Road Trip Recap - Part II: We're on a Mission for Dogs

Road Trip Recap: Part I

This place has got everything!

I've said it many times before, road trips to sporting events are the perfect excuses to visit places that I want to see.  Even though I'd been to Chicago before, I was absolutely dying to go back for a number of reasons.  Besides seeing an Original Six matchup on a Saturday night, there were a bunch of places (mostly food related) that I had prioritized on my itinerary.

Now, for those who don't know me well, or at least the non-rabid hockey fan side of me, in my spare time I fancy myself a bit of a foodie.  If I'm not grilling, roasting, sauteing or baking food, chances are I'm either watching sports or cooking shows on TV. And lots of No Reservations as well.  Tony Bourdain's show on the Travel Channel is pretty much my favorite show on TV and has been for quite some time now.

It was, in fact, while watching his episode where he went to Chicago, that I was inspired to redouble my efforts to see a Bruins/Blackhawks game there.  In particular, there was one specific restaurant I made it my personal mission to hit up on my trip, come hell or high water.

So, let's take a look back at my epicurean adventure in the Second City.

Friday Night

After working pretty much a full day (I banged out an hour early to avoid traffic on the Pike), I headed straight to Logan for our flight on Southwest. I got there in pretty decent time so I figured I'd park in the economy lot instead of central parking, saving a bit of cash in doing so.  However, I misread the signage (not an uncommon occurrence amongst travelers to the Boston airport) and ended up parking in the expensive ($24 a day) lot.  It was a small consolation, then, that I managed to get a spot right near the elevators to Terminal E.

Terminal E is best known as the international terminal at Logan. During the afternoon/evening, the terminal often slammed with passengers making their ways to a host of foreign destinations such as London, Frankfurt or Amsterdam.  Fortunately, Southwest has it's own separate (domestic) mini-terminal within Terminal E, which means the security lines are usually on the small side.  Heather and I zipped through the line and headed over to the Boston Beer Works to grab a snack and a drink during our wait.  I'm a fan of the Beer Works, having been to their Canal Street and Fenway locations many a time. I ordered a pint of Blueberry Ale, Heather had a Victory Red and we split a cheese pizza as we were not looking at getting a real dinner until 10:00 at the earliest.  The beer was good, the pizza sucked and our bartender/waiter was straight out of central casting as an extra in The Town.

Once we landed at Midway, we hopped a cab into town where we were staying at the Holiday Inn Express at the corner of Wabash and Ontario.  Talk about the world's smallest hotel room!  This thing was a literal shoebox.  But, we weren't here to sit in a room and watch TV all day and it had beds, so we were good.

We then headed out and walked two blocks away to the corner of Grand and State to the Hilton Garden Inn that the rest of the crew was staying in.  It is also the home of one of my favorite restaurants in the entire world - The Weber Grill.

The Weber-Stephen Products company is based in Illinois and has its roots at a Chicago steel fabricator.  When it comes to grilling, Webers are pretty much the only way to go, whether or not you're a gas or charcoal aficionado.  Built well and delivering unparalleled performance, they are well worth the money.  I own 2 Smokey Joes and a Q220 for tailgating and a Genesis E320 for the home.  At the same time, they also put out some wonderful cookbooks, including the two I own: Weber's Big Book of Grilling and Weber's Real Grilling.

Ranch kettles in the kitchen of the Weber Grill

But the company also owns and operates the Weber Grill restaurant.  The premise of the place is that all of the food is cooked not under broilers or cooktops, but on commercial versions of the Weber Ranch Kettle, using real charcoal to add wonderful smokey flavor everything they grill.  I'd been there before, having ordered the BBQ combo plate with brisket, ribs, beans and cornbread.  It was awesome.  It was also a ton of food.  But it was so damn good and the smell of smoke permeating the air only added to the ambiance of the place.

So, we met up with the group and sat down for dinner.  Heather went with the Tuscan brick chicken, a take on the traditional pollo al matttone , served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes that she enjoyed so much that she was contemplating using them as a spa treatment.  I played it somewhat safe, given the late dining hour, going with a half rack of smoked St. Louis style ribs with cornbread and bourbon baked beans.  Being in Chicago, I felt that it was only right to wash it all down with a fine local brew, in this case a Goose Island Matilda, a take on a traditional Belgian pale ale.  It was delicious.

The half rack of St. Louis ribs with cornbread and beans

The ribs were fantastic.  The meat was tender, moist and smokey, literally just about falling off the bones.  The cornbread was the moist, cakey type that I love; not too sweet and full of roasted corn flavor.  But what really makes the meal here are the beans.  As much as I love baked beans (hey, I am a native New Englander, after all). these are some of the best I've ever had.  Loaded with beans, onions and burnt ends (the tips of smoked brisket) in a tangy vinegar and tomato-based sauce, they are to die for.  They have the recipe for them in one of their cookbooks, but I don't ever think I could truly replicate the experience of eating them in that perfect of an environment.

