By: Tom Rowe

I still feel like it was only yesterday when I was among the millions of Bruins’ fans at the Parade ceremony after the B’s won the Cup. Three months after that amazing summer, it is hard to believe they start a new chapter tonight in their story booked history. That is exactly what we have to do as Bruins’ fans, treat last year’s unbelievable run as another chapter in the history of this organization once that banner is hung. We’ve spent all summer celebrating and cannot let the team get caught up in the massive hangover effect that follows after a run like this one. It is too early to predict a repeat from this team and quite frankly, I am not expecting another run like last years. But what do we expect from the defending champions this season?

This team has returned almost everyone from last season and even though it might seem they have an awesome shot at back to back championships, but we know how difficult it is in the NHL to do so. Honestly, as long as the Bruins finish in the top 4 and make it deep into the third round, I am okay. I am sure most fans want another championship, but realistically that is asking a little much from a team deprived of super star talent for the moment. There are some factors that if come into play correctly then the B’s might have a shot at winning again in the spring. If Tyler Seguin breaks out this year as the star the Bruins honestly have not had since Neely, then a repeat becomes much easier for them. The team knows exactly what Seguin is capable of and will make sure that he is developed correctly and taken off the leash Coach Claude Jullien had on him for the majority of last season. This team, other than Seguin’s development and the “slow” transition in net from Timmy to Tuukka, is set for a long haul of title contending hockey for years to come.

The Bruins are not better than teams like Pittsburgh, but against the likes of the Canadians, Lightning, and Capitals the B’s should have no problem showing their dominance and rise to the Elite. A new era of Bruins Hockey is emerging and for those who believe that this was the end last year, what are you thinking? This team is in the beginning of a great and exciting era where they will not disappoint when playing teams they can and should beat. This is a team ready to take on the competition and face it head on until the end instead of choking and chickening out. The Bruins are no longer the laughing stock of the NHL and have grown into a mature and powerful team. Now, with the monkey off the organizations back, they can play hockey without any of the baggage, fears, and pains of those attached to the franchise. A repeat is too much to predict for now, but what is 100 percent certain is that the Boston Bruins will be long time contenders like they were 30 years ago and will fight for each other till the final buzzer sounds. Let’s Go B’s! Let’s start a new chapter in our Boston Hockey!

By: Tom Rowe

June 15, 2011 will be a Christmas like day for Bruins’ fans everywhere. 3 weeks after Boston won their 6th Stanley Cup Championship and the 1st since 1972 the talks of a repeat were spreading through the streets of Beantown. Many analysts and critics are calling the Bruins lucky team who won’t get the chance to win another title for a while; I ask you so called “experts” what makes them so inferior to teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, and Philly? The answer is nothing.
The Boston Bruins, like it or not, are one of the elite teams in the NHL today and have been for a while now. Yes they have not had the playoff success of Pittsburgh and Detroit and do not have the super star power (yet anyway) that Washington and Tampa Bay have, but the Bruins played as one instead of individuals this past season and that is what makes them better than those teams. They have not always played this way as we can see from the past failures. They realized through those failures that they cannot try to outdo each other on the ice and try to be “the guy” that analyst say you need to win a championship. Excuse me, but since when is that true? The Patriots have shown that in 2001 that a pro sports team that plays as one can beat the best of the best. The last Stanley Cup Champion showed that also, though Chicago built their team to be a “win it now” now club, they played as a whole and never did anything to hurt that mindset and level of play on the Ice; just as the Bruins did this year on the run to the Cup.
Do not get me wrong, talent is just as important as teamwork and a competitive passion to the game. In sports, the talented teams win it all 80% of the time. But the ones who play as a whole and unite as a team win it more often. But for those who are saying the Bruins are not a talented team have no right to call themselves sports fans. The Bruins are a very talented team, probably one of the most talented groups in hockey. Yes I understand they do not have the Crosbys or Ovekins of the world, not yet anyway. Who says Tyler Seguin can’t become that player? It will take more time to develop him then it did for Ovekin and Crosby, but Seguin will become that player one day no doubt about it and besides what’s the rush? As long the Bruins keep the foundation of what they had last season intact for next season’s run then they are the top favorites this past decade to repeat as Champions. It will be harder cause even though the Bruins have been underrated compared to the rest of the league, they did catch some breaks this season. Philly will get better and so will Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Washington. The Bruins though will not bow to the likes of these teams anymore. They are now on their level and will fight all of them to protect what belongs to them and hopefully catch a 7th Cup Title as a reward.

