Bruins are doing Fan Fest again tomorrow! Woot!
Free T-Shirts, pictures with the Vezina, Norris and Jack Adams trophies!
Go B's!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Almost Done! My "Predix".
Player Analysis
Zdeno Chara (GP 4, G 1, A 0, Plus 1): Despite not attending much of training camp, he's looked well in pre-season games. Still showcasing a nasty shot from the blue line and as we saw against Columbus, Chara sneaking in off the blueline or the "Patented Chara" as I like to call it, is still working perfectly. Next time you see Chara out there on the Power Play, watch him sneak in, it's pretty funny how well a 7 foot 200+ pound guy can "sneak". I was kinda bummed that Chara wasn't running any Captains Practice while I was there. As I mentioned in a previous post, it's basically a half rink 4 on 4 or 5 on 5 pick up game. Really fun to watch. I can't imagine Chara having a bad year this year, though, to be honest, it took me quite a long time to come around and like how he plays. Though for the first 2 years he was with us, I felt like he was making bad decisions with the puck. But it looks like that is no longer the case.
David Krejci (GP 0, G 0, A 0, Even +/-): Not much to say about our boy Krejci. I've seen him practice and his play looks solid, but it's hard to say how well he'll do until we see him in game. Of course, the Bruins nay sayers are all saying Krejci's last season was a fluke and we should have spent more money on Kessel. I disagree. I've always been a Krejci fan and I feel like he's always been pretty consistent and has a good defensive game. Thinking about it now, I can't think of any blatantly bad penalties he took last year. Which is very important as I know others on the team have taken some really dumb penalties. For the definition of a dumb penalty, find any penalty that Montador took last year. But anyway, Krejci should be in the lineup tomorrow to start the season as mentioned in the Boston Globe today. I just hope they're not rushing things. I'd rather go a couple more weeks without him, use Sobatka or bring up Hamil till Krejci is 100%. If he does come back healthy, I think we'll see a 30 goal season from him easily.
Andrew Ference (GP 3, G 1, A 1, Minus 1): Ference has been doing pretty well this pre-seaon, minus the drama surrounding him and the firing of Paul Kelly. There has also been mention of him and Recchi not getting along, but I can't image Recchi or Ference would be the kind of person to hold a grudge. I think once the season starts, all these things will be put on the back burner as the media will have something else to talk about. I'm hoping we can get the same performance out of Ference that we did the start of last season. Ference was a machine until he was injured about a quarter of the way into the season. If we can get that performance again for an extended period of time, especially since we start at home this year, that will be a HUGE help towards getting started ont he right foot.
Matt Hunwick (GP 5, G 0, A 0, Minus 1): AWFUL pre-season for Hunwick. He is all over the place defensively. No assists, only 7 shots in 5 games, terrible. My guess is if he continues to play this way into the season, he'll be replaced by Boychuk in the first couple of weeks. If he does turn it around, I could see him putting in 5 or 6 goals as he's one of the more aggressive defensemen on the team.
Blake Wheeler (GP 6, G 0, A 2, Plus 2): A lot of pressure on Wheeler this season with Kessel gone as he is expected to fill the void. I don't really think I'm a fan of setting Wheeler up like this. I'd rather have him play another "ok" season then start focusing on making him the leading goal scorer of the team. The situation just seems rushed. He's done ok so far this pre-season, but no goals despite playing the second most pre-season games on the team (Sobotka leads with 7). Wheeler has also put on 15 pounds of muscle which I hope will help, not lead to what is now know as "Bochenski" syndrome. If he has an okay season, he'll be a 20 goal scorer.
Dennis Wideman (GP 5, G 0, A 2, Plus 2): Honestly, I've heard the least about Wideman. I suppose that's not a bad thing as I have seen him take some bad penalties in the past and his game be a little sloppy. Maybe not hearing anything about him is better! Looks like he's going to be paired with Ference in 5 on 5 and on the Power Play. Pulling for him to hit the net this year and take a little more time when deciding what to do with the puck. Statistically speaking, he'll probably remain the same as he did last year, maybe a few more Power Play goals.
More tomorrow before the game...
Fluto and KPD posted their season ranking predictions today. I can't say I agree with their predictions completely. So I'll post mine...
East
1. Bruins
2. Capitals
3. Penguins
4. Hurricanes
5. Flyers
6. Devils
7. Rangers
8. Canadiens
9. Panthers
10. Senators
11. Maple Leafs
12. Islanders
13. Sabers
14 Thrashers
15. Lighting
East Division Winner:
Bruins
West
1. Sharks
2. Red Wings
3. Flames
4. Canucks
5. Blackhawks
6. Blue Jackets
7. Ducks
8. Blues
9. Predators
10. Oilers
11. Kings
12. Wild
13. Stars
14. Avalanche
15. Coyotes
West Division Winner:
Blackhawks
Stanley Cup Winners:
Bruins vs Blackhawks: Bruins Win
There it is...We'll see how accurate this is at the end of the season.
Opening game tomorrow, I'll be there! w00t!
Go B's!
Zdeno Chara (GP 4, G 1, A 0, Plus 1): Despite not attending much of training camp, he's looked well in pre-season games. Still showcasing a nasty shot from the blue line and as we saw against Columbus, Chara sneaking in off the blueline or the "Patented Chara" as I like to call it, is still working perfectly. Next time you see Chara out there on the Power Play, watch him sneak in, it's pretty funny how well a 7 foot 200+ pound guy can "sneak". I was kinda bummed that Chara wasn't running any Captains Practice while I was there. As I mentioned in a previous post, it's basically a half rink 4 on 4 or 5 on 5 pick up game. Really fun to watch. I can't imagine Chara having a bad year this year, though, to be honest, it took me quite a long time to come around and like how he plays. Though for the first 2 years he was with us, I felt like he was making bad decisions with the puck. But it looks like that is no longer the case.
David Krejci (GP 0, G 0, A 0, Even +/-): Not much to say about our boy Krejci. I've seen him practice and his play looks solid, but it's hard to say how well he'll do until we see him in game. Of course, the Bruins nay sayers are all saying Krejci's last season was a fluke and we should have spent more money on Kessel. I disagree. I've always been a Krejci fan and I feel like he's always been pretty consistent and has a good defensive game. Thinking about it now, I can't think of any blatantly bad penalties he took last year. Which is very important as I know others on the team have taken some really dumb penalties. For the definition of a dumb penalty, find any penalty that Montador took last year. But anyway, Krejci should be in the lineup tomorrow to start the season as mentioned in the Boston Globe today. I just hope they're not rushing things. I'd rather go a couple more weeks without him, use Sobatka or bring up Hamil till Krejci is 100%. If he does come back healthy, I think we'll see a 30 goal season from him easily.
Andrew Ference (GP 3, G 1, A 1, Minus 1): Ference has been doing pretty well this pre-seaon, minus the drama surrounding him and the firing of Paul Kelly. There has also been mention of him and Recchi not getting along, but I can't image Recchi or Ference would be the kind of person to hold a grudge. I think once the season starts, all these things will be put on the back burner as the media will have something else to talk about. I'm hoping we can get the same performance out of Ference that we did the start of last season. Ference was a machine until he was injured about a quarter of the way into the season. If we can get that performance again for an extended period of time, especially since we start at home this year, that will be a HUGE help towards getting started ont he right foot.
Matt Hunwick (GP 5, G 0, A 0, Minus 1): AWFUL pre-season for Hunwick. He is all over the place defensively. No assists, only 7 shots in 5 games, terrible. My guess is if he continues to play this way into the season, he'll be replaced by Boychuk in the first couple of weeks. If he does turn it around, I could see him putting in 5 or 6 goals as he's one of the more aggressive defensemen on the team.
Blake Wheeler (GP 6, G 0, A 2, Plus 2): A lot of pressure on Wheeler this season with Kessel gone as he is expected to fill the void. I don't really think I'm a fan of setting Wheeler up like this. I'd rather have him play another "ok" season then start focusing on making him the leading goal scorer of the team. The situation just seems rushed. He's done ok so far this pre-season, but no goals despite playing the second most pre-season games on the team (Sobotka leads with 7). Wheeler has also put on 15 pounds of muscle which I hope will help, not lead to what is now know as "Bochenski" syndrome. If he has an okay season, he'll be a 20 goal scorer.
Dennis Wideman (GP 5, G 0, A 2, Plus 2): Honestly, I've heard the least about Wideman. I suppose that's not a bad thing as I have seen him take some bad penalties in the past and his game be a little sloppy. Maybe not hearing anything about him is better! Looks like he's going to be paired with Ference in 5 on 5 and on the Power Play. Pulling for him to hit the net this year and take a little more time when deciding what to do with the puck. Statistically speaking, he'll probably remain the same as he did last year, maybe a few more Power Play goals.
More tomorrow before the game...
Fluto and KPD posted their season ranking predictions today. I can't say I agree with their predictions completely. So I'll post mine...
East
1. Bruins
2. Capitals
3. Penguins
4. Hurricanes
5. Flyers
6. Devils
7. Rangers
8. Canadiens
9. Panthers
10. Senators
11. Maple Leafs
12. Islanders
13. Sabers
14 Thrashers
15. Lighting
East Division Winner:
Bruins
West
1. Sharks
2. Red Wings
3. Flames
4. Canucks
5. Blackhawks
6. Blue Jackets
7. Ducks
8. Blues
9. Predators
10. Oilers
11. Kings
12. Wild
13. Stars
14. Avalanche
15. Coyotes
West Division Winner:
Blackhawks
Stanley Cup Winners:
Bruins vs Blackhawks: Bruins Win
There it is...We'll see how accurate this is at the end of the season.
