Absolutely, Smuler. On the other hand, the Maple Leafs, who tallied 85 points last year, are headed in exactly the opposite direction, en route to 80-81 points and yet another April working on their billiards game.
The Official MERB 2011-2012 NHL Hockey Thread
- Thread starter evillethings
- Start date
Redden is a victim of that idiot Glenn Sather. But Redden is not to be felt sorry for, not with THAT contract! (rumps, Wayne Redden is a highly paid hockey player that had his contract buried, No rumps, not into the ground, but into the minors.) They say you learn something new everyday, and you just did, please send royalties to Doc who will forward to me. Thanks ruMpie-poo. 
Pitt is a machine right now, and with Sid the Kid back in the fold, look out everyone else!
Wow, wailed on by the Islanders on their own ice. The Leafs are now in 15th place in the Defacto Standings having played more games than either the Islanders or Lightning.
Maple Leafs-Burke's Failure.
Hello all,
Maple Leafs fans have seen this sad act before
Toronto’s methods differ from season to season, but end result is same
By Bruce Arthur, Postmedia News March 21, 2012
http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Maple+Leafs+fans+have+seen+this+before/6333996/story.html
The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won a game in the sterile and lucrative confines of home it vaulted them to seventh in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference, four points behind the fourth-place Philadelphia Flyers, who were coming to Toronto a few days later.
“You have to go through a hard time to realize what it takes to win,” goaltender James Reimer said that night, presuming the hard times were behind them.
Well, we all make mistakes.
That was 43 days before Tuesday night’s home game against the New York Islanders, which came one day after Boston dug the Leafs a new sub-basement with an 8-0 victory that served as the new low point for a season that has become positively crammed with them.
That loss capped a 4-14-2 stretch following that 6-3 win over Edmonton on Feb. 6, way back when, before the war. For reference’s sake, this means the Leafs entered Tuesday 20 points behind the Flyers, who sailed over the horizon some time ago.
And the Leafs encountered more similarity, losing 5-2 to the Islanders.
All of which means that in some essential way, these are the same old Leafs. The faces and birth certificates have changed, sure. They always do, like the waxing and waning of the moon. They are younger, to be sure. They have more recognizable prospects in the pipeline, if no more can’t-miss stars. There is reason for relative optimism if you want to find it, depending on what you define as optimism.
But in the past five years the Toronto Maple Leafs arrived at the 73-game mark with 74, 73, 64, 74, and this year, 72 points. They have performed the same play with different actors, and with a notable alteration in the script. In those previous four seasons the signature move of this club was to bomb out to begin the season, bottom out in December or January or so, and then, with the pressure off, launch a doomed fool’s-gold run that pushed them out of a top-five draft pick, if possible.
They closed with an 18-7-5 run last season, and had a top-five record after the all-star break; a 10-5-2 stretch the season before that; a 13-9-3 closing lap the year before that, thanks in part to Martin Gerber; a 16-11-2 streak in 2007-08, when Burke was hired. When the games didn’t mean anything, the Leafs could play. There was no way to see how the Leafs responded to pressure, unless you counted the first few months of the season as pressure. But when the pressure was off — when the playoffs were a mathematical possibility, and not much else — the Leafs could play.
This season, in its own way, was worse. This season the Leafs put themselves in a position to play games that mattered, in a league where the playoff race begins months before the end, and they simply collapsed. They collapsed without a truly devastating injury, like the ones endured by Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Phil Kessel has not missed a game. Neither has Dion Phaneuf.
But they went into a comprehensive free fall that got the coach fired. It was an astonishing display of frailty, really, and it wasn’t just the goaltenders, which have always been Brian Burke’s hockey Achilles heel. If these Leafs can’t handle the pressure of a playoff race, or lack the leadership or ability to pull themselves out of a death spiral . . . well, what’s really been built here?
