Under the watchful eye of Michael Ryder, Lord Stanley's Cup took a spill and suffered a minor head injury. The Cup is conscious and responsive, but is listed day-to-day. Now Ryder didn't drop the Cup himself nor actually knocked it over, but this has to be a sign from the hockey gods, right?? At first I was upset by his reaction, just standing there with his usual "I don't care" look on his face. Any normal human being would've rushed to the aid of the Cup, performed CPR, or at the very least a little spit shine. But after a second watch of the video, I actually find it funny. He turns to the policemen that are suppose to be guarding the holy grail and has that "Are you serious?? Are you friggin' kiddin' me?? Did you really just let the Stanley Cup crash to the ground like that, eh?" look on his face.
With Wideman off the team, Ryder became my scapegoat. He's slow, overpaid, and I don't understand why he got as much playing time as he did. I'm pretty sure Handsome Ralph has some sort of man crush on him. "But Dome, he had an amazing playoff run!" That is true. His glove save against the Habs was a thing of beauty and he did score 8 goals throughout the playoffs. With that said, I'm still not a Ryder fan. He was getting paid $4M a year!!! If your dubbed a sniper and you are getting $4M a year, I better see 30+ goals. He didn't hit that once in the 3 years he was here (27 the first year was the closest he got, he didn't even break 20 the other two years).
At the end of the year, Chia-pet said he was talking with Ryder and I got nervous. If he came back for 2-years $2M per, I wouldn't have LOVED it, but I'd be okay with it. It just meant I had another 2 years of screaming awful profanity at him from up in the balcony. Luckily the Stars only watched his playoff performance and offered him 2-years $7M. Maybe he needs more of a Western Conference type offense to flourish. Who knows... Who Cares... Adios Ryder.
A Boston Bruins blog by Dome
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Savvy Not To Play This Year
Boston Globe article.
Not exactly surprising news, but Marc Savard will not play this year. Quite frankly, I hope he never plays again. That's not because I don't like him, because I think he's a great player. The Bruins already stress me out enough and if Savard plays again, every shift he takes I'll literally be scared for his life. As much as it sucks that he cannot play right now, he needs to just get healthy enough to live a normal life. Mood swings, memory loss, fatigue. No thank you. Another hit, even as relatively innocent as the one Hunwick put on him, could cause serious permanent damage (if that hasn't already occurred).
Even though his career is over, I don't think we'll see him retire because if he retires he's not going to get his money. Here's how his 7 year contract extension payouts look like:
2010: $7 mil
2011: $7 mil
2012: $6.5 mil
2013: $5 mil
2014: $1.5 mil
2015: $0.525 mil
2016: $0.525 mil
A contract like this would not pass through the league office again in this post-Kovalchuk era, but that's not for this post. As you can see he's owed some solid dough the next few years. He'll just remain with the team so he gets that money and the Bruins will put him on the long-term injury reserve so his cap hit of about $4M doesn't go against them.
Get healthy Savvy!
The hit that started it all: video
Memorable playoff moment when he returned: video
The hit that put him out again: video
Not exactly surprising news, but Marc Savard will not play this year. Quite frankly, I hope he never plays again. That's not because I don't like him, because I think he's a great player. The Bruins already stress me out enough and if Savard plays again, every shift he takes I'll literally be scared for his life. As much as it sucks that he cannot play right now, he needs to just get healthy enough to live a normal life. Mood swings, memory loss, fatigue. No thank you. Another hit, even as relatively innocent as the one Hunwick put on him, could cause serious permanent damage (if that hasn't already occurred).
Even though his career is over, I don't think we'll see him retire because if he retires he's not going to get his money. Here's how his 7 year contract extension payouts look like:
2010: $7 mil
2011: $7 mil
2012: $6.5 mil
2013: $5 mil
2014: $1.5 mil
2015: $0.525 mil
2016: $0.525 mil
A contract like this would not pass through the league office again in this post-Kovalchuk era, but that's not for this post. As you can see he's owed some solid dough the next few years. He'll just remain with the team so he gets that money and the Bruins will put him on the long-term injury reserve so his cap hit of about $4M doesn't go against them.
