Hoser Homestand

It's a good thing I don't write for a living, at least as far as a media member is concerned.  Between the writer's block and my proclivity for procrastination, I could never, ever meet a deadline, even a self-imposed one.

And because I've been somewhat lazy lately, in conjunction with a full slate of Bruins home games, I am now facing a huge backlog of recaps.  Rather than create separate entries for each game, it's probably best that I do one mega post, as I actually have a decent amount of photos I've collected along the way. Even better, I actually have a common thread amongst the games which only helps to give some flow to my writing.

You see, it is a rarity in today's NHL to have back to back home games featuring opponents from the Great White North.  But with the relocation of the Thrashers to Winnipeg and their subsequent retention in the southeast division, the schedule was to include an additional two games against a Canadian franchise, thus increasing the chances of consecutive games against teams from America's Hat.

And thus, through the miraculous dealings of the NHL schedule makers, the Bruins were set to play not one, not two, not three, but four! games against Canadian franchises: 

First up, the Calgary Flames on January 5th

The Bruins kicked off the new year with a 6-1 dismantling of the Devils and Hall of Fame goalie to be Martin Brodeur in New Jersey.  They then returned to the Garden the following night for their first home game of 2012. Against an depleted lineup missing many regulars, the Bruins showed no signs of fatigue and gave the visitors from Alberta a beat down with Tuukka Rask pitching a shutout as the B's exploded for nine goals (two each from Patrice Bergeron and Nathan Horton), chasing Flames starting Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff midway through the second period.

Being one of the few Canadian representatives from the Western conference, Calgary appearances in Boston are somewhat rare, occurring every other year at best. And this was the first time I've seen them since I started this blog, thus providing me for a chance to scrutinize their uniforms.

Frankly, I'm not a big fan of their current look.  They use one of the worst templates to come out of Reebok's evil design minds in the 2007 league-wide edge system redesign.  The piping along the sides is extraneous and the striping up the sides is incongruous with the rest of the horizontal striping featured on the sleeves, hemline and socks. And don't get me started on the inclusion of the shoulder flag patches for Canada and the province of Alberta - completely nonsensical. The only thing these really have going for them is the color combination. I like the use of red as the base color for the home uniforms as opposed to the black they used to use for their black alternate/home sweater.

Personally, I liked their 1995-2000 set best.  I like the italicized font as well as the addition of black accents which made the red and yellow pop. The hemline that was bisected by a diagonal stripe of the same design was a unique element that no other team used and it worked. Of course, I loved their original look with the white, red and yellow design they carried over from their time in Atlanta.  Speaking of which, the Flames also have one of the best features in all of hockey - the assistant captains 'A's are actually miniature versions of the Atlanta Flames logos, perhaps the best homage to a teams' roots in all of the major sports leagues.

To be honest, I had very low expectations for seeing Flames sweaters at this game.  It was a Thursday night and Calgary really has no ties to Boston, not a major college student component and no minor league affiliate located in New England.  Yet I was quite surprised to see decent representation in the Garden.  Here's a quick rundown of my highlights:

Current Miikka Kiprusoff home replica

Jay Bouwmeester current away replica

2011 Jarome Iginla Heritage Classic replica

Sure, go ahead and make the usual McDonald's remarks.  Fact is, I like these because they were so different.  Plus they were paired with white pants when the Flames took on the Habs in the 2011 Heritage Classic.

Current Jarome Iginla alternate (throwback) replica

When I see this design, it's hard not to think of Lanny McDonald and the 89 Cup winning team.  I  love this design and I'm so glad Calgary brought it back, if only as an alternate to their current monstrosities.

2007 Wayne Primeau away replica

My photographic skills aside (love the sepia tone, it was an accident), this was as obscure a Flames sweater as I found all night.  I actually liked this design, save for the flaming horse logos on the shoulders.

2010 Jarome Iginla Team Canada away replica

After the Bruins dispatched the Flames, it was onto the most anticipated game of the season - the rematch of the Stanley Cup Finals against the hated Vancouver Canucks on January 7th.

For whatever reason, the NHL powers that be scheduled this for a 1:00 afternoon start on a Saturday.  In a way, this was a good thing as I can't even imagine what time Heather and I would have to get into the Fours to make sure we got seats if it started later.  Well, that and the fact that a night start would have meant that people were going to be overly lubed in the Tom Brady sense.

As it was, Heather, Pete and I met up at the Dunks next door around 9:30 am for some iced coffees as we awaited the Fours' opening at 10. 

