Kynch's BB Korner Main Page

noreply@blogger.com (KingKrej46) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 16:33:00 +0000

Game Day VS. Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 16:07:00 +0000

Game day VS. the ST. Louis Blues....AKA; welcome back Vladdy night. Vladimir Sobotka is one of those guys that, even in a very brief Bruins career made quite a name for himself. He quickly developed a cult following, thanks to his constant hustle, energy and willingness to hit anything that moved. Even if everyone seemed to be a foot taller and fifty pounds heaver than himself. But what shouldn't be lost in all of that physical play is the fact that the kid is one of the fastest guys around. He also, in my opinion, has loads of untapped offensive potential. That's not to say he's ever going to be a number one center, or be a 30 goal man. But in the right situation, I could see him approaching the 20 goal mark fairly regularly. Unfortunately for his personal stats, he's yet again on a pretty good team, with good depth. So he'll be limited to fourth line minutes, playing with fourth line caliber wings. Although, if he remains playing with Matt D'agostini, they could form a decent combo. Certainly plenty of speed for a fourth line. Having BJ Crombeen riding shotgun with that pair adds some much needed size. Needed because SOB is definitely going to get under the skin of plenty of players this year, so Crombeen will have his hands full protecting the little fella (think Shawn Thornton & Brad Marchand).

As far as the rest of the Blues, they're playing extremely well in front on last season's prized off season signing, Jaroslav Halak. As you look at their crop of forwards, it's obvious they provide some serious match up issues. Their depth is impressive. Boyes, MacDonald, Backes, Perron, Oshie,Steen....all dangerous. On the back end, they're led by Eric Brewer, Baret Jackman and Eric Johnson. All big bodies, but not the most experienced group in the league. All quality younger players though, so take nothing for granted.
But things really begin and end in net for them, and Halak has been beyond impressive. Finally out of the shadows of "Jesus Price", and the nonsense of the Canadiens franchise, Halak is proving that last year's playoff performance was no fluke. In 9 games, he has a 1.53GAA and a .940 save%. Not too shabby at all. He's a likely Vezina candidate this year, along with our own Timmy Thomas of course.

Thoughts on tonight's game
Losing last night against the Caps should have come as no surprise. I certainly expected a better effort over the first 40 minutes, but I was impressed by the comeback attempt in the third. That "should" bode well for tonight. That effort has shown me that this Bruins team has more heart and pride than perhaps they displayed last year. I fully expect a better start to tonight's game, and if they lose, I doubt it will be because of effort.

It's expected that Tuukka Rask will get the start tonight. He, for his own state of mind, needs to have a good game. Even in a loss, if he plays up to his standard, that will go a long way towards getting him back on track. Of course, the team has to play better in front of him than they have the last couple times out. Having said that, I think he and the team all show up tonight. I'm feeling a 3-1 Bruins win, with Recchi, Bergeron and Chara getting the goals for Boston. And what the hell, I'm seeing Sobotka getting one for the Blues (which would be his first point of the season).

ROUGH STUFF
While the Blues aren't looked at as an overly "rough & tumble" team, they certainly have plenty of guys willing and able to throw 'em. BJ Crombeen, Brad Winchester and Cam Jansen are all more than capable fighters. Jansen (when healthy) and Crombeen being the primary tough guys, despite Winchesters size (6'5,230lbs). I don't see any way, after last night's stinker, that Thornton doesn't try getting the boys off to a quick start tonight. Look for Shawn to get the ball rolling early, probably grabbing Crombeen within the first shift or two. Winchester almost certainly will try to get involved as well, and it may be down to a Mark Stuart type to deal with him. I'd say Lucic, but not sure how often those two will be on the ice together.

So, welcome home SOB. There are plenty of us here that miss you, and wish you well. Just not TOO well tonight.
Just skate your wing,
Kynch

NHL Superheroes? Wa wa what? Love it!

noreply@blogger.com (KingKrej46) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:38:00 +0000

When I first heard about this idea I was like "COME ON!" The NHL trying something that the rest of the Big 4 pro leagues haven't already done twice over? And it will be a mix of pucks heritage & comics? Stan "The Man" Lee's involved...? WTF! Well call me insane (again...) but after seeing what's already been released and will be forthcoming, I for one am pretty "jacked and pumped" and happy to say that it's officially TRUE! As The NHL has announced that its fully collaborating with venerable comic book legend Stan "The Man" Lee on "The Guardian Project" in which each of the NHL's 30 clubs will be represented by it's own "Superhero" entity with the help one of the true giants in the field of superhero related comics, film and other forms of online mutimedia, Stan "The Man" Lee. So the man who gave us Spider-Man, the X-Men, and other now legendary characters has the great responsibility to help co-create these new characters through his newly launched POW! Entertainment company.

At the recent New York Comic Con that was held couple weeks ago, Lee himself was on hand to present "The Guardian Project" as part of a panel discussion along with NHL commish Gary Bettman. The above image served as nothing more than a teaser for the project but a closer look reveals more than a few clues on each of these soon to be reveled team-influenced heroes.

Coming up, the full details on what the Hell this project really is, as some glimpses of Stan Lee's NHL superheroes; a.k.a. You'll Believe That a Man Can Flyer. The description of "The Guardian Project," which will no doubt inspire confidence about the chances for its massive success included a statement to the effect of "This unprecedented partnership, deemed Guardian Media Entertainment (GME), takes a cutting-edge approach to animation as all content is being designed for multi platform media applications. The plans for the project include "comic books, a novel, mobile applications, TV and film"

According to a recent article from USA Today on the project; Organizers are keeping a lid for now on the powers and likenesses of The Guardians, with plans to reveal them individually over time on the enterprise's website (http://www.guardianproject30.com/) before presenting them together at January's NHL All-Star game with each of the teams having a role in designing their clubs hero to reflect themselves, city and fan base.

Based on what's already been announced and that I've seen first hand, each hero will reflect the team itself, such as the Flyers being characterized by toughness (cheap shotting) the Montreal Canadiens by speed (and I assume the ability to flop at a moments notice...) the Toronto Maple Leafs by size and strength (and delusional fans) etc., Overall its been positioned that these NHL superheroes will work together and separately, although there will be friction between those representing traditional rivalries, such as that between the Flyers and the New York Rangers. With this in mind you've got to think that "Leafs Mans" superpower must be something like having the ability to massively disappoint for decades but somehow still lead the league in merchandise sales.

Personally I'm thinking that this innovative multi property effort will either be a HUGE hit or will quickly disappear with little notice but regardless I'll be sure to post more on this as well as any other info and photos of each of the individual teams "Heroes" as they are introduced. Until then though; Lets Go Broons! & "Excelsior! Bitches” -KingKrej46

Game Day- VS Washington

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:08:00 +0000

I know what you're thinking....."finally, a damn game preview blog. What the hell has this slacker Kynch been doing?". Simple answer is, I've been slacking. Longer answer is, I was in Prague for the first two games, and let's just say internet availability there is a little sketchy (plus I really didn't feel like blogging from my phone, my sole source of internet access). Saturday, I was totally slacking, playing some golf on the Cape (Cape Cod for you out of towners!). But hey, that's the past. I'm here now and ready to give this a whirl. So let's jump right into it, shall we?

Let's see, when you play against the Caps, what is your first priority? Obviously, it's containing that Norris trophy shoe-in Karl Alzner, right? No? Oh, that's right. They DO have some kid named Ovechkin, who I think is going to turn into a decent NHL prospect one of these days. Maybe the B's should focus on him. And from all indications, that is exactly what coach Julien is doing. Looks like Chara and Seidenberg will be the top pairing again tonight, to slow down the Caps top line (just as they were paired together to stop New Jersey's top heavy first line). "OV" is off to his usual hot start, potting 4G & 4A in Washington's first 5 games. He has a point in every contest. As goes Ovechkin, so go the Caps. As Tim Thomas (tonight's likely starter) mentioned, it seems as though when Ovechkin is flying, the rest of his team follows suit. If you slow him down, the others tend to lose a step as well. Sounds like a simple plan, but it's easier said than done. On the bright side, even if Washington, as the home team, is able to avoid Chara/Seidenberg with creative line changes, the Bruins may still be OK. In the preseason game, where the B's played very short handed, Johnny Boychuck had a HUGE game against Ovechkin. I lost track of how many times OV was thwarted in one on one situations against Johnny B. Even the Caps announcers were raving about his play. Let's hope that translates to tonight.

But Ovechkin, despite being the ring leader of that circus, is far from the only threat. Semin and Backstrum are both deadly in their own right. The B's catch something of a break, as it appears Mike Green will sit this one out. Not that I'm a fan of Green, as I think he is HORRIBLE in his own end, but some of the Caps fast break offense is missing without him in the lineup. However, the Caps have a suitable replacement for him, in Natick Ma.'s own John Carlson. The rookie is second in team scoring, with 1G & 5A.

From the Boston side of things, you can't ask for much more balance than they got Saturday against the Devils. After playing a sloppy first period, the B's rallied with four goals in the second period. One from each line. Tough to beat that, and makes for some match-up issues for Bruce Boudreau & company. If the Bruins play their simple, defense first style, they can absolutely beat the Caps, or anyone else. When they fail to pay attention to detail, like game one in Prague, they're very beatable. I expect nothing short of a solid effort from them tonight, as they're well aware this is their first real"test". They've played a struggling Devils squad, and a hit or miss Coyotes team. Tonight, they get to prove themselves against some of the iron in the Eastern conference.

ROUGH STUFF
Washington went out and got tough guy DJ King from St. Louis this off season. King is a legit middle-heavyweight. IF he's in the Caps lineup tonight, you can bank on him paying Shawn Thornton a visit. This is one of those match-ups that I love for Thornton. Should be a very entertaining bout when (and if) these two get together. Both love to trade punches, and in my book are fairly evenly matched. DJ King, while tough, isn't the kind of guy I was talking about when I praised the B's for signing McGrattan. This is the type of fighter Thornton should handle (or possibly Lucic, depending on the situation).
Whether King is in the lineup or not, I also wouldn't be surprised if former B's prospect Matt Hendricks drops the gloves as well. Hendricks is no heavyweight, but has definitely shown a willingness to "go". My gut tells me he does tonight, and Mark Stuart is the one to oblige him.

GAME PREDICTION

Well, since I've always been SO accurate with my predictions, I figured I'd keep it going this year. I see the Bruins winning this one (shocking, I know). Look for a 3-2 game, with Horton, Bergeron and Chara your scorers for the good guys. On the other side, old friend Mike Knuble scores against us, if for no other reason than he ALWAYS seems to score against the B's. Going off the map a bit with their other goal, but I see Eric Fehr getting it.
Keep your elbow tucked,
Kynch

Pucks & Pivo

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:10:00 +0000

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted anything, so I apologize for that. I was hoping to have a report from the Belfast game, but it looks like my Irish correspondent is still recovering (or still drunk). If he's able to give us the Irish perspective on that game, I'll post it. For now, I'll jump into my Prague experience a bit.

As everyone who has ever been to Prague will tell you, it is an absolutely beautiful city. The architecture, the history...all amazing. The people, while not exactly the "warmest" you'll ever meet are certainly not threatening in any way. You may not always feel "welcome", but neither do you feel overly "unwanted". But a funny thing happens when you get away from the heavily touristy areas. The people, especially late at night in one of the pubs, which seem to be every fifty feet or so, let their hair down in a big way. The gruff exterior of a long oppressed people is gone. Replaced with a fun loving attitude that can only come from a people who have known life when freedom, self expression and simple joys were a foreign idea. Bottom line, this is a population making up for lost time. Boy oh boy, are they making up for lost time.

It can feel at times that you've stepped into a time warp, and landed in a suburban mall somewhere in the US in the mid-80's. The fashion, the hair (they're HUGE fans of the mullet) and the music all scream 80's. Of course, like all their music, every 80's song they play seems to have the same annoying "dance mix-techno pop" treatment applied to it. Oddly, though most places etc played that awful techno garbage, the pubs with live music featured American jazz and blues. Let's just say I was a bit surprised walking into a neighborhood pub only to find a Dixieland Jazz band playing. Should have known then that things were going to be "interesting".

American "culture" is taking hold here, as evidenced by our most prominent export....fast food. Everywhere you look, KFC (some serving beer of course), McDonalds & Subway are intermingled with the more traditional Czech establishments. Shame too, because the Czech's actually have some very good food of their own.....albeit a bit heavy. Seems every menu item is tailor made to cure a hangover. Not surprising for a country that consumes more beer, by a mile, than any other. When incredibly tasty and fresh beer literally costs less than a soda, you can see why (roughly $1-$1.50USD).