Opening game tomorrow, I'll be there! w00t!
Go B's!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Bruins Acquire Scott Thornton...Apparently...
Just wanted to quickly share that TSN has placed the Bruins 2nd in their Power Rankings. Which is good news...but you have to contribute this to the acquisition of Scott Thornton!
"And if they don't beat you on the scoreboard, they can do it in the alley as Chara and Milan Lucic are amongst the most feared hitters in the league. Fourth line grinders Scott Thornton and Steve Begin add some sandpaper to the lineup."
Claude Julien lost a year with the Bruins somewhere too...
"Head Coach: Claude Julien (2nd Season)"
Check out the full article here before they change it!
Note: Scott Thornton retired July '08.
Go B's!
"And if they don't beat you on the scoreboard, they can do it in the alley as Chara and Milan Lucic are amongst the most feared hitters in the league. Fourth line grinders Scott Thornton and Steve Begin add some sandpaper to the lineup."
Claude Julien lost a year with the Bruins somewhere too...
"Head Coach: Claude Julien (2nd Season)"
Check out the full article here before they change it!
Note: Scott Thornton retired July '08.
Go B's!
Lets Get Right Back Into It....
Player Analysis:
Michael Ryder (GP 5, G 1, A 2, Minus 1): A pretty good pre-season for Ryder. Much better then last years. Last year, Ryder spent 2 months trying to find the net with Savard before he was moved to a new line and was able to produce. We're going to need Ryder to be a 30+ goal scorer this year which shouldn't be an issue, especially if the Wheeler, Krejci, Ryder line is clicking. Ryder's, shot is there, I've seen him hitting his mark in practice consistently, he'll just needs to start the season off with a goal or two right off the bat to get him going.
Byron Bitz (GP 5, G 0, A 0, Minus 1): VERY quiet pre-season for Bitz. Seems to be suffering from the sophomore blues. I wouldn't be suprised if he spent some time down in Providence getting his game together and bringing him up later. I can't remember a single time in either a blog, radio or television broadcast of a pre-season game this year when I heard Bitz's name. He's a big guy who plays well on the dump in. He needs to go back to the dump and chase and get behind the net in the offensive zone and work from there. Once he's there, he'll be a solid 4th line guy again.
Derek Morris (GP 5, G 0, A 3, Even +/-): Oh Derek Morris... This has to be the guy with the most to prove. Morris landed here after a trade to put Ward in Carolina. Now, the thought was that Derek Morris would provide a more defensively sound game then Ward. So far, I'm not seeing that. Morris came from a crappy team and I'm sure he has to make some adjustments, but already in the pre-season he was described as Wideman from a year ago. All over the place and making bad decisions with the puck. He has played well in the past couple of games when paired with Chara, and he does have a monster of a shot, so he and Chara shooting together will be painful and entertaining. But the Bruins are always defense first, Morris, more then anyone, has to prove he is able to think that way.
Marco Sturm (GP 2, G 0, A 2, Even +/-): Please stay healthy, please stay healthy, please stay healthy... That is what every Bruins fan is saying right now. And right now, it's not looking very promising. Marco has missed several pre-season games with various minor injuries so he has been pretty quiet. I also saw Sturm leave practice after skating around the rink twice. Turned out the be his current groin injury that caused him to leave. We NEED Sturm this year. Even if he is not producing immediately, we need that threat on the ice during the 5 on 5 and especially the Power Play. If Sturm stays healthy, that will completely make up for all of Kessel's goals and then some. Please stay healthy......
Milan Lucic (GP 5, G 0, A 4, Plus 2): Loooooooooooooooch! What more do I need to say. Lucic is a MONSTER. He's looked very sharp this pre-season as apposed to last. He was shaky out the gate last year and was questionable for the start of the regular season. But he has picked up right where he left off in the playoffs last year. If Julien decides to keep him on the first line with Savard and Sturm...wow. Savard the play maker, Sturm the goal scorer, Lucic bringing the muscle, the perfect line. I wouldn't be surprised to see a contract renewal for Lucic this year before the All-Star break, as they will want to avoid losing the current face of the Bruins franchise. Looch will easily put up 20 or so goals and a good 150 penalty minutes.
Mark Stuart (GP 5, G 1, A 0, Minus 2): Mark Stuart is a "Bruin". Now people outside of the circle of average to diehard Bruins fan will not know what that means. Well I'll tell ya. Stuart is the guy who is quiet on the ice but is giving 110% effort the whole night, no matter the score. He's contributing on every part of the ice whether that be burying the occasional puck in the net or dropping the gloves to stick up for a teammate. Mark Stuart is a low risk, high reward grinder that every team wishes they had. He'll put up his typical numbers this year, 4-5 goals, 10-15 assists, but you won't hear anything bad about him. Solid 3rd D-pair guy.
Tuukka Rask (GP 3, W 2, L 1, GAA 2.0, SV% .938): Let me start by saying...what an improvement over Fernandez. I'm glad the Bruins took their time in bringing this kid up despite his displeasure with the desision last year. We didn't want to ruin this kid like we did with Hannu, who is still in and out of the NHL/AHL with St. Louis.
I think his biggest advantage over goalies in the past 10 years in Boston is that he has a solid number 1 goalie in front of him. This is a goaltender who has been taken care of and is living out the perfect scenario. Let me breakdown my perfect goalie scenario..
You stay in the AHL your first year. You get called up and get lit up and truely understand what it means to be in the NHL and get sent back down. Around this time, Thomas becomes the number 1 guy in Boston. The next season, you do well in training camp in the bigs, but are told you need to hone in your game a bit more. This builds up that frustration, that need to prove yourself. Because of this, you churn out a good year in the AHL and get called up once or twice to the NHL. And you dominate. Now this season, you're coming into a team and you know your role. There has never been any doubt that Tuukka will no more then a backup for Thomas. This will be a time for Tuukka to learn and take notes. He'll have his time to play as I'm sure Thomas will not play more then 50 or so games, especially with the Olympics coming up. So Rask, will have his time then.
In the coming years, he'll be given more and more time until he is eventually the number 1 guy in Boston and will be for a while. That's how you do it! You don't just bring someone up and hope they'll be your number one guy like they did with Thomas. It worked out for Thomas, but that is not how you "grow" a number 1 guy. Tuukka is in a well estabilished system and will do very well this year bringing in 5-10 wins.
More tomorrow! Check out the poll on the right side of the page!
Go B's!
Michael Ryder (GP 5, G 1, A 2, Minus 1): A pretty good pre-season for Ryder. Much better then last years. Last year, Ryder spent 2 months trying to find the net with Savard before he was moved to a new line and was able to produce. We're going to need Ryder to be a 30+ goal scorer this year which shouldn't be an issue, especially if the Wheeler, Krejci, Ryder line is clicking. Ryder's, shot is there, I've seen him hitting his mark in practice consistently, he'll just needs to start the season off with a goal or two right off the bat to get him going.
Byron Bitz (GP 5, G 0, A 0, Minus 1): VERY quiet pre-season for Bitz. Seems to be suffering from the sophomore blues. I wouldn't be suprised if he spent some time down in Providence getting his game together and bringing him up later. I can't remember a single time in either a blog, radio or television broadcast of a pre-season game this year when I heard Bitz's name. He's a big guy who plays well on the dump in. He needs to go back to the dump and chase and get behind the net in the offensive zone and work from there. Once he's there, he'll be a solid 4th line guy again.
Derek Morris (GP 5, G 0, A 3, Even +/-): Oh Derek Morris... This has to be the guy with the most to prove. Morris landed here after a trade to put Ward in Carolina. Now, the thought was that Derek Morris would provide a more defensively sound game then Ward. So far, I'm not seeing that. Morris came from a crappy team and I'm sure he has to make some adjustments, but already in the pre-season he was described as Wideman from a year ago. All over the place and making bad decisions with the puck. He has played well in the past couple of games when paired with Chara, and he does have a monster of a shot, so he and Chara shooting together will be painful and entertaining. But the Bruins are always defense first, Morris, more then anyone, has to prove he is able to think that way.
Marco Sturm (GP 2, G 0, A 2, Even +/-): Please stay healthy, please stay healthy, please stay healthy... That is what every Bruins fan is saying right now. And right now, it's not looking very promising. Marco has missed several pre-season games with various minor injuries so he has been pretty quiet. I also saw Sturm leave practice after skating around the rink twice. Turned out the be his current groin injury that caused him to leave. We NEED Sturm this year. Even if he is not producing immediately, we need that threat on the ice during the 5 on 5 and especially the Power Play. If Sturm stays healthy, that will completely make up for all of Kessel's goals and then some. Please stay healthy......
Milan Lucic (GP 5, G 0, A 4, Plus 2): Loooooooooooooooch! What more do I need to say. Lucic is a MONSTER. He's looked very sharp this pre-season as apposed to last. He was shaky out the gate last year and was questionable for the start of the regular season. But he has picked up right where he left off in the playoffs last year. If Julien decides to keep him on the first line with Savard and Sturm...wow. Savard the play maker, Sturm the goal scorer, Lucic bringing the muscle, the perfect line. I wouldn't be surprised to see a contract renewal for Lucic this year before the All-Star break, as they will want to avoid losing the current face of the Bruins franchise. Looch will easily put up 20 or so goals and a good 150 penalty minutes.