We made our way upstairs and being the first ones on the scene, we had our choice of seating.  So we went with the same seats we had for game 7 of the finals.  Why the hell not? This was our chance as fans to gloat over winning the Cup.  Cornelius joined us shortly thereafter and brought his mini Stanley Cup.  And frankly, what better way to savor some fine Jameson's than to sample it from a small replica of Lord Stanley's silver chalice? Well, other than the real thing, I mean.  The rest of our crew made their way into the bar, including Tim, Maureen and the seat 11 guest of the day, Robyn, for some pregame shenanigans.

Having done some significant damage to our collective livers, we headed in for the game.  To be honest, going in to this game, it felt like we were dealing with house money.  Sure, two points were on the line, but if the Bruins lost, it wasn't going to be the end of the world.  We were playing a Western conference opponent after all.  However, the Vancouver media fanned the flames (yeah, I mentioned Vancouver and flames, something they have experience with) all week long leading into the game, bitching and moaning about the Bruins.  And there was the small fact that Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault chose to start backup netminder Cory Schneider in goal over our favorite whipping boy Roberto Luongo. This move was made under the lame guise that it was a chance for the Marblehead native to play before his friends and family, despite the fact that he was afforded that opportunity in the finals not once, but twice when Bobby Lu was yanked for being a complete sieve.

In reality, we really, really wanted the Bruins to win.

Alas, the game sucked.  Vancouver resorted to their typical punch and hide tactics, failing to stand up for themselves and slinking behind the refs after instigating the Bruins.  The B's were suckered into the Canucks' tactics, getting caught up emotionally and getting thrown off their game.  They took retaliatory penalties, exacerbated by a refereeing crew that blew it big time by tossing Milan Lucic from the game four minutes in for supposedly jumping off the bench on an illegal line shift to help out Shawn Thornton who was being attacked by no fewer than six Canucks.  In actuality, Looch was on the ice legally and the penalty should never have been called, a fact that was confirmed after the game when the league announced that Looch's match penalty had been rescinded. However, the ineptitude of the refs lead to Vancouver having a 5 on 3 power play in which they scored the first goal of the game.

Brad Marchand's clipping penalty on Sami Salo led to another early exit for a Bruins left winger and the combination of Vancouver man advantages and the Bruins' undermanned roster lead to a total of four Canuck power play goals which were enough to hold off the B's three tallies.

I was pissed after this game.  Not because we lost, but more because of how we lost.  The Bruins were suckered in by Vancouvers' weaselly ways, taking dumb penalties when they should have been focusing on playing hard. I could never root for a team like the Canucks.  Their players aren't tough and  don't stand up for their actions. I'd say they have more bark than bite, but we all know Alexandre Burrows by now.  If the Bruins played like Vancouver, I'd have no problem calling them out on their style of play.

Because this was the most demanded ticket in town, I figured that there wouldn't be many Vancouver fans in the house.  I mean, why ever would they want to come here when we were the ones that beat them for hockey's ultimate prize? They'd be ripped on and ridiculed.

Surprisingly, there were a decent number of away fans there. And there were a couple of sweaters that stood out:

Current Roberto Luongo home replica

Current Alexandre Burrows home replica

Of all the players to wear, these two schmucks went with the two most hated players on the Vancouver roster. This was the equivalent of wearing "kick me" signs. Seriously, there couldn't be two less respected players by the Bruins' fanbase than these two asshats.

Next on the docket was a matchup on January 10th with the second team to abandon Atlanta for colder Canadian climates, the new incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets.

This was second of two home games against the Men form Manitoba, with the Bruins having won the first matchup 4-2 on November 26.  I touched briefly on the Jets sweaters in my recap from that game. However, with this being another midweek matchup against a relatively obscure opponent, my expectations for sweater sightings were relatively low.  Sure enough, I barely saw any Jets sweaters, never mind ones with players names and numbers on them.

There was one glaring exception to this.  And I didn't even happen upon it until we were on our way out of the Garden after the game:

Early 90s Teemu Selanne Winnipeg Jets (1st iteration) home replica

When I think of the old Winnipeg Jets, the first three players that come to mind are Dale Hawerchuk, Keith Tkachuk and Teemu Selanne. You could add in Bobby Hull as well, but I didn't have a recollection of seeing him play live.  But Selanne, a certain hall of famer, burst onto the scene in the 1992-3 season, putting up insane numbers as a rookie.  The Finnish Flash finished with 76-56-132 totals on the season.  It was so memorable to me because here in Boston Joey Juneau had a hell of a rookie season, posting 32-70-102 totals.  But those stats, as great as they were, couldn't hold a candle to the numbers put up by the new kid in Winnipeg.