OK, enough of the Travel Channel stuff. What about the game experience? Well, I only went to game one. I think we can all agree that from a hockey entertainment standpoint, that was pretty pathetic. I don't know who those guys in the B's jerseys were, but they certainly the team I was expecting to see.

As far as experience, it was great. The first thing that stands out is how many NHL fans were there. Not Bruins or Coyote fans (although to their credit, Phoenix did have a very large representation). I think every team in the NHL was represented by local Czech (and other Eastern Europeans) fans. So many different game jerseys, with their wearers proudly sporting painted faces, it was a bit bizarre. But they were hugely into hockey, no matter who was playing. Shame the NHL charged their usual NHL rates for the game, as this left the average Czech fan out in the cold. In my section, we were probably the only four speaking English. The rest was a mix of Czech, German, Austrian and any number of other languages. Many in attendance owed their allegiance to one team or another based solely on which, if any, of their countrymen played for them. Which explains how the Austrian next to me felt no hesitation being a Bruins fan, yet also being a big Sabres fan....because Tomas Vanek is "our best player" (as in, Austria's best). My attempt to sway him based on the behavior of Buffalo players and fans was futile. Oh well.

The O2 arena itself is very nice. It's sort of in the middle of nowhere, but the area seems to be going through some development, so there may be more pre and post-game eating and drinking options soon. I hope so, because the "bowling club" we had a beer at was a bit....sketchy.The pub where we ate was also one of the very few where NOBODY spoke or understood a word of English. But at least it's right off the train stop, so it's easy to get to (the Prague transit system is great...once you get the hang of it).

Having every person entering the building go through a metal detector is a little time consuming, and makes getting in a pain, but safety first I guess. Once inside, it wasn't much different than any other arena. The concourses all seemed like they could be slightly larger, and the beer was the much more expensive than at the bars (of course "expensive" is a relative term. Arena beers cost roughly $2.25....still much better than the Garden's $7-$8!).You know you're in Europe, when between periods the place absolutely empties out.....yet the concourse is oddly quiet. Yep, everyone was in the smoking area.

As far as game presentation, I'm kind of torn. Was it cool that the Bruins, as the "home team", were able to have their PA announcer present? Sure. But I also was looking forward to a 100% "Czech experience". They did announce everything in English and Czech, so that was OK. One thing I did enjoy was, no matter how hard they tried getting the crowd going with those foolish "noise" or "get loud" signs on the score board, the locals wouldn't bite. Give them a REASON to cheer, they will. TELL them to, not going to happen. But I really enjoyed it when they took THEIR chants, and applied them to OUR teams. Let's just say, the four of us at least, will be doing everything we can to carry their "Bos-TONE (clap clap clap)" chant to the Garden this season....and yes, you do have to do it with the accent.

Game two saw us watching from a downtown pub. When looking for a bar to watch a hockey game, I guess you can't do much better than a place called "Hockey Bar". So that's where we went. It wasn't as busy as we had expected, but before long we did have the various Czech, Germans, Austrian's and whoever else was there cheering for our beloved boys in Black & Gold. Fortunately, they gave us reason to be proud. THAT is how they have to play to be successful.

So what did I take away from the actual games? Let's see...
1)If they don't play a smart, aggressive style they have no chance. Soft passes, poor decisions and defensive confusion reigned in game one. And they blown out because of it.

2)when they skate, they win. Game 2 was a complete 180 from the previous day. They outworked the 'Yotes, so they won. Simple as that.

3)Nathan Horton could very well be everything the scouts thought he was supposed to be when he was drafted. Put him in a stable environment, with solid teammates and a focused coach and he could be one of the top scorers in the NHL. Deadly wrist shot, quick release, good size and the willingness to use it. He makes Boston a dangerous team, and should open things up for other lines.

4)I'm going to like the B's 4th line. I already like Thornton, that's obvious. But Campbell, I think, is a guy we're all going to learn to love. Hard worker, stand up guy, and has more skill than most 4th liners. He should be fun to watch. And with any of Paille, Marchand or McGrattan riding the other wing spot, there are a few different looks Julien could throw out there night to night. Personally, I'm already looking forward to McGrattan's first game as a Bruin.

5)The Tuukka-Timmy "situation" is going to be interesting to watch. While Tuukka certainly didn't get any help in his start, he also wasn't exactly on his game. Worse, his little tantrum after the second period (not sure if it was visible on TV) shows me that he's still got a good dose of that petulant, whiny little kid in him. Has anyone ever heard him say ANYTHING was his fault? Didn't think so, yet I've heard him plenty of times talk about the team in front of him. Timmy, on the other hand, looked sharp all day. And contrary to Tuukka, when Timmy gets pissed off, he plays better. He handles it himself, and takes ownership. This battle is going to be fun, and yes folks...it's actually OK to pull for BOTH of them. They're both trying to do the same job for our team, no reason to hate one or the other.

6)The kids are alright (wow....that's an over used line, even by my standards). Seguin's speed is impressive to say the least (not nearly as impressive as Kynch's Korner contributor Angela's timing though...she no sooner got the words "has anyone else been impressed by Seguin's speed?" out her mouth when he broke away for his first NHL goal). He'll make his share of mistakes, but his pure talent will get him off the hook for a lot of it. Jordan Caron may also open a lot of eyes. He's looked like a veteran since day one of camp. Now, I'm not trying to say he's going to be a Rookie Of The Year candidate or anything, but I can't help but think back to Joe Thornton's rookie year. All the hype (rightfully so) was on "Jumbo Joe". But Sergei Samsonov walked away with ROY honors. Again, NO...I don't think Caron will even be in that conversation. I just think at the end of the year, he may make a much bigger impact than most expected.

7)I didn't think it was possible, but I like Patrice Bergeron even more now. Everything about him oozes class. From the way he works on the ice, to the way he's clearly mentoring Seguin. From his vast community involvement, to his desire to remain a Bruin, and his willingness to take less money to stay here. This kid is the kind of guy every franchise needs, but most will never know. Take a moment to enjoy this guy folks, he's a special one.

Well, that's it for now. Still trying to get back on Boston time. With the next game not until Saturday, I should be fully recovered by then. In the mean time, I'll gather my thoughts and try to put something a bit more coherent for my next post. What can I say? Too many Pivo's!
Kynch

My Most Hated NHL players

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:34:00 +0000

As anyone that knows me, or reads this blog regularly knows, it doesn't take much for me to ratchet up the "hate" during any NHL season. The mere sight of a Canadiens jersey is enough to fire me up, and long for the days of the good old bench-clearing brawl. Ditto for Sabres, Leafs, Flyers and to a lesser extent, Rangers gear. As a Bruins fan, the "hatred" of those teams is obvious, and understandable. Particularly when it comes to Montreal, as there is a level of respect for the way they've managed to break my heart over the years. "Back in the day", the losses, while heartbreaking, were somewhat tempered by the fact that they were just good teams, with "honorable" players, for the most part. hate them as you may, it was pretty tough to disrespect guys like Larry Robinson, who was a class act. Sure, Guy Carbonneau was/is easy to hate, but every team in every era has guys like that. Of course, over the years some weird metamorphosis has taken place in La Belle Province. Now diving, cheating, hit and run cheap shot artistry has taken hold. Shame really.

But that's a team thing. My question is, who are the individual players that just get your blood boiling? The one guy in an enemy jersey that single handedly revs up the rivalry to the point where a win is nearly a secondary goal. A guy that, is so low, dirty and flat our embarrassing, despite relative "productivity", you would never want to see in a Bruins jersey? Here's my list, I'd be interested to see how it stacks up to yours. In no particular order (other that number one perhaps), I present the ten CURRENT NHL players I despise.

10: Jarko Ruutu- This guy is the ultimate cheap shot artist, a guy that is never afraid to take advantage of an unsuspecting, vulnerable player. The bigger the star, the more likely he is to unload a "questionable" hit. As evidenced by the brutal hit on Jaromir jagr in the 2006 Olympics, and the cheap shot, after the whistle knee-on-knee hit of Ilya Kovalchuck in 2008. The only thing that keeps this bum from being higher on my list, is because he will *sometimes* drop the gloves and actually answer for his actions. And by sometimes, I mean once or twice per year. Normally, he can be seen instigating a brawl, then hiding behind the refs flashing his goofy Joker-esque grin.

9:Steve Downie- This clown is an accident waiting to happen. From his blatant attempt to injure Sidney Crosby this past March, to the vicious head shot delivered to Ottawa's Dean McAmmond in a PRESEASON game in 2007 (a hit that earned him a 20 game suspension), Downie has demonstrated his lack of class wherever he's played. But at least he's an equal opportunity dirt bag. Downie has also served a 20 game suspension in the AHL, for slashing an official. Not to mention the 5 game suspension he received for a fight/hazing incident with a TEAMMATE in the OHL. He'd be much much higher on this list if he played in the division, or was still a member of the Flyers, as opposed to Tampa.

8:Patrick Kaleta- This pest probably deserves to be higher on the list, but frankly he's so pathetic to watch, I don't want to give him the honor of ranking any higher than 8. The fact that the ever delusional Sabres fan base considers him an "enforcer" is equally pathetic.....and yet another example of why I hate Buffalo. Their fans are beyond ridiculous. But hey, I guess living in that hell-hole, complete with exactly zero championships in anything, is enough to make anyone a little loopy. Kaleta, is generally the first guy to run his mouth....then run to the bench. He's also a world-class diver, which should come as no surprise. Buffalo seems to be taking a page out of the Montreal playbook in recent years. The slightest contact with Kaleta will send him sprawling. Plays and players like this need to be removed from the NHL. It's embarrassing.

7:Chris Neil- Neil is one of those tough choices. He's a guy you hate, but can't always put a finger on exactly why. Then, you watch him play and it all comes back to you. A decent fighter, who stands out from the others on this list in that he will fight anyone, any time. But his constant yapping, whining and inexcusable diving are just too much to leave him off any "pest" list. Neil has come full circle in his career. When he first broke into the NHL, he was nothing more than a fighter. A few years in, he suddenly decided he could score a little. He topped out at 16 goals in 2006, while adding 204PIMS. Decent production to be sure. But still, I prefer my "enforcers" to let their game do the talking, something Neil has never been able to do. His full time mouth, combined with his over acting ways earn him a spot here. Congrats.

6:Scott Walker- Do I really need to mention how Walker earned his spot on this list? Yes, sometimes all it takes is one despicable act to earn a lifetime in my dog house. And there haven't been many acts more gutless than the absolute sucker punch Walker threw on our (beloved) Aaron Ward in the playoffs in 2009. How he didn't get suspended is beyond me, and pretty much sums up what is wrong with the NHL's supplementary discipline system. Even before throwing that punch, he was essentially the third man in, and made his entrance by elbowing Ward square in the face. What a hero you are, Mr. Walker. Not enough bad things can happen to this punk as far as I'm concerned. (and yes, maybe I'm still a little bitter that he, of all people, scored the series clinching goal for Carolina).

At the half way point, and I'm already FIRED UP....the regular season can't get here fast enough!

5: Dan Carcillo. A RAT, period. Carcillo piled up 17 fighting majors last year, which on the surface would seem to remove him from the "pest" discussion. But since this is my "most hated", not "biggest pest" list, he's easily top 5 material. The fact that he only ranks 5th surprises even me. But as usual, this list is fluid, and any of these guys can rise & fall with the tides of the season. The number of bouts this dirt bag piled up last year is slightly skewed once you take a look at some of his hand picked dance partners. There was of course the blatant sucker punch of renowned heavyweight Matt Bradley. And lets not forget his monumental achievement in taking on legendary goon Marion Gaborik. Please. This guy picks his spots with the best of them. Not a fighter? He's your guy. At the end of a long shift? He'll be your huckleberry. Got your head down, and have no idea you're even in a fight? Yep, dance reservation is booked. Beyond the selective fighting is his history of questionable hits, and so many dives it would make a Canadiens fan blush is the fact that EVERYTHING this piece of dirt does is for show. He's an extremely selfish player, who will run his mouth, play to the crowd and take foolish penalties at the worst times. How and why he's considered by some to be a "good teammate" is beyond me. Not sure he knows the meaning of "team", and I'd never want him on mine.

4:Sean Avery- I know, 4 does seem low, doesn't it? But this ass hat's act has gotten so old and tiresome, that it almost seems like old news to rank him any higher. Avery's long list of, shall we say, "unfortunate incidents", has been well documented. From his cheap shotting, constant yapping, turtling and generally running away from nearly every incident he incites, to his ridiculous "look at me" comments off the ice. every part of him and his whole act are just plain played out. Another guy that somehow is considered a decent teammate.....until his act wears thin there, then it's on to the next. I have to believe his act wouldn't play well in Boston, where we prefer our guys to actually back up their words. Shame, because if he lost the circus side-show aspect of his game, he is a decent player. But one not worth all the negatives he brings.