Mark Stuart (GP 5, G 1, A 0, Minus 2): Mark Stuart is a "Bruin". Now people outside of the circle of average to diehard Bruins fan will not know what that means. Well I'll tell ya. Stuart is the guy who is quiet on the ice but is giving 110% effort the whole night, no matter the score. He's contributing on every part of the ice whether that be burying the occasional puck in the net or dropping the gloves to stick up for a teammate. Mark Stuart is a low risk, high reward grinder that every team wishes they had. He'll put up his typical numbers this year, 4-5 goals, 10-15 assists, but you won't hear anything bad about him. Solid 3rd D-pair guy.
Tuukka Rask (GP 3, W 2, L 1, GAA 2.0, SV% .938): Let me start by saying...what an improvement over Fernandez. I'm glad the Bruins took their time in bringing this kid up despite his displeasure with the desision last year. We didn't want to ruin this kid like we did with Hannu, who is still in and out of the NHL/AHL with St. Louis.
I think his biggest advantage over goalies in the past 10 years in Boston is that he has a solid number 1 goalie in front of him. This is a goaltender who has been taken care of and is living out the perfect scenario. Let me breakdown my perfect goalie scenario..
You stay in the AHL your first year. You get called up and get lit up and truely understand what it means to be in the NHL and get sent back down. Around this time, Thomas becomes the number 1 guy in Boston. The next season, you do well in training camp in the bigs, but are told you need to hone in your game a bit more. This builds up that frustration, that need to prove yourself. Because of this, you churn out a good year in the AHL and get called up once or twice to the NHL. And you dominate. Now this season, you're coming into a team and you know your role. There has never been any doubt that Tuukka will no more then a backup for Thomas. This will be a time for Tuukka to learn and take notes. He'll have his time to play as I'm sure Thomas will not play more then 50 or so games, especially with the Olympics coming up. So Rask, will have his time then.
In the coming years, he'll be given more and more time until he is eventually the number 1 guy in Boston and will be for a while. That's how you do it! You don't just bring someone up and hope they'll be your number one guy like they did with Thomas. It worked out for Thomas, but that is not how you "grow" a number 1 guy. Tuukka is in a well estabilished system and will do very well this year bringing in 5-10 wins.
More tomorrow! Check out the poll on the right side of the page!
Go B's!
Monday, September 28, 2009
One Fantasy Team To Rule Them All. 4 Players, How They Got There.
We eventually got the fantasy draft underway last night after a couple of ridiculous restrictions on ESPN caused us to have to create the league again. The scoring settings are here and the rules for Head to Head are here. You can also start your own league here. It's free...get the draft time right the first time...
Anyway, on with the team...the round each player was picked is shown in parentheses. I had 5th pick out of 10.
Forwards:
Olli Jokinen (2)
Alexander Semin (4)
David Booth (5)
Michael Cammalleri (7)
Simon Gagne (8)
Shane Doan (10)
Martin Havlat (13)
Milan Michalek (14)
Patrice Bergeron (19)
Defense:
Mike Green (1)
Scott Niedermayer (6)
Brian Campbell (15)
Christian Ehrhoff (16)
Andrew Ference (22)
Utility:
Alex Tanquay (17)
Bench:
Steve Ott (11)
Anton Babchuk (12)
Chuck Kobasew (20)
Wade Redden (21)
Goalies:
Niklas Backstrom (3)
Chris Mason (9)
Bench Goalie:
Mike Smith (18)
Judgment immediately ensued when I picked Mike Green in the first round. I may have been able to grab him in the second, but I planned on focusing on forwards most of the draft and defensemen later in the game, so getting that out of the way first left me available to pick up 30+ goal scorers while others were picking up defensemen.
As for goalies, Backstrom should have a solid/consistent year over in Minnesota and Mason should improve over last year. Smith was just a random pickup and I'll probably end up dropping him before the season starts.
I feel like Tanquay was a steal in the 17th round as my utility guy. He'll have a terrible +/- on Tampa, but he'll have 30 goal season this year with a team that's looking for someone else to score other then Martin St. Louis.
Now moving on from fantasy into reality... The Bruins pre-season ended Saturday with a loss to Columbus and the roster has now been cut down to 22. I'm going to do my best to breakdown the pre-season efforts for each of the 22 players left on the roster.
The practice roster posted by Boston.com today is what I think the final roster will be for the start of the season. It is as follows:
First Line: Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Marco Sturm
Second Line: Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Michael Ryder
Third Line: Mark Recchi - Patrice Bergeron - Chuck Kobasew
Fourth Line: Shawn Thornton - Begin/Sobatka - Byron Bitz
D Pairings:
Zdeno Chara - Derek Morris
Andrew Ference - Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart - Hunwick Boychuk
Goalies:
Tim Thomas
Tukka Rask
Player Analysis:
Shawn Thornton ( GP 5, G 1, A 2, Plus 1): Thornton came back into training camp all smiles as usual. Joking around at practice, but serious in game. In the past, he's been questionable for making the roster, but at this point, he's a leader on the 4th line. He's best known for his scraps while sticking up for his teammates, but as we saw in the first game against Columbus, he's got some hands too. Ultimately, you can expect a lot of the same from Thornton. He'll be in the corners fighting for the puck or people. As his contract is up this year, I'm sure we can expect a resigning long before the season is over.
Below is some more information regarding Shawn Thornton and some video of his pre-season fights this year.
Articles:
Thornton Has Been A Nice Fit
Fights:
Shawn Thornton vs Matt Carkner
Shawn Thornton vs Jared Boll
Patrice Bergeron (GP 5, G 0, A 3, Minus 3): Despite the minus 3 for the pre-season, Bergeron has looked good. Bergy isn't known for his goal scoring abilities, but as a play maker, and he's looked sharp dishing the puck. He's also been doing well in the face off circle. During practice, he has been taking up the 'captain' role during Chara's absence this training camp, leading drills and stretches. If Bergeron can get away from the Backhanded Shootout Shot, Bergeron could be a huge assets in overtime as it is (unfortunately) shootouts are becoming a larger part of the game.
Mark Recchi (GP 4, G 0, A 2, Minus 1): Recchi, has been pretty quiet this pre-season. But that is to be expected due to his style of play. Recchi is a crash the net, create a screen, get the tip in, kinda guy. In other words, he's in harms way most of the time. It wouldn't be a good idea to be putting Recchi in that kind of situation before the season even starts. Recchi, combined with Wheeler are expected to fill the "30 goal gap" left by Kessel. Recchi is expected to score +20 goals this year which is not hard to imagine as he had 23 goals total last year, 10 goals with the Bruins in only 18 games.
Chuck Kobasew (GP 5, G 2, A 0, Even +/-): Nice to see that Kobasew survived the Kessel drama. He would have been one of the first to go to make space for Kessel on the roster. He has 2 goals in the 5 pre-seaon games he played in and his two-way game looked great. I can see him getting in 25 goals this year if he stays healthy. He'll be on the same line as Bergy and Recchi and with Recchi's down-low style, it should open up Kobasew to make some big plays.
That's all for now, as this post is getting a little long. I'll have more tomorrow!
Go B's!
Anyway, on with the team...the round each player was picked is shown in parentheses. I had 5th pick out of 10.
Forwards:
Olli Jokinen (2)
Alexander Semin (4)
David Booth (5)
Michael Cammalleri (7)
Simon Gagne (8)
Shane Doan (10)
Martin Havlat (13)
Milan Michalek (14)
Patrice Bergeron (19)
Defense:
Mike Green (1)
Scott Niedermayer (6)
Brian Campbell (15)
Christian Ehrhoff (16)
Andrew Ference (22)
Utility:
Alex Tanquay (17)
Bench:
Steve Ott (11)
Anton Babchuk (12)
Chuck Kobasew (20)
Wade Redden (21)
Goalies:
Niklas Backstrom (3)
Chris Mason (9)
Bench Goalie:
Mike Smith (18)
Judgment immediately ensued when I picked Mike Green in the first round. I may have been able to grab him in the second, but I planned on focusing on forwards most of the draft and defensemen later in the game, so getting that out of the way first left me available to pick up 30+ goal scorers while others were picking up defensemen.
As for goalies, Backstrom should have a solid/consistent year over in Minnesota and Mason should improve over last year. Smith was just a random pickup and I'll probably end up dropping him before the season starts.
I feel like Tanquay was a steal in the 17th round as my utility guy. He'll have a terrible +/- on Tampa, but he'll have 30 goal season this year with a team that's looking for someone else to score other then Martin St. Louis.
Now moving on from fantasy into reality... The Bruins pre-season ended Saturday with a loss to Columbus and the roster has now been cut down to 22. I'm going to do my best to breakdown the pre-season efforts for each of the 22 players left on the roster.