As far as the old Jets sweaters are concerned, this is my favorite of their three looks, with simple matching hem and sleeve striping and a unique take on the red, white and blue color combination. 

You can also see the current Jets away sweater in this picture. At first, I wasn't sure that I liked them.  The combination of the long vertical sleeve stripes with the horizontal stripes looked weird.  I also wished they had used red as an accent, not just on the crest.  But after seeing them in person, I think I like them.  The font used for the name and numbers is clean and simple, yet modern.  And the use of the two shades of blue is enough to clearly differentiate them from the Leafs, unlike the virtual knockoffs Tampa Bay broke out this season.  They aren't my favorite, not by a longshot, but they aren't the worst, either.

Two days later, it was time for a matchup with our real rivals, the Montreal Canadiens. As much as we collectively hate the Canucks, let us not forget that we have years and years of epic battles with our fellow original six team from La Belle Province. Too many men on the ice, anyone?

This was a big rebound game for the Bruins.  The loss to Vancouver was an emotional letdown.  And the Bruins played a very sloppy game against the Habs.  Sure, they had a two goal lead before giving up a late score at the hands of Yannick Weber.  They held on for the win and the crucial two points.

But the real story of the game was about a player who began the night as a Canadien, but would finish it in a Boston cab en route to Calgary.

Mike Cammalleri (one of the few Members of the Tribe in the NHL, btw) skated 9:02 of ice time before he was told to go to the locker room and change into his street clothes by Montreal management.  Seems that his recent comments about the Habs playing like a bunch of losers hastened his departure from Montreal and in an effort to protect his trade value, he was pulled from the game midway in. This isn't the first time a player has been taken out of a game in order to facilitate  trade, but this usually happens at or around the trade deadline.  Something like this at this time of year is virtually unheard of.

So it was kind of funny when we ran into this guy at the Fours after the game:

2011 Mike Cammalleri home replica

Can we call this a throwback?

In actuality, this guy was fun to chat with and he took our jesting in stride.  We need more fans, both home and away, with a sense of humor and self-deprication.

Now for some housecleaning:

There really haven't been any standout Bruins sweaters in the crowds this year.  Entirely understandable as most fans seem to have taken a shine to the recent cast of characters donning the spoked B.  But in these last few home games, there have been a few that came out of the woodwork that deserve special recognition:

1970 Johnny "Pie" McKenzie away replica

Special points to this guy because I just haven't seen many 1970s throwbacks other than the usual smattering of Orrs, Espositos, Cheevers and Bucyks. Plus, I've had the pleasure of meeting Pie a couple of times.  He's a really nice guy.

Late 80's/Early 90's Reggie Lemelin home replica

I've seen a bunch of Andy Moog replicas at the Garden over the years, but there aren't a lot of the player who made up the other half of the best goaltending tandem I've seen play for the Bruins until this year's combo of Timmay and Tuukka.

Late 980's/Early 90's Bobby Carpenter away replica

This is one of my favorite sweaters ever.

To understand why, you need to know that both Bobby and I grew up in Peabody and went to high school at St. John's Prep in Danvers. Sure, he finished up in 1981 and I graduated 13 years later. At the time, he was the highest American ever picked in the NHL entry draft (#3 overall to Washington).  I remember looking at old yearbooks in the Prep's campus ministry office once and happened across the 1981 edition.  In the back of the book was a full page feature of the day the media came to campus to interview Bobby ahead of the draft. He was big news back then, even making the cover of Sports Illustrated wearing his Prep uniform and labeled "The Can't Miss Kid". As an impressionable youth, this was fascinating and awesome.  When the Bruins traded Steve Kasper to the Kings to acquire Carpenter in 1989, I was elated. Harry Sinden had a propensity to stockpile local players, but for the most part they were never start players.  Bobby had a couple of 25 goal seasons while wearing the black and gold, but he also missed most of the 90-91 season when he shattered his kneecap when he fell into the endboards in a game against the Habs. His Boston tenure ended when he signed back with the Caps prior to the 1993-4 season.

2010 Zdeno Chara Slovakia men's national team home replica

Sure, I see plenty of USA Tim Thomas sweaters at the Garden as well as the occasional Patrice Bergeron Canada one and there's a guy that has a Marco Sturm Germany sweater, but this was the first Chara or Slovakia one I've seen. Cool.

And finally, the piece de resistance:

1985-6 Claude Julien Quebec Nordiques away replica

This, dear friends, is the early leader for sweater of the year.

I ran into this guy on my way to the Fours before the Montreal game. It blew me away.