By: Tom Rowe

A week has pasted since the Bruins won the decisive Game 7 over Vancouver for the Stanley Cup and people are still buzzing about the magnificent season the Big Bad Bruins have had. So despite the overwhelming emotions and celebrations, why are there so many questions going into this offseason for the defending Champs?

The Biggest question is the most important as well. Tim Thomas is the sole reason the Bruins were able to win the Stanley Cup, without his Conn Smythe winning performance in the playoffs and his 2nd Vezna Trophy worthy season, the Bruins would have been gone by mid-May. Though Thomas is now a living legend in Boston and is ready to take net next season to defend the title, he is 38 and getting no younger. As much as it pains us to think Timmy T will not be here very much longer, the Bruins need to figure out what to do with 24 year old Goalie Tukka Rask, who is getting very antsy to either start for the B’s or look somewhere else to play. We are all aware of Tukka’s skill and potential to be one of the top goalies of his era, he is young, fresh and supremely talented. But, despite being “cool” about being benched in the beginning of this story book season he is looking for his chance now. The Bruins may have to sacrifice winning back to back titles if they want to keep their future goaltender, but that’s not the only way to keep him. They can have a chance to win it again next year with Tukka still on the bench and still able to train him as the replacement for Thomas, but time is something the Bruins have very little of this offseason and that is a very unrealistic route to travel. The Bruins will not drop from Cup contention because of this “possible” goalie feud, but it may make the season more nerve racking than last year’s run.

Tyler Seguin is the next big question and perhaps the harder one to predict. Seguin is the future of the Bruins hands down; his raw skill, athleticism, and pure love for Hockey makes him a major focus for Boston going forward. With all the Bruin’s Players, with the exception of Ryder, Kaberle, and Recchi (Recchi to Retire), under contract for the next several years the question with Seguin is who is the right fit to keep around and work with #19 so he can develop into that Marquee franchise player the Bruins have not had since Ray Bourque. His future as a star is not in question, but how long it takes is and the man responsible for that is the Coach. If there is one thing that people can trash Claude Jullien for, with or without a Cup, is that he did not give Seguin many chances this season to begin developing. Claude cannot limit him next season by any means. He must see the potential the 19 year old has for his Championship team and work with him to harness those skills or risk being on the Hot Seat once again. If he takes time to put the right pieces in place and let Seguin learn on his own with some guidance, he will be doing the Franchise sweet justice and setting them up for many other Cup Parades to come.