The practice roster posted by Boston.com today is what I think the final roster will be for the start of the season. It is as follows:
First Line: Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Marco Sturm
Second Line: Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Michael Ryder
Third Line: Mark Recchi - Patrice Bergeron - Chuck Kobasew
Fourth Line: Shawn Thornton - Begin/Sobatka - Byron Bitz
D Pairings:
Zdeno Chara - Derek Morris
Andrew Ference - Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart - Hunwick Boychuk
Goalies:
Tim Thomas
Tukka Rask
Player Analysis:
Shawn Thornton ( GP 5, G 1, A 2, Plus 1): Thornton came back into training camp all smiles as usual. Joking around at practice, but serious in game. In the past, he's been questionable for making the roster, but at this point, he's a leader on the 4th line. He's best known for his scraps while sticking up for his teammates, but as we saw in the first game against Columbus, he's got some hands too. Ultimately, you can expect a lot of the same from Thornton. He'll be in the corners fighting for the puck or people. As his contract is up this year, I'm sure we can expect a resigning long before the season is over.
Below is some more information regarding Shawn Thornton and some video of his pre-season fights this year.
Articles:
Thornton Has Been A Nice Fit
Fights:
Shawn Thornton vs Matt Carkner
Shawn Thornton vs Jared Boll
Patrice Bergeron (GP 5, G 0, A 3, Minus 3): Despite the minus 3 for the pre-season, Bergeron has looked good. Bergy isn't known for his goal scoring abilities, but as a play maker, and he's looked sharp dishing the puck. He's also been doing well in the face off circle. During practice, he has been taking up the 'captain' role during Chara's absence this training camp, leading drills and stretches. If Bergeron can get away from the Backhanded Shootout Shot, Bergeron could be a huge assets in overtime as it is (unfortunately) shootouts are becoming a larger part of the game.
Mark Recchi (GP 4, G 0, A 2, Minus 1): Recchi, has been pretty quiet this pre-season. But that is to be expected due to his style of play. Recchi is a crash the net, create a screen, get the tip in, kinda guy. In other words, he's in harms way most of the time. It wouldn't be a good idea to be putting Recchi in that kind of situation before the season even starts. Recchi, combined with Wheeler are expected to fill the "30 goal gap" left by Kessel. Recchi is expected to score +20 goals this year which is not hard to imagine as he had 23 goals total last year, 10 goals with the Bruins in only 18 games.
Chuck Kobasew (GP 5, G 2, A 0, Even +/-): Nice to see that Kobasew survived the Kessel drama. He would have been one of the first to go to make space for Kessel on the roster. He has 2 goals in the 5 pre-seaon games he played in and his two-way game looked great. I can see him getting in 25 goals this year if he stays healthy. He'll be on the same line as Bergy and Recchi and with Recchi's down-low style, it should open up Kobasew to make some big plays.
That's all for now, as this post is getting a little long. I'll have more tomorrow!
Go B's!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
No Time To Post Tonight.
Don't have enough time to post anything tonight as the draft took longer then expected. I'll be posting the team here tomorrow and my analysis as promised to all zero readers.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
4-2 Columbus Over Bruins: Bruins "Work" On Their Penalty Kill
Bruins received 6 penalties in their lost tonight against Columbus.
WAY to many penalties taken tonight. Zach Hamil was responsible for 2 of them. Just bad penalties you can be taking. You're not going to win games giving that many PP opportunities.
Rask looked pretty sharp despite the score. As I've already mentioned, to many PPs and to many odd man rushes against the Bruins. The D (mainly Ference) left Rask out to dry several times. Columbus was all over the front of our net free to do whatever they'd like. Hunwick looked off his game again, he'll probably be replaced by Boychuk for at least the first couple of month while he finds his game in Providence.
Lucic played an awesome game tonight on his line with Ryder and Savard. Made a few good passes, playing the boards well, defensively sound, overall excellent game.
Thorton got in a rumble Jarad Boll and Chuck Kobasew mixed it up with Michael Bluden, after a collision with Rask. The collision with Rask deffenitly wasn't intentional, but it's nice to see the team keeping an eye on their goaltender.
This raps up the pre-season for the Bruins, giving us 4 days of rest till opening game. Which I will be at. I'll be posting my Fantasy Team Lineup and the first day of my player analysis tomorrow.
In the mean time...
Go B's!
WAY to many penalties taken tonight. Zach Hamil was responsible for 2 of them. Just bad penalties you can be taking. You're not going to win games giving that many PP opportunities.
Rask looked pretty sharp despite the score. As I've already mentioned, to many PPs and to many odd man rushes against the Bruins. The D (mainly Ference) left Rask out to dry several times. Columbus was all over the front of our net free to do whatever they'd like. Hunwick looked off his game again, he'll probably be replaced by Boychuk for at least the first couple of month while he finds his game in Providence.
Lucic played an awesome game tonight on his line with Ryder and Savard. Made a few good passes, playing the boards well, defensively sound, overall excellent game.
Thorton got in a rumble Jarad Boll and Chuck Kobasew mixed it up with Michael Bluden, after a collision with Rask. The collision with Rask deffenitly wasn't intentional, but it's nice to see the team keeping an eye on their goaltender.
This raps up the pre-season for the Bruins, giving us 4 days of rest till opening game. Which I will be at. I'll be posting my Fantasy Team Lineup and the first day of my player analysis tomorrow.
In the mean time...
Go B's!
2-1 Bruins Over Ottowa: All About The Rookies. Last Pre-Season Game Tonight!
The Bruins beat Ottowa 2-1 last night. You can check out the highlights and game summary here.
Marchand and Fata scored to put the Bruins past the nearly full NHL roster of Ottowa. I'm not a fan of Fata, simply from seeing him in practice, but he let go a bomb to score from the point last night. center of the blueline, through a screen, awesome shot. Nice to see our defensemen hitting the net.
Marchand, also scored with a nice feed from Morris. Marchand, former AHL Providence Rookie Of The Year, is definitely keeping pressure on Sobatka and Hamil for the extra spot on the roster. I actually wouldn't mind seeing him on the team this year if Hamil is going to miss the first week of the regular season.
Lucic, sticking up for Savard after a dirty hit, got in a sick fight with Chris Neil and I gotta say, Neil was on the losing end of this one. You can check out a good picture from the fight here on NESN.com, you can also see part of the fight in the highlights provided above and the whole fight here from hockeyfights.com. Lucic is a scary, scary man...
Thomas made 35 saves and was a monster as usual. You can checkout a couple of his saves in the highlights provided above. You can see what appears to be Thomas's best save during the post game interviews.
The B's are playing their last pre-season game tonight which will actually be on TV! NESN will be picking up coverage starting at 7. Might have pre-game coverage, but I wasn't able to find anything on NESN.com about it or in my cable 'TV Guide'.
As there will be 4 days of no hockey, I'm going to put together a personal breakdown of each player's performance during the pre-season. I'll do 5 or 6 players a day. My Fantasy Draft will also be taking place Sunday, so I'll post my team up here once the draft is complete. Both, should help distract me from the lack of hockey. Pre-season is such a tease...
Go B's!
Marchand and Fata scored to put the Bruins past the nearly full NHL roster of Ottowa. I'm not a fan of Fata, simply from seeing him in practice, but he let go a bomb to score from the point last night. center of the blueline, through a screen, awesome shot. Nice to see our defensemen hitting the net.
Marchand, also scored with a nice feed from Morris. Marchand, former AHL Providence Rookie Of The Year, is definitely keeping pressure on Sobatka and Hamil for the extra spot on the roster. I actually wouldn't mind seeing him on the team this year if Hamil is going to miss the first week of the regular season.
Lucic, sticking up for Savard after a dirty hit, got in a sick fight with Chris Neil and I gotta say, Neil was on the losing end of this one. You can check out a good picture from the fight here on NESN.com, you can also see part of the fight in the highlights provided above and the whole fight here from hockeyfights.com. Lucic is a scary, scary man...
Thomas made 35 saves and was a monster as usual. You can checkout a couple of his saves in the highlights provided above. You can see what appears to be Thomas's best save during the post game interviews.
The B's are playing their last pre-season game tonight which will actually be on TV! NESN will be picking up coverage starting at 7. Might have pre-game coverage, but I wasn't able to find anything on NESN.com about it or in my cable 'TV Guide'.
As there will be 4 days of no hockey, I'm going to put together a personal breakdown of each player's performance during the pre-season. I'll do 5 or 6 players a day. My Fantasy Draft will also be taking place Sunday, so I'll post my team up here once the draft is complete. Both, should help distract me from the lack of hockey. Pre-season is such a tease...
Go B's!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
2-1 Bruins Over Montreal: Timmy In Vezina Form. Practice Pics and Vids!
We're not worthy! We're not worthy! Go Timmy! Excellent game by Thomas tonight. He started out shaky int he 1st but played much better in the second and third. I only wish I could have seen it, radio just doesn't cut it. From what I heard, excellent rebound control, coming far out of net to challenge and making 33 of 34 saves. That is the Thomas we know and love. Going to be a good boost of confidence for him after that terrible game against New York. Add Thomas's big game tonight with Rask's recent success, we got our selves a nice two hit combo in net going intot he season.
I can't image they'll go with Thomas again tomorrow night as he was at the bottom of, what was described as a 'pile up', in front of his net. According to Bob Beers, he got up pretty slow. He managed to finish the game, so I can't image that it was anything to bad. I'm going to vote Rask for next game and Thomas for the last.
Heard from Zach Hamil quite a bit this game. Didn't score any goals, but definitely helped put and keep the pressure on Montreal. Unfortunately, near the end of the game, took a shot off the leg and was slow to get off the ice. He would later return, but was clearly in pain. I'm personally tired of Zach Hamil and his injuries. If it's bad enough, I think Sobatka will take the extra spot which was Hamil's to lose.