Continued...
ish,
Merlot
Hello all,
Maple Leafs fans have seen this sad act before
Toronto’s methods differ from season to season, but end result is same
By Bruce Arthur, Postmedia News March 21, 2012
http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Maple+Leafs+fans+have+seen+this+before/6333996/story.html
The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won a game in the sterile and lucrative confines of home it vaulted them to seventh in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference, four points behind the fourth-place Philadelphia Flyers, who were coming to Toronto a few days later.
“You have to go through a hard time to realize what it takes to win,” goaltender James Reimer said that night, presuming the hard times were behind them.
Well, we all make mistakes.
That was 43 days before Tuesday night’s home game against the New York Islanders, which came one day after Boston dug the Leafs a new sub-basement with an 8-0 victory that served as the new low point for a season that has become positively crammed with them.
That loss capped a 4-14-2 stretch following that 6-3 win over Edmonton on Feb. 6, way back when, before the war. For reference’s sake, this means the Leafs entered Tuesday 20 points behind the Flyers, who sailed over the horizon some time ago.
And the Leafs encountered more similarity, losing 5-2 to the Islanders.
All of which means that in some essential way, these are the same old Leafs. The faces and birth certificates have changed, sure. They always do, like the waxing and waning of the moon. They are younger, to be sure. They have more recognizable prospects in the pipeline, if no more can’t-miss stars. There is reason for relative optimism if you want to find it, depending on what you define as optimism.
But in the past five years the Toronto Maple Leafs arrived at the 73-game mark with 74, 73, 64, 74, and this year, 72 points. They have performed the same play with different actors, and with a notable alteration in the script. In those previous four seasons the signature move of this club was to bomb out to begin the season, bottom out in December or January or so, and then, with the pressure off, launch a doomed fool’s-gold run that pushed them out of a top-five draft pick, if possible.
They closed with an 18-7-5 run last season, and had a top-five record after the all-star break; a 10-5-2 stretch the season before that; a 13-9-3 closing lap the year before that, thanks in part to Martin Gerber; a 16-11-2 streak in 2007-08, when Burke was hired. When the games didn’t mean anything, the Leafs could play. There was no way to see how the Leafs responded to pressure, unless you counted the first few months of the season as pressure. But when the pressure was off — when the playoffs were a mathematical possibility, and not much else — the Leafs could play.
This season, in its own way, was worse. This season the Leafs put themselves in a position to play games that mattered, in a league where the playoff race begins months before the end, and they simply collapsed. They collapsed without a truly devastating injury, like the ones endured by Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Phil Kessel has not missed a game. Neither has Dion Phaneuf.
But they went into a comprehensive free fall that got the coach fired. It was an astonishing display of frailty, really, and it wasn’t just the goaltenders, which have always been Brian Burke’s hockey Achilles heel. If these Leafs can’t handle the pressure of a playoff race, or lack the leadership or ability to pull themselves out of a death spiral . . . well, what’s really been built here?
Continued...
ish,
Merlot
Molson drops the bomb!! Habs fire Pierre Gauthier & Bob Gainey
MONTREAL - Pierre Gauthier is no longer general manager of the Canadiens, and Bob Gainey is no longer a special adviser to the club.
Geoff Molson, the club’s owner, president and chief executive officer, announced at a news conference Thursday at the team’s practice facility in Brossard that Gauthier has been relieved of his duties immediately and that after meeting with Gainey, it was agreed he would no longer be an adviser to the club, given Gauthier’s departure.
Former defenceman Serge Savard, a Hockey Hall of Fame member and general manager for the Canadiens’ last two Stanley Cup championships, in 1986 and 1993, has been brought in by Molson as an adviser in the search for a new GM.
Molson said that until a decision has been made, the process of hiring a new GM and the list of candidates will remain confidential.
Gauthier took over as GM after Gainey stepped down in February 2010.
In the overall NHL standings this season, the Canadiens sit in 28th place in the 30-team league with a 29-34-14 record and have been officially eliminated from the playoffs.
“We felt the direction of the club needed to change from a hockey standpoint,” Molson said Thursday.