Our Claude (is an awesome Claude, btw), played but two seasons for the Nordiques, wearing number 34 for his one game appearance in 1984 before switching to number 12 when he played 13 games the following year.

But it is the combination of a relatively obscure NHL career with a beautiful defunct (ok, relocated) franchise sweater and the fact that the B's were playing Montreal (a team that the Francophile Julien used to coach) that made this so very epic.

That's it for now.  Hopefully, I can get back on course with the upcoming tilt against the hated New York Rangers in a battle for Conference supremacy.

Playoff Recap: Conference Quarterfinals, Game 1 - Lots of Shots, No Juice

And thus the tournament begins.  The quest for Lord Stanley's chalice begins anew.  Age old rivals face off once more for the chance to complete for hockey's ultimate prize.

Eff that.  Screw the flowery prose. 

B's-Habs, first round of the playoffs.

For the 33rd time, the Bruins meet the Candiens in the postseason.

I remember 1988, when the Bruins ended the 46 year winless streak in the playoffs against Montreal, Reggie Lemelin pumping his fist, clutching his mask, as he lead the Bruins to a 4-1 series victory en route to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1974.

I remember 2004, when the Bruins lost game 7 to Claude Julien's Canadien squad at home on Patriot's Day, a day where Heather and I rushed out of Fenway Park and a blowout loss to the Toronto Blue Jays and raced across the city to the Fours to get our usual pregame fix.

I remember 2008, when the Bruins, now coached by Claude, fell behind 2-0 and won 3 of the next four, only to lose in 7 games to their rivals from the north.

And I most certainly remember 2009, when the Bruins swept the Habs in 4 games, including a Patriot's Day game 3 victory in Montreal as so eloquently described by Jack Edwards:

Which brings us to the latest installment of the rivalry.

Let's see how it played out:

Just the facts, Jack (Edwards)

• Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 1
• (3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Montreal Canadiens

John Blue Plate Special

Playoffs are the one time you do not screw around with tradition or superstition.  If what you have been doing works, you keep doing it.

Playoff beards.  Not touching the Conference championship trophy.  Ray Bourque hitting his goalie with his stick before the game.

Or in our case, ordering the same pregame meal.
So we went with the Naked Orr, teriyaki style with well done onion rings.

And for the record, I trimmed my goatee in the morning.  I will not be touching the trimmer so as long as the Bruins are playing in the playoffs.

Couture Corner

This is the big dance.  As such, it should be treated as a black tie affair.  Leave the jeans and home and throw on a jacket and tie (or the hockey sweater equivalent).

So, did people get the memo?

Let's take a look:

1994 Joe Sakic Nordiques Away

Hey, Nordiques fans hate the Habs as much as we do.  So they're ok in my book (or at least until they get their team back).  And really, that's just a such a great looking sweater.  And I liked Joe Sakic as a player.  After all, he helped Ray Bourque win a cup.  But then again, so did former Montreal great Patrick Roy.  But Roy ended up gretting traded by the Habs to the Avalanche, who used to be the Nordiques. How very convoluted.

Anywho, onto the next one:

Montreal Canadiens/Edmonton Oilers Frankenstein sweater

WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS ABOMINATION?

Seriously, I don't get it. 

The only reason I could see this sweater existing is that it was something that was sold as part of the marketing for the 2003 Heritage Classic. This was the outdoor game played between these two teams in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium.  Or it could be some sort of fan homage to a player who played for both teams, like, say Sheldon Souray, much like the Bruins/Avalanche ones some fans wore in support of Ray Bourque after he was traded.

Except this sweater was berift of any patches or lettering.  And the two designs were not of the same ones worn in that outdoor game.

This just plain sucks.

Game Misconduct.  And a 20 game suspension, too.

The Row 11 Rundown

You'd think for the playoffs that 307 would be playing at full strength, right?  Sadly, this was not the case.

Charla, Kathi and the kids didn't dress for this one and the Kasper Kontingent missed out on the playoffs for the first time in years.

The playoffs is the one part of the year when you want to surround yourselves with the people you know, if for nothing other than insulating you from the myriad of idiots and social scenesters who make thier annual pilgrimage to the Garden.

Needless to say, their presences were definitely missed.

Doosh of the Day

I hate PK Subban.

The Montreal rookie defenseman is immensely talented.  He's fast, he's big.

But he's a p*ssy.

He flops.  He dives.  His theatrics are an embarassment to the game.  And he'll keep on doing it until the NHL and its game officials decide to do something about it such as enforce the unsportsmanlike conduct rule.