By: Tom Rowe

Get the Duck boats ready Mr. Menino! After 39 long, hard years the Boston Bruins fight through adversity one last time and come out hoisting lord Stanley’s Cup! The Bruin’s 4-0 win last night’s Game 7 of the 2011 Finals in perhaps their best performance eve as a team. “The Boston Brotherhood” was alive and well in Vancouver and the heart of a champion was seen in the shape of a spoked B. The celebrations started after an empty net goal by Brad Marchand in the 3rd period to give the Bruins a 4-0 lead, after that the Canucks just gave up. The unprofessional attitude and bratty behavior of the President’s Trophy winning team was enough to deal with, but in the end bad karma caught up to Vancouver and their fans. While the fans in Vancouver went about repeating the tragic rioting that happened in 1994 after they lost the Cup to the Rangers, the Boston fans partied to no end but in the opposite manner that their opponents did. Seeing the reaction of fan’s jumping around on Causeway street would get anyone pumped let alone seeing the Cup being hoist by 6’10” Captain Zdeno Chara.
The Bruin’s surprised everyone with their play in this year’s cup finals, especially with the way they completely shut down Vancouver stars Kesler and the hated Sedin Twins, who promised a game 7 win with the only fact that of home ice. Overconfidence, immaturity, and poor sportsmanship were the main reasons why Vancouver choked in the end. The unselfish behaviors, professionalism, and brotherhood the Bruins have shared this whole season helped guide them to Lord Stanley for the first time since 1972.
If anyone watched this series and questioned who was going to win the Conn Smythe Trophy should be slapped silly. Tim Thomas, win or lose, was the best player in all 7 games of the Stanley Cup Finals and this post season. His stats say it all, but his cool pose and calm attitude going into each game had all eyes focusing on him as the best player. His battles with adversity over his career are well documented and proved that he owned adversity all of the 2011 postseason. We know what the future holds for Timmy, and unfortunately age does not stop for anyone. This group of Bruins along with #30 will have a special place in our hearts like the 2004 Red Sox and 2001 Patriots do, no matter how better or different this team may get over the next few years, people will remember the plays of Thomas, Marchand, Bergeron, Horton, and many others who helped Boston get their 6th Stanley Cup in Franchise history.
The Season is now over, but it will begin again soon. We will see in a few months how the Bruins play while being on top of the Hockey Mountain, I think we are in store for another great season in 2012, but for now let’s rejoice Boston. They deserved to win it all and have every right to celebrate for as long as they want. They have made the Organization, Legends like Orr and Neely, and most of all the fans proud; congratulations to our Boston Bruins, 2011 Stanley Cup Champions!

By: Tom Rowe

After months of grueling games, practices, and emotional torment, the Boston Bruins are now one win away from winning their first championship since the wonderful spring of 1972. After the jaw dropping collapse of last year’s post season run, anyone who thought a year from then the Bruins would be in this spot would have been laughed at like one of Dane Cook’s bad jokes; amazing what can happen in a year right? With the feeling of everyone turning away from them and with the stats against them sevenfold, they kept on going and are within grasp of Hockey’s ultimate treasure.

Game 6 was an emotional night for many B’s fans, not knowing if their team would survive to see the first game 7 in Bruins’ Stanley Cup Finals history; the Nathan Horton tribute didn’t lower those emotions either, but grew confidence in all Bruins’ fans. These fans have gone through so much and yet they never gave up on their black and gold bears, and that loyalty rubbed off the Bruins’ and have changed them forever because of that loyalty. Oddly enough, this upcoming Game 7 for the Bruins feels just like the same feeling Red Sox fans had in Game 4 of the 2004 World Series and Celtics fans during Game 6 of the 2008 Finals; I think that feeling is being well embraced by the Boston Faithful right about now. As one of our great employees at WGAM radio has said, “Stats are for losers”. How true is that? If sports were always judged by stats then Boston should have been eliminated in the first round. I’ve said before I’ll say it again, the heart and brotherhood the Bruins share with one another out ways any power play or save percentage stat Vancouver has over them. Chemistry is one of the most unappreciated factors in all of sports; always has been until a team wins a championship and it is exposed to the world. The Red Sox of 2004 had the best chemistry of any team I have watched in my life, so good in fact that the label “Bunch of Idiots” fit them perfectly due to their goofy attitudes, unique personalities, and the bonds they share for one another. Call me crazy, but the Bruins have emulated that 2004 Boston Red Sox team in 2011.