“Our priorities as an organization moving forward are as follows: to improve our team at every level;, to re-establish a winning culture for the long term; to give our fans what they deserve, the best possible product on the ice; and to establish stability in all areas of our organization.
“Just qualifying for the playoffs cannot be our goal or our standard,” he added. “Not for this team, not for this organization. This organization going forward must set its sights on competing for the game’s ultimate prize every season, and no lesser standard should be accepted. Our fans and our tradition demand nothing less than this.”
The Canadiens got off to a poor start this season, which led to the firings of assistant coach Perry Pearn and later of head coach Jacques Martin.
“It goes without saying that we’re all very disappointed with our performance this season,” Molson said. “Everyone in this organization, including our players, expected better. We play in the best hockey market in the world and we have the best fans in hockey. Our fans care deeply about our team and want nothing more than a winning team, one that follows in the tradition of our storied past.
“This season did not deliver on those expectations. Our fans can trust that ownership will accept nothing less than a winning culture in this organization. This season our team was decimated by serious injuries and, while this in and of itself is not an excuse, we take pride in knowing that our players have the character to show up every night regardless of the lineup. We managed to be competitive almost every night.
“I strongly believe that we have a solid core group of players in each position. We also have some exciting new players coming into our organization and we have a chance to add even more depth over the next two years, in which we have seven picks in the first two rounds” of the NHL entry draft.
“Our priority over the next few months will be to solidify our contractual arrangements with our core group of players, prepare for the draft and prepare for this summer’s free-agency market. Montreal is one of the best places to play hockey in the world, and our fans deserve the best possible team on the ice.
“The Montreal Canadiens are a storied franchise, often cited as one of the greatest sports organizations in the world. Our 24 Stanley Cups are a testament to this. However, the traits that are common to all successful organizations have been lacking in recent years. When one looks at the great organizations of the past, or the ones that are performing particularly well currently, the root of their success lies in their consistency and stability.
“Just over two years ago, we were fortunate to acquire this franchise and our ownership group is committed for the long term. With this stability in place we must turn our attention to the consistency and stability required at all levels of the organization. It is my responsibility to identify solutions and to rebuild the winning culture that this franchise, its fans, its history and its tradition demand.”
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Canadiens+oust+Gauthier+Gainey/6378950/story.html
MONTREAL - Pierre Gauthier is no longer general manager of the Canadiens, and Bob Gainey is no longer a special adviser to the club.
Geoff Molson, the club’s owner, president and chief executive officer, announced at a news conference Thursday at the team’s practice facility in Brossard that Gauthier has been relieved of his duties immediately and that after meeting with Gainey, it was agreed he would no longer be an adviser to the club, given Gauthier’s departure.
Former defenceman Serge Savard, a Hockey Hall of Fame member and general manager for the Canadiens’ last two Stanley Cup championships, in 1986 and 1993, has been brought in by Molson as an adviser in the search for a new GM.
Molson said that until a decision has been made, the process of hiring a new GM and the list of candidates will remain confidential.
Gauthier took over as GM after Gainey stepped down in February 2010.
In the overall NHL standings this season, the Canadiens sit in 28th place in the 30-team league with a 29-34-14 record and have been officially eliminated from the playoffs.
“We felt the direction of the club needed to change from a hockey standpoint,” Molson said Thursday.
“Our priorities as an organization moving forward are as follows: to improve our team at every level;, to re-establish a winning culture for the long term; to give our fans what they deserve, the best possible product on the ice; and to establish stability in all areas of our organization.
“Just qualifying for the playoffs cannot be our goal or our standard,” he added. “Not for this team, not for this organization. This organization going forward must set its sights on competing for the game’s ultimate prize every season, and no lesser standard should be accepted. Our fans and our tradition demand nothing less than this.”
The Canadiens got off to a poor start this season, which led to the firings of assistant coach Perry Pearn and later of head coach Jacques Martin.