Mark Stuart, scored tonight. Nice to hear from him and get him seom well deserved praise. Quiet guy, but is totally sound on the ice. He's "A Bruin" for sure.
Bergy, Bergy, Bergy...why can't you score in a shootout in the REGULAR season!
Overall, nice to see Montreal go down again this pre-season, lets hope we can carry this into the regular season.
As for practice yesterday. Wow! Check out the pictures and videos we got yesterday. Lots of straight forward, but challenging drills. 3 on 0s, 3 on 2s, 1 on 1s, breakaways, they did it all yesterday. Julien was all over both the rookies and the vets. No Chara though, kind of a disappointment as it's always cool to see him run a Captains practice since they're basically pick-up, half rink, 5 on 5s.
Another cool part about yesterdays practice was that all the veterens were wearing differnt colored jersey to signify their lines. For example, Thorton, Sobatka and Bitz were wearing red and are the expected 4th line(You can obviously replace Sobatka with Zach Hamil if Zach makes the team).
The not so awesome part of practice is the fact they didn't wear names on their jerseys. I hate that. I can recognize the faces of the usual guys, Ference, Wideman, Ryder etc... but it's hard to tell the rookies apart. I can't image it'd be hard to print a name on a back of practice jersey. So lame. What they did last year (during rookie camp) was provide a roster of who was on the ice. I think they should do that at the very least.
A pretty entertaining practice regardless of nameless jerseys I suppose.
Go B's!
I can't image they'll go with Thomas again tomorrow night as he was at the bottom of, what was described as a 'pile up', in front of his net. According to Bob Beers, he got up pretty slow. He managed to finish the game, so I can't image that it was anything to bad. I'm going to vote Rask for next game and Thomas for the last.
Heard from Zach Hamil quite a bit this game. Didn't score any goals, but definitely helped put and keep the pressure on Montreal. Unfortunately, near the end of the game, took a shot off the leg and was slow to get off the ice. He would later return, but was clearly in pain. I'm personally tired of Zach Hamil and his injuries. If it's bad enough, I think Sobatka will take the extra spot which was Hamil's to lose.
Mark Stuart, scored tonight. Nice to hear from him and get him seom well deserved praise. Quiet guy, but is totally sound on the ice. He's "A Bruin" for sure.
Bergy, Bergy, Bergy...why can't you score in a shootout in the REGULAR season!
Overall, nice to see Montreal go down again this pre-season, lets hope we can carry this into the regular season.
As for practice yesterday. Wow! Check out the pictures and videos we got yesterday. Lots of straight forward, but challenging drills. 3 on 0s, 3 on 2s, 1 on 1s, breakaways, they did it all yesterday. Julien was all over both the rookies and the vets. No Chara though, kind of a disappointment as it's always cool to see him run a Captains practice since they're basically pick-up, half rink, 5 on 5s.
Another cool part about yesterdays practice was that all the veterens were wearing differnt colored jersey to signify their lines. For example, Thorton, Sobatka and Bitz were wearing red and are the expected 4th line(You can obviously replace Sobatka with Zach Hamil if Zach makes the team).
The not so awesome part of practice is the fact they didn't wear names on their jerseys. I hate that. I can recognize the faces of the usual guys, Ference, Wideman, Ryder etc... but it's hard to tell the rookies apart. I can't image it'd be hard to print a name on a back of practice jersey. So lame. What they did last year (during rookie camp) was provide a roster of who was on the ice. I think they should do that at the very least.
A pretty entertaining practice regardless of nameless jerseys I suppose.
Go B's!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Paul Kelly + Ference = Brad Park? Practice Pre-Blog Post.
The ever growing Paul Kelly saga continues to become more ridiculous as Brad Park (former defensemen for the Red Wing, Bruins and Rangers) provided this comment regarding Ference...
You can read the whole article here, but this just furthers the fact that players who are NO LONGER IN the NHL are the main supporters for Paul Kelly. I pose this question to Mister Park...what puck will Ference have to get without a job in 2011-12 if Kelly, was doing that bad of a job?
The article also mentions that the decision to remove Paul Kelly came at 3:30 AM as if the time itself was proof the decision was hastily made. A 3:30AM firing to me says exactly the opposite, this wasn't a quick decision. If it was a quick decision it would have happened in the middle of the day or early morning. You have to figure if they were voting till 3:30 in the morning, they had to deliberate a lot to come to decision.
To be honest, other then reading the articles in major headlines on Boston.com and TSN, I haven't really followed anything regarding the NHLPA. But in my opinion, who would know whats best for the players better then the players currently in the game? Don't get me wrong, I respect players like Brad Park, but he hasn't played since 85, things have changed.
If the decision was made quickly, I can see why. I think that a decision had to be made as quickly as possible to find someone to fill Paul Kelly's position with ample time to avoid a lockout during the 2010 - 2011 season when the current NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement ends.
Overall, I think this has created unnecessary, negative publicity for the NHL which it can't afford to have right now. The league already has a mess on it's hand with this Phoenix ownership nonsense, they don't retired players bad mouthing players in today's game. Comments like Brad Park's are a joke and the media should step up and keep that kind of trash out of the public eye.
On an unrelated note, I went to Bruins practice this morning. Very spirited practice to say the least. I'll have some photos and videos up as soon as possible along with my take on practice.
Go B's!
''Let me tell Andrew Ference, one defenseman to another, he should spend more time worrying about going to back to get the puck than to worry about Paul Kelly's ability to do the job as head of the PA, said Park, who turned 61 years old in July. ''When [Ference] was in junior, I assume he wasn't going to college...so I ask, what makes him so [expletive] smart?! They had a guy like Chris Chelios in that room [in Chicago] who disagreed, told them to wait and think.
''Maybe guys like Ference should take time to listen to guys who are older and smarter.''You can read the whole article here, but this just furthers the fact that players who are NO LONGER IN the NHL are the main supporters for Paul Kelly. I pose this question to Mister Park...what puck will Ference have to get without a job in 2011-12 if Kelly, was doing that bad of a job?
The article also mentions that the decision to remove Paul Kelly came at 3:30 AM as if the time itself was proof the decision was hastily made. A 3:30AM firing to me says exactly the opposite, this wasn't a quick decision. If it was a quick decision it would have happened in the middle of the day or early morning. You have to figure if they were voting till 3:30 in the morning, they had to deliberate a lot to come to decision.
To be honest, other then reading the articles in major headlines on Boston.com and TSN, I haven't really followed anything regarding the NHLPA. But in my opinion, who would know whats best for the players better then the players currently in the game? Don't get me wrong, I respect players like Brad Park, but he hasn't played since 85, things have changed.
If the decision was made quickly, I can see why. I think that a decision had to be made as quickly as possible to find someone to fill Paul Kelly's position with ample time to avoid a lockout during the 2010 - 2011 season when the current NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement ends.
Overall, I think this has created unnecessary, negative publicity for the NHL which it can't afford to have right now. The league already has a mess on it's hand with this Phoenix ownership nonsense, they don't retired players bad mouthing players in today's game. Comments like Brad Park's are a joke and the media should step up and keep that kind of trash out of the public eye.
On an unrelated note, I went to Bruins practice this morning. Very spirited practice to say the least. I'll have some photos and videos up as soon as possible along with my take on practice.
Go B's!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
6-5 Columbus Over Bruins: Bruins Come Back 5 Times To Lose In A Shootout
Bruins came back 5 times, twice in the third period, but ended up losing in the shootout. Total bummer. But it is nice to see them keep going at it and keeping is close. From the sounds of things and the blog updates provided by Bish, the Bruins were all over the road defensively. The Penalty Kill was atrocious as well. 2 goals allowed on 5 attempts and never looked to be on the same page.
I'm pretty disappointed in Dany Sabourin's performance in the shootout. All three shots got past him (1 hit the post) 2 of which were five-hole goals.
As for our goals, Bergy went to the faithful backhanded shootout shot that he does EVERY TIME and failed to tie it up.
Didn't hear much from Morris, this game, hoping once he's paired with Chara he'll be able to open up his game a bit more and contribute.
Lucic, was pretty quiet as well, not to much of a concern as he had a pretty quiet pre-season last year.
Thorton, finally got on the board with (from what I've heard and read) a sick backhand goal to beat Garon. He'll be the anchor on the 4th line again this year.
Fata, was playing tonight paired with Morris. I'm not a fan of Fata, I don't think he's a fan of himself either. Got into a fight for seemingly no reason, Bish wasn't impressed, 98.5 wasn't impressed, I wasn't impressed. Maybe it's his fault Morris was quiet tonight.
Johnny Boychuk, scored to keep the heat on Sobotka for the 7th spot on the roster. I haven't been overly impressed with Sobotka's game in the past, I think it's time we give the extra spot to another this season.
The Recchi, Bergy, Wheeler line put up some points tonight. As Wheeler/Recchi are expected to fill Kessel's 30+ goals, it's nice to see that line producing all ready. With Bergy healthy, this will be an awesome second line.
Didn't hear Zach Hamil's name at all tonight. He's been pretty consistent in the past couple of games, so that comes as a surprise that he was quiet tonight. Can't be the center of attention all the time I suppose.
I'll be in Wilmington tomorrow for practice. Pictures and (longer) video will be provided. I may go rough up the Pac-Man machine again to assert my total dominance upon it.
Go B's!