The Bruins have been the more worthy team, not according to stats, to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup since the very first period of this series. I have the same feeling for the Bruins going into game 7 like I did for the Celtics in 2008 during Game 6, I promised if they win Game 6, they would take Game 7 and I will stand by that statement. The Boston Bruins have been the laughing stock of the league for more than a decade, they have gone through firings and drastic rebuilding stages, and have had too many opportunities slip away; this time they will not fail. Everything they have gone through this decade, not just the past few years, is riding on this Game 7 win. They have a chance to stick it to their critics once and for all. Vancouver better be ready, because Home Ice will not be a factor this time; it’s all or nothing and this will be a Game to remember in Boston for years to come; Lets Go B’s!

By: Tom Rowe

The Stanley Cup Finals returns to Boston for Game six tonight, but it’s not how Bruins fans invisioned the Cup’s return to the Garden. The canucks have the upper hand in this best of 7 as they are 1 win away from the Franchise’s first Stanley Cup Championship. The tention that clouds over Boston is not having the effect it used to have on the B’s faithful. The Bruins of that time are long gone and these new, determined players will not let the celebration happen in Boston, well not just yet anyway. I speak for many Bruin’s fans that there is no doubt in my mind that if the Bruins win game 6, they will win game 7.

The Bruins have come too far and have gone through too much to be stopped and dropped by a classless team in Vancouver. The stats do show the Canucks are the more skilled team and have the advantage over the Bruins when it comes to scoring. The Bruins have had a great series in the penalty kill shutting down Vancouver’s well praised powerplay, but they are one game away from watching the Canucks celebrating on their home ice with the Cup.

The Bruins class and heart is bigger and better than Vancouver’s when it comes to the will to be the best this postseason. The blue collar type play has brought them to new heights and has given them a new identity. The brotherhood bond they all share I believe is more than enough to drop a team like the Canucks who take the game of hockey as a joke, to me Vancouver doesn’t know the meaning of the word botherhood or winning. The way they come about and act like they own all of Hockey says to me they are childish and have no right to call themselves champions; it would be an unjustice for Hockey if a bratting inmature team like Vancouver won the prized Cup. No stat Vancouver is king of can over match the trust, honor to the game, and commitment the Bruins share for one another; hence botherhood.

What I would like the Bruins to do is go look at the Stanley Cup before the Game tonight. Now i know that seeing the cup before a game is bad luck to some, but who really believes that stuff? I want all the Boston players, if possible, to glance at that beautiful trophy and take in the magnitude of what history it holds. To know that only Champions can raise it skyword and that they have the chance to do what only men like Orr, Gretzky, and Messier were able to do, call themselves champions. All this postseason, I have pointed out the Bruins have played with the heart of champions and that more than anything else they did would be the deciding factor in their success or failure in 2011. Now more than ever, their hearts need to be bigger than before. Let the frauds of Vancouver and the loyal fans of Beantown see what is burning inside them all and let it be known once and for all that the Big Bad Boston Bruins, win or lose, are back and are not going anywhere. They will not go down without a fight either, they will challenege the Canucks till the last second on the clock. I promise to the city of Boston and all Bruins’ fans that if they win tonight, they will win game 7. If the Bruins play with the confidence, determination, and heart that Orr, Espisto, and Cashman one played with, then Lord Stanley’s Cup will be back at the TD Garden by Friday.

By: Tom Rowe

There is no word in the human dictionary that can tell you how incredible the last 5 days have been for the Boston Bruins on their journey to bringing the famed Stanley Cup back to Beantown. The past week has been an emotional roller coaster for both teams as their hatred for one another grows with each passing period. With Nathan Horton brutally taken out of the series and the tone now set, Vancouver now realizes the errors of their childish behavior; they poked the bear too hard and now it is angry…I mean angry.
When Lapierre of Vancouver harassed the Bruins with his jokes of the Burrows bite, the series took on a whole new turn and despite the Bruins losing that game 2 in overtime the Black and Gold knew what they had to do. But when their beloved teammate Horton suffered and Mark Savard-like concussion, the Bruins goals were set higher and they would stop at nothing to show the bratty Canucks that they had no idea who they were dealing with. Game 4, more than any other game this series, showed the determination and passion that the Bruins and their fans had. After the tribute to Horton by Bruins Legend Bobby Orr, the Bruins now have made this Stanley Cups Finals into anyone’s series to win.