Get healthy Savvy!
The hit that started it all: video
Memorable playoff moment when he returned: video
The hit that put him out again: video
3rd Line
Richard Peverley (18-23-41 -17 $1.325M) - Peverley came over in the deal that sent Mark Stuart and Blake Wheeler to the team formerly known as the Thrashers and he must have been pumped. Going from one of the worst franchises in the league to one of the most historic and ultimately the Stanley Cup Champions (that will NEVER get old). His biggest assets are is his speed and versatility. I could be wrong since he was skating next to Ryder, but he at least appeared to add some much needed speed to the team. His versatility was on display in the playoffs after Horton went down with the concussion (I think I can only watch this because we won). He filled in as the top line winger and ended up scoring two goals his first game there. With a full training camp and preseason with the team now, I'm curious to see how Peverley plays this year. I'd like to see him score 20 goals and used on one of the power play units (most likely 2nd) as a sniper.
Here's an all around great play he made during the season, defense to offense, coast to coast.
Chris Kelly (14-14-28 -13 $2.125M) - After spending 6 and a half years above the border in Ottawa, Kelly got traded to the Bruins for a 2nd round draft pick. Ottawa was having a liquidation sale this year with all the players they were giving away. I could've shown up with my pre-rookie McQuaid card and received Alfredsson and a pick. Like Peverley, this deal didn't blow me away, but it was another piece to the puzzle. Another depth player that had a very good playoffs (6th on the team in scoring). I'm interested to see how he'll play with a full preseason and training camp under his belt as well. Both Kelly and Peverley were over 50% in the face-off dot, which is obviously nice. You have one of the best face-off men in the league in Bergeron and then to have two more solid face-off men on the 3rd line is a nice bonus.
Sorry Chris Kelly fans, but there isn't really a moment that sticks out in my mind, maybe besides his black eyes. But I give you this Chris Kelly highlight.... or a Jack Edwards highlight? You tell me: video.
Jordan Caron - I'm giving Caron (2009 1st round draft pick, 25th overall) the edge of Pouliot for 3rd line duties. Is it because I like Caron? Yes. Is it because Pouilot is a former Hab? Also yes. Caron won a spot on the team at the beginning of last season (at the expense of Paille). He played fairly well, but then seemed to hit a wall and was sent back down to Providence. I didn't get to go see him play in Providence, but after he snapped out of his little funk, I read that he played extremely well. He seemed motivated to move back up with the big boys, which is exactly what you want to read about young studs. Caron was even mentioned in this article at SI.com about top 24 rookies to keep an eye on. Caron should come into camp a little more comfortable and motivated. Hopefully he's been watching some Recchi film because he needs to be that guy on this line. Crash the net and get those dirty goals.
I want to see a whole lot of these.
OUTLOOK: This line as a whole is the biggest question mark going into the season. Peverley and Kelly will put up average offensive numbers while I'm banking on Caron making the next step and being a mainstay with the big boys. A whole year with the Bruins should improve Peverley and Kelly's +/-, but it was slightly concerning that for the last quarter of the season they were with the B's, they were both a -1. We should see some solid puck possession out of this line, since they win a majority of the face-offs and hopefully the making of a solid young player in Caron.
Here's an all around great play he made during the season, defense to offense, coast to coast.
Chris Kelly (14-14-28 -13 $2.125M) - After spending 6 and a half years above the border in Ottawa, Kelly got traded to the Bruins for a 2nd round draft pick. Ottawa was having a liquidation sale this year with all the players they were giving away. I could've shown up with my pre-rookie McQuaid card and received Alfredsson and a pick. Like Peverley, this deal didn't blow me away, but it was another piece to the puzzle. Another depth player that had a very good playoffs (6th on the team in scoring). I'm interested to see how he'll play with a full preseason and training camp under his belt as well. Both Kelly and Peverley were over 50% in the face-off dot, which is obviously nice. You have one of the best face-off men in the league in Bergeron and then to have two more solid face-off men on the 3rd line is a nice bonus.
Sorry Chris Kelly fans, but there isn't really a moment that sticks out in my mind, maybe besides his black eyes. But I give you this Chris Kelly highlight.... or a Jack Edwards highlight? You tell me: video.