Saturday Morning

Hot Doug's
 The Sausage Superstore & Encased Meat Emporium

As much as I was looking forward to going back to the Weber Grill, there was one place that I was absolutely dying to go to: Hot Doug's.

I first heard about Hot Doug's watching No Reservations.  Bourdain was doing his typical shtick hitting up unpretentious holes in the wall with awesome food (which I love, btw) when he traveled to the Avondale section on the north side of town and found a neighborhood joint.  But this wasn't just any lunch counter. Far from it, in fact.

Chicago is home to some of the biggest names in the cooking world, a veritable who's who of modern gastronomy: Rick Bayless, Grant Achaz and Paul Kahan to name a few.  But I'm going to add Doug Sohn to that list, if he's not there already.

Doug's restaurant is a nondescript brick building on a street corner that has about 15 tables total decked out in bright primary colors and decorated with a variety of kitschy hot dog related paraphernalia and vintage posters. He does one thing and one thing very well: tubular steaks, or as he refers to it "encased meats". In other words, we're talking about hot dogs and sausages.

Doug Sohn, the true sausage king of Chicago

The premise is quite simple: he makes a variety of homemade hot dogs and sausages from scratch, often incorporating many high-end ingredients that you'd expect to find at fancy formal restaurants, and sells them at inexpensive prices.  He has a standard menu of items (with a rotating list of celebrity inspired names) as well as weekly specials featuring the 'game of the week' with game meat (currently wild boar) and the 'celebrity sausage of the week'. The place is only open Monday to Saturday from 10:30 to 4:00.

The city skyline from Navy Pier

Heather and I got up early in the morning to take a quick trip over to Navy Pier.  She wanted to grab a picture of her at the Bob Newhart Statue with Bob decked out in her black and gold scarf.  I had a bit more somber reason. My good friend Dave Gonzalez passed away there in an accident a few years back and I wanted to pay tribute to his memory.  It was a perfect sunny morning and there was a race along the shoreline that was finishing up, but the place was nice and quiet.  I grabbed some pictures of the skyline and the harbor and we hopped a cab back to the Garden Inn to meet up with the Barrys.

Knowing that Hot Doug's was a popular place, we decided that we should probably head out around 9:30 to get there when the place opened.  As it happened, the rest of the 307 crew wanted to make the trek with us as well.  Hey, the more, the merrier.

We got on the red line on the El and headed north to the Belmont stop where we switched over to the #70 bus. We got off at the corner of California and Belmont and made the quarter mile walk down to Hot Doug's.  When we got there around 10:20, the line was about 30 people long.  Fortunately, the sun was out and the building blocked the wind, because it was a good 45 minute wait before we made it inside.

But once we got inside, oh man, it was a revelation.

The menu wall

The first thing you notice is the size of the place - not big at all.  The menu is posted on the wall to your right and you wait in line to place your order with none other than the man himself, Doug.  In the meantime, the waitstaff is clearing tables and setting up seats to accommodate your group in anticipation of your order.  Signs posted make it abundantly clear that patrons are not to grab seats until they place their orders.  And because customers adhere to this, the system works as good, if not better than, any wait service I've ever seen.  I could not believe how efficient it was, really.

Doug is awesome.  A jovial character in his black framed glasses, he greeted us with the sort of genteel banter one would expect by wearing Bruins gear into enemy territory.  But it was all in good fun.

What else is a nice Jewish boy supposed to order?

Being in Chicago, there was no way I wasn't ordering a traditional Chicago style dog, a grilled all beef Vienna frank served on a poppy seed bun topped with onions, neon green relish, mustard, celery salt and a pickle spear.  At $2.00, it was beyond a bargain and tasted like pure Chicago-style comfort food.  I also ordered one of the specials of the week: a curry pork sausage topped spinach raita and crumbled blue cheese and drizzled with honey. Damn, it was fantastic.  The sausage was juicy and well seasoned, with the raita adding a creamy, but light vegetal touch and the honey adding a bit of sweetness. The addition of blue cheese was just gilding the lily.  I was blown away. As for a beverage, being the nice little mensch that I am, there was no way I was going to pass up a can of Dr. Brown's, in this case the diet black cherry (hey, I needed something to offset the damage I was doing with the food).

Counterclockwise: Chicken & spinach chicken sausage,
Thuringer sausage, Curry Pork sausage with spinach
 raita, blue cheese & honey, Chicago Dog, duck fat fries

Heather went with the Norm Crosby: A homemade Thuringer style sausage made with beef, pork and garlic.  She also had one of the other specials: a chicken sausage made with mozzarella and spinach.  She held off on the smoked  provolone and pesto aioli, however, choosing to go the naked route.  She loved it.