“It goes without saying that we’re all very disappointed with our performance this season,” Molson said. “Everyone in this organization, including our players, expected better. We play in the best hockey market in the world and we have the best fans in hockey. Our fans care deeply about our team and want nothing more than a winning team, one that follows in the tradition of our storied past.
“This season did not deliver on those expectations. Our fans can trust that ownership will accept nothing less than a winning culture in this organization. This season our team was decimated by serious injuries and, while this in and of itself is not an excuse, we take pride in knowing that our players have the character to show up every night regardless of the lineup. We managed to be competitive almost every night.
“I strongly believe that we have a solid core group of players in each position. We also have some exciting new players coming into our organization and we have a chance to add even more depth over the next two years, in which we have seven picks in the first two rounds” of the NHL entry draft.
“Our priority over the next few months will be to solidify our contractual arrangements with our core group of players, prepare for the draft and prepare for this summer’s free-agency market. Montreal is one of the best places to play hockey in the world, and our fans deserve the best possible team on the ice.
“The Montreal Canadiens are a storied franchise, often cited as one of the greatest sports organizations in the world. Our 24 Stanley Cups are a testament to this. However, the traits that are common to all successful organizations have been lacking in recent years. When one looks at the great organizations of the past, or the ones that are performing particularly well currently, the root of their success lies in their consistency and stability.
“Just over two years ago, we were fortunate to acquire this franchise and our ownership group is committed for the long term. With this stability in place we must turn our attention to the consistency and stability required at all levels of the organization. It is my responsibility to identify solutions and to rebuild the winning culture that this franchise, its fans, its history and its tradition demand.”
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Canadiens+oust+Gauthier+Gainey/6378950/story.html
Despite recent collapse, nonis sees improvement in leafs
Beauty only a mother can see !
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=391644
Beauty only a mother can see !
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=391644
Seidenberg sidelined with infection
BOSTON -- Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg won't play Thursday night when the team hosts the Washington Capitals at TD Garden because of a leg laceration.
Seidenberg suffered the laceration when a skate blade cut him during Saturday's game against the Kings in Los Angeles, and it has become infected. He was able to play the past two games, but the team's medical staff thought it best to keep him out Thursday.
"They stitched it up and everything was good, but a little infection has gotten into it now," Julien said. "He's on antibiotics, and to play it safe, we're going to keep him out (tonight). He's day to day, and it's not long-term."
With Seidenberg absent, Joe Corvo will be in the lineup. He has been a healthy scratch for the past six games.
Seidenberg could be back in the lineup Saturday against the New York Islanders.
"Hopefully we'll have him next game," Julien said.
Seidenberg missed the final four games of the 2009-10 regular season, and all of the playoffs, after he suffered a lacerated tendon in his forearm.
BOSTON -- Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg won't play Thursday night when the team hosts the Washington Capitals at TD Garden because of a leg laceration.
Seidenberg suffered the laceration when a skate blade cut him during Saturday's game against the Kings in Los Angeles, and it has become infected. He was able to play the past two games, but the team's medical staff thought it best to keep him out Thursday.
"They stitched it up and everything was good, but a little infection has gotten into it now," Julien said. "He's on antibiotics, and to play it safe, we're going to keep him out (tonight). He's day to day, and it's not long-term."
With Seidenberg absent, Joe Corvo will be in the lineup. He has been a healthy scratch for the past six games.
Seidenberg could be back in the lineup Saturday against the New York Islanders.
"Hopefully we'll have him next game," Julien said.
Seidenberg missed the final four games of the 2009-10 regular season, and all of the playoffs, after he suffered a lacerated tendon in his forearm.
Well I must say... battle for 7th and 8th in both conference is hot !
I do hope St-Louis win it all just so that Halak get his revenge over the late Habs admin.
Bande de gniochons !
Ca serait la cerise sur le sundae pas a peu pres !
I do hope St-Louis win it all just so that Halak get his revenge over the late Habs admin.
Bande de gniochons !
Ca serait la cerise sur le sundae pas a peu pres !