3:Steve Ott- What in the world were the Dallas Stars thinking a couple years ago when they had both Ott and Avery on the same team. I feel bad for every player on that roster that had to put up with their nonsense. And more often than not, pay the price for their shenanigans (just think of poor Matt Niskanen getting filled in by Sheriff Shane Hnidy after Ott spent the night stirring the pot, and not answering for his own actions. To recap that night: Ott threw at least three dirty, very low hits (Yelle, Lucic and Savard). He flat out ran away from and refused to drop the gloves with Thornton, Hnidy or Lucic. That one game is a perfect microcosm of this ass's career. He's been cheap and dirty his entire career. And honestly, he isn't a good enough hockey player to get away with it. I'm still stunned he's been able to stick around as long as he has. A complete embarrassment, not only to the NHL, but to anyone with any shred of pride.

2: Matt Cooke- Obviously his gutless, predatory cheap shot hit on Marc Savard vaulted this gutless, worthless puke to the #2 spot on my list. For sheer violence of action, he should probably be ranked #1. Even without the Savard hit on his resume, he has a long enough history to be a top 5 most hated around the league. In an eerily similar hit to the Savard one, Cooke was suspended two games for a "targeted blow to the head" of Sergei Anisimov of the NY Rangers. Another blind side, head high elbow on a player that had already released the puck. Makes it even more amazing that this piece of trash wasn't suspended for the Savard hit. But Cooke isn't just a one trick pony. In addition to a series of head shots, he's also a bigfan of knee on knee hits (as Eric Cole), Slew Foots (see; Colin Fraser) and extremely late hits on players doing such threatening things as making a line change (as in, Zach Parise). Look these incidents, among many others, up on youtube. It's amazing he's still standing. Although I have to admit, I became a huge Evander Kane fan the day Kane scored a one-punch knock out on Cooke. Good times, should happen on a nightly basis. If anyone deserves to feel the effects of post concussion syndrome themselves, it's this head hunting coward.

Well, after all that ranting through the first 9, who could possibly earn my coveted #1 most hated player in the NHL? It may or may not surprise you....

1: Mike Komisarek- Now, don't let the fact that "Komi" wasn't around to cause much trouble last season cloud your memory of this gutless puke. One of my main criteria is, if you're going to run your mouth, take liberties and "act tough" out there, you had damn well better be willing to answer the bell every time. Komisarek, unfortunately doesn't believe he should be held responsible for anything he says or does out there. And as much as little guys running around acting tough drives me crazy, it's even more infuriating when a big kid acts like a coward. And Komisarek, at 6'4" 225lbs is certainly big enough to go with the big boys. If he's going to play "on the edge", he needs to step up. At the very least, if you aren't going to drop the gloves, SHUT YOUR MOUTH. He's constantly chirping and whining about something. He's big on waiting for the refs to get between him and whoever want to "talk" with him, then start making bug gestures like he's actually interested in going. Please. Everyone knows that is all for show. He really needs to just skate away with his tail between his legs like the beaten dog he is. Even after Lucic pounded him (FINALLY), Komisarek refused to let go of his jersey after the refs stepped in, in some lame attempt to look like he didn't just get his teeth kicked in or something. Of course the fact that all of this transpired while he was wearing a Canadiens sweater made it all the more entertaining. I can only pray that he's healthy this year, because that will put the Bruins-Leafs games over the top. With Komi "doing his thing", and Lucic looking to repent for last season's down year, things could get very interesting. (and with Colton Orr on the prowl protecting "komi", my man McGrattan would be well utilized freeing up Thornton, Lucic, Stuart or anyone else that can get a hold of Komisarek.)

Man, it's only September and I'm already in mid-season hatred form. So that's my top ten as of today. As I said, that's subject to change as the season goes on. Perhaps a new "villain" will appear, or one of these chumps does something even more outrageous. If they do, it's obviously an attempt on their part to climb higher on my list.
Man up and answer the bell,
Kynch

Read all about it!

noreply@blogger.com (angela) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:52:00 +0000

A lot going on hockey wise these days (it's wonderful isn't it?) Here are some random hockey news stories worth checking out while you avoid doing any work on this lovely Friday afternoon:

** Interesting read. Bob Probert's brain has been donated to a research project at Boston University. No really, it has. The study focuses on head trauma and the possible lingering effects for athletes. Obviously this has been a hot topic here in Boston, especially earlier this week when it was discovered Marc Savard is still suffering from post concussion symptoms.

** Sick of the Sid VS Ovie business? Yeah me too. As we all know, this season's Winter Classic will feature The Capitals taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins. HBO and the NHL are both looking to cash in on the "rivalry" as much as possible by airing a special 4 week long documentary series leading up to it.

Personally I have mixed feelings about this. I have pretty much had my fill of the Pens and Caps being continually paraded around by the league. However, hockey being the "red headed stepchild" of the sporting world is not just a Boston phenomenon. Aside from your larger markets, your typical American sports fan doesn't pay much attention to the game. It also doesn't help that the NHL has been terrible at marketing it's product over the years. (Incredibly terrible)

A show like this is placing the entire league in the spotlight, and the possibilities are endless. I'm not personally familiar with the Hard Knocks show, which is the blue print for this series. How will it be executed, and what sort of audience are they targeting? Does "uncensored" mean I'll get to aquire an arsenal of Russian swear words? Guess we'll have to wait and see.

** Cue the Brass Bonanza! The Whale is returning! Sort of...This isn't really the return of the Whale as much as a clever marketing push to sell more tickets for the Rangers AHL affiliate. But hey, I'm sure the Whalers booster club is pumped they're getting an AHL team instead of the NHL team they were after. (Also, does anyone else find it strange they are waiting until mid season to make the name change?)

** "Score: A Hockey Musical" did not go over well at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month. I know. I was shocked to hear this myself. I mean what could possibly go wrong having Olivia Newton John Star in a musical about hockey?

Hm. Apparently a lot could go wrong.

Let's hope "The Goon", which started the pre-production process earlier this month, fares a bit better.

** Finally, let's all just take a moment to be jealous of the fans over in Phoenix. Not only will they get the opportunity to partake in special giveaway nights that include camo hats and wearable blankets, but they also get a special 80's night! (and I thought the Rene Rancornament night at the Garden was going to be awesome) Ah, hockey in the desert. It never ceases to amaze me.

Alright, that's all I've got for you. Enjoy your weekend folks! Please don't forget that NESN is actually going to be airing the pre-season game against the Panthers this Saturday night. If you can't make it over to the Garden to heckle Dennis Wideman in person, be sure to tune in. Puck drops at 7.

-Angela

Hello fellow puck heads!

noreply@blogger.com (angela) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 01:48:00 +0000

Apparently the boys here at Kynch's Bruins Korner were in need of a lady's touch to keep this blog up and running. (I kid, I kid...) To be honest, I'm not really sure why I was invited, but whatever the reason may be, here I am ready and raring to go!

Let's get some of the awkward introductions out of the way so we can get down to business, shall we?

My name is Angela and I'm a lifelong Bruins fan (bet you've never heard that line before). Fact is, I love the game. Period. This season will mark my 4th year as a season ticket holder, and on any given game night I can be found yelling/cheering/complaining from section 316. If you're in the neighborhood, feel free to stop by and say hello. (bring beer!) People over at Sully's sometimes call me Chucky and I'm pretty sure it won't take you long to figure out why. Personally, I like players who crash the net and aren't afraid to get nasty in the corners. I also prefer my defensemen to come from the stay at home breed. (Not the sexy choice, I know.) I enjoy long walks on the beach and....wait. Wrong blog.

Let's move on.

When Kynchie asked me to join in the fun I asked myself "What could I possibly add to this fabulous blog?" Then it hit me. I've noticed a lot of the local fans I'm running into these days aren't staying up to date with the ongoings around the NHL. So I am going to take it upon myself to try and keep you lovely people informed. Remember kids, when going into any battle it's essential to know your enemy! Who knows, you might also get some fun fact sheets and rants/tirades from me as well. (Who am I kidding, you'll probably get A LOT of rants and tirades.)

It's important for you to know that I'm a newbie with this blogging business, so please bare with me. I'll do my best to update somewhat regularly, and hopefully keep it all "readable" as well as kid friendly (although I make no promises here).

Until next time, here's a little something to keep you busy:

Our old pal Nick Boynton got a one game suspension for this little show after his fight with Blair Jones during a pre-season game with the Bolts last night.

Your call: Classless and worth punishment, or just some old time hockey?

Enter McGrattan?

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Please. Take one look at that mug, and tell me you wouldn't love to see him in Black & Gold (not black & yellow Mr. Recchi!). And before you go rushing to the defense of Shawn Thornton, be aware that I am a HUGE Thornton fan. Which is actually partly why I like the idea of McGrattan being around in the first place. OK, I can see the confused look on your faces now. Let me explain.

Shawn Thornton, as his 21 fighting majors last year will attest, is more than willing to drop the gloves for his teammates. Which is great, I respect that greatly. But the thing is, Thornton is also a pretty decent fourth liner. Great energy guy, extremely popular with teammates and fans alike. So, as much as I appreciate him handling the rough stuff, so the likes of Lucic don't have to (there will be more on Lucic later in the week), I want to see him be able to do LESS of that this year.
Enter McGrattan.

Again, no disrespect intended, but many, if not most, of Thornton's fights were of the "staged" variety. The gentlemanly type, where both parties agree ahead of time that there will be a fair and reasonable bout after the puck drops etc etc. Screw that. I think we can all agree that a spontaneous "what the F did you just do to my teammate!?" reactionary fight is much more enjoyable, and effective as a deterrent. The B's need to have at least the threat of some lunatic hopping the boards to keep the cheap stuff to a minimum.
Enter McGrattan.

Now I realize roster space is limited, and "wasting" a spot for a "goon" seems a luxury in today's NHL. And I agree. To a point. I don't see a McGrattan type dressing every night. Perhaps he's the spare, sitting in the press box most nights. Maybe he toils away in the AHL, protecting all the young, small high end prospects they will have on the roster. But if, and more likely, when, things heat up with the big club and some of the hammerheads in the East, he gets inserted into the lineup. If someone gets dinged up and needs a night or two off, he gets a shot to play a little. However they decide to use him, just having access to him could pay dividends. And it isn't like he's going to cost much.

Why the need all of a sudden for this kind of guy you ask? Simple. Look at the Eastern Conference this year. Where did all the tough guys end up? Yep, right here in the East, predominantly with some of the Bruins bigger rivals. Starting with the 6'7" Derek Boogard signing with the Rangers. As skilled a fighter Thornton is, I'd much rather he take a pass on having to deal with the Boogy Man.
Enter McGrattan.

Colton Orr, one of the hardest punchers in the game remains in Toronto. That rivalry is only getting more and more heated. And with the return (luckily) of a healthy Mike Komisarek, there will be even more fuel thrown on that fire (I'll delve into my deep hatred of "Komi" in a future post as well). If Lucic or whoever has an issue with Komisarek, you know Orr will try to intercede on the cowards behalf. The B's need someone to stop that.
Enter McGrattan.

Jody Shelley joins the goon squad known as the Flyers this year. As if the likes of Carcillo, Hartnell and company aren't yappy and annoying enough, now they have a legit heavyweight around to back them up. Thornton matches up ok against Shelley, but from a talent perspective, it's just not a good trade for the Bruins.
Enter McGrattan.

The Islanders brought in Zenon Konopka, he of the league leading THIRTY THREE fighting majors from last year. Konopka is not a good fighter. At all. He's the modern day Andrei Nazarov (I just threw up in my mouth a little typing that name). Sure, he sucks at fighting, but he'll do it constantly. He also can't play hockey. Do we want our "good" players wasting their time with this side show?
You got it, Enter McGrattan.

That's just a quick pass at some of the more prominent tough guys the B's will be facing regularly in the Eastern Conference. The way I look at it, if you allow a guy like McGrattan to worry about those types, it frees up the Lucic's, Thornton's, Chara's, Stuart's etc to deal with the "regular" dust ups against guys that can actually play. While allowing them to focus more on production on the ice, not spending half the night in the box. In no way does this mean I want or expect anyone else on the roster to turn into the run & hide type like a Komisarek. Every man on that roster has to be accountable and stand up for themselves and each other. But having a designated, go-to guy for the "main events" is the best option. Enter McGrattan.