Tim and Maureen went with the Thuringer sausages as well and Tricia had the chicken and spinach sausage.  I think they enjoyed them greatly.  Paula and Patty were the lone tube steak holdouts, but they provided good company nonetheless.

But the piece de resistance were the duck fat fries.

Yep, you read that right, fries cooked in duck fat.

The legendary duck fat fries

One of Doug's signature offerings, the fries have reached legendary status along with his famed (or infamous) foie gras and sauternes duck sausage.  He only makes them on Fridays and Saturdays, so when we started to plan our trip in the summer, we knew we were going be able to get them.  For a mere $3.50 you get a heaping mound of fresh cut, perfectly crisp shoestring fries that were not greasy but oh so good.  Sadly, we only put a small dent in the basket as we were pretty stuffed from the meaty goodness the preceeded them.

I can honestly say that this is now one of my favorite dining establishments, ever.  I had high expectations to begin with, but this place blew them out of the water.  Just a fun time all around. I will make it a mission heneforth to return sometime (hopefully in the not too distant future).  Kudos to Doug and his staff, you rock.

Saturday Night

Our culinary exploits continued later in the day as we made our way into the United Center.  Having got to the stadium fairly early, we were afforded the opportunity to take an extended tour of the lower bowl and concourses to peruse the many concession offerings available to us.  Still somewhat full from the bounty at Hot Doug's, I wasn't in dire need of further sustenance, especially considering we had postgame plans for dinner anyways.

It wasn't even a quarter of the way around from gate 2 on Madison when it became readily apparent that this was not the TD Banknorth Garden.  Perhaps it's because the concessions are handled by Levy Restaurants and not Delaware North, but the food variety and quality puts just about anything and everything they serve back home to shame.  Besides a huge number of stand alone bars and lounges spread throughout the arena, there is a variety of food stands that sell everything from standard stadium food (burgers, fries, etc.) to Italian beef sandwiches, carved turkey and roast beef, ribeye steak and pork chop sandwiches and on and on.  Granted, you'll pay a bit for some of the offerings, but given the quality (the stuff looked damn good) and variety, fans would be hard pressed to not at least consider buying stuff like this back on Causeway Street.

Needing a little something to tide me over, nonetheless, I looked around for something along the lines of an appetizer, but I really didn't want fries or a pretzel or anything that I could get anywhere else.  Then I found exactly what I was in search of at the Sweet Baby Rays barbecue stand: fried mac and cheese triangles.

I've seen a bunch of bar menus that have had deep fried mac & cheese balls (a take on the popular arancini), but never have I seen it offered at a sporting venue.  I knew I had to try them.  Battered and deep fried, they were perfectly crisp on the outside and gooey and cheesey on the inside.  I shared them with the crew as we took in warmups from behind the Bruins bench and they were universally loved by all.  They went so fast, I wasn't even able to get a photo of them.

After the game, we made our way back towards the hotels and headed over to Pizzeria Due.  Part of the Unos chain, it was recommended to me by a number of friends who have lived in Chicago.  There was no way I was going to Chicago this time without grabbing some deep dish pizza.  It was around 11:00 and I was starving.  I ordered up a personal barbecue chicken for me and the rest of the crew went with two pies, a plain cheese and a sausage. I also went with a Goose Island 312, a light wheat ale that was perfect with such a heavy meal.

The BBQ chicken pizza at Due

It was everything I had hoped for.  Cheese on top of more cheese, tangy sauce, caramelized onions and tender chicken inside a tender crust.  Everybody seemed to throughly enjoy the food.  I managed to have a bit of the tomato sauce on one of the other pies and it was some of the best I've ever tasted.

Was it the fanciest meal I've had? No.  Was it the best pizza I've had? Nope (Todd English's Figs holds that honor for the time being). But it was exactly what I was looking for and it made me happy.

In all, I fulfilled my mission to hit all the places I had intended on going to, but Chicago being the food Mecca that it is, I was left wanting more.  And dammit, I'm making sure I'm going to get back there, and soon.

Next Up: Part III - Seeing Red, the Madhouse on Madison

Road Trip Recap - Part I: Sweet Home Chicago

Chicago.

One of the truly great American locales, the Windy City has so much that appeals directly to my core: great food, amazing architecture and original six hockey.

Is there any movie that
captures the Windy City any better?

It's also the backdrop to two of the all-time greatest comedies ever made: The Blues Brothers and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Not a day goes by in my life where I don't make a reference to or quote a line from one of these films.  I fell in love with these movies at a very early age and they helped define my sense of humor ever since.