The amazing reversal in the teams’ Power Play stats has been just as jaw dropping as the Game 3 and 4 blowouts. The Bruins have scored 3 Power Play goals in this series after scoring 5 in the previous 3 series! Vancouver’s “mystical Power Play” has been MIA for the series so far and the so called toughness and energy that Vancouver has been known to show openly in games seems to have been a giant rumor. The one truth that we know is clear is that the prized goalie of the Canucks, Roberto Luongo, is indeed a head case. He has allowed 12 goals in the last 2 Games and with his starting job now on the line, The 10 year vet can do very little now as he must give in to the fact that Boston has rattled his cage.

With their foot now pressing the gas, the Bruins cannot let up by any means. They need to grind the Canucks into dust, Trim Thomas must continue his beautiful style of Goaltending and show Vancouver the mistakes they made, especially the one of mocking their brothers. The unity and brotherhood is the heart and soul of what drives this Bruins team and is not talked about much. The trust and friendship they have for each other is unlike anything else in sports and has drawn comparisons to the “idiots” of the 2004 Red Sox; that’s saying a lot. No matter what caused the leashes to be torn off the Bruins, the fans are not complaining and why would they? For the first time in almost 40 years, the Bruins are 2 games away from their first Stanley Cup. After the failures and collapses of the past, this year seems to be like a dream, but it’s not; this is very real and It’s only going to get better from here on out.

By: Tom Rowe

The Bruins are the more physical team when it comes to the match up with the Vancouver Canucks. The more aggressive and punishing Hockey they play gives them a better chance of winning the Cup over their Canadian opponents. But despite having done exactly that in Game 1 Wednesday night, Boston was criticized and ridiculed for losing to the Canucks 1-0 after a goal by LW Torres in the final 18 seconds of the game. This is completely unfair and overly judgmental in favor of the B’s.
First off the goal in question, if we as Boston sports fan are known for anything in America it is that we jump the gun too quickly at times and point the figure way too often. If those of you blame Tim Thomas for that spectacular goal on the part of Vancouver then you are foolish and need to step back and question your knowledge for Hockey. Timmy played an exceptional game, it is because of him that the Bruins are in the position they are currently in. It was a quick, fast break play that would have fooled any goalie into flinching the way Thomas did, but by no means is it his fault. If you want to blame anyone, Timmy is the last guy on that list; Johnny Boychuck is the first on my shame list. Johnny Boychuck has become more of a liability than anything this postseason. He has been on the ice for last 7 goals scored against the Bruins, whether he was guarding the assist man, scorer, or lost the puck on a turnover, he has cost the Bruins 7 goals.
Next on the list to blame are the 5 Bruins players who were on the Ice when the 5-3 double minor penalty was called on Vancouver. If the Bruins cannot score on what basically is a given goal, then they are in very serious trouble. The fact that they were able to shut down the best power play in the NHL is outstanding and must continue, because after watching that double minor power play I official have no confidence in the Bruin’s Power Play. The Power Play has been so horrible that it must be (besides Boychuck) the number one blame for the Game 1 lost. If the team had scored on that chance then the game would have gone very differently. But besides all those negative points, the Bruins played a tough game and stayed toe-to-toe with the best Team in the NHL for 59 minutes until that final goal. The Bruins are not finished and that game was stolen from them, but they need to fix those mistakes and get back on the ice for Saturday ready to show up Vancouver once again.