Granted, it is comical to watch McGrattan skate....and trust me, if you saw him at camp, you'd appreciate just how hysterical it is. During drills, he looked less like he was skating and trailing the play, than he looked like a leg breaker chasing a guy through the park that was late paying his bookie. As awkward as he looks, he actually picks 'em up & puts 'em down pretty well. He can be a somewhat serviceable player, in a very limited role. Julien has mentioned it himself, that he's actually pretty quick on his feet. He's definitely not as good a player as Thornton, which is fine. I don't want or expect him to replace him.

But....isn't it possible that the addition of a McGrattan (and Jeremy Reich for that matter) could serve as great motivation for Shawn? As big a fan of his as I am, we have to admit that he had an off year last season. Again, the 21 fights don't impress me. His overall game, like nearly everyone's, was far better two seasons ago. The message being, "if all you're going to add is staged fights, we have a guy waiting in the wings that can do that for far less money". Do I think it will ever come to that? No, because Thornton has too much pride to suffer through another off year. But the B's can help him get back to form by providing him some much needed back up. Preferably in the form of a guy that would bring "crazy" back to Boston.
Enter McGrattan.
Puttin' on the foil,
Kynch

One B's fan review of NHL 11' for XBox 360

noreply@blogger.com (KingKrej46) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:56:00 +0000

Yo HO! Now that the KBBK blogs back in biz, it's all about ranting & puck topic variety for me so with this in mind I'll save the preseason hockey musings to Kynch and Chucky for now and start the new year off with this little P-Diddy, which is my personal take on the newly released NHL 11' for XBox 360

While we'll always pine for the simple days of NES' Blades of Steel or the Spin O' Rama magic of NHL 94'! This years video puck edition of EA Sports NHL hockey all takes the old and familiar that we all still love to the next level by simply adding a few those small, detail level bits and pieces of NHL play that make the game so appealing to our audio and visual senses. Small details like now having sticks break in mid-slapper (like that never happens at least 15 times a night right?) making the play of the puck along the boards smooth yet still ferocious. They've also amped up the sounds of the game, things like skates cutting across mid ice and hearing crunching on top of the ice surface while you're trying to change direction in mid glide (yeah, I'm taking about YOU Siedenberg) The goal horns are all unique to each home arena, having to be aware and playing around broken sticks lingering on the ice to the point of wanting to yell at the ref to pick them up... There's even the edition of that truly GAY "Ole' Ole' Ole' chant...UGH... That aside though it's all here and more and because of these small adds alone makes this years NHL 11' release a MUST have for any video puckhead! With all this in mind here's my "quick and dirty" break down of the games better points from my view:

The Presentation: This is where NHL 11 really shines! Remember the the issue with last year's version having every replay dropping frames faster than a Boogaard opponent... Well not an issue this year with the added bits of frames and new buffering of the action. Top notch! Then there's the aforementioned sound of sticks breaking which is SUPERB! The new third-person fighting modes are perfectly designed as well, which makes the jostling for pucks up against the boards also seamless! This is video puck at its finest...Everything looks and feels real and is absolutely gorgeous! From the rink-specific team chants, to the goal horns buzzing, to the less than cluttered menus, to the numerous number of faceoffs, the excellent soundtrack that includes contributions from bands like 2 Unlimited, Bouncing Souls, The Ramones, the immortal Black Box and even our own Dropkick Murphy's Shipping off to Boston which is a PERFECT add! Then add to all that the HUGE roster of teams and leagues to select from the NHL, AHL, IHL, WHL, OHL, QMJHL even the Russian Kontinental Hockey League! Anyone up for a quick Dynamo Minsk/Spartak Moscow tilt?!

Commentating: The team of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement return from NHL 10 and they do they're usual solid job in the booth. Their commentating is accurate, however they do lack a bit of excitement which is odd for Thorne? Hearing him (Thorne) say things like "And he scores!" is for some reason bland even after all these years, but is still straight forward. Bill Clement on the other hand nails sticks with his old standards and because of that is still sharp and on point. Overall They are accurate, well thought out, and a bit abstruse, but you won't notice that anyway because your attention will be geared towards the beautiful ice rinks and wonderfully designed player models.

The Final Tally: While there's still more than a few small items and would like "to sees" that I could still pick apart in this years edition, I'd rather go with the opinion that when it's all said and done, this years NHL 11 addition is the one of the BEST video hockey games EVER released. It's alot of fun to play (and at times $%@! frustrating... Yeah, I'm talking about YOU Ryder!) and will suit everyones skill level regardless because of the easy to tailor levels of play, easy to find and learn tutorials and easy listing of the most basic controls within the manual itself, which most of us know is no longer a given these days. As of yet I've not seen or read that there are any major glitches, bugs, or slow downs (So its been all goodness so far on that front for a change!) and overall the game is still very fast paced, but not too much so to make it play like a 3 on 3 arcade style one (Yeah, I'm talking about like YOU Ovie!) all while giving you the total feeling of controlling everything that's happening within the game, how and when.

So all in all I'd give this the years release a winning mark of a 9 out of 10 and I'll go out on a limb and predict a 40 goal / 60+ assist season for the video David Krejci for sure! - If you think your man or Chucky enough, feel free to challenge me sometime on XBox Live by using my gamer tag of "KingKrej46" (stunner huh...) Until then though I'd suggest you keep your head up and mouth shut otherwise I just might have to "quick create" Stan Jonathan within the player add menu and roll him over the boards at you! Let's Go Broonze! - KingKrej46

Our summer of discontent

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:09:00 +0000

What a long strange trip it's been. After "it" happened back on May 14th, I guess we should have expected a summer of weirdness (That, by the way will officially be the LAST time I mention that date). Before the ice had even melted at the Garden, the speculation, rumors and general grumbling began. So where to start? No better place than the draft.
All the "Tyler or Taylor" talk was, frankly, annoying. The B's were basically in a can't lose situation. Both are more than likely going to be excellent pros. And you have to believe Chiarelli was happy to be in that #2 slot, so Edmonton could pretty much make his decision for him. Sure, one will likely emerge as the "better" NHL player. But when drafting 18 year olds, it's impossible to predict when the talent level is so close. Personally, I'm more than happy with Seguin, despite early on being completely on the Hall bandwagon. As the draft approached, Seguin, to me, emerged as the hungrier, more humble prospect. Being passed over as the #1 will only motivate him. But PLEASE people, can we relax on some of the wild expectations? Sure, he very well may just pile up a ridiculous amount of points as a rookie. But it's just as likely he'll struggle to find his game, especially if put on a more defensive minded line. He has all the skill in the world, but he's still just a kid. A 40 point season, to me, is perfectly acceptable as a rookie. Would I be shocked by many more? No, but I won't crucify him if not either. As long as we see progress, I'm fine with him.

After the draft, the biggest stories obviously revolved around some baffling trade rumors. The rumor mill had Marc Savard going to half the teams in the league at one point or another. The never ending "Savvy for Kaberle" rumors were especially prevalent. From day one, I've been firm in my belief that trading Savard would be a monumental mistake. I mean hey, what do you do when your team is the worst in the league in scoring? Why obviously you trade your most productive forward! Makes perfect sense. Hopefully Savard's Post Concussion symptoms clear up soon. He's a huge piece to getting this team back to it's prolific scoring ways of two seasons ago.

The other trade rumor that left me scratching my head was all the Tim Thomas talk. Sure, I "get it" on some level. Assuming Tuukka is able to put up the kind of numbers he did last year over the course of a full season, he would definitely be a clear number one. Right??? Well, Thomas, when healthy, could easily put up the same stats. I know people either love or hate Timmy. But I don't understand it. So he "flops". He's "unorthodox". But he keeps the puck out of his net. And for a bonus, he's got a short fuse, which I always enjoy! There will be a time this season, even IF Rask establishes himself as the number one guy (not a lock by the way), that the B's will need Thomas. Injuries and slumps aren't uncommon. Personally, I'd much rather have a former Vezina winner coming off the bench than anyone the Bruins currently have in their system. An insulted, motivated Tim Thomas can be nothing but a good thing. Every time he's been doubted, he's proven them wrong. I expect nothing less this year. And let's remember, Tuukka only played in slightly more than half the regular season games last year. And he looked to get more and more fatigued as the playoffs went on. Is he physically capable of being "the man"? We'll see.

As usual, the trade that actually did happen was the one you didn't see coming. Wideman, everyone's favorite whipping boy, was dealt to the lowly Panthers. Good luck. In return, the B's picked up Nathan Horton and Greg Campbell. I'm still stunned Chiarelli was able to make this deal. from where I sit, he won this one big time. Horton, while always considered an under-achiever, has still managed 20+ goal season every year. Wish Boston had more "under-achievers" like that. Playing in a traditional hockey market, for a stable franchise stocked with better players make Horton the player everyone thinks he should be. 30 goals could be just a starting point for him.
As far as Campbell goes, he could be the Mile Lowell of this deal. A "throw in" in many people's eyes, he's a solid 4th liner who adds some "grit" to the Bruins lineup. He's also a lot more skilled than most people give him credit for. I'm real interested to see what kind of season he has. I think he may surprise a lot of us.

So now that summer is over, hopefully we can put an end to the ridiculous trade rumors (at least until Sturm is back I suppose) and focus on the on-ice product. Over the next couple days, I'll be chiming in with who I want to see make the final cut, and who I EXPECT to make it. Two different lists, for sure.

That's it for now.....lame I know, but whatever. Not like I'm charging you freeloaders or anything.
Chip it out, dump it in,
Kynch

The long slumber is over

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:02:00 +0000

OK hockey fans, due to popular demand, we're BACK! And by "popular demand", I mean all three of you that suggested I get off my lazy ass and fire this thing up again.
So, what do we have to look forward to in this space this year? Well, of course I'll still be handling all the goon/enforcer/tough-guy/policeman talk. Along with game previews, game recaps and my usual general rambling about things that nobody but myself probably cares about. Boy, can I sell a blog or what!
But this year I'm also planning on having several additional regular contributors. No names to be announced yet, but be prepared to be taught a thing or two about the game from one of the most knowledgeable and passionate female fans on the planet. Stay tuned for more guest commentary as well. Hell, I MAY even be open to some posts from the opposition (I'm looking at you, ALLHABS).
That's it for now, gotta get back to the day job. But spread the word, new & improved Kynch's Korner is here. Looking forward to hearing from you all this season.
Keep your sticks and elbows down,
Kynch

They're HEEEERE! (Again) Part II (Seriously...)

noreply@blogger.com (KingKrej46) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

After a LONG, LONG MALAISE & quite frankly some big time laziness we've decided that the WORLD WANTS...NO THE WORLD NEEDS! Kynch's Boston Bruins Korner so we've (well me really...) decided to actually, you know "apply ourselves" & get this thing cranking again!

Our apologies for the let down but as we all know your only as good as your last shift (which for us frankly was more Widemanesque' than Neely) but we're hoping the upcoming trip to Europe & what's shaping up to be a SPICY 2010 - 2011 season will inspire us to new heights of blogging madness & hypocrisy! So with that our thanks again for your past support and let's get this F'r moving again! - KingKrej46

B's NewsFlash! - B's announce new Mass Lottery game?!

noreply@blogger.com (KingKrej46) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Yeah these are great and all but is there any chance we can scratch off a 5 or 6 game win streak from any of these...?

Mass State Lottery and B's Team Up for Instant Ticket - Game will raise millions for taxpayers; award season tickets for a decade.

BOSTON, MA - The Massachusetts State Lottery and the Boston Bruins have teamed up to create an exciting new instant game that will raise millions for Bay State communities while entertaining and exciting fans with incredible prizes, including Season Tickets for a Decade.

Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill and Boston Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs announced the partnership at a 3 p.m. press conference today at the The Sports Museum. The Boston Bruins instant game is expected to sell more than $50 million in tickets and raise more than $9.6 million for Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns. "We believe the Boston Bruins game is the perfect icing on our instant-ticket cake," said Treasurer Cahill, chairman the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission. “Once again, a Boston sports franchise has stepped up to help raise revenue for police officers, fire fighters, teachers and other essential municipal services.”The Boston Bruins instant game features never-before available prizes for New England hockey fans such as 300 Suite Experiences and 90 Bench Experiences during home games.

The $2 game, which goes on sale tomorrow at 7,500 Lottery agents, also features authentic Bruins gear and collectibles."We are certainly pleased to be partnering with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on this instant ticket which is set to generate $9.6 million for Massachusetts's cities and towns," said Jeremy Jacobs, Boston Bruins owner, Chairman and CEO, Delaware North Companies and Chairman of the NHL Board of Governors. “I would like to personally thank Treasurer Cahill for his diligence and foresight in bringing this partnership to life."Lottery players will win more than $32 million in cash prizes over the life of the game, including 25 top prizes of $25,000. One lucky player will take home the incredible grand prize of Boston Bruins Season tickets for a decade.