A prime example of this last night was when David Krejci was trailing him around the Montreal net, to Carey Price's right, and Krejci got his stick up near Subban's body.  Subban fell over Krejci's stick despite the fact that the stick was not impeding his movement.  Two minutes for hooking for Krecji and the Habs go in the power play.

After reading all that, you'd assume that Subban would be my Doosh of the Day. But he's not.

Nope.  I'm reserving that title for the ignoramus behind be who used a familiar derogatory term for people of African descent when yelling at Subban.  I seriously debated whether or not to confront this lowlife and it pains me to say that I did not.  As much as I hate people making racist comments, had I confronted this drunk individual, the result would probably have lead to a physical confrontation and I really did not want to go that route for a myriad of reasons.

Bruins fans have booed Subban all season long.  A good number of fans are like me and boo him solely for the fact that he is a cheating agitator.  Sadly, though, I get the feeling that a lot of people harbor a dislike of him simply because of his skin color.  And that's just plain sad, especially for people who purport to be fans of the first NHL franchise to employ a black player (Willie O'Ree) and have had other black players play for them (Graeme Townshend, Anson Carter and Sean Brown amongst others).

The Clothes Line

1991 Chris Nilan Home Replica

I tried to figure out what the appropraite NBA, NFL or MLB analogy would be, but truthfully, I couldn't come up with one.

So I'll explain it this way:  Chris "Knuckles" Nilan was born in Boston, went to Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury and played hockey at Northeastern University where he was star hockey player.  He grew up a fan of the Big Bad Bruins of the early 70's.

And then he got drafted into the NHL.  By the Montreal Canadiens.

Not only did he play for the Bruins' hated rivals, he was the Habs' goon.  He was dirty.  He injured many players, including Rick Middleton with a heinous butt of his stick end into Nifty's mouth.

He won the Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1986, but was traded to the New York Rangers in 1988.  Montreal and New York, a Bruins fan's most hated teams.

And then in the summer of 1990, Nilan was traded.  To his hometown Bruins.

For a Bruins fan such as myself, this was hard to fathom.  Here was Nilan, a guy we absolutely hated for his play and for the fact that he played for our main rivals, but at the same time a native Bostonian.  It was a dictotomy and quandary.  But somehow, we warmed up to it.

In 1991, he was named by Bruins coach Mike Milbury to the Wales Conference All Star team.  Even Bruins fans scratched their heads about this selection.  And it eventually lead to changes in how the ASll Stars squads were selected in the future.  But he also set an NHL single game record for penalties with 10, totaling 42 minutes in the box.

But his play went downhill and he was released midway through the 1992 season. And then he was picked up off the waiver wire - by the Canadiens.

During his retirement, he was arrested at the South Bay Shopping Center in Dorchester for stealing a bathing suit.  He was also implicated in a ethics violation for his involvement with the CM hockey program.

But despite his stint with the Bruins, he will always be associated with the Habs.

And for that sole reason, this sweater should have been left at home for this series.
 

Normally against Montreal I wear my 1991-2 throwback Neely. The reason being Cam was on that 1988 team that beat the Habs.  But for some reason I wasn't feeling it and went with the 1970 Bobby Orr, as this was from when the Bruins won their fourth Stanley Cup.

It backfired.

I'll be breaking out the Neely for game 2.

The Lobel Prize

Montreal dressed only one former Bruin for game 1: Hal Gill.

Gill went 0-0-0  with no shots on goal in 22:34of ice time.

The Bruins lost, but Gill didn't factor greatly in the result.

The Home End

This was beyond frustrating.  Ex-BC Eagle Brian Gionta scored only 2:44 into the game and took the wind out of the sails for the Bruins and their fans.  The Bruins fired 31 shots at Carey Price, including 18 in the second period.  But the Canadien backstop was up to the task, stopping everything coming his way, even though the majority of shots were aimed directly at his chest.  The Bruins were a step behind all night and downright sluggish in the third.  The forwards did little to create traffic in front of the net and the defensemen were slow to move the puck and hesitated on their shots allowing Montreal to block the shooting lanes.

Gionta would pot his second goal of the game at 16:42 of the third and any chance of a Bruins comebackwas effectively stopped when Zdeno Chara took a dumb roughing penalty 46 seconds later.  Tim Thomas faced only 20 shots, but let in two and was not at his best.

It wasn't a blowout and it's only the first game of the series.  But game 2 will tell us a lot about this Bruins team and how this series could go.  We'll find out on Saturday night.

Postgame Recap: March 24 - Blow Habs, Blow

This was the big one.