Another blunder by the Oilers
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Edmonton/2012/03/31/19575871.html
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Edmonton/2012/03/31/19575871.html
Well the race is good for President's trohpy.
Rangers are in a good position but they'll have to battle Pens and Flyers.
While Canucks shouldn't have a tough one.
Blues could always make it but they'll have to fight both Wings and Coyotes (who's desperate at this time).
But careful... there's a curse !
Rangers are in a good position but they'll have to battle Pens and Flyers.
While Canucks shouldn't have a tough one.
Blues could always make it but they'll have to fight both Wings and Coyotes (who's desperate at this time).
But careful... there's a curse !
Girlfriends enter Bruins/Canucks rivalry
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Boston/2012/04/02/19584391.html
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Boston/2012/04/02/19584391.html
Hey Hey ! Gotta love how Buffalo plucked those 2 goals to be still in the race for the playoffs !
Good stuff all the way to the end of regular season
Good stuff all the way to the end of regular season
Hello Boys,
The Stanley Cup Champion Bruins fans aren't fighting over the scraps of draft picks, or who is worse. They are going on to the NHL playoffs...NOW!!!!!!
Bergeron leads Bruins to 4-3 win over Buffalo
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501623_162-57410891/bergeron-leads-bruins-to-4-3-win-over-buffalo/
..........It was scoreless after one period and 1-1 after two when Boyes and Jason Pominville scored less than two minutes apart to give Buffalo a 3-1 lead with 11:14 to play. Seguin cut the deficit to one goal just 70 seconds later, then Marchand tied it with about 8 minutes left, giving rise to a "We want the Cup!" chant from the Boston fans.
The Bruins outshot the Sabres 5-0 in overtime but couldn't score.
The first four skaters missed in the shootout before Bergeron put it between Enroth's legs. Thomas stopped Pominville to end it.
Notes: The Bruins announced their 125th consecutive sellout, including playoffs. They have sold out every game of each of the past two seasons. ... The Bruins regular season awards were announced before the game: Zdeno Chara was the recipient of the Eddie Shore Award for exceptional hustle and determination. Brad Marchand earned both the Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy for outstanding performance during home games and the John P. Bucyk Award for greatest off-ice charitable contributions. Tim Thomas, Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic were named the Bruins Three Stars.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Bruins ready for playoffs to start
Tom King
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/sportsnhl/956503-222/bruins-ready-for-playoffs-to-start.html
Finally, it’s over.
Finally, the long, drawn-out regular season that starts a month or two too early is done.
How’d the Boston Bruins do?
Hey, not bad. Not bad at all. Pretty darn good, as a matter of fact. A 100-point season, wins in the upper 40s, and a second seed in the Eastern Conference. What, you were expecting more?
“We’re where we are right now, in the position we’d want to be and I think our guys are looking forward (to the playoffs),” Bruins coach Claude Julien said on Saturday, prior to the regular season finale against the Buffalo Sabres at the TD Garden.
Sure, there were plenty of ups and downs, but they’re all a distant memory as the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
The Bruins, to their credit, have finished strong. They hit a lull from late January into the middle to latter part of February, but so what. We had the 10-game winning streak in November-December. We had ThomasGate, otherwise known as the White House Snub. We have had the ongoing Nathan Horton concussion syndrome. We had a blast with Marty Turco.
There were no Julien rumblings. He’s got a Stanley Cup in hand, and even if the team were to be eliminated in the first round, there may be unrest but his job won’t be in jeopardy.
The Bruins enter next week’s Stanley Cup playoffs still with some injury issues. They really need a healthy Horton, a player who enjoyed quite a first-time playoff campaign a year ago, but at eventually a big price (the concussion/hit vs. Vancouver in the finals). They need a healthy defensive corps, and while their fortunes don’t hinge on a healthy Johnny Boychuk, it would be nice to have him out there at full strength next week. It also would’ve been nice if former Manchester Monarch Joe Corvo hadn’t been such a bust.