Jordan Caron - I'm giving Caron (2009 1st round draft pick, 25th overall) the edge of Pouliot for 3rd line duties. Is it because I like Caron? Yes. Is it because Pouilot is a former Hab? Also yes. Caron won a spot on the team at the beginning of last season (at the expense of Paille). He played fairly well, but then seemed to hit a wall and was sent back down to Providence. I didn't get to go see him play in Providence, but after he snapped out of his little funk, I read that he played extremely well. He seemed motivated to move back up with the big boys, which is exactly what you want to read about young studs. Caron was even mentioned in this article at SI.com about top 24 rookies to keep an eye on. Caron should come into camp a little more comfortable and motivated. Hopefully he's been watching some Recchi film because he needs to be that guy on this line. Crash the net and get those dirty goals.
I want to see a whole lot of these.
OUTLOOK: This line as a whole is the biggest question mark going into the season. Peverley and Kelly will put up average offensive numbers while I'm banking on Caron making the next step and being a mainstay with the big boys. A whole year with the Bruins should improve Peverley and Kelly's +/-, but it was slightly concerning that for the last quarter of the season they were with the B's, they were both a -1. We should see some solid puck possession out of this line, since they win a majority of the face-offs and hopefully the making of a solid young player in Caron.
NEW LOGO!
HUGE props to Brian Mariano who took my kindergarten, chicken scratch, piece of crap sketch of the logo I had in mind for this blog and spun it into gold! Much love to you, man!
As I keep learning and peer pressuring people into helping me make stuff, the blog should continue to improve.
Even though I'm moving, it shouldn't slow me down. The 3rd line post will be up today...
-- DOME
Monday, August 29, 2011
5th and 6th Defensemen
Adam McQuaid (3-12-15 +30 $0.625m): As you'll quickly find out, I'm moderately obsessed with The Dude. It started out just as a sarcastic obsession. My brother happened to meet his mother the New Years Eve before the Winter Classic and got me his autographed Providence Bruins card (I guess she carries them with her?). So I jokingly would boast that I had his pre-rookie card and he was the next Bobby Orr. That sarcastic obsession slowly became a reality. I call him The Dude because I see him as a combination of the the guy in the Planet Fitness commercial and most importantly the Dude himself from the Big Lebowski. Once he shaved his head to a mullet, it was over. The Dude became official. Drinking a white Russian with the Dude is now on the bucket list... Alright enough with my man crush and back to some hockey talk. Even though he played a few games two seasons ago and was thrown into the playoffs when Seidenberg took the freak skate to the wrist, this was actually his rookie season. He played sound defense, nothing fancy, and did a fairly good job on the point in the offensive zone. I personally don't look for defenseman to score at all. Like the 4th line, any goals from a defenseman is added bonus (except Chara on the powerplay... I expect those). I'd rather see them rack up assists. McQuaid's shot was always hard and low from the point, finding their way to the goal and creating rebounds. His solid play and physical presence allowed us to trade Mark Stuart to the Thrashers for Peverley (we threw in that Pillsbury doughboy, Wheeler, too). Peverley didn't exactly blow me away, but that was a solid depth pick up. I expect McQuaid to leap frog Boychuk in the depth chart and I'd like to see him push for top four d-pairing playing time.
Ask McQuaid to fight... the Dude abides.
Ask McQuaid to fight... the Dude abides.
Steve Kampfer (5-5-10 +9 $0.852M): I'm sliding Kampfer into the final defenseman spot for now because I'm assuming he has the edge at the start of camp. Unlike McQuaid (THE DUDE!), Kampfer played more like a rookie. He showed signs of promise, but then would have a series of brain farts and he'd look lost. He's the smaller, speedy type defenseman, like a Matt Hunwick 2.0. Those aren't my favorite type of defenseman for this system. The Handsome Ralph (Claude Julien) system is playing tight sound defense, pushing shots to the outside, clearing away any rebounds and punishing any of the players attempting to get the garbage goal. If that's the style we're playing, I'd prefer going with some big boys in there. "But Dome, not everyone can be as bad ass as Seidenberg and Chara". Agreed. But if you aren't sound defensively, then I don't care what you bring to the table offensively. If he can show better decision making in his defensive end and the ability to quickly transition to offense and push the temp, he could be a great weapon. I just don't know if he'll get there quite yet.