Quite possibly the most anticipated game of the season and possibly the last few years, this was the first game against Montreal since Zdeno Chara took out Max Pacioretty by checking him into a stanchion at the Bell Center on March 8th.  Since that fateful night, the respective fanbases have been whipped into a frenzy over the hit.  The media in both markets have only fanned the flames. Reports of 9-1-1 calls in Montreal to bitch about the hit.  Possible police investigations.  Rampant bitching by the Habs fans despite their blatant hypocrisy. 

For the record, my take on the hit was that it was clean, but unfortunate nonetheless.  Had Chara hit him two feet further up the ice, it's nothing more than a check into the boards.  Chara was assessed a 5 minute major for interference and was given a game misconduct.  Those calls were fair and all that were needed to officiate the situation.  No suspension was deserved nor was one meted out by the NHL.

And so all eyes were on the TD Bank Garden on this Thursday night.

Let's see how it played out:

Just the facts, Jack (Edwards)

• Regular Season game #72, home game #35
• Boston Bruins (40-22-10, 1st in Northeast Div.) vs. Montreal Canadiens (40-27-7, 2nd in Northeast Div.)
• Sixth and final meeting of the season between these two teams with the Habs taking 4 out of 5 thus far.

John Blue Plate Special

After a really bad road trip and having missed out on the Devils game two days prior, I told Heather that it might be time to change things up as far as our pregame meal went.

She agreed.

So we went with the Naked Orr, teriyaki style with well done onion rings.
Heather's not a fan of cheese or veggies on her steak tip sub (though I am), but I'm willing to take one for the team in the name of good mojo.  And the teriyaki marinade makes up for it.  The one the Fours uses has Chinese five spice powder in it and it really adds a whole other dimension to the dish.

Couture Corner

As always, there's fairly decent representation from the Habs fans and some of them break out the formalwear for the evening.

Let's take a look:

Late 60's Jean Beliveau Away

One of the all-time greats and by many accounts a true gentleman.  Except he was a Hab, so he sucks (in a Derek Jeter/Yankees way).

Mid-80's Larry Robinson Away

Another Hall of Famer.  But he was a Hab and later coached the Devils.  Screw him.

Early-80's Guy LaFleur Away

"The Flower" sucks.

The Row 11 Rundown

Being the biggest game of the year, you'd better believe the entire 307 crew was in the house for this one.

Doosh of the Day

Normally, with the Habs in town, I have a real sense of dread leading up to the game because more often that not some fans will act like idiots and ruin the atmosphere, whether it's misguided jingoism, acting like jerks to other fans or not paying attention to the game.

But you know what? It didn't happen at this game.  At all.

With so much at stake, people that were at this game were there for one reason - to see the game and nothing else.  This was a battle that was only going to be settled on the ice and not the stands.  Tickets were in high demand - seats in my section were getting five times the face value on StubHub.  This was not a social event to be at, it was a rivalry game at it's best.  People in the seats were fans and fans only.

And because of that it was the best crowd all season long.  No one standing up during play.  No drunks falling all over the place.  No skanky 20 year olds taking pictures of their friends all game long.

And for this I am more than happy to announce there was no Doosh of the Day at this game.

It's a miracle!

The Clothes Line

I gotta be honest.  I found nothing out of the ordinary nor anything worth taking a picture of that would merit discussion at this game.  Then again, I really didn't leave much seat much, even at intermission.

As for what I wore, I broke out the 1991-2 throwback Neely for the occasion.

The Lobel Prize

Montreal has three former Bruins on its roster after the trade deadline with the addition of Paul Mara , joining Hal Gill and Alex Auld.

Let's see how they did:

Mara finished a -1 with 3 shots on goal in 11:26 of ice time.

Gill finished a -2 with no shots on goal in 19:57 of ice time.

Auld stopped 6 of 8 shots in 15:28 of mop-up time after Carey Price was pulled in the third period after giving up 5 goals.  One of the Goals Auld gave up was a 3 on 5 shorthanded tally by Gregory Campbell.

All in all, a very good night for the Bruins.

The Home End

The single most anticipated game in recent memory, this one lived up to all its billing, as far as a Bruins fan was concerned.

A 7-0 shutout where the Bruins had a 3 goal lead after one period, an absolutely fantastic second period where they broke the Habs' spirit and a thrid period where they chased Carey Price and tacked on another 4 goals including the aforemention 3 on 5 shortie, which may have been the greatest demoralizing goal I've seen in the regular season.  Zdeno Chara was an absolute beast, finishing a +3 with 3 assists and 3 shots in 20:49 of ice time.  Tim Thomas notched his 8th shutout of the season and the 25th of his career.

But the best part, other than the fact that this was the game of the year, was that the Bruins demonstrated how good they could be when they use their will and strength to physically beat a weaker opponent.