“The unique prizes available in this game will create enormous excitement among our players and Bruins fans," Lottery Executive Director Mark Cavanagh said. "We’re confident the Boston Bruins game will quickly become a favorite among our customers."Since creating the sports-themed Lottery game market in 2006, the Massachusetts State Lottery has sold $838 million in sports-themed tickets and raised $115 million for Massachusetts cities and towns. The Lottery expects to surpass the $1 billion mark in sports-themed ticket sales later this fiscal year.

Game day vs Nashville 10/21/09

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:58:00 +0000

So, heard any interesting Bruins news lately? Thank God they hand out programs before the games now, we'll need one tonight! No Lucic or Savard for the next four to six weeks. Kobasew is now deep in the woods of Minnesota. So that means the B's take the ice tonight with the likes of Paille, Sobotka, Marchand and Whitfield in the lineup. Oh joy! While I am looking forward to seeing what the kids can do, I was really hoping it wouldn't be under such dire circumstances.

So, with all this craziness going around, is it time to hit the panic button? Yes. And no. Obviously losing two key players like Savvy and Lucic is never a good thing. Any team that loses it's leading scorer is never better than when he's in the lineup. Ditto for losing your most fearsome physical presence. In the very short term, the B's may be able to overcome the loss of Savard easier than the loss of Lucic. Only reason I say that is because of the games the B's have coming up. Nashville tonight, and especially Philly tomorrow (In Philadelphia). Nashville frankly isn't a very good team. So their whole plan will be to attack attack attack. Play with an edge and try to outwork teams. No Looch on the ice limits Boston's ability to counter that. And Philly is one of the biggest, most physical teams in the league. They're off to a slow start, so they will look to bang their way out if it. Sobotka, Marchand and to a lesser extent are all game, but may not have the size to stand up to it.
The longer term cause for panic is clearly the loss of Savard. He's been the Bruins leading scorer the last three years, and was once again leading the pack. If he's out on the longer side of his estimated recovery, the B's could struggle mightily to score enough. We'll see what the new guys can chip in, but the bulk of that burden will fall on Krecji (who has yet to get untracked) and Bergeron.

But here is where I see a slight glimmer of hope among this doom and gloom. The Bruins biggest problem so far has been effort and lack of commitment. When slapped in the face by reality the way they have been (starting off with Chiarelli's trading of Kobasew, which was clearly meant as a wake up call), to losing two key forwards, sometimes teams rally around each other in that situation. At least in the short term, perhaps they can find within themselves that something extra. They may just be able to play above their heads a little, and hang in the race in the East long enough for the walking wounded to get healthy. Remember, finishing first overall isn't the goal. Just make the playoffs, and be healthy and playing well going into the tournament. Again, are the Bruins a better team than they were a few days ago? Hardly. But we're about to see what kind of character these guys have. If it's of a high enough quality, they may just be able to use this as a good thing. A rallying point that could turn their season around, as hard as that is to believe. And who knows? Maybe having a rested Lucic and Savard back in the line sometime in late November or December could pay off in the spring.

So there you have it, my best attempt at keeping the lid on the old panic button. Check back in a week or two, and I could have a totally different perspective.

What about tonight? Nashville comes in loser of their last five (one in OT) after winning their first two. Jason Arnott is out of the lineup,seriously limiting their offense....which has only scored a grand total of ten goals to begin with. In my mind, even with Boston in the condition it is, they should be able to play good enough D to scratch out a win tonight...possibly a lopsided win if the kids enthusiasm rubs off on the team as a whole.

Rough stuff preview:
Amazingly, the Preds have had only one fighting major this season, and it wasn't Jordin Tootoo. But with both teams desperately needing some positive mojo, I fully expect to see the gloves come off at least once. On the Nashville side, look for Tootoo to be the aggressor. He always is. Love him or hate him, you always get max effort from that guy. Sometimes he crosses the line, in which case someone will have to answer. He can not be allowed to run around and dictate pace to the Bruins. Settle him down early, and he WILL take a dumb retaliatory penalty at some point. Wade Belak is another guy that has been know to mix it up a bit. A veteran like him could see the opportunity of a hobbled Bruins team as just the right time to provide his mates a spark. And just for fun, maybe somebody will whack former Canadien Francis Boullion around just for old time's sake.
The question is, with Lucic out, and Thornton apparently ailing (missing the last two days of practice), who handles the rough stuff for the B's? Mark Stuart would be my guy to watch. Stuart is quietly establishing himself as a very solid veteran back there. I think he's one guy that will pick up the torch and move this thing forward. He's a young guy, but I see "quiet leader" in him, big time. He could be the one to dole out Tootoo's beating (if it's even possible to "win" against that guy.). and in the wishful thinking column, Chara had better make his presence felt out there. Doesn't have to be a fight....although I won't complain. But he HAS to start throwing people around and being the bully out there. Intimidation goes a long way in the NHL, and there is no more intimidating force in the league than a ticked off Chara.

I intentionally held off on posting my score prediction until the end today. As always, score predictions are always just what I "feel" at that moment. And while I've been typing, I've talked myself into a big B's win. I say, 5-1 Bruins. Sobotka, Chara, Bergeron, PAILLE and Wheeler all score for the good guys.
Step away from the panic button all,at least for a few days.
Go B's-Kynch

Kobasew Traded

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:37:00 +0000

Yesterday, obviously fed up with the lackluster play of his team, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli pulled the trigger on a trade. Sending sometimes fan favorite, sometimes whipping boy, Chuck Kobasew to Minnesota where he will join another favorite former Bruin, Shane Hnidy (I suspect a certain die hard Bruin fan I know may start keeping tabs on the Wild because of those two. Yes A.H., I'm looking at you). For whatever reason, many Bruins fans were "down" of Kobasew since he arrived in Boston. I'm sorry, but I just don't get it. He was always a very hard working guy. He was very physical, playing much larger than his diminutive frame would suggest. And he was a consistent 20 goal scorer. Not sure what people expected of him, but I will miss him.

All that being said, I think this may have been a good trade by Chiarelli. As much as I hate to see Chucky gone, the deal makes a lot of sense. In the short term, a move like this is sure to get the rest of the rosters attention. Chilly has sent a clear message that the effort hasn't been good enough, and he isn't going to sit back and hope they start playing better.
Also, this allows the B's to bring up a couple kids in Sobotka and Marchand (Lucic being placed on Long term IR frees up an additional spot for at least ten games). With that window of opportunity, these two can have a legitimate chance to prove they belong in the NHL and can fill the role Kobasew filled (and then some?), with a smaller cap hit. For all of the Sobotka apologists who feel that he was getting screwed by the B's, here is his chance. (Why everyone feels like he "deserved" to be on the roster out of camp the last couple years, is a whole other story which I won't get into now). Sobotka should finally get a chance to play with top six forwards, as opposed to the fourth line role for which he was ill suited.
Marchand will also get a chance to play on the third line, which could use his feistiness and occasional goal scoring pop.
If the Bruins players need any explanation for what management sees wrong with their play, all they have to do is look at the players they called up. Sobotka, Marchand and Lefevbre all are "nasty" to one degree or another. We all have memories of Sobotka throwing his (tiny) body around and being a thorn in Montreal's side during the playoffs two years ago. Marchand comes advertised as a classic "agitator". And Lefevbre is always looking for a dance partner out there and will throw his body around at will. If there is one common theme in what ails the Bruins, it's that they haven't been NEARLY as physical or "hard to play against" as they were last year. The word from the top is, THIS ENDS NOW. Or more changes will come, be sure of it.

But this move also is largely about the long term. Kobasew was due to make $2.3M this year and next. Freeing up that cap space can do a few different things for the B's. first, they can use some of those draft picks they're stock piling to pick up an impact player, either at the trade deadline (when you'd only be assuming a pro-rated portion of his cap hit), or sooner if the call ups don't pan out as planned. That is sort of the "near long-term" I guess. Longer term, Chiarelli has several key free agents to think about next year. Does he want to bring Savard back? I would think so. I also think Savvy wants to come back, and *may* take a slight discount to stay here. But the B's Cap situation isn't good, so clearing some space is vital. They also have Blake Wheeler among others to tie up. So, it's never too early to start planning.
The other rumor I've been hearing is, Chilly is clearing space to make a bigger splash. Did someone say Ilya Kovulchuk? While the thought of him reuniting with Savard is enough to make any goal starved B's fan salivate, I'm not sure it could happen. Kovulchuk makes $7.5 this year, and is a UFA as of July 1st. Only way I could see Chilly going after him is if he could get him signed long term. And frankly, I don't know that they can afford to do that. beyond that, word is he's content in Atlanta and may want to return there, as long as they keep playing well and going in the right direction. Adding even more wrenches in the Bruins gears (of they are after him), the Russian League (KHL) is supposedly ready to offer an enormous deal to the big winger should he not resign with the Thrashers.

The bottom line is, Chilly has sent a very loud, very clear message to his troops. he and Julien have a clear game plan for how the team needs to play. And if the current players aren't up to that committment, he'll find guys who are. We all know the B's window for doing big things in the post-season is closing rapidly. Chilly, I think, is showing the proper level of urgency. Let's just hope his troops get to that level ASAP.

I am on the record as saying I thought this team would struggle out of the gate this year. I also said I wasn't convinced they were any kind of lock to make the Cup Finals. Well, the losses of guys like Axelsson, Yelle, Ward and nidy are really starting to show up in my opinion. The Penalty Kill thus far has been an absolute joke. Axe and Yelle were both great penalty killers. And teh D has been "scrambly" all season. Lots of running around, seemingly totally disorganized. Ward and Hnidy were the poster boys for calm back there. The loss of Ward especially to me is a huge loss. He was not only steady on the back end, he was also a leader in the locker room. At this point, I wonder who, if anyone, is actually "leading" this team. Sooner or later a player or two has to step up and say enough is enough, then do something about it. I would hope that guy would be Chara, but he has been nearly invisible thus far. He isn't playing terribly, but he also isn't making much of an impact on the game. Again, not good enough.
Goaltending? Please....don't even get me started on the goalie play. While the team clearly has been playing poorly in front of them, neither has seized the moment and won them a game. Thomas in particular just looks "off". Don't get me wrong, I'm not baling anyone in particular, and I'm not giving up on him. I have faith that he'll be fine (although, as I said in the preseason, not back to Vezina form).

The Bruins have a lot of questions that need to be answered. Chiarelli just posed another one to his team. Do you REALLY want to be a great team?
Time for the boys to answer on the ice. I'm sick of hearing the lip service in every interview. Put up, and shut up.
Go B's-Kynch

Game day @ Dallas 10/16

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:09:00 +0000

The Bruins finally play their first road game of the season tonight in Dallas. Is this the perfect confluence of events for the struggling Black & Gold? I think we can all agree that perhaps getting out of town for a few days is a good thing for the team. They get to get away from the pressure and high expectations of the locals for a bit. The road sometimes has a way of simplifying team's games and curing some of the ills that plague them on home ice. I certainly think time away from the Garden could be a boon to their morale.
And let's not forget, it was just last November 1st that the '08-'09 B's were sort of limping along through a fairly ordinary season. Then Dallas, and the likes of Steve Ott (forever to remembered as "Brave Steve" thanks to a famous Jack Edwards rant) and Sean Avery came to town. That pair teamed up to sound the wake up bell that launched the Bruins on their impressive regular season run. But alas, Avery is now plying his trade in new York. Ott is out of the lineup with an oblique injury. Shane Hnidy, forever in Matt Niskanen's nightmares, is now lost in the wilderness of Minnesota. So where does that leave us? Who, if anyone, provides the spark to get the B's out of their early funk? Ah, I thought you'd never ask.....