I will give Kampfer this, his snipe against Philly was nasty! (go to 5:35 of the highlight).
- Dome
I will give Kampfer this, his snipe against Philly was nasty! (go to 5:35 of the highlight).
- Dome
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Energy Line
ENERGY LINE (4th):
Daniel Paille (6-7-13 +8 $1.075M) - Now I'll be the first person to admit, I am not a huge Danny Paille fan. His NHL career has been a bit of a disappointment considering he is a former 1st round draft pick (20th overall by Buffalo). You normally don't expect someone drafted that high to be just an energy line player. He seems to find himself on the most break-aways than anyone on the team, but then does his best Luis Mendoza impression and botches it. Disregarding where he was drafted, he did a real nice job on the 4th line with consistent play and he teamed up with Campbell to form a shut down penalty killing unit. Unfortunately for him, I believe he's the most at risk of losing his job if one of the Baby B's comes in and has a stellar camp (considering Jordan Caron took his spot last fall before going back to Providence).
It's hard to find a good Paille highlight, here's a goal but it's more a 4th line highlight.
Gregory Campbell (13-16-29 +11 $1.1M) - Is it mean if I say that I initially was not a fan solely because he's Colin Campbell's son? Come on! I can't be the only one. His father sucks, but my view on his son were quickly reversed as the season rolled on. Night in and night out he played hard, didn't hesitate to fight (11 fighting majors), and like I mentioned above, was a stonewall on the penalty kill. He's like the Mikey Lowell of the Horton for Wideman trade. He was a bit of an after thought of that deal, but man has he fit in perfectly. I'd say he's been a nice upgrade over either Begin or Yelle.
My favorite Campbell moment was his part in the Montreal brawl. I'll show that video when I talk about the Habs. Here's a different Campbell fight and shorty (don't you miss Jack Edwards!).
Shawn Thornton (10-10-20 +8 $0.812M) - Thornton has become one of the most beloved players on this team here in Boston. Even though he's from Canada, he looks like he was plucked out of Southie and thrown out on the ice. Offensively, he had his best year. In all honesty, that's just an added bonus. His real importance to this team is his willingness to fight any player or goon the other team has to offer (14 fighting majors). It actually would not surprise me one bit if they gave him the "A" that use to belong to Recchi since he's grown into one of the leaders of this team as well.
Just go to youtube.com or hockeyfights.com and you could spend a whole afternoon looking at Shawn Thornton fights. Here's his against the Stars.
OUTLOOK: I expect to see much of the same from this line. Maybe not as many points as they scored this year, but just a consistent effort. Finish their checks, possess the puck with a good cycle down low, and take the shot when it's there. Nothing fancy, just fundamental hockey. It's good to see that all three of these guys were a plus in the +/- category, meaning they weren't an enormous liability. Having a good fourth line is huge as it allows your top offensive players more time to rest and be fresher at the end of the game. Any offense out of this line is always just added bonus.
- Dome
Daniel Paille (6-7-13 +8 $1.075M) - Now I'll be the first person to admit, I am not a huge Danny Paille fan. His NHL career has been a bit of a disappointment considering he is a former 1st round draft pick (20th overall by Buffalo). You normally don't expect someone drafted that high to be just an energy line player. He seems to find himself on the most break-aways than anyone on the team, but then does his best Luis Mendoza impression and botches it. Disregarding where he was drafted, he did a real nice job on the 4th line with consistent play and he teamed up with Campbell to form a shut down penalty killing unit. Unfortunately for him, I believe he's the most at risk of losing his job if one of the Baby B's comes in and has a stellar camp (considering Jordan Caron took his spot last fall before going back to Providence).
It's hard to find a good Paille highlight, here's a goal but it's more a 4th line highlight.