I'd been itching to hit Chicago for a long time., having been there twice in the past. The first time was in 1998 during Senior Week in college as part of a 'baseball across the midwest' trip I took with a couple of my good friends. We took in a Cubs game at Wrigley the only way it should be done: on a weekday afternoon in the bleachers.  The Cubs lost to the Phillies 10-5 despite two Sammy Sosa home runs, but I had an absolute blast.  The bleachers were general admission seating, the sun was shining on a perfect 80 degree day, I was drinking afew beers and I had the best hot dog I'd ever had in my life - a kosher dog with mustard and sauteed onions on a poppy seed bun.  After the game we did some walking (Grant Park, Michigan Ave., Navy Pier) and then we grabbed dinner at Harry Caray's (the original steakhouse) where I had the best veal parmigiana of my life.

My second trip to the Second City was in June of 2009 for a United States National Team World Cup qualifier against Honduras at the renovated Soldier Field.  The US came from behind to win the match 2-1 as they continued their march to the World Cup finals in South Africa.  We had spent much of the pregame at Fado, an Irish pub downtown, but after the game a bunch of us wanted to sit down and get some real sustenance.  As we exited the subway at the Grand St. stop on the Red Line, we literally bumped into the Weber Grill. Now, for those of you who know me, I am a complete and utter Weber slut.  Besides owning four of their grills, I also own two of their cookbooks, two sets of their utensils and various pieces of weber-branded apparel.  My day could not have ended on a higher note - sharing some absolutely fantastic barbecue with some great friends at the Mecca for the Weber lifestyle.

Way back in 2009, when the NHL schedule came out, one date stood out right away: December 18.  That was a Saturday.  The Bruins were playing the Blackhawks in Chicago.  I called Heather right away about a possible road trip.  Unfortunately, it just wasn't going to work out.  My son's first birthday was on the 17th and there was no way I was going to miss that nor was I going to miss his party we were going to have on the 19th.  Due to the way the NHL schedules inter-conference matchups, a trip to Chicago would have to wait at least two years.

The silver lining to that was that we were able to celebrate my 35th birthday in Toronto for Hockey Night in Canada in 2010, a trip that I blogged about extensively here.

I'll go. I'll go. I'll go

Fast forward, then, to last June.  The NHL schedule came out on the 24th and almost immediately Heather and I got together on the phone.  The date was set - Saturday, October 15.  The Bruins were going to play in Chicago.  After we checked in with our respective spouses, it was a go.  And as an added bonus, a bunch of our Section 307 family wanted to go as well.

Now, my first rule of road tripping is to never book flights or accommodations before having game tickets in hand.  Being a Saturday night (one of a very few home Saturday night games at the United Center) against an original six team who only makes an appearance there a minimum of every two years, I knew that this was going to be a tough ticket to get, never mind that we needed to get seven of them all together.

I signed up on the Blackhawks website for advance single game ticket sales to get in on any presales they might have.  Alas, when tickets did go on sale through the Blackhawks website, the only thing I could find was standing room only.  That just wasn't going to work for our entire group.  We had called in a big favor through a friend with connections for our tickets in Toronto last year, but we didn't really want to go that route again so soon.  That meant going to the secondary market.

Rather than going to a bunch of sites I'd never heard of before, I went to StubHub and was able to get 7 tickets in section 307 of all places.  Perfect.  Tickets in hand (or on the way), Heather and I booked flights.  Because of work commitments, Heather and I had to work all day Friday, but the rest of the crew (The Barrys, Paula, Patty and Tricia) was going to fly in early and do some sightseeing beforehand.  I was able to get direct flights out of Logan to Midway via Southwest for a pretty good price. The only drawback being that we'd have to catch an early flight back on Sunday.  Oh well.

Heather was able to line us up a hotel along the Magnificent Mile via Hotels.com.  Prices for rooms were somewhat high, perhaps due to the Bears playing at home on Sunday night.  Nonetheless, we got a fairly decent price and we were going to be close to the rest of the crew and near a bunch of places we wanted to see while in town.

With all the logistics lined up, all we had to do was wait for the season to get underway.

Next up: Part II - We're on a Mission for Dogs

Interior Decorating, Boston Style

As a Boston sports fan, I am privileged.

Despite blemishes such as Bucky Bleeping Dent, Too Many Men on the Ice and David Tyree's miracle catch, I've been fortunate to witness many great successes from the local sports entries (with the exception of my beloved Revolution).  Even better, I've seen a bunch firsthand: Clinching the AL East pennant in 86 and 07, the Celtics' epic 30 comeback against the Nets in 2002, last minute victories for the Pats on MNF in Denver and Baltimore and raising the 2008 NBA championship banner.

They were all great.

But the other night took the cake.

If there's one thing the Bruins do right, year in and year out, it's knowing how to throw a celebration.

Even in the lean years, when it came to throwing retirement ceremonies for Taz, Bourque and Neely, opening night festivities or honoring past cup championship teams, the B's did it right: killer video montages, a-list alumni, the whole shebang.

So, you figured for something as big and as extravagant as a banner raising, the Bruins would pull out all the stops.  And they did.