Before I go on, I feel the need to explain (yet again) how big of a fan of this guy I have been for a LONG time. I started hoping and praying he would one day be a Bruin by the time he was 15 or 16 years old. Nobody wants to see this kid succeed more than me. But thus far this season I have been supremely disappointed. Yes folks, this is Milan Lucic I'm talking about.
The good news is, I still believe that Milan cares enough to do what it takes to right his ship, which will go a long way towards fixing much of what is wrong with the Bruins thus far. Lucic needs to play with emotion, effort and sheer force of will to be a productive NHL player. Thus far, he has shown none of that, barring one lopsided beat down of Jay Harrison of the Hurricanes (which just happens to be the only game in which the Bruins looked even slightly interested in playing hockey....coincidence?). The performance Lucic put on in the last game was simply embarrassing. He was invisible on the ice, except for glaringly failing to even provide a token back-check on Colorado's second goal. He has zero goals and three assists. Which honestly, I can live with at this point of the season. The stat that is unacceptable to me is shots. Playing on the top line with one of the best set-up men in the league in Marc Savard, Lucic has managed to land a whopping four shots on net. For comparison, fourth line winger Shawn Thornton has cranked off eleven shots on net. Thornton, by the way, plays roughly six fewer minutes per game than Lucic. And has Steve Begin as his Center, not Savard (even Begin has 8 shots, doubling Lucic's output. I know, I know...shots on goal don't tell the whole story. I get it. But sometimes it is in fact a very good indicator of one thing. Effort. Thornton and begin get shots because they WORK for them. They go to the net hard. They pay a price. Thus far Lucic, he of the 6'4, 220lb frame has been content to exist on the margins. Playing an outside, away from the net game ill suited to his skill set. Our big, bad "Loochamotive" as Kevin Paul Dupont likes to call him has so far existed strictly on the spur line, yet to find his way to the main track to the ultimate destination.

I'm sure his many protectors on the internet will respond by pointing out that he leads the team in hits. Fair enough. Through five games he does lead with 14 hits (Begin is second with 11). But lets be honest. How many of those do you remember? I don't expect him to run people through the glass every night. What I do expect though, are the type of hits that separate a defenseman from the puck (if not his wits) once in awhile. And while we're on the honesty kick here, keep in mind he's so far been the beneficiary of home cooking. Hits are such an arbitrary stat, that they are almost meaningless. Especially when you consider the home player nearly always gets the benefit of the doubt. Any body contact at all, is called a "hit" for the home team, and never mentioned for the visitor.

But, it isn't all doom and gloom on the Lucic front (I refuse to call him "Looch" until he starts playing like "Looch" again). As much as I disapproved of his antics at the final whistle Saturday, at least he showed SOME emotion. Maybe, just maybe, he's decided he's had enough of this kinder gentler version of himself. Maybe the luster of that shiny new multi-million dollar deal has worn off. I think it has, and I expect to see the old Lucic we all knew and loved return with a vengeance. If that happens, trust me, the rest of the team will respond in kind. He may still be a kid, but he is a natural leader. His actions invariably promote a response. If he's going hard, so does the team. If he takes the night off, well, the boys play along. Thornton can't be the only guy to constantly try motivating the team with big hit or a fight (after a few of those "let's get going" bouts, it comes off as fake, and loses it's rallying cry effectiveness).

So what do I expect of the weekend? First and foremost, Lucic is back. Beyond that, I think we'll see the rest of the team playing a much better brand of hockey. Julien has had a few days to get some solid teaching done, and he's shown in the past that he uses that time very well. He broke out the whip early on, but has since backed off a bit opting to teach, not punish. He is the master at mixing those two styles.

PREDICTIONS:
Boston wins tonight, 4-1. Although Dallas is fresh off a 6-0 stomping of Nashville, they aren't a dominant team. Lucic, Chara, Ryder and Begin score.

ROUGH STUFF PREVIEW:
With the agitator Ott on the shelf, there is no natural "enemy" for the Bruins to target. But Kris Barch (who last year had to try to clean up Ott's mess) is still around, and is the most likely candidate to drop the gloves. Look for he and Thornton to renew acquaintances as some point.
But as hard as I expect Lucic to go tonight, the thought of him picking up a fighting major isn't out of the question. But who could his partner be? In an absolute REACH, I'm calling for the big defenseman Mark Fistric to pick up his first fighting major in the NHL. At 6'3, 228lbs he has the size. Not sure it ends well for Mr. Fistric, but hey...if you have "FIST" in your name and your that big, eventually you HAVE to fight don't you?

So there you have it. Sorry for the Lucic rant. Trust me, it pains me to write it. And I know he isn't the whole story when it comes to the B's shaky start. But he just may be the whole story in turning things around....or at least a very good starting point.
Go B's-Kynch

B's NewsFlash! - Looch reup's with B's for 3 More Years!

noreply@blogger.com (KingKrej46) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:13:00 +0000

As posted on boston.com at 4:55 pm via Chad Finn;

Milan Lucic, the Bruins' popular and bruising third-year forward, has agreed to a three-year extension with the club through the 2012-13 season, according to the team.
According to TSN, the deal is worth $12.25 million, giving Lucic a $4,083,333 annual cap hit. Lucic will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the contract.
"I'm not surprised," said one agent. "I thought it would be between $4 and $4.5. He brings intangibles far beyond his numbers."

Lucic and Chiarelli will hold a press conference to discuss the deal immediately following the team’s 10:30 a.m. practice at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington tomorrow.

The 21-year-old Lucic set career highs in all major statistical categories last season, scoring 17 goals and adding 25 assists for 42 points. An aggressive checker and an outstanding fighter, he also tallied 136 penalty minutes and finished with a +17 rating. Last Saturday, Lucic bloodied Carolina's Jay Harrison in a second-period bout. In the preseason, Lucic opened up Ottawa tough guy Chris Neil.

During the 2008-09 postseason, the 6-foot-3-inch, 228-pound winger had three goals and six assists and a team best +12 plus/minus rating in 10 games.
In his rookie year in 2007-08, Lucic registered 8-19=27 totals and 89 penalty minutes in 77 contests. Lucic earned the team’s “Seventh Player Award” for his efforts, an award voted on by the fans and given to the Bruin who performs above and beyond expectations. He alsocontributed two goals in seven postseason games.

Lucic has skated in both games during the 2009-10 season and has one assist and five penalty minutes.

He was originally drafted by the Bruins in the second round (50th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

One more quick look back with Respect & Admiration to The King!

noreply@blogger.com (KingKrej46) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:44:00 +0000

I'm leaving last night's Bruins preseason er' regular season opener for Kynch or Frank N to comment on. Because for me I'd rather take this chance on the KBBK to send my truly heartfelt thanks, congratulations and much respect to one of all time favorite athletes, the One & Only True King! #19, Burnaby Joe Sakic!

What a journey... From B.C., out to Swift Current and then on to Quebec City as the #15 pick in the 87' Draft, initially wearing #88 before becoming the "Captain" and donning his familiar Ol' #19. Finally sniff at the Playoffs in 93' with the Diques but before too long it was on to Denver to win the first of his two Stanley Cups in 96' while winning the Conn Smyth that season...World Championships, World Cups and Olympic Gold as a member of Team Canada in 02', oh yeah he was named that tourney's MVP too... 13 NHL All Star games & an MVP Award in 04'... A Hart, a Byng, a Pearson Award... 625 regular season goals... 1016 regular season assists... 84 Playoff goals... 8 of which were O.T. game winners, which is the most by one player in NHL Playoff history... I could and very much wanted this to go on and on and on but...

In the end the two things I'll remember most about "Quote less Joe" was that when the money was on the line and his team needed a lift "The King" always seemed to come through. For me though the single most thing that I think truly showed us who "Super Joe" as a person and man, was his totally unselfish and class act at the end of 91' Playoffs when upon his captaining the Av's to Cup win #2, he graciously accepted the trophy from commissioner Bettmen but rather than be the first player to lift the award over his head as is his right as the team captain, he rather chose to simply turn and hand Lord Stanley over to Raymond Jean to raise above his head first as a sign of respect for a true hockey legend and warrior who had waited way too long for the honor that night in Denver. Truly a classy move and a frozen moment in time that will never fade...

So with all that "thanks again" Joe for making the Diques' (some what) watchable in those long and challenging years. "Thanks" for those two great Cup wins you led the Av's to and for even all those tension filled, almost playoff chases....

Most of all though "thank you" Joe for rewarding my faith in you as "My Guy" out there all those seasons and for all the exhilaration and fun that I truly got in watching you play and which I'll never forget! Good luck and good health to you and your family in the future. Thank you & congratulations again...

"Love Live The King!" - KingJoe19

Game Day vs Washington, 10/1

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:07:00 +0000

And so it begins. With a chill in the air, and optimism on the rise, the Bruins get back to work tonight at The Garden. And this year's opener is no cake-walk. Facing the explosive Capitals right out the gate can be a daunting task. Not sure I'd want to try handling a fresh, excited Ovechkin right away. But that is the task at hand. I think the boys are up to it.

The B's lineup:
Not an awful lot of changes from last year, which all in all is a good thing. The lines looks to shape up like this:

Lucic-Savard-Sturm
Wheeler-Krejci-Ryder
Recchi-Bergeron-Kobasew
Thornton-Begin-Bitz

I love the balance of all four lines. Any one of them can score, and the fourth line has the potential to cause havoc every shift.

The D pairs should be:
Chara-Morris
Ference-Wideman
Stuart-Hunwick

Yikes. I'm pretty sure I like the top pairing just fine......partly because, I'm pretty sure even I wouldn't look totally out of place playing with Big Z.
The second pairing scares daylights out of me. That has Keystone Cops written all over it. They'll be fine in the offensive end (unless Wideman decides to go on one of famous skates through the countryside and/or insist on using his big slap shot, which he has yet to hit the net with). But in their own zone, I don't like them at all together. Especially against a big, physical and highly skilled team like the Caps. This could get ugly for those two, quick.
I actually think I might prefer the third pairing over the Wideman/Ference duo. Stuart as established himself as a fairly reliable stay-at-home defender, while adding a bit of offense to his game as he's gone along. Hunwick, while he didn't have a great camp, has tremendous offensive upside and can skate with anyone. Defensively, he has some work to do, but isn't awful by any means. All in all, a more than serviceable #6 defenseman.

The Caps:
When looking at the Caps roster, it's pretty obvious where it all starts. Alex Ovechkin, love him or hate him, is the most dynamic player in the NHL today. His mix of speed, skill, size and fearlessness puts him on another level. We all know he has a booming shot, and soft hands. He also has a serious nasty streak, and goes out of his way to initiate contact. But he's not alone. Washington is loaded with, big, talented players. Newly acquired Mike Knuble (a long time favorite in these parts) should be a big boost to their net-front presence. The Caps, for all their size, have never been great at going to the net. The veteran Knuble will fill that void nicely (although they do it differently, Recchi will fill the same role for Boston). Add in talented youngsters like Backstrom and Semin, and you have lots of star power. Old friend Michael Nylander has lost a bot of his magic, but can still be a lethal play maker.
On D, former B's prospect Shaone Morrison and offensive specialist Mike Green anchor the Caps back end. One of my personal favorites, Milan Lucic may not play tonight, as I've heard rumors of him being scratched. Don't know why he wouldn't dress, but he's turned himself into a decent, stay at home defender. Perhaps the Caps want more speed on their back end to match up with Boston?

THE GAME PLAN:
For Boston it really is simple. Keep Ovechkin in check. Basically what that means is, don't let him dominate the game. He may score, he usually does, but if you hold him to one goal as opposed to a hat trick, you have a shot. Boston will have to match Washington's skill level, while at the same time winning the physical battles. As big as OV and his mates are, several of them (especially OV) tend to get very distracted by constant punishment. Lay it on early and often, and you get them out of their game.

ROUGH STUFF PREVIEW:
Washington's one true tough guy is John Erskine. A very big body (6'4, 220lbs), Erskine is an inconsistent fighter. One night he looks like a heavyweight contender. The next, some smallish "nobody" gives him all he can handle. I wouldn't be surprised to see a Thornton- Erskine throw down at some point, as both guys do a good job of protecting their star players. So, go after OV, expect Big John to come calling. Go after, say, Savard, expect Thornton to step in. But, Boston's biggest advantage is, they have a roster full of guys who will do that, and do it well. With Lucic riding shotgun with Savvy, it isn't easy to get away with anything on the B's top pivot. And guys like Stuart, Kobasew and Ference (among a slew of others) have all proven they'll gladly defend a teammate. Washington lost their hired gun, when Brashear defected to the Rangers. Of their 40 fights last year, Brash had 14of them. Next highest total was a mere 5 (Bradley & Erskine each had 5)
So, here's hoping we get off to a busy start with the fisticuffs!

Predictions:
I say Boston wins, 3-2. Thomas is called on to make some spectacular saves, and he delivers. Wheeler, Bergeron and Chara are your scorers.

Thornton and Erskine drop the gloves in a decent bout.
OV gets booed for carrying on after a brutal Chara hit.
Go B's-Kynch

Hibernation ends tomorrow!

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Get your last bit of rest while you can folks, because hibernation ENDS in just over 24 hours. The long grind (condensed this year because of the Olympics) kicks off with a home, yes...a HOME opener for a change, against the Washington Ovechkin's. So, what does the year ahead hold for us? Truth is, nobody knows. Not the so-called "experts" that have penciled in the Bruins anywhere from Stanley Cup Champs, to a first round loser. And surely not the legion of Cup starved fans that see this as the latest in a string of "THE YEAR". Certainly, this is the most legitimate shot the Bruins have had at a Stanley Cup since they ran into the buzzsaw that was the Edmonton Oilers back in 1990.