I'm pretty disappointed in Dany Sabourin's performance in the shootout. All three shots got past him (1 hit the post) 2 of which were five-hole goals.
As for our goals, Bergy went to the faithful backhanded shootout shot that he does EVERY TIME and failed to tie it up.
Didn't hear much from Morris, this game, hoping once he's paired with Chara he'll be able to open up his game a bit more and contribute.
Lucic, was pretty quiet as well, not to much of a concern as he had a pretty quiet pre-season last year.
Thorton, finally got on the board with (from what I've heard and read) a sick backhand goal to beat Garon. He'll be the anchor on the 4th line again this year.
Fata, was playing tonight paired with Morris. I'm not a fan of Fata, I don't think he's a fan of himself either. Got into a fight for seemingly no reason, Bish wasn't impressed, 98.5 wasn't impressed, I wasn't impressed. Maybe it's his fault Morris was quiet tonight.
Johnny Boychuk, scored to keep the heat on Sobotka for the 7th spot on the roster. I haven't been overly impressed with Sobotka's game in the past, I think it's time we give the extra spot to another this season.
The Recchi, Bergy, Wheeler line put up some points tonight. As Wheeler/Recchi are expected to fill Kessel's 30+ goals, it's nice to see that line producing all ready. With Bergy healthy, this will be an awesome second line.
Didn't hear Zach Hamil's name at all tonight. He's been pretty consistent in the past couple of games, so that comes as a surprise that he was quiet tonight. Can't be the center of attention all the time I suppose.
I'll be in Wilmington tomorrow for practice. Pictures and (longer) video will be provided. I may go rough up the Pac-Man machine again to assert my total dominance upon it.
Go B's!
Live Blog And Radio Broadcast For Tonight's Game Versus Columbus
Bish, writer for bostonbruins.com is providing a live blog of tonight's game.
Radio broadcast can be found here on 98.5.
Go Bs!
Radio broadcast can be found here on 98.5.
Go Bs!
Head Bangin' With Tootoo!
While looking through TSN today I came across an article regarding a fight Jordin Tootoo had with Tom Sestito of the Columbus Blue Jackets. As we're playing the Blue Jacks tonight, I figured it'd be appropriate to read. You can read the article here, but the article inspired me to find other fights that Tootoo has been involved in, in an attempt to further my hatred for him and see him get dominated. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find many fights where he lost.
As Fluto would say "with an assist from hockeyfights.com", I put together a list of pretty good fights involving Tootoo from pre-season this year and regular season last year.
Jordin Tootoo vs Tom Sestito (This is the video of the incident mentioned in the article above. Ouch)
Jordin Tootoo vs Brad Staubitz (It's like a Rocky movie)
Jordin Tootoo vs Alexandre Burrows (Yeah the head fake really worked Alex)
Jordin Tootoo vs Steve Begin (Begin lost cause he's wearing that uniform...)
Those are the 4 videos I found most amusing, but there are tons of them up there. Check out hockeyfights.com if you're looking to kill some time. Excellent site.
Lets Go Bs!
As Fluto would say "with an assist from hockeyfights.com", I put together a list of pretty good fights involving Tootoo from pre-season this year and regular season last year.
Jordin Tootoo vs Tom Sestito (This is the video of the incident mentioned in the article above. Ouch)
Jordin Tootoo vs Brad Staubitz (It's like a Rocky movie)
Jordin Tootoo vs Alexandre Burrows (Yeah the head fake really worked Alex)
Jordin Tootoo vs Steve Begin (Begin lost cause he's wearing that uniform...)
Those are the 4 videos I found most amusing, but there are tons of them up there. Check out hockeyfights.com if you're looking to kill some time. Excellent site.
Lets Go Bs!
Monday, September 21, 2009
2-1 Bruins Over Montreal: Rask Beasts It. Suave Heads Back To Juniors.
The Bruins beat Montreal last night despite the lack of news coverage from Boston.com. Not a single line was written regarding the 2-1 victory over Montreal. You would think they would at least post a pre-game roster. It's not like they're in our division or our rivals or anything. It doesn't help that it wasn't televised either. From the sounds of things, Rask tore it up stopping 25 of 26. Nice to know there is a solid backup for Timmy Beast this year. TSN did provide some highlights, you can check them out and the breakdown of the game here.
Max Suave got sent back to his Junior team, Val-d'Or . Pretty surprising to see that the Bruins didn't even let him finish training camp. Also surprising that he is only in Juniors. He showed some real skill, hope they assign him to Providence to give him a chance at the NHL.
Roster is up for tomorrows game. No Thomas or Chara in the lineup. I feel like we're getting a little close to crunch time and we should start getting the starters in shape. Especially the defense. Drew Feta and Andy Wozniewski? Come on. Neither of them will make the team.
Speaking of Wozniewski, here is a pretty funny clip involving him.
Also, check out "Break In Bear". Hilarious!
Go Bruins!
Max Suave got sent back to his Junior team, Val-d'Or . Pretty surprising to see that the Bruins didn't even let him finish training camp. Also surprising that he is only in Juniors. He showed some real skill, hope they assign him to Providence to give him a chance at the NHL.
Roster is up for tomorrows game. No Thomas or Chara in the lineup. I feel like we're getting a little close to crunch time and we should start getting the starters in shape. Especially the defense. Drew Feta and Andy Wozniewski? Come on. Neither of them will make the team.
Speaking of Wozniewski, here is a pretty funny clip involving him.
Also, check out "Break In Bear". Hilarious!
Go Bruins!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
5-2 Rangers Over Bruins: Thomas Will Have "The Anisimov" With The Works.
Rough preseason game for the Bruins. I didn't get to watch it, but from what I read, Thomas wasn't looking to sharp. 5 goals on 19 shots, ugh. But this Artem Anisimov, is a MONSTER. Check out him working the Bs defense to score on Thomas. Nasty. Hope he doesn't make the team!
On the upside of things, Savard and Hamil scored. Nice to see Savard getting right back into things and seeing some consistency in Hamil's game. Max Suave also came away with an assist, really pulling for him to make an appearance with the club this year.
Montreal got WORKED by Ottowa last night which makes our loss a little less painful. Mike Fisher for Ottowa came out with a Hat Trick and Carey Price let up 4 goals on 16 shots in 2 periods...nice. We play Montreal tonight, at 7 and lets hope that Price's stellar play carries over from last night. Boston.com hasn't posted a roster for tonight, but I can only assume that Thomas will get another start so he can get back in the swing of things. I'd like to see Suave and Hamil in the line up again. From what I've read/seen our defense needs some work. I think it's time to start putting the usual D pairings in, start getting some chemistry going, especially with Morris.
Kessel, had his press conference in Toronto yesterday. Check out the video here. Kessel saying "Toronto is the best hockey city in the world." pffft. Traitor. Could you please provide some more generic answers Phil? Thanks. Can't wait for his first game against Boston. We'll see how his outside-inside move down the wing works when you got Chara there to rough em up.
Anyway...
Go Bs! Beat them Habs!
On the upside of things, Savard and Hamil scored. Nice to see Savard getting right back into things and seeing some consistency in Hamil's game. Max Suave also came away with an assist, really pulling for him to make an appearance with the club this year.
Montreal got WORKED by Ottowa last night which makes our loss a little less painful. Mike Fisher for Ottowa came out with a Hat Trick and Carey Price let up 4 goals on 16 shots in 2 periods...nice. We play Montreal tonight, at 7 and lets hope that Price's stellar play carries over from last night. Boston.com hasn't posted a roster for tonight, but I can only assume that Thomas will get another start so he can get back in the swing of things. I'd like to see Suave and Hamil in the line up again. From what I've read/seen our defense needs some work. I think it's time to start putting the usual D pairings in, start getting some chemistry going, especially with Morris.
Kessel, had his press conference in Toronto yesterday. Check out the video here. Kessel saying "Toronto is the best hockey city in the world." pffft. Traitor. Could you please provide some more generic answers Phil? Thanks. Can't wait for his first game against Boston. We'll see how his outside-inside move down the wing works when you got Chara there to rough em up.
Anyway...
Go Bs! Beat them Habs!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Who Wants To Watch Highlights From A 6-2 Vancouver Victory?!
TSN provided us with a spectacular highlight reel for the 6-2 Vancouver v Sharks game. Lets see how we got there, check out this sick highlight reel!
Yeah, I didn't want to see 8 goals either. How do you have 25 seconds of highlights for an 8 goal game?
Bruins play tonight, doesn't look like it's going to be televised...lame.
Go Bruins!
Yeah, I didn't want to see 8 goals either. How do you have 25 seconds of highlights for an 8 goal game?
Bruins play tonight, doesn't look like it's going to be televised...lame.
Go Bruins!
Friday, September 18, 2009
クマは日本製アニメ行く (The Bruins Go Anime). Toronto Hands The Bruins The Division...For The Next 2 Years.
Lets start with the Winter Classic Jersey. I guess they called in Satoshi Tajiri for design ideas. Yeah you Google that name right now. Don't get me wrong, I definitely appreciate the history, but it just looks terrible. I think they should have done the classic look with a modern twist. I like everything but the B. The B is symbolic, without the B it's just not a Bruins jersey. It's the one thing they HAD to get right and they didn't. At least it's better then the Flyers jersey which looks like...well...the Flyers jersey. Check em both out here.
