attire - the Milan Lucic alternate. Alas, it didn't work.

The Lobel Prize

The Kings are one of the few NHL teams that do not have a Bruins alum on their roster.  So no harm, no foul on this night.

The Home End

The Bruins started out sluggish yet again and it nearly bit them in the ass as they found themselves down 3-0 before they struck back for 3 unanswered goals to tie it up.  After a scoreless overtime, the Bruins sent five skaters against Kings goalie Jonathan Quick in the shootout.  And not a single one of them was able to get the puck past him.  The Kings capitalized on their final shot and took the extra point.

1 comment:

  1. 1. Not so sure I'd say the Bruins 'came out sluggish.' IMO they dominated the first period and were victimized by a couple bad turnovers and fluky goals.

    2. Analyzing shootouts is painful because they suck, but they need a serious injection of new people into the shootout order. And by the time they get to #4 or #5 they really ought to put Chara in there. Especially if guys are going to keep trying to shoot instead of making a move.

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