What's my take? As always, I'd say the truth may lie somewhere in between the two extremes mentioned above. Although, I'd have to lean heavily towards the Stanley Cup champ side of the picks. Why? Glad you asked:
Why I am very optimistic about the B's this season (this could get long, bear with me).
1)Claude Julien- The reigning Jack Adams winner has gained my complete and total trust. I trust his systems. I trust his ability to motivate. And most importantly, I trust his ability to keep his players focused on the the task at hand, and not at "the big picture". As he said during media day, if you think about the big picture of winning a Cup, "it's too hard". Rather, as he said, he's planning on keeping his team "in their bubble". Let the rest of the media, fans and pathetic bloggers proclaim them the next big thing. CJ and his staff will insulate the team from that and make sure they focus on the day to day business of winning hockey games. Again, as he stated, making the playoffs is the first priority. Matching or exceeding last year's point total isn't the objective. Make the tourny, and anything can happen. I'd rather see them playing well going in as a 4th seed than playing poorly as the 1 seed.

2)A (finally) healthy Bergeron-Patrice Bergeron has looked amazing in pre-season. Not only does he have his weight back to normal, but he looks quicker this year than I remember him ever being. Mind and body both seem to be operating at a much quicker pace. Add that speed boost to his intelligent, physical game and you have all the makings of the best third line center in the NHL. Most teams, he'd be at least a #2 center. That shows the depth this team has....speaking of which,

3)Depth- While I'm not sold on the B's depth along the blue line, there is no mistaking their strength up front. Despite losing their leading goal scorer in Phil Kessel (you may have heard something about him being traded to Toronto?), the B's still return six twenty goal scorers from last year. Chara had 19, while Lucic chipped in with 17 of his own. It's certainly logical to expect Lucic to add to his goal total, to a minimum of 20, with 25+ not out of the question playing as Savard's left wing. If Marco Sturm manages to stay healthy (no small task for the hard luck winger), he could potentially replace a very large percentage of Kessel's goal producstion, riding in Kess's old spot as RW on the top line. Remember, it was this time last year when Cam Neely was asked who he thought could/should be the B's next 50 goal scorer. While he stopped short of saying Marco could pot 50, he did say he expected him to be around the 40G plateau. Now, the knee injury may have robbed him of a step or two, and affect his production. But if he's anywhere near healthy, he should easily be a 30G man with Savard feeding him the puck. Somebody say Savard?

4)Mark Savard- It's been well documented lately that Savvy will be highly motivated by his Team Canada snub. I agree completely. Here is a guy who has been among the leading scorers the last few years, but has also worked incredibly hard to become a dependable two-way player. Not even getting an invite to a camp where close to FIFTY players were offered the chance to play for their country has got to sting. As an additional source of motivation, he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1st. While he consistently stated he loves playing here, the fact is, he's playing for a contract. Be it in Boston, or elsewhere. Having a top flight player on a contract year is almost never a bad thing. Plus, I believe it when he talks about being hungry to win a Cup, and he knows this could be his last, best chance to win.

5)Goaltending- Tim Thomas is fresh off a Vezina winning season. As his reward, he was signed to a lucrative, multi-year deal. Now, his detractors (and amzingly, they are legion), will say there is no way he can duplicate his performace of a year ago. In fact, many will say that he wasn't even that good last year (all evidence to the contrary be damned). Those same nay-sayers, along with more than a few of his supporters, wonder how he'll respond to the first bit of job/financial security he's ever known. Me? I think he uses those slights and doubters to his advantage, just as he's always done. The book of his career has been a long one, and I'm sure he doesn't want it to end with one fairytale "fluke" season. I look for Tim-may to have another strong year between the pipes. Maybe not another Vezina level year, but one most goalies would kill for nonetheless.
last season, Thomas also won the Jennings Trophy along with Manny Fernandez for compiling the best team GAA in the NHL. With Manny now gone (and still looking for employment), the Tukka Rask era officially begins. While he'll be Thomas's backup, he should earn plenty of ice time as the season goes on. somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 starts isn't out of the question, especially considering how compacted the schedule is this year. Having a top notch backup goalie could be more important this year than it ever has. Hopefully Tukka is able to respond well to sporadic duty instead of being "the guy" like he's accustomed to.

6)The Kids Are Alright?- At some point in '09-'10, the B's will need to get help from some of their youth, as every successful team does. With the likes of Bitz, Sobotka, Hamill, Marchand, Boychuk and even Lefevbre (for those "rough & tumble games) or Lehtonen, they seem well positioned to survive short term injuries. I stand by my earlier statements that Bitz may just be a 20 goal scorer, despite his lackluster pre-season. Sobotka, while also having a slow start to camp, may yet emerge as the SOB we all knew and loved from two years ago. He'll be battling all year just to get in the lineup, but I expect him to make some sort of impact once he does.

7)Chara- That's Norris winning Chara, folks. While his ability as a leader has been questioned by some fans and media, it never seems to come from players. Everyone in "the room" and on the ice knows who the Captain is, and when he speaks, they listen. More importantly, when he DOES, they follow. Big Z has the skill, size and nastiness to change the flow of a game in an instant. Whether it's the booming slapper from the point, the sneaky back door tap in on the PP (how a 6'9 monster can "sneak" around out there still amazes me), a bone crunching hit or even the odd fight, Z always seems to find a way to impact the outcome for the B's. There may be no more feared player in the league than our lovable giant. And in the NHL, intimidation still works.

WHY I AM A BIT CONCERNED ABOUT THIS SEASON
1)Career years?- With so many players having spectacular season's last year, I can't help but wonder....is that as good as they get? Can we realistically expect Thomas to be that good again? (as mentioned above, I think he SHOULD at least be close, but who knows?). Is Chara capable of playing at a Norris winning level again? Does Mark Recchi really have a shot at potting 20 again, after turning 42 this february? Can Kobasew stay healthy enough to again top the 20 goal mark?
What about the kids? Even though it's hard to imagine youngsters having "career years" only one or two years into their careers, it isn't unprecedented (see: Hodge Jr, Ken). Is krejci really as good as he looked last year (ok, I believe yes). Can Blake Wheeler repeat his 20G plus season, and stay fresh for the whole year? Is it fair to just assume, as I have, that Lucic will score upwards of 20-25 goals, playing the style he does (and with his considerable lack of "hands"?).
The bottom line is, last season was an incredible ride, where everything just seemed to work. Is it faor to assume there will be such a smooth sailing ship this time around? in '08-'09 every time there was an injury, somebody filled in perfectly and they never missed a beat. That is an amazing accomplishment, and one that is very difficult to repeat. It will be interesting to see how these things pan out.

2)The Defense- The B's back line is anchored by one of the game's best in Zdeno Chara. After that frankly, it gets a little iffy for me. Chara's new partner, at least to start the season, will be newcomer Derek Morris. While I've made it clear that I was never a huge fan of his, I'm willing to take a wait and see approach. He's saying all the right things so far and seems to be reborn now that he has a solid coach, team and system in place. Now it's all up to him. He's 31 years old.....if he doesn't excel this season, can we safely stop using the word "potential" in every reference to him? Maybe he is just what he is, or has been his whole career. A nice above average defenseman, but no star. Playing with the Captain should maximize his "potential". Take the ball and run with it Derek.
Mark Stuart has quitly become a very very good player. His steady, hard rock style has endeared him to many hard core B's fans, but the casual observer tends to forget about him. With the losses of Ward and Hnidy, Stuart's thumping style will be ever more important.
The rest of the D, frankly, scares me to death. Hunwick has tons of potential, but mainly as an offensive specialist. He's adequate in his own end, but has a long way to go before being considered a solid two-way defenseman.
Wideman? The proverbial Box Of Chocolates....you just never know what you're gonna get with him. When he decides to take aquick half-slap or wrist shot from the point he is very good. But more often than not, he opts for the huge windup slapper....which is either blocked, or misses the net by 15 feet. In his own end, he looks like he's having a seizure half the time. Hopefully he's mauring into a more calm, steady defender. He has all the physical tools, he just has to get his mind in synch with his body.
Ference? Oh boy.....I'll start with the on-ice stuff. I really liked Ference when he was in Calgary. And now, I'm starting to think I'd really like him there again. If you read my comments about Wideman, well....Ference is pretty much a poor man's Wideman. Decent offensive player, woefully inept in his own end. He makes Wides look like Ray Bourque back there. While I do appreciate the fact that he plays a fairly physical game, he just doesnt have the body to withstand that style. (and he has a fair amount of bad luck, witness thebroken ankle last year).
So, I said I'd start with the on-ice stuff....which must mean there are some off-ice issues. I'm sure by now we've all heard about Ference's involvement in the firing of former NHLPA president Paul Kelly. I'll withold comment on that for now, but I will comment on how it affects the team. When veteran Mark Recchi comes out publicly and says Ference's actions, and subsequent comments about them, have caused tension in the B's locker room, you know there is a problem. The greatest asset the B's enjoyed in their run to the top of the Eastern Conference was chemistry. I firmly believe that hockey is the one sport where chemistry plays a huge role. If every man on that bench doesn't feel like the guy next to him is willing to "be there" for him, and support him in EVERYTHING, I think it does water down the on ice performance, if only a little. While I have faith in Julien's ability to keep his team focused, there are limits to what he can do, especially when it comes to a labor disagreement among his players. This has the potential to get nasty, and the B's can't afford any distraction. Chiarelli has to hope that some of the young defensemen develop quickly, so he can start working the phones on a deal for Andrew.

3)Kessel-Or, more precisely, what happens with the draft picks acqired in the Kessel deal? While conventional logic dictates that a draft pick doesn't help you "now", in this case the just might. Come trade deadline time, or before, Chilly could use those picks as a bargaining chip to pick up whatever missing piece they may identify. Assuming it's a deadline deal, the cap implications shouldn't be too bad, since they're only paying a prorated portion of that players salary.
On the flip side, and I don't think this would happen gieven Chiarelli's penchant for standing pat on deadline day, I don't want to see him make a move with those picks simply for the sake of doing "something". Over reacting and over paying for a rental, just because you have "extra" draft picks is an unwise move.

4)Injuries- it's the elephant in the room, and something nobody likes to consider.....namely because there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. But if major injuries strike the B's, how will they cope? Depending on who they lose, when and for how long, the answer varies. I think overall they have enough depth to survive short term injuries to all players, and short term for most. But if any of the "big names" (which I refuse to name here, as I knock on wood with crossed fingers) go down for any length of time, they're in trouble. Again, that is the case with every team, but is why it's very difficult to handicap favorites for the Cup. fate has a way of intervening at all the wrong times.

OK THEN, SO MAKE A PREDICTION YOU SAY?
Fine, here are my off the cuff predictions for this year's Boston Bruins.
Individual:
Tim Thomas has another stellar year, but does not win the Vezina, but does win his second consecutive Jennings (this time sharing with Rask, who plays a much larger role in winning it than Fernandez did)

Chara-Does not repeat as the Norris winner, losing to sentimental favorite Nick Lidstrom, after Lidstrom announces retirement. Z still has a monster year, thus getting screwed out of his award.

Phil who?-Boston doesn't finish in the top two in goals scored again (washington and Pittsburgh fill the net at a dizzying pace), but has even more 20 goal scorers than last year. All the returning players with 20 equal their production from last year, with the possible expception of Kobasew. Injuries slow his production. But Bergeron,Sturm, Lucic and Bitz all join the 20 goal club.

TEAM:
The B's finish first in the Northeast with 102 points.
They end up as the number 3 seed in the East (Pittsburgh and Philly are 1-2).

They play and defeat Pittsburgh in the Conference Finals.

In the Stanley Cup Finals, they square off against the darlings of the Western Conference, Chicago Blackhawks. In a thrilling Original Six Finals (which the NHL fails to capitalize on from a marketing perspective, yet again), Boston defeats the Wings in six games, on home ice. Your faithful blogger disappears to parts unknown for months long celebration, follow the trail of smashed Guinness glasses and shouts of "holy &*#%, I can't BELIEVE they actually WON A CUP" to find me. All while wishing Al Pedersen could have been a part of it all.

And all of that, in some form or another, starts in just over 24hrs. Rest up my friends, this is sure to be one hell of a ride.

Go B's-Kynch

The NHL 2009/2010 Edition: "Can You Dig IT...?"

noreply@blogger.com (KingKrej46) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Well can you?!