Gregory Campbell (13-16-29 +11 $1.1M) - Is it mean if I say that I initially was not a fan solely because he's Colin Campbell's son? Come on! I can't be the only one. His father sucks, but my view on his son were quickly reversed as the season rolled on. Night in and night out he played hard, didn't hesitate to fight (11 fighting majors), and like I mentioned above, was a stonewall on the penalty kill. He's like the Mikey Lowell of the Horton for Wideman trade. He was a bit of an after thought of that deal, but man has he fit in perfectly. I'd say he's been a nice upgrade over either Begin or Yelle.
My favorite Campbell moment was his part in the Montreal brawl. I'll show that video when I talk about the Habs. Here's a different Campbell fight and shorty (don't you miss Jack Edwards!).
Shawn Thornton (10-10-20 +8 $0.812M) - Thornton has become one of the most beloved players on this team here in Boston. Even though he's from Canada, he looks like he was plucked out of Southie and thrown out on the ice. Offensively, he had his best year. In all honesty, that's just an added bonus. His real importance to this team is his willingness to fight any player or goon the other team has to offer (14 fighting majors). It actually would not surprise me one bit if they gave him the "A" that use to belong to Recchi since he's grown into one of the leaders of this team as well.
Just go to youtube.com or hockeyfights.com and you could spend a whole afternoon looking at Shawn Thornton fights. Here's his against the Stars.
OUTLOOK: I expect to see much of the same from this line. Maybe not as many points as they scored this year, but just a consistent effort. Finish their checks, possess the puck with a good cycle down low, and take the shot when it's there. Nothing fancy, just fundamental hockey. It's good to see that all three of these guys were a plus in the +/- category, meaning they weren't an enormous liability. Having a good fourth line is huge as it allows your top offensive players more time to rest and be fresher at the end of the game. Any offense out of this line is always just added bonus.
- Dome
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Welcome!
Welcome to the GOLDEN SPOKES where you will find as much as I feel like sharing with you about the Boston Bruins. I wanted to start this blog last year, but just didn't have the time. Luckily not much happened in the Hub this past season, so I (and you) didn't miss out. I kid. Hopefully this B's team has reawakened dormant fans and enlightened new fans to the glory known as Boston Bruins hawkey. The bandwagon is packed, but it's refreshing to have hockey be relevant again.
I've only been a fan of the B's since the 2000-2001 season, but I'd like to think I've quickly become a die hard with my flat out obsession of this team. My mood and attitude is directly correlated with their success and failures. Some might see it as a form of bipolar disorder, but if you've also been following this team for awhile, you know what I mean. The rollercoaster ride the black and gold take you on is like a drug. They can bring you to cloud 9 or give you a swift kick to the nuts.
What's the goal of this blog? Well for one, to keep it going. Two have more than just my brother read it. Besides that I'll be giving my thoughts on players, games, rumors I read, and anything else to do with the B's. Leading up to the season I'll be breaking down the lines and what my expectations are for them this coming season. You should see a post a week if my math and biology serve me correct. Maybe more if I get a little crazy.
I've been given such compliments as "weird" or "strange", so to stand out a little from other blogs I'll be adding some humor... or attempted humor ... to my writing. Enjoy!
I leave you with this: 2011 Stanley Cup Champions
Bro hugs,
Dome
I've only been a fan of the B's since the 2000-2001 season, but I'd like to think I've quickly become a die hard with my flat out obsession of this team. My mood and attitude is directly correlated with their success and failures. Some might see it as a form of bipolar disorder, but if you've also been following this team for awhile, you know what I mean. The rollercoaster ride the black and gold take you on is like a drug. They can bring you to cloud 9 or give you a swift kick to the nuts.
What's the goal of this blog? Well for one, to keep it going. Two have more than just my brother read it. Besides that I'll be giving my thoughts on players, games, rumors I read, and anything else to do with the B's. Leading up to the season I'll be breaking down the lines and what my expectations are for them this coming season. You should see a post a week if my math and biology serve me correct. Maybe more if I get a little crazy.
I've been given such compliments as "weird" or "strange", so to stand out a little from other blogs I'll be adding some humor... or attempted humor ... to my writing. Enjoy!
I leave you with this: 2011 Stanley Cup Champions
Bro hugs,
Dome
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