The Kessel "Saga" is "over". I put over in quotes because we all know this isn't really over, especially since we don't play Toronto until Kessel is ready to play again. Now I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't refreshing TSN every 10 minutes for updates once I read the announcement that the trade was nearly finalized, but I like to think I was interested for different reason. I wasn't hoping for it to be over so we can be done with it, I was excited to see what we were going to get in exchange. The end result...
Toronto gets Kessel at 5 Years, 27 million.
Bruins get Toronto's natural 1st and 2nd round picks in 2010 and Toronto's 1st round pick in the 2011 draft.
Now a lot of people are probably saying, "But where are we going to get the 30+ goals Kessel got for us?!". Well, the obvious answer is Sturm. If he can stay healthy, there are your 30 goals right there. Next, we got Reechi. People seem to forget that Reechi was only with us for less than half the year and scored 10 goals in 18 games. Give him a whole season, at that pace, you're looking at his 8th 30 goal season. Next, you got Wheeler. If the 15 pounds Wheeler has put on doesn't slow him down or effect his play, he's good for at least 20 goals. I could go on and on, but I think it is safe to say if we can stay healthy (specifically Sturm) we'll have no problem making up for Kessel's goal contribution.
What you need to keep in mind is there is a huge benefit to not trading for a player and just getting draft picks. We are going into the season with 1.7 million of cap space. Come trade deadline we have PLENTY of room to move a player and/or pick someone up.
As for Kessel + Toronto - It should be interesting to see how Kessel does with no one to feed him the no look pass like Savard. Also, Kessel's two-way game will be tested with Toronto's weaker defense. I'm sure Burke will be expecting a lot from from Kessel with his 5 million+ a year and it will be interesting to see what lengths he'll go to if Kessel doesn't produce. Lastly, Toronto is a heavy media town and Kessel HATES the media. I wonder if that will effect his play?
Bruins playing the Rangers tomorrow at 4pm. Don't think it's televised, but I'll be posting my thoughts post game as best I can.
Go Bruins!
The Kessel "Saga" is "over". I put over in quotes because we all know this isn't really over, especially since we don't play Toronto until Kessel is ready to play again. Now I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't refreshing TSN every 10 minutes for updates once I read the announcement that the trade was nearly finalized, but I like to think I was interested for different reason. I wasn't hoping for it to be over so we can be done with it, I was excited to see what we were going to get in exchange. The end result...
Toronto gets Kessel at 5 Years, 27 million.
Bruins get Toronto's natural 1st and 2nd round picks in 2010 and Toronto's 1st round pick in the 2011 draft.
Now a lot of people are probably saying, "But where are we going to get the 30+ goals Kessel got for us?!". Well, the obvious answer is Sturm. If he can stay healthy, there are your 30 goals right there. Next, we got Reechi. People seem to forget that Reechi was only with us for less than half the year and scored 10 goals in 18 games. Give him a whole season, at that pace, you're looking at his 8th 30 goal season. Next, you got Wheeler. If the 15 pounds Wheeler has put on doesn't slow him down or effect his play, he's good for at least 20 goals. I could go on and on, but I think it is safe to say if we can stay healthy (specifically Sturm) we'll have no problem making up for Kessel's goal contribution.
What you need to keep in mind is there is a huge benefit to not trading for a player and just getting draft picks. We are going into the season with 1.7 million of cap space. Come trade deadline we have PLENTY of room to move a player and/or pick someone up.
As for Kessel + Toronto - It should be interesting to see how Kessel does with no one to feed him the no look pass like Savard. Also, Kessel's two-way game will be tested with Toronto's weaker defense. I'm sure Burke will be expecting a lot from from Kessel with his 5 million+ a year and it will be interesting to see what lengths he'll go to if Kessel doesn't produce. Lastly, Toronto is a heavy media town and Kessel HATES the media. I wonder if that will effect his play?
Bruins playing the Rangers tomorrow at 4pm. Don't think it's televised, but I'll be posting my thoughts post game as best I can.
Go Bruins!
With Hits Like This Who Needs Pre-Season? Will The Real Fleury Please Stand Up?!
Ouch...is all I've got to say. Check out the highlights from the Calgary vs Islanders game, specifically 16 seconds in then 37 seconds in. I'll give you time to look...
...
DEAD! Did you see that!? It's pre-season and he nearly killed the guy! So awesome!
Theoren Fleury, the 41 year old toolbag was also quoted as saying
"I don't miss those chances ever," the five-foot-six Fleury declared. "Not in the big moments. Never have, never will."
In regards to his game winning shootout goal.
Earth To Fleury: It's not a big moment, it's pre-season.
I gotta say, it's been a pretty intense pre-season so far, looking forward to the real stuff.
Go Bs!
...
DEAD! Did you see that!? It's pre-season and he nearly killed the guy! So awesome!
Theoren Fleury, the 41 year old toolbag was also quoted as saying
"I don't miss those chances ever," the five-foot-six Fleury declared. "Not in the big moments. Never have, never will."
In regards to his game winning shootout goal.
Earth To Fleury: It's not a big moment, it's pre-season.
I gotta say, it's been a pretty intense pre-season so far, looking forward to the real stuff.
Go Bs!
Dunkin Donuts Hates The Bruins. NBA Referee Lockout. Yes!
This post is not directly related to hockey, but I wanted to put this up here while I was still thinking about it.
So I'm on the train this morning (no accidental train collisions or fires) and I see this advertisement for Dunkin Donuts. It is basically explaining some contest that they have for Boston sports. You know, ZOMG buy a cup of coffee and you could win the following things! Well the following things that were indicated in this Advertisement were:
"Throw out the first pitch at Fenway!"
"Go on a road trip with the Patriots to London!"
"Court side Celtics tickets!"
Okay, so I had a few issues with this. First off, how the hell do you road trip to London? The term "Road Trip" usually implies the use of roads not the ocean. Secondly, did the Patriots play in London this year? Do they? I mean...I guess they must otherwise, that prize kinda sucks. I can just picture your prize being a "Road Trip" to London, then leaving cause there is nothing left to do.
My Second issue with this advertisement is the Celtics tickets. I mean, throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game is epic and not everyone can do that. The same can be said about "Road Tripping" to London with the Pats, especially if they play a game. But court side tickets? I think that just speaks volumes to how terrible a sport Basketball is. The BEST thing you can offer is court side tickets. Really? Any normal person off the street can get those and it's only a "prize" because they've won a championship and the seats are slightly more expensive. If that is the best experience a sport can offer, you find a new sport.
The last issue...where the hell is hockey!? They had a Bruins logo on the advertisement, but there was no prize mentioned! How about an autograph signing and some tickets or a VIP booth for a Montreal game, something! God damn.
Now, going back to Basketball. NBA Referees are going into an "unavoidable lockout" this year. Which I think is hilarious. The solution? Have D Level Referees and WNBA referees, ref the pre-season games. Lawlsorus! Now how this is related to hockey is that if these refs can lockout long enough, I'm hoping the season needs to be put on hold so the Bruins and every other hockey team that shares an arena with these clowns can have decent ice to play on.
Speaking of clowns and destruction of perfectly good ice... the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey's Circus is going to be in town in October! Get your tickets while they last! Awesome...
Go Bruins!
So I'm on the train this morning (no accidental train collisions or fires) and I see this advertisement for Dunkin Donuts. It is basically explaining some contest that they have for Boston sports. You know, ZOMG buy a cup of coffee and you could win the following things! Well the following things that were indicated in this Advertisement were:
"Throw out the first pitch at Fenway!"
"Go on a road trip with the Patriots to London!"
"Court side Celtics tickets!"
Okay, so I had a few issues with this. First off, how the hell do you road trip to London? The term "Road Trip" usually implies the use of roads not the ocean. Secondly, did the Patriots play in London this year? Do they? I mean...I guess they must otherwise, that prize kinda sucks. I can just picture your prize being a "Road Trip" to London, then leaving cause there is nothing left to do.
My Second issue with this advertisement is the Celtics tickets. I mean, throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game is epic and not everyone can do that. The same can be said about "Road Tripping" to London with the Pats, especially if they play a game. But court side tickets? I think that just speaks volumes to how terrible a sport Basketball is. The BEST thing you can offer is court side tickets. Really? Any normal person off the street can get those and it's only a "prize" because they've won a championship and the seats are slightly more expensive. If that is the best experience a sport can offer, you find a new sport.
The last issue...where the hell is hockey!? They had a Bruins logo on the advertisement, but there was no prize mentioned! How about an autograph signing and some tickets or a VIP booth for a Montreal game, something! God damn.
Now, going back to Basketball. NBA Referees are going into an "unavoidable lockout" this year. Which I think is hilarious. The solution? Have D Level Referees and WNBA referees, ref the pre-season games. Lawlsorus! Now how this is related to hockey is that if these refs can lockout long enough, I'm hoping the season needs to be put on hold so the Bruins and every other hockey team that shares an arena with these clowns can have decent ice to play on.
Speaking of clowns and destruction of perfectly good ice... the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey's Circus is going to be in town in October! Get your tickets while they last! Awesome...
Go Bruins!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
More Pictures And Random Information.
No game tonight for the Bruins. No information on how practice is going to from Boston.com as per the usual (As of the time of this post). Due to my boredom at work, I've decided to provide some insite as to how I have been passing the time in regards to Bruins/Hockey information.
Boston.com has some photos up from last nights game.