So let's take a look back at an absolutely epic day.

Just the Facts, Jack (Edwards)

• Game 1, Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers
• First game between these two since the Bruins swept the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals (4-0)

John Blue Plate Special

Certain non-holiday days of the year require banging out of work: Patriot's Day, championship parades, road trips to away games, etc.  Having had to take a couple of hours off earlier in the week for my Stanley Cup photo shoot, I couldn't devote the entire gameday to being out of the office.  So I compromised and took a a half day instead.

Got to the Fours around 12:45 after flying into town on the Pike.  It's amazing how quick that commute can be when there's not traffic.  Met up with Heather, Pete, Cornelius and the heretofore mysterious Sarah Connors.

Part of the beauty of the Bruins winning the Cup is the fact that Heather and I are no longer tied to our superstitions.  That meant we were free to order whatever we wanted for lunch.  So we each went with the Johnny Kelly in a wrap with bacon and fries on the side.  Damn, that was good.

The Cup takes a ride on a BFD ladder truck down Canal St.

But because part of the theme of the day was closure on the Stanley Cup celebration, and the fact that we were going to be pregaming at the Four's for a few hours, we figured it'd be a good idea to give our playoff menu one last go-around before we headed in for the game.  So we ordered up a plate of boneless wings to sustain us.

BPD parades with hockey sticks in hand

Even better, being at the Fours allowed me to stake out an excellent vantage point to view the Stanley Cup parade down Canal Street.  The Cup was riding on the top of a Boston Fire Department ladder truck and a procession of local cops and firefighters carrying hockey sticks (in lieu of riffles) followed.  Truth be told, it was pretty cool.

Couture Corner

This was opening night and we were celebrating last year's team, so I went into this game fully expecting to see sweaters with mostly recent players names on them.  I had no pretenses about seeing anything overly special, but I was ok with making an exception for this one night.

So what did I find?

Let's take a look:

2001 Ray Bourque Avs/Bruins combo sweater

OK, let's get this over with: Time to put this away forever.

Seriously, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup.  We don't have root vicariously through Ray Bourque anymore.  That was 10 years ago.  It's a new era.  Hang it up and get a real Bruins sweater already.

1996 Ray Bourque All Star sweater

Now, this is more like it.  This was a replica of the sweater Ray wore when he captured the All Star MVP on home ice.  He scored the game winner on a backhanded shot from above the right circle.  You couldn't have scripted it any better.

As for my attire, I went with what I wore throughout the playoffs - my 2010 Milan Lucic Winter Classic.

The 307 crew

The Row 11 Rundown

For the first time that I can remember, the entire 307 crew was in the house for this one.  Paula, Patty, Cassie, all three Kasper kids, the Hoyts, the Barrys (Tim, Maureen and John), me, Heather, Pete (the seat 11 designee for the night), Robyn, Charla, Kathi and the kids, lest we forget Reader's Digest (her real name still escapes me).  It was nice that Robyn, John and Lauren were able to get tickets on their own to to be there.

Doosh of the Day


I had to think about this one for a bit, but then it became obvious to me.

The DoTD goes to anyone who booed Jeremy Jacobs during his speech in the banner raising ceremony.

Look, I used to absolutely detest the guy (and his son Charlie).  An absentee owner who was more concerned with maintaining his profitable concession operation than with his storied hockey franchise.  Never willing to spend money to make his team a true contender.  Out of touch with his fanbase.  Always raising my ticket prices, justified or not. Denied Ray Bourque and Cam Neely chances to win the Stanley Cup in the black and gold.

You know what?  That all changed post lockout.  Sure, they royally effed up their strategy as far as forming a roster in 2005, getting stuck with players like Alexi Zhamnov while losing out on ones like Brian Rolston and Mychael Nylander.  And there was that whole Dave Lewis fiasco.

But to his credit, he brought in Peter Chiarelli, who, in turn, brought in Claude Julien.  He allowed Chiarelli to spend up to the salary cap and bring in players like Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard while also re-signing guys like Bergeron, Thomas, Krejci and Lucic to big extensions.  He brought in Cam Neely to help restore the aura of the Big Bad Bruins. He allowed the people he hired to run the on-ice aspects to the franchise to operate somewhat autonomously and succeed wit the resources he gave them to work with.

And they won hockey's ultimate prize.

So, for all of those "fans" who chose to boo him (rather than remain silent in the absence of applause), grow up.  Booing him was a classless act.  On a night where we were collectively celebrating one of the greatest accomplishments in franchise history, in a ceremony where we should have all been rejoicing, a number of individuals were content to bring a measure of shame when there was no reason for it.

The Lobel Prize

With Sean O'Donnell departing for Chicago, the Flyers have no ex-Bruins on their current roster.  So the prize goes unclaimed for another day.