Thomas is Thomas. He’s slowed down a bit this year, and that’s predictable considering the workload and his age. He got some much-needed rest the past week, and while he didn’t have the phenomenal, historic regular season he had a year ago, so what? He’s still the guy you want in between the pipes. Let King Henrik Lundqvist get the Vezina this year, his team still won’t go that far in the playoffs, as good as he is.
Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand picked up where they left off in last year’s playoff, Seguin making strides and looking more comfortable in his second year as a scorer, clearly the best skater on the team. (Although it says here 20-goal, 82-game player Chris Kelly should have gotten the Seventh Player Award, not Seguin). Chartrand put aside the rough stuff enough to become a goal scorer as well, and he and Bergeron play well together.
Ahhh, Bergeron. He remains the Bruins’ overall best forward. He is an opportunistic threat, great faceoff man, superb penalty killer, and if you need a big goal, he’ll either score it or get one of the assists. It says here that, outside of Thomas, as he goes, so go the Bruins.
Last year, Julien warns, is history, but the feelings of understanding the task at hand aren’t.
“I think it’s important we recapture that right from the get-go,” Julien said. “Whenever the playoffs start next week (likely this Thursday at the TD Garden), we have to be in that frame of mind, or that mindset and I think our guys are capable of doing that without relying on what we did last year.
“We have to be able to do it again this year. It’s a whole new challenge, but it’s something that when you do it once, you want to recapture it so you have to recapture the feeling that goes with it as well.”
And win or lose, it’s much better than that regular-season feeling. Easter is here, and it’s Game On for the playoffs. Hallelujah.
From winners...CHEERS,
Merlot
The Stanley Cup Champion Bruins fans aren't fighting over the scraps of draft picks, or who is worse. They are going on to the NHL playoffs...NOW!!!!!!
Bergeron leads Bruins to 4-3 win over Buffalo
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501623_162-57410891/bergeron-leads-bruins-to-4-3-win-over-buffalo/
..........It was scoreless after one period and 1-1 after two when Boyes and Jason Pominville scored less than two minutes apart to give Buffalo a 3-1 lead with 11:14 to play. Seguin cut the deficit to one goal just 70 seconds later, then Marchand tied it with about 8 minutes left, giving rise to a "We want the Cup!" chant from the Boston fans.
The Bruins outshot the Sabres 5-0 in overtime but couldn't score.
The first four skaters missed in the shootout before Bergeron put it between Enroth's legs. Thomas stopped Pominville to end it.
Notes: The Bruins announced their 125th consecutive sellout, including playoffs. They have sold out every game of each of the past two seasons. ... The Bruins regular season awards were announced before the game: Zdeno Chara was the recipient of the Eddie Shore Award for exceptional hustle and determination. Brad Marchand earned both the Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy for outstanding performance during home games and the John P. Bucyk Award for greatest off-ice charitable contributions. Tim Thomas, Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic were named the Bruins Three Stars.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Bruins ready for playoffs to start
Tom King
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/sportsnhl/956503-222/bruins-ready-for-playoffs-to-start.html
Finally, it’s over.
Finally, the long, drawn-out regular season that starts a month or two too early is done.
How’d the Boston Bruins do?
Hey, not bad. Not bad at all. Pretty darn good, as a matter of fact. A 100-point season, wins in the upper 40s, and a second seed in the Eastern Conference. What, you were expecting more?
“We’re where we are right now, in the position we’d want to be and I think our guys are looking forward (to the playoffs),” Bruins coach Claude Julien said on Saturday, prior to the regular season finale against the Buffalo Sabres at the TD Garden.
Sure, there were plenty of ups and downs, but they’re all a distant memory as the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
The Bruins, to their credit, have finished strong. They hit a lull from late January into the middle to latter part of February, but so what. We had the 10-game winning streak in November-December. We had ThomasGate, otherwise known as the White House Snub. We have had the ongoing Nathan Horton concussion syndrome. We had a blast with Marty Turco.