A "Leaked" photo of the potential Bruins Winter Classic Jersey was posted on Boston.com the other day. I have mixed feelings. The jersey will be officially unveiled today at 6:30 PM at the season ticket holders "State Of The Bruins" meeting.
I've been following the 30 Teams in 30 Days Season Preview on TSN. They have a break down of each teams "Power Ranking" with a pretty cool detailed off-season analysis of each team.
Current breakdown of our division:
??: Bruins
18: Montreal
19: Buffalo
24: Ottowa
25: Toronto
So no Bruins yet, I can't expect they'd put us any lower then 5th.
Also on TSN, I couldn't find highlights of last nights game (not a direct link anyway), but the whole game is available on demand through their site. So if you missed it and want to take the time to watch it (pretty good game with all the fights and whatnot) check it out.
Lastly, I was introduced to a pretty cool site last night. It has all the "mug shots" for the members of the Bruins this year and some of the AHL guys.
Now back to work.
Go Bs!
Boston.com has some photos up from last nights game.
A "Leaked" photo of the potential Bruins Winter Classic Jersey was posted on Boston.com the other day. I have mixed feelings. The jersey will be officially unveiled today at 6:30 PM at the season ticket holders "State Of The Bruins" meeting.
I've been following the 30 Teams in 30 Days Season Preview on TSN. They have a break down of each teams "Power Ranking" with a pretty cool detailed off-season analysis of each team.
Current breakdown of our division:
??: Bruins
18: Montreal
19: Buffalo
24: Ottowa
25: Toronto
So no Bruins yet, I can't expect they'd put us any lower then 5th.
Also on TSN, I couldn't find highlights of last nights game (not a direct link anyway), but the whole game is available on demand through their site. So if you missed it and want to take the time to watch it (pretty good game with all the fights and whatnot) check it out.
Lastly, I was introduced to a pretty cool site last night. It has all the "mug shots" for the members of the Bruins this year and some of the AHL guys.
Now back to work.
Go Bs!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
3 - 2 Bruins Over Toronto: Bruins Show Up For The Third. Max Sauve Is A Beast
I'll start with my opinion on today's practice. One word, INTENSE. Julien barking orders, crazy drills that make no sense to me, crashing the net during a 'scrimmage', hockey is definitely back and I'm pumped.
It is interesting to watch some of the new guys skate around seemingly lost with Claude and Chara barking directions at them. I'm speaking mainly about Tyler Randell (66). This guy couldn't catch a break. Missing a crisp clean pass, being in the wrong place when trying to start a drill, falling over all over the place. At one point a drill started and something he did was apparently completely wrong and all 3 on ice coaches blew their whistles simultaneously to indicate he screwed something up. Not that I could do any better, but I wouldn't expect him to make the club this year.
Max Sauve (71) however, total beast. Not only did he score a goal the other night against the Rangers, this guy was tearing it up at practice this morning. Up and down the ice with speed, in the right place at all the right times and a nasty shot to boot. At one point, during break away drills, I saw him go completely cross body and land a sick top left corner goal on Dalton. Hope Claude puts him in a few more pre-season games this year, it would be nice to see if this guy is for real.
Should be heading to another practice next week. For now, feel free to take a look at some photos from today's practice. Check out the videos too.
The game tonight, craziest last minute of pre-season hockey I've ever seen. It was nice to see the PP working well again tonight. Even when we didn't score, we still were able to setup in most cases.
As for even strength and the PK, the first two periods, leaves something to be desired. Can't get over how bad we got roughed up in the first. Lost two consecutive fights, one of which was a suprising loss involving Bitz. Toronto's fore checking was crazy through the first and into the second. Nothing was worse the the shortie Hunwick gave up in the first though. Totally got turned around and left Sabourin hanging out to dry.
The third period it looked like everyone decided to play hockey. Our fore checking was back (especially the last 10 minutes) and it seemed we could get setup defensively. Begin, with his goal in the second period seemed to get his feet under him. Bergy, despite having an awful first falling over himself, played very well in the third.
I'll post some highlights as they become available.
The main thing that concerned me was Fluto's comments on Boston.com regarding Morris:
"Rough shift for Derek Morris late in the first period. Two turnovers and too much running around chasing the puck. There's a lot of Dennis Wideman in Morris's game, and the coaches will need some time to quiet him down defensively."
Lets hope Morris can get it together.
Looking forward to Saturdays game against the Rangers. I hate that the Bruins change full price ($32 for the cheapest seats) for a PRE-SEASON game.
Go Bs!
It is interesting to watch some of the new guys skate around seemingly lost with Claude and Chara barking directions at them. I'm speaking mainly about Tyler Randell (66). This guy couldn't catch a break. Missing a crisp clean pass, being in the wrong place when trying to start a drill, falling over all over the place. At one point a drill started and something he did was apparently completely wrong and all 3 on ice coaches blew their whistles simultaneously to indicate he screwed something up. Not that I could do any better, but I wouldn't expect him to make the club this year.
Max Sauve (71) however, total beast. Not only did he score a goal the other night against the Rangers, this guy was tearing it up at practice this morning. Up and down the ice with speed, in the right place at all the right times and a nasty shot to boot. At one point, during break away drills, I saw him go completely cross body and land a sick top left corner goal on Dalton. Hope Claude puts him in a few more pre-season games this year, it would be nice to see if this guy is for real.
Should be heading to another practice next week. For now, feel free to take a look at some photos from today's practice. Check out the videos too.
The game tonight, craziest last minute of pre-season hockey I've ever seen. It was nice to see the PP working well again tonight. Even when we didn't score, we still were able to setup in most cases.
As for even strength and the PK, the first two periods, leaves something to be desired. Can't get over how bad we got roughed up in the first. Lost two consecutive fights, one of which was a suprising loss involving Bitz. Toronto's fore checking was crazy through the first and into the second. Nothing was worse the the shortie Hunwick gave up in the first though. Totally got turned around and left Sabourin hanging out to dry.
The third period it looked like everyone decided to play hockey. Our fore checking was back (especially the last 10 minutes) and it seemed we could get setup defensively. Begin, with his goal in the second period seemed to get his feet under him. Bergy, despite having an awful first falling over himself, played very well in the third.
I'll post some highlights as they become available.
The main thing that concerned me was Fluto's comments on Boston.com regarding Morris:
"Rough shift for Derek Morris late in the first period. Two turnovers and too much running around chasing the puck. There's a lot of Dennis Wideman in Morris's game, and the coaches will need some time to quiet him down defensively."
Lets hope Morris can get it together.
Looking forward to Saturdays game against the Rangers. I hate that the Bruins change full price ($32 for the cheapest seats) for a PRE-SEASON game.
Go Bs!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
2 - 1 Bruins over Rangers: Fluto Jinxed It
Bruins played their first pre-season game tonight against the Gomez-less New York Rangers. It's a shame it wasn't televised as I would have liked to see Tukka make 31 saves. Unfortunately, Fluto Shinzawa, writer for the Boston Globe, jinxed the possible shutout with this comment:
"* Tuukka Rask is 20 minutes away from blanking the Rangers."
Typical.
As it wasn't televised, it's tough to analyze the game in it's entirety but it's nice to hear that Sturm is getting involved with an assist. Also nice to hear about the Power Play starting on the right foot after the atrocious show they put on in the Carolina series.
Speaking of starting off on the right foot, NHL.com has once again proven they know EVERYTHING about hockey. Including that Marc Savard was playing in tonight's pre-season game opener when he scored the second goal for the Bruins. Wait...thats right...Marc Savard didn't play tonight, it was Max Suave who scored the second goal. Close enough I suppose. Way to go NHL.com. In other NHL.com news, it is reported that an 'Unknown' player scored the first goal for St. Louis in their game tonight against the Minnesota Wild. An APB is out on the unknown player.
NHL.com did decide to provide us with some photo's from tonights Bruins game which is pretty cool.
Rangers vs. Bruins Pre-Season Game 1 Photos
TSN also provided some highlights...minus the first Bruins goal.
Rangers vs Bruins Highlights (Right side of the page)
I'll be heading to practice tomorrow in Wilmington which will feature all players listed in the Boston.com posted roster.
Training Camp Roster
Would have been nice to know who is in Group A or B...
Go Bruins!
"* Tuukka Rask is 20 minutes away from blanking the Rangers."
Typical.
As it wasn't televised, it's tough to analyze the game in it's entirety but it's nice to hear that Sturm is getting involved with an assist. Also nice to hear about the Power Play starting on the right foot after the atrocious show they put on in the Carolina series.
Speaking of starting off on the right foot, NHL.com has once again proven they know EVERYTHING about hockey. Including that Marc Savard was playing in tonight's pre-season game opener when he scored the second goal for the Bruins. Wait...thats right...Marc Savard didn't play tonight, it was Max Suave who scored the second goal. Close enough I suppose. Way to go NHL.com. In other NHL.com news, it is reported that an 'Unknown' player scored the first goal for St. Louis in their game tonight against the Minnesota Wild. An APB is out on the unknown player.
NHL.com did decide to provide us with some photo's from tonights Bruins game which is pretty cool.
Rangers vs. Bruins Pre-Season Game 1 Photos
TSN also provided some highlights...minus the first Bruins goal.
Rangers vs Bruins Highlights (Right side of the page)
I'll be heading to practice tomorrow in Wilmington which will feature all players listed in the Boston.com posted roster.
Training Camp Roster
Would have been nice to know who is in Group A or B...
Go Bruins!
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