Interior decorating, Boston style

The Home End

Simply put, the banner raising ceremony is one of, if not the greatest spectacle at a sporting event I've ever been fortunate to witness firsthand.

From the parade down Canal Street, to the video montage on a special curtain hanging from the scoreboard, to the curtain dropping to reveal the 2011 banner, to the 2011 team (with Mark Recchi and Shane Hnidy in full gear) taking a triumphant spin on the Garden ice with the Cup being passed around amongst the players), to the team photo at center ice with the cup, to the speeches by Jacobs, Neely, Chara and Chiarelli, to the presentation of the Starter jacket by Andrew Ference to Rex, to the 1972 cup-winning team coming out (complete with replica sweaters) to help raise the banner alongside the 2011 team, it was classy, stunning and amazing.

With all the hoopla over the banner raising, it was not far fetched to think that the actual game was going to be an afterthought.  There was bound to be some sort of emotional letdown as the game progressed.  The Bruins came out strong, scoring the first goal of the game on a Brad Marchand power play strike halfway through the first period.

But the Flyers struck twice in the last minute of play in the same frame as the Bruins got caught a bit off guard.  Tim Thomas was solid in net, but the Flyers, behind new netminder Ilya Brzgalov, were equal to the task.

It was a disappoint loss, especially considering that a win would have been the perfect ending to a spectacular evening.

Then again, the Bruins did open the 2011 season with a loss.  To a team backstopped by Bryzgalov.

Perhaps it's a good omen, then?

A New Season. A New Era

Not bad at all, but it definitely could use some more banner.

Before we get into the 2011-2 season, I feel that I owe you an apology of sorts.

When I last left you, the Bruins had just dropped game 1 of the Stanley Cup Quarterfinals to the Montreal Canadiens.  I wrote a blog recap of that game.  The Bruins then dropped game 2 to the Habs to go go down 0-2 in the series. Disheartened, I just didn't have it in my heart to relive that game.  Faced with that deficit, I resorted to the superstition card and said I wouldn't blog further in hopes of doing whatever I karmically could do to change things around.

In addition, being the playoffs, I really wanted to focus on the game.  Trying to shoot pictures and jot down mental notes was somewhat distracting.  As much as I wanted to preserve memories of each game, I wanted to live in the moment.

Obviously, we all know how things turned out.  Simply put, it was the most exhilarating, exciting and exhausting two months of die-hard fandom that I've ever experienced.  The game seven OT victory over the hated Habs.  Vengeance achieved for last year's epic collapse with a four game sweep over the Flyers.  Another seven game series win against a really good Tampa Bay squad. And, of course, a win for the ages in game seven against the talented but unlikable Canucks.

So many memories.  The lowest of lows triumphed by the highest of highs.  And none of them written down, only in my mind.

Having brought you all the way through the regular season, I feel, in a way, that I let my audience down by not bringing you along for the ride in the playoffs, especially with how things turned out in the end.

So, for that, I'm sorry.

Now, let's move on to the fun stuff.

Friday had the Bruins playing at home on Causeway Street in their first game action since game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, a span of 98 days.  Sure, it was only a preseason game against the New York Islanders, but it was live hockey!  Honestly, the Sox were playing the Yankees at the New Stadium, trying to stave off a late season collapse and secure a wild card playoff spot and I cared more about a preseason hockey game.

Think about it for a second.  The Bruins who won the Stanley Cup were the embodiment of everything a Boston sports fan wants: A blue collar work ethic, a mix of talented scorers mixed with lunchpail gang grinders.  Guys who will stick up for their teammates.  And the fact that they genuinely seem like decent guys off the ice is only icing on the cake.  Contrast that with the Sox: A few guys who have the "Dirt Dog" charm, some decent talent, but way too many guys who make way too much money for too little return.  For every Pedroia or Youkilis who have to be missing a limb to not want to play, there are twice as many guys who are more than happy to take a day off due to minor aches and pains.

Hockey players are a different breed.  And I love that about them.

Being preseason and all, I was using this game to get back into the swing of things.  The slog into town on the Pike from my work.  The pregame festivities at the Four's. Meeting up with the 307 crew in full.

Much like people who own a vacation place up by the lake, this was my opportunity to check into the home away from home before the season starts up and get things prepped.

At the same time, now that the new season is upon us, this was our chance to hit the reset button, to a degree.  With established customs, traditions and superstitions that we strictly adhered to throughout the regular season and even moreso in the playoffs, any deviation could have been catastrophic.  But now that its over, we are free to do whatever we want.  Case in point: Throughout the playoffs, Heather and I could only order one plate of boneless chicken wings at the Four's before the game.  No sandwiches.  No wraps.  Not even a side of BBQ sauce.  Captain and diet for me, Stoli vanilla and diet for her. No exceptions.