With just one (long) short week to go until official drop of the puck on what for me will be Year #2 A.T.A. (After the Av's) I figured I get back into the swing of the KBBK thing again. With this in mind and sending prop's out to Cyrus from NYC" the upcoming start of 2009/2010 edition of the NHL Regular Season is looking more and more like one we CAN ALL DIG given the amount of "events" we have already slotted for this upcoming season.

So with that I give the newly anointed (by me by the way..) first ever, "KingKrej's Top 10!"

With this one belonging to the topic of:

"The Top 10 Things to Look Forward to this NHL Season"

1) October 1st, 2009 - This is it with four games dropping the puck including your Boston Bruins vs. the Washington Ovies at the Garden as well as the Colorado Av's playing host the San Jose (Nurse) Sharks with the main highlight being the raising of King Joe Sakic's #19 to the Pepsi Center rafters!

2) October 2nd, 2009 - See's the NHL's Great European Vacation 09' kicking off with games between Detroit Red Wings vs the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm & the Chicago Blackhawks vs the Florida Panthers in Helsinki. Yikes and these babies count...

3) November 9th, 2009- The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto welcomes four new members as Steve Yzerman, The Golden Brett (Hull), U.S. born and breed D-Man, Brian Leetch and Lou Lamoriello all enter the Mall er' Hall!

4) January 1st, 2010 - It's the Winter Classic, Boston style as the Broounze play host to the Philly Flyers in what I'm sure will be a warm and cozy Fenway Park (I already have the Sambuca flasked and waiting for this one)

5) February 15th to February 28th, 2010 - The NHL shuts down for two weeks as the World's best converge on Vancouver B.C. for the title of Olympic Champions!

6) March 1st, 2010 - NHL league play resumes but the real news should be:

7) March 3rd, 2010- Two days after the restart of things from the Olympic break comes everyone's favorite Holiday aka NHL Trade Deadline Day! With that much down time (two plus weeks) and the fact that all rosters will be frozen over that time, there's sure to be a FLURRY (no not Theo...) of activity and action... Love it!

8) April 11th, 2010 - The NHL's Regular Season wraps and then

9) April 13th, 2010 - The best tourney in ALL OF SPORTS, The NHL Playoffs begin as teams start their long climb and battle for 16 Wins and The Cup!

10) All Season long - Records could be (will be) a falling as some of the record's up for grabs include;

Devil's goalie Marty Brodeur needs on 3 shutouts to pass Terry Sawchuk's current record of 103.

When Wing's goalie Chris Osgood (seriously...) records 11th win of the year he'll become the 10th netminder in NHL HISTORY to reach 400 wins.

Similarly the Oilers (another team already Nik?) Nikolai Khabibulin only needs 1 more win for 300 in his career.

Another Nicki (Lidstrom) also of the Wings needs only 3 points to become the 7th Defensemen in NHL history to reach 1000 total.

If the seemingly "Ageless Duck" Teemu Selanne can pot 21 goals this season, he'll become the 18th NHLer and just the 3rd Euro born player (after Jari Kurri and Jaromir Jagr) to score 600 goals in a career.

Others that are close to marks include: Brendan Shanahan (12 more goals to tie Lucky Luc Robitaille for 10th All Time) By the way is it me or will it be somewhat crazy to think that when the Devils break out their original Red & Green colored throwback jersey's sometime this season that they really will be "throwbacks" for Shanahan as these will be the same looking uni's he started his career back in the 80's?!

I really could go on and on and on these nuggets but I'll spare you (for now) and wrap up my 1st ever KingKrej Top 10 list! See you all that the rinks & Let's Go Broounze! - KingKrej46

Breaking news-Kessell Traded

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:18:00 +0000

From bostonbruins.com:

Bruins receive two first round picks, one second round selection from Toronto

Friday, 09.18.2009 / 10:06 PM / News

Boston Bruins

BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has acquired first round picks in 2010 and 2011 and a second round pick in 2010 from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Phil Kessel. All three picks will be Toronto’s natural selections in the respective round and draft year. Chiarelli will host a press conference on Saturday, September 19 at 11:00 a.m. in the Will McDonough Press Room at the TD Garden to discuss the transaction. Members of the media can enter the TD Garden as they would on a normal gameday through the Media/Back Security Entrance. Take the elevator to the third floor and proceed straight down the corridor until you reach the end. The Will McDonough Press Room will be on your left at the end of the corridor. Kessel has appeared in 222 regular season games in the NHL, all with the Bruins, and posted 66-60=126 totals. The 21-year-old was originally selected by the Bruins in the first round (5th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, the thrill is gone.... My take on this deal? Chiarelli had no choice. Kessel and his agent have already stated that they were done negotiating with Boston. They have also made it clear that Toronto was the desired destination. This pretty much forced Chilly's hand, and frankly, I'm surprised he got as good a deal for him as he did. While I am a big fan of Kessell's game, I just couldn't justify the reported demands for $5.5M per year, for a minimum of five years. Bluntly out, he just hadn't earned that yet. He's a young kid who has scored a grand total of 66 NHL goals. That isn't to say he isn't a terrific player, or to suggest that he won't continue to progress. But it's just frankly too much money, considering the Cap situation. And to complicate matters more, the Bruins have several important players reaching RFA status next season (including cult hero Milan Lucic). Committing that kind of dough to Kess now could seriously hamper Chilly's ability to ice a competitive team in years to come. Personally, I wish Phil no ill will. As much as he took criticism for being "soft", I've always said he showed toughness in other ways. Hell, he rebounded damn quick from cancer. he played through injuries in this years playoffs. I appreciate all the thrills he gave us in his regrettably short time in a B's uniform. But in the cold hard business that is pro sports, this is a good deal. With the likes of Wheeler progressing, Sturm back from injury, Bergeron finally 100% healthy and my projected emergence of a Byron Bitz, I think the B's will have more than enough players available to pick up the slack. Sure, you always miss a potential 40 goal scorer. They don't grow on trees. But this team has also showed that their depth is their greatest asset. Kessel, for all of his flash and dash was basically a one trick pony. He could score, but only in a very limited way. He wasn't going to crash the net like Sturm or Lucic. He wasn't going to camp out front for tips like Recchi. He was, and is, very very good at snapping off a hard wrister off the wing. But unless he gets the puck in open space, in stride...he is very limited. It will be interesting to see how he does in Toronto. Without a guy like Savard setting him up with "sweet Feeds" (thanks, Jack Edwards), I expect him to make less of a splash than some may think. Add the pressure of playing in Toronto, where he will be looked at as the savior of their offensive woes, and it could be a tough go for the kid. And lets be honest, he isn't exactly going to be playing with a lot of skilled guys. I mean...Jason Allison has a shot at making that team! Kess is too good to not score, but most will come in garbage time after his Leafs are long out of it I suspect. Draft picks in any sport are a roll of the dice, none more so than in hockey. But these picks, if nothing else, give Chiarelli and his staff a lot of flexibility. He can either keep them, and pray Toronto has a miserable season (a decent possibility), or he can use one or more of them as chips in a bigger trade down the road. Not sure who the leading draft prospects are now, but trust me, I'll be dialing into that as the season progresses. So bottom line is, hate to see you go Phil. You've been a great, entertaining player to watch (defensive lapses not withstanding). I wish you well, while at the same time hoping your new team goes 0-82 this year. The first overall pick next spring would be fantastic. Go B's-Kynch

State Of The Bruins event a success

noreply@blogger.com (Kynch) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:39:00 +0000

Another year, another resounding success at the annual "State Of The Bruins" season ticket holder event. This year must have been easier for the Jacobs clan than years past. Nothing like a little success and a promising future to call off the dogs a little. As much as he isn't a great public speaker, he acquitted himself nicely last night. He was deferential when it came to player personnel questions, and gave polite "non-answers" to questions he couldn't get too deeply involved in.
Charlie Jacobs (as usual, noticeably annoyed and envious of the overwhelming fan reaction to Cam Neely) had very little to offer. He touched on the Winter Classic, and mentioned that there are several plans in the works for events to be staged around the main event. Possibly some youth hockey games, and with luck, an alumni event of some sort. These events would be in late December, leading up to and beyond Christmas sometime. As far as the alumni event, a different source told me that she personally heard from Dennis Leary that he *may* be reviving his celebrity all-star team to participate. Makes sense, as I'm sure he'd love to play at Fenway as much as anyone, and it would be a huge fund raising opportunity for his charity as well as the Bruins Foundation.
Chiarelli was his usual long-winded self (after the first question, I was worried there would be no time for any others). Although he flat out said, on a couple occasions, "I'm just not going to tell you that", you never got the impression he was evading. Certainly there are many things he can't, or won't discuss openly. Mainly, contract or trade negotiations. He was very professional in how he dealt with the lone Kessell question, calling him a great player and a great person. One can only wonder how Harry Sinden would have reacted to this setting. Perhaps he'd tell Kessell to learn to like Poutine?

Coach Julien (who got several resounding rounds of applause, which was great to see) spoke of the challenges that lay ahead. Mainly that they can talk playoffs all they want, but they have to get there first. Focusing on the job at hand, while living up to heightened expectations, will be the most difficult hurdle for him and his team. With that said, he expects the team to equal if not exceed last year's results. As he said, there is only one ultimate goal and they'll do everything they can to get there. He also spoke absolutely glowingly of Byron Bitz. He stressed that most people don't seem to realize how much skill this kid has. yes, he's a big body, but Julien stressed he is a very very skilled hockey player as well. Loved hearing that, as I've often said I see Bitz being a 20+ goal scorer in this league.

Neely, not surprisingly was the star attraction (although Looch was a very close second). He addressed the style of player the Bruins are looking for, and the things he thinks that makes Boston a desirable destination for Free Agents. He stressed that the kind of player Boston wants, is the kind of guy that WANTS to be a BRUIN. Someone that appreciates pulling that sweater every night and playing the way Boston fans "expect to see, want to see and deserve to see". He also detailed the design elements of the Winter Classic jersey, which he apparently had a very large hand in designing. More on that later.

As far as the players present, Bergeron, Lucic and Morris were all on the panel. First thing that jumps out at you is, Bergy's English has gotten REALLY good since he came here! But seriously, both he and Lucic seemed a bit uncomfortable at first, but warmed to the task quickly. Especially when the many children in attendance had a chance to ask their questions. You know, the hard hitting one like "what do you eat for breakfast on game days?" Let's just say, I wouldn't be surprised if Looch is soon to get an endorsement deal for"Honey Nut Cheerios".
Derek Morris made a very good first impression. He seemed very relaxed and poised. He seemed to get a good laugh out of the massive "Looooch" cheers that went up whenever Lucic was mentioned, or said a word. His line of the night came when a youngster asked which team, other than the Bruins, would the players like to play for. Lucic (wisely, if not predictably) said "no other team". Bergeron echoed the statement. So when they looked at Morris for his comment, he laughed and said flatly "well, I've already played for every other team". Well played. If he plays in his own zone as slickly as he played that, we'll be in great shape.

The finale to the evening was the unveiling of the Winter Classic jersey, as modeled by David Krecji in the photo above. The reveal started with a video presentation, using the B's Christmas themed video (if you've been to games in December, you'll recognize the black & white screen, with snow flakes falling around the Bear logo with the Trans Siberian Orchestra playing). The video was updated with snippets from the Press Conference from Fenway when they announced the game. All the while, artificial snow fell from the rafters. A smoke machine kicked on, and the strobe lights flashed. As the smoke slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) cleared, there was Krecji in full Winter Classic uniform. I'm telling you, the kid works a runway almost as well as he works a two on one. I wasn't sold on the designs I had seen leaked, but after getting a chance to see the full uni, up close, I really like it. Neely went through the details, pointing out why each element was included. It does a great job of incorporating design pieces from many years of Bruins history. The thought that went into it was quite impressive.
Oh, and apparently the Bruins new advertising tag line this season is "Big and bad are back". It beats "it's called Bruins" anyway...although, if they don't do well.....well, insert joke here.

Anyway, that's it for today. Regular season kicks off in 13 days. WOW, summer flew by! Hopefully, next summer will be even shorter. Playing into late June would sure help that.
Go B's-Kynch

B's NewsBlast! New Winter Classic Uni's LEAKED!

noreply@blogger.com (KingKrej46) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:05:00 +0000

Good scoop Boys! KBBK sends "Mad Props" to Jeff V. (who worked up the above rending) over at the Boston Sports Network blog(thebostonsportsnetwork@wordpress.com) & the the team over at ICETHETICS (http://www.icethetics.info/) for "breaking the ice" on this one, just prior to the B's official unveiling these new Winter Classic jersey's over at the Garden tonight. I'm loving them by the way & can't wait to see my #46 Krejci one worked up...! Thanks again men & Go Broounze! - Kingkrej46