Postgame Recap: February 9 - Bleu, Blanc et Bruised!

Ah, a Wednesday night in Boston.

The local team is home as they host their bitter rivals.  A team that has featured some of the all-time greats and has quite a few championships to their name.

Celtics-Lakers, you say?

Normally, that would make sense.  But no, it was Bruins - Canadiens in a rare hump day matchup.

I'm not used to this.  The Bruins usually have the Garden on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays while their hardwood brethren lay claim to the building the rest of the week.

But this scheduling quirk does have some redeeming value.  It makes the start of four straight games against Original 6 teams, including a home and home against the Red Wings and a grudge match against the Maple Leafs.

Lets see how it played out:

Just the facts, Jack (Edwards)

• Regular Season game #52, home game #26
• Boston Bruins (30-16-7, 1st in Northeast Div.) vs. Montreal Canadiens (30-19-5, 2nd in Northeast Div.)
• Fourth meeting of the season between these two teams with the Habs taking the first three thus far

John Blue Plate Special

I had a dentist appointment in the morning which meant I was going to get into work late.  Therefore, I figured I might have to stick around the office a little bit longer than normal and leave late for the game.  Fortunately, my workload was less than demanding and I got out around 5:00.  Fought a bit of traffic in Newton Corner approaching exit 17 on the Pike, but got to the Fours around 6:15 when all was said and done.

Managed to snag a seat downstairs right away as I waited for Heather to arrive.  Once she got there, the guy sitting next to me offered up his seat so we could both sit down to eat dinner.  Props to that guy.

As for what we ordered, well, we felt that we've got a good thing going with the Larry Bird in a wrap with bacon, bbq sauce on the side and well done onion rings.  So no reason to change.  Plus, it's just damn yummy.

The Couture Corner

I hate the Canadiens sweaters.  Not because of their style, but simply because of what they represent.  For years, the Habs simply dominated the Bruins, especially in the playoffs.  They won numerous Stanley Cups, often at the expense of the B's.

Even in high school (St. John's Prep), one of our biggest rivals was Catholic Memorial, an absolute juggernaut of a program that has sent many payers on to the NHL.  And of course, their sweaters are patterned off of the Montreal ones:

Ugh.

That said, the design of the Habs sweaters is timeless, befitting of an original 6 team.  I mean, their basic look has carried on virtually unchanged since their inception in 1917.  They've made modest tweaks here and there (mostly with the white sweaters), but have remained true to the original look.

Despite it being a Wednesday night, Habs fans were sure to be out in full force at this game.  And to their credit, they usually show up decked out in their team colors, often in the form of Habs sweaters.

And sure enough, they didn't disappoint.  Let's see some examples:

Mid-80's Guy Lafleur away

Scored the tying goal in the Too Many Men on the Ice game in 1979.

Eff him.

Maurice Richard replica away

Eff him.

The Rocket retired long before the Montreal sweaters had nameplates on them.  This sweater is a mockery.

Eff him too.

Late 70's Ken Dryden home

Backstopped the Habs in 1979. Then he retired.

Eff him.

And he went to Cornell.  I got rejected from Cornell.

So eff him again.

Frank Mahovlich replica away

Again, he never wore this sweater.  And though he was a Hab later on on his career, I always associate him with being a Maple Leaf.

Eff him.

Mid 90's Joe Sakic Quebec Nordiques away

Now we're talking!

If there ever was a team that hated the Habs as much as the Bruins, it was the other team from La Belle Province - the Quebec Nordiques.  And their sweaters were an exercise in beautiful simplicity: Red, white and blue rendered in a unique pallette; the Fleur de Lis from the Quebec flag; the simple hem stripe.

And Joe Sakic was a great player too. A quiet leader who became captain of the Nordiques in the 1990-1 season, it wasn't until the franchise moved to Colorado in 1995 that he lead them to the first of 2 Stanley Cups.  Even better, that Cup win in 1995-6 came with legendary Canadien goalie Patrick Roy in net for them, after he had a falling out with Hab management earlier that season.

Oh yeah, it's good!

And while we're talking about the Nordiques, let me give a shout out to these guys:

A bunch of old Nordiques fans have been showing up at various NHL arenas all season long to show their support for a new/relocated franchise in Quebec City.  They brought 20 busloads of fans to an Islanders game earlier this year.

And you know what? I want it to happen.

I didn't like it when Gary Bettman's NHL saw the Nordiques and Jets move from their strong Canadian fanbases to western outposts in Colorado and Phoenix.  Granted, Colorado has turned out pretty well, building a very solid fanbase of their own and the team enjoying a good amount of success.  But the Phoenix thing is a mess.  Small fanbase, little success and an arena outside of Phoenix.