But with carte blanche in our hands, it was game on.  In this case, it meant splitting the buffalo chicken mac & cheese, washed down with a couple of pints of Guinness.  If  you are at the Four's and are game for it, order the mac & cheese. It's fantastic.

Another superstition gone bay the wayside (for now): Every game, enter the Garden from the west end, go up the right side escalator, go through the right-most turnstile on the east side, up the right side escalator, proceed counterclockwise to the escalator behind Section 4, up to the balcony and then counterclockwise to our seats in 307.  Sure, it sounds dumb.  But when you're superstitious as all hell and the Bruins are winning, are you going to be the ones who change things up?  Yeah, thought so.

So we basically did the polar opposite the  other night, because we could.  And you know what? The Bruins won 6-3.  Rich Peverley filled in the wing spot on the Bergeron-Marchand line that was vacated by the retired Mark Recchi and boy did that line click.  There was definitely some chemistry there.

Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara got their first action of the preseason. Zach Hamill continued to make us wonder why in the hell the Bruins drafted him 8th overall in the 2007 entry draft. 2011 second round drfat pick Alexander Khokhlachev showed some good flashes and the team was able to rebound from a 2-0 deficit with 2 powerplay tallies to boot.

Now, being a preseason game, I didn't expect to see any real sweaters of significance.  And throughout the game and during intermissions, I didn't see anything that I deemed camera-worthy. The closest was a 2009-10 Manny Fernandez home sweater.  Yeah, that ain't gonna do it.

I was pretty much resigned to having nothing to post.  The game finished up and we headed downstairs.

Then I saw this:

That, dear friends, is a replica 1973 Philadelphia Blazers Derek Sanderson sweater.

The Philadelphia Blazers, you ask?

The Blazers were a team in the World Hockey Association (WHA), that paid the Turk a record $2.6 million, 5 year deal to jump ship from the Bruins to the fledgling franchise  Alas, the Blazers were only around for one season and Sanderson didn't even play out the first year of his contract, having been bought out and returning to the Bruins.

I've seen hundreds of unique sweaters at Bruins games throughout the years, but this has to be the first ever Non-New England Whalers WHA that I've come across.  Awesome.

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: March 10 - Boyes will be Boyes

After a disheartening loss to the Penguins with Matt Cooke in the lineup, it was onto a midweek tilt against fellow Northeast Division mates, the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres were playing great hockey in the second half, jockeying for a the 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Let's see how it played out:

Just the facts, Jack (Edwards)

• Regular Season game #68, home game #33
• Boston Bruins (32-26-10, 1st in Northeast Div.) vs. Buffalo Sabres (32-26-8, 3rd in Atlantic Div.)
• Sixth and final meeting of the season between these two teams with the Sabres taking 3 out of 5 thus far.

John Blue Plate Special

With the playoffs rapidly approaching, it was becoming readily apparent that we should be getting ourselves primed for the postseason.  That meant an end to dabbling around with unnecessary appetizers, trying out new items and and outright ban on all things featuring buffalo chicken.

Coming off losses to the Penguins and the Habs, it was time to go with what got us here: The Larry Bird with bacon, sauce on the side, onion rings well done.

The Couture Corner

There must be a good number of Buffalo ex-pats taking advantage of the excellent collegiate offerings in the greater Boston area, how else to explain why there are always a decent amount of Sabres sweaters in the crowds on midweek games?  Either that, or Jeremy Jacobs brought the family and friends into town.

Unlike the last home game against the Sabres, when I was completely let down, the away fans broke out the top shelf stuff on this night.  Let's take a look:

Early 90s Alexander Mogilny home

One of the first Russian superstars in the NHL, Mogilny made his bones plying his trade in Buffalo before heading way out west with the Canucks.  An absolutely gifted goal scorer, he won a Stanley Cup later as a member of the Devils.

Early 80s Lindy Ruff home

It's very rare to see someone wear a sweater of a guy that's a coach in the league, nevermind one who coaches that same team for which he played.  But for fans of the Sabres, Lindy Ruff does the trick.  Not a standout player, Ruff played ten seasons for the Sabres.  He became coach of the Sabres in 1997 and is currently the longest tenured coach in the league.

Mid 00s Stu Barnes Third

I'm assuming this was a Stu Barnes sweater.  I couldn't get a good look at the shoulder numbers from my vantage point.  But looking at the captain's "C" and the era when this sweater was worn, it only makes sense.

I could care less about Stu Barnes.  What draws me to this photo was the third sweater design.

I hated the Sabres red and black era.  I thought it was stupid for a team with as iconic a look as the Sabres to take such a diametric change in their color scheme.  Blue and gold was their thing and they gave it up as part of the stupid and shortsighted late 90s design aesthetic that took the NHL by storm, all in the name of marketing.

I did not like either the home or road sweaters with the newfangled buffalo head logo. But when they introduced the third sweater for the 2000 season, I immediately took a liking to it.  