There were no Julien rumblings. He’s got a Stanley Cup in hand, and even if the team were to be eliminated in the first round, there may be unrest but his job won’t be in jeopardy.
The Bruins enter next week’s Stanley Cup playoffs still with some injury issues. They really need a healthy Horton, a player who enjoyed quite a first-time playoff campaign a year ago, but at eventually a big price (the concussion/hit vs. Vancouver in the finals). They need a healthy defensive corps, and while their fortunes don’t hinge on a healthy Johnny Boychuk, it would be nice to have him out there at full strength next week. It also would’ve been nice if former Manchester Monarch Joe Corvo hadn’t been such a bust.
Thomas is Thomas. He’s slowed down a bit this year, and that’s predictable considering the workload and his age. He got some much-needed rest the past week, and while he didn’t have the phenomenal, historic regular season he had a year ago, so what? He’s still the guy you want in between the pipes. Let King Henrik Lundqvist get the Vezina this year, his team still won’t go that far in the playoffs, as good as he is.
Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand picked up where they left off in last year’s playoff, Seguin making strides and looking more comfortable in his second year as a scorer, clearly the best skater on the team. (Although it says here 20-goal, 82-game player Chris Kelly should have gotten the Seventh Player Award, not Seguin). Chartrand put aside the rough stuff enough to become a goal scorer as well, and he and Bergeron play well together.
Ahhh, Bergeron. He remains the Bruins’ overall best forward. He is an opportunistic threat, great faceoff man, superb penalty killer, and if you need a big goal, he’ll either score it or get one of the assists. It says here that, outside of Thomas, as he goes, so go the Bruins.
Last year, Julien warns, is history, but the feelings of understanding the task at hand aren’t.
“I think it’s important we recapture that right from the get-go,” Julien said. “Whenever the playoffs start next week (likely this Thursday at the TD Garden), we have to be in that frame of mind, or that mindset and I think our guys are capable of doing that without relying on what we did last year.
“We have to be able to do it again this year. It’s a whole new challenge, but it’s something that when you do it once, you want to recapture it so you have to recapture the feeling that goes with it as well.”
And win or lose, it’s much better than that regular-season feeling. Easter is here, and it’s Game On for the playoffs. Hallelujah.
From winners...CHEERS,
Merlot
Yep congratulations to your team and I wish you very good playoffs !
Even if I sometime hates Bruins (when they win against Habs) I can appreciate almost any games played by Boston.
Me I don't switch to Baseball just because my team is ready for Golf.
I do wish that Rangers goes to the finals though.
They too (like Habs), didn't win the cup since '20' years ago and it would be funny to see them loose to stay with their only 4 cups since 1926.
With their first 3 before the 2nd world war. :eyebrows:
Well it's time to congratulate Vancouver for getting the President's.
As much as I'd like Saint-Louis to win the cup now, I'd like also Detroit and Vancouver.
Detroit because they earned it for every year that they are above 100pts and always make the playoffs.
That's what I call a Great team.
Saint-Louis would be fun since they earned it this year really.
Not to mention It would be another reason to laugh at the a$$holes who let go Halak; which we got rid of.
And Vancouver ? well it would be another Canadian team like Montreal and Edmonton that we could be proud of.
Unlike... Toronto who always brags to be 'THE canadian team' :lol:
As much as I'd like Saint-Louis to win the cup now, I'd like also Detroit and Vancouver.
Detroit because they earned it for every year that they are above 100pts and always make the playoffs.
That's what I call a Great team.
Saint-Louis would be fun since they earned it this year really.
Not to mention It would be another reason to laugh at the a$$holes who let go Halak; which we got rid of.
And Vancouver ? well it would be another Canadian team like Montreal and Edmonton that we could be proud of.
Unlike... Toronto who always brags to be 'THE canadian team' :lol:
Habs will draft #3 which means either Grigorenko or Murray
http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?id=62636
http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?id=62636
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