By: Tom Rowe

The Boston Bruins road to the Stanley cup finals has not been easy, it has come with harsh critics, little respect and nothing to really lose from this series; kind of sounds like the 2007 New York Giants right? The Vancouver Canucks, the NHL’s best team of the 2010-2011 season, top team in points, individual point, points allowed and the best power play of any team this season and post season with an entire nation pressuring them to win it all for their city, sounds like the 2007 Patriots to me huh?
Whether we want to remember that horrible nightmare in Glendale, Arizona or not, we have to see the clear resemblances of this year’s Stanley Cup Finals match up and one of the greatest Super Bowls in NFL History. The Patriots were 18-0 and had all the pressure in the world to win it all in February 2008, but even the nationwide hype and tremendous, bone crushing pressure was too much for the NFL’s best team on the decade. They had everything to lose and that thought alone caused them to play horribly and cost them their magical season. The Giants came out on top because they were the opposite of New England. They had no pressure, nothing to lose, and just played the way they wanted to with that mind set in check. To wrap this confusing piece up, The Canucks are the 2007 Patriots and our beloved Boston Bruins are the 2007 New York Giants.
Not to insult a great Boston Franchise, but it is a good thing for the Bruins to have the label and mindset the 2007 Giants had on their way to the biggest upset in sports history. They have had a tremendous season and have responded well to adversity all postseason. They have been the underdog to most of the NHL’s fans all season long; if they do not win the Cup this year, the year is not a failure for Boston (the 2007 Giants). But if Vancouver loses this series and allows Boston to win their first Stanley Cup since 1972, the season is an absolute 100% failure. Nothing they accomplished or did this season and postseason will make up for an epic Stanley Cup Series collapse (just like the 2007 Patriots in Glendale). The Bruins have a legit shot of winning the Cup even if they don’t grab on to the underdog mindset, all they need to do is want it more and be more physical than Vancouver is. Skill wise the Canucks have the large advantage like the Pats did over the Giants, but when it comes to the heart and determination to do whatever it takes to win, the Bruins have the advantage like the Giants did in Super Bowl XLII. Hopefully, a Stanley Cup win for Beantown will help erase the painful memory of that Super Bowl lost, but either way there are great things to come in the near future for the Black and Gold and we can say no matter what happens, this season was never a failure.

By: Tom Rowe

After one of the most enjoyable and exciting Hockey games Boston fans have seen in a long time, the Bruins are now four wins away from obtaining the big hardware for the first time since 1972. With the Bruins back in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990, Boston is buzzing like never before and many fans say this buzz of joy feels the same feeling that Red Sox fans had in 2004. We all know how that season turned out, but you’re talking two completely different sports and we all know in Hockey more than any other sport, anything can happen.
The Bruins have a legit shot at winning it all this year, but they face a team where they will be tested like never before this year; the Vancouver Canucks. The best team in the NHL against one of the NHL’s most historic franchises is going to be a must watch for Hockey fans. Many will rout for the Bruins for the one reason that baseball fans cheered for the Red Sox in 2004, the heart of a champion. The Bruins throughout the Playoffs have shown the grit and determination that teams like the 2009 Penguins and 2010 Blackhawks showed in their run to the beloved Cup. It has been nearly 40 years since Boston fans filled the streets to get a glimpse of Hockey’s most prestigious jewel and since then it has been torture not to do so. The 2011 Eastern Conference Champs need to fully realize they are not playing for just the organizations reputation, but for the fans old and young, long and gone who have gone almost a half century without lifting the cup over their heads and also for themselves as players and Bruins, to join the elite few who have had their names engraved into the ultimate prize of hockey.
The next two weeks will be exciting, stressful, and nerve racking all combined into one for Boston fans. Those who could not take the gut wrenching feeling of glorious playoff hockey are advised to not watch this series, but if that happens then you’re not a fan. Forget moral values, home rules, all that stuff; these next few weeks may not come again for another 20 years (knock on wood). Everyone has the right to enjoy the thrill of the Stanley Cup Finals, especially the ones who have never experienced it in Boston like myself. The Bruins have to and will be more physical than the Canucks to win this series. This is no cake walk by any means, it is anyone’s series to win and anything can happen. One thing is for sure though, not to rip off NHL network, history will be made and hopefully it will be made in Beantown.