And the two scorned Canadian cities have made it known that they want franchises.  Winnepeg has an arena ready to go and Quebec City just approved a funding plan for a replacement of Le Colisee Pepsi.

I'm one of those fans who would much rather see a couple of additional teams in Canada than to see franchises in Phoenix, Columbus, Sunrise and Nashville.  Here's hoping this comes to fruition.

The Row 12 Rundown

With the Habs in town, there was no way the usual crew was missing this one.  And we had Pete grace us with his presence in seat 11.

We did have a number of Habs fans who got their hands on a bunch of seats together in row 10.  But you know what?  They were fine, despite a good number of Bruins "fans" who chose to antagonize them for no good reason other than they dared spend their hard earned money to support their team on the road.

Doosh of the Day

This one's easy.  I'm giving it to whomever runs the Garden videoboard.

I'm sick and tired of going to games against Montreal and the director insists on having the stadium cameras focus of fans who are holding up American flags or wearing USA hockey sweaters.

In general, focusing cameras on fans only encourages people to stand up, act stupid and frustrate people who just want to watch the game.  Focusing on people waving flags and whatnot only perpetuates the misguided patriotism and borderline jingoism that idiotic fans tend to associate with a matchup against a Canadian team.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. 'Canadians' does not equate "Canadiens" and vice versa.

And to those who make the argument that the "USA" chants and flag waving are in response to Canadian fans who come to the Garden and refuse to stand up for and/or boo the Star Spangled Banner, spare me.  I've been to well over a hundred games against Canadian teams since I've had season tickets and not once have I seen a Canadian fan boo the anthem or refuse to stand up for it.  But I have seen plenty of Americans who don't take off their hats, talk throughout or act disrespectfully during the anthem.  And never mind the anthem singers (other than the great Rene Rancourt) who butcher the song because they think they are auditioning for American Idol. Want a cause celebre?  Take issue with those fans instead.

The Clothes Line

Plenty of Bobby Orr and NHL 75th anniversary throwbacks in the house for this one, as one might expect.

But the one Bruins sweater that stood out to me was this one:

Late 80's/Early 90's Craig Janney away

The Bruins' first pick in the 1986 entry draft, Janney was one of those guys who came from New England (Hartford), played collegiately in New England (Boston College) and played for the the Bruins. A skilled passer, he was one of those classic "pass, don't shoot" centers who spent his formative years dishing the puck to Cam Neely.

In one of Harry Sinden's greatest moves, he was traded along with defenseman Stephane Quintal to the St. Louis Blues for fellow center Adam Oates in  the 1991-2 season.  Playing alongside Brett Hull, he registered a career high 106 points in the following season.  He spent 3.5 seasons in St. Louis before he was traded away to San Jose.  He bounced around with Winnepeg/Phoenix and Tampa Bay before calling it a career with the Islanders in 1999.

As for my attire, I went with the 1991-2 Cam Neely throwback.  Gotta bring the 'A' game for these matchups.

The Lobel Prize

Hal Gill.  12:56 TOI, 0 shots, 0 points, 0 penalty minutes, -3 rating.

Win.

The Home End

Just when you thought the Dallas game was going to take the cake for most entertaining game of the year, this game comes along.

And it was completely unexpected.

Much like the Spanish Inquisition, no one thought that this would turn out to be both a high scoring affair and a battle royale (is that a Royal Battle in Montreal?).

The Bruins came out strong, building a 2-0 lead in the first on goals by Marchand and Seidenberg a mere 22 seconds apart.  It had the fans thinking of a blowout, but the 2 goal lead rule was still in effect.

Sure enough, the Habs halved the load just 25 seconds into the second period courtesy of another BC product, Captain Brian Gionta.  With Nathan Horton off for hooking, Montreal tied it up on a PK Subban goal at 8:30.  The teams would trade goals to tie the game at 3-3 when Ryder and Lucic scored back to back goals to give the Bruins another 2 goal lead.

Then all hell broke loose:



The end result? 182 penalty minutes, 6 fights (including a goalie fight) and 4 players with game misconducts.

Oh, and the Bruins won 8-6.

Hockeywise, it was ugly, with the Bruins penalty kill allowing 4 power play goals and Tim Thomas clearly not on top of his game.  But at the end of the day, the Bruins took 2 points to cement their lead over Montreal in the Northeast division and showed  again that when they physically impose their will on an opponent they can do some serious damage on both the scoresheet and penalty summary.