The traditional sleeve and hem striping along with an updated version of the classic crossed sabres logo are the design elements that did it for me.  As much as the color scheme turned me off, this was as good as it was going to get.

Late 80s Pat LaFontaine away

One of the greatest Americans to ever play the game, Lafontaine joined the Sabres after a run with the Stanley Cup winning juggernaut that was the New York Islanders of the early 80s.  One of the greatest Sabres ever, he brought out the best in Mogilny to create an absolutle nightmare for opposing gaolies.  He spent his final season with the Rangers before being forced to retire due to concussion issues.  But in doing so, he became the first player to play for all three New York based teams.

The Row 11 Rundown

Pretty much the usual crew in the house for this one. Then again, I'm writing this so far after the fact, my memory could quite possibly escape me.

Doosh of the Day

If you think it's a good idea to show up to a Bruins game against the Sabres wearing a sweater that isn't representative of either team, it's usually a bad idea.  When that sweater is that of another team that is universally hated by the fanbase, even worse.  When it's that of a player whom the fanbase dislikes greatly, well you're certainly not going to win any friends.

And when you antagonize the locals when the Sabres score, you've pretty much sealed your doom.

So you, guy in the Penguins Sidney Crosby 2011 Winter Classic sweater, congrats:  You're the Doosh of the Day.

The Clothes Line

Oh, we've got a good one for you:

2004 Felix Potvin Alternate

I've going nearly the entire season without mentioning these sweaters.  But first, a bit about Felix.

Potvin was signed prior to the 2003-4 season to serve as a backup to Andrew Raycroft.  After a stellar career eith the Maple Leafs, he bounced from the Islanders to the Canucks and Kings before playing one final year in Boston. He posted a 12-8-6 record with a 2.50 GAA in that season as the Bruins finished first inthe Northeast with what should have been a juggernaut of a team had the lockout not happened the next year.

As for the jerseys, these were far and away my least favorite Bruins sweaters ever.  When the Bruins announced that they would be ading an alternate jersey in 1996 (as part of the first big wave of mass-marketed alternates in the mid 90s), I had a bit of trepidation.  I was hoping for a gold sweater, something along the lines of the 1958-9 home sweaters.  Instead, we got this. What a letdown.  With the shoulder and hem striping intened to evoke bear fur, oversized wordmarks for shoulder patches and a chest logo that's as tame as it was lame (it was taken from a framed picture hanging in Harry Sinden's office) it was all out fail.  Even worse, in that first season it was worn, the Bruins wore thier white helmets with it.  Seeing Ray Bourque and Can Neely wear these was a travesty, though not as bad as Wayne Gretzky being forced to wear the infamous LA "Burger King" sweaters.

That said, these were so bad, I might just end up getting one off eBay someday.  Someday.

Personally, I went with my 1990 Cam Neely. I'm beginning to think this one might be bad luck.

The Lobel Prize

The Sabres had two players on their roster since the beginning of the season that donned the Black and Gold previously: defensemen Steve Montador and Shaone Morrisonn. Then, at the trade deadline, the Sabres made a deal for another former B: forward Brad Boyes.

Boyes, you'll remember, was acquired from the Sharks in 2004 for Jeff Jillson.  Then the lockout happened.  But once hockey resumed in 2005, Boyes had a breakout year, scoring 26 goals and dishing out 43 assists.  He slumped a bit in his sophomore season and was traded near the deadline to St. Louis for Dennis Wideman.  While Wideman showed some early promise, Boyes went on to be a 40 goal scorer (43 to be exact) the next season and followed that up with a 33 goal performance in 2008-9.  But his goal scoring slipped the last couple of years and he was sent to Buffalo.

So, how'd the alumni do?

Montador has an assist in 18:47 of ice time.  Morrisonn has 2 shots in 14:41 of ice time.

But the real damage was done by Boyes.  He finished with 4 shots in 15:54 of ice time and 2 points on an assist and the game winning goal 3:44 into overtime as the Sabres came from behind to take 2 points from the Bruins in a heartbreaking defeat.

Yep. What can't we get players like that? 

The Home End

This was the first game for the Bruins and Captain Zdeno Chara after L'Affaire Pacioretty two nights earlier in Montreal.  Most fans were concerened how the team would play and how the refs would call the game.  But it was the Sabres who controlled the game, seemingly taking advantage of an emotionally drained Bruins team, outskating them and outshooting them with a 45-29 shot adavantage. Ryan Milled was good, not great.  The Bruins were up 2-0 and 3-2, but the penalty killers yielded two goals, including the Sabres third goal to tie it up at 3-3 early in the 3rd period.

The Sabres were hot of late, making a run at the last playoff spot when they had been written off by the pundits only weeks earlier.  And there was no rest for the weary B's as they had to travel to Long Island to take on the plucky Islanders the next night.