New Bruins Schedule Released

I still haven't watched a full baseball game yet, but I'm already itching to get back into hockey.

After coming to an agreement allowing NHL players to participate in the upcoming winter Olympics (YES!), the 2013-2014 schedule has been released.

Here are my top 10 games that I will either be attending or glued to the TV for:

#10 December 10, 2013 @ Calgary Flames
This could be the only time you ever see me put the Flames in a "top 10" games to watch.  This will be Jarome Iginla's first game back to Calgary since being traded last season.  Do you guys remember that?  It was one of those moves that no one really talked about, nor did it ever come up in the playoffs.  Especially not the Eastern Conference finals.  It'll be pretty cool to see the fans react to Iginla and I expect him to be amped up to perform.


#9 November 14, 2013 vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Flames...and now the Blue Jackets?!? I promise I'm not high.  This will be Nathan Horton's return to the garden.  While I wish there was a way to keep him, he clearly desired a market significantly more lax than Boston.  Well, Nathan, you found it.  Still think he'll get a good ovation.


#8 November 5, 2013 vs Dallas Stars
The big trade for the B's this offseason was obviously unloading Plexiglass Peverley and Party Boy Seguin to the Stars in order to increase our Swedishness (Loui Eriksson).  I'll discuss more about the trade in a later post, but it should be interesting to see this game.  I'd assume Seguin will want to show the B's that they gave up on him a little too soon.


#7 February 4, 2014 vs Vancouver Canucks
Boom.  Bring me right back to June 2011....  LLLUUUOOOONNNGGGOO, the Swedish Sisters and the Vegetarian come back to Boston for another 2011 Cup Finals rematch.  They have a new but familar coach in ex-Rangers head coach Tortarella, but mostly the same key players on the team.  Oh man, this is going to be a good one, just for the fact I love our fans and they will never let this team forget what happened in 2011.


#6 November 29, 2013 vs New York Rangers
Besides last year, the B's have always had a home matinee game on Black Friday and I LOVE IT.  Just like they did in 2011, the NHL has decided to piggy-back off of this and air the game on NBC.  I personally think this is a great time to try and get an annual national game.  NFL has Thanksgiving day, and you can't compete with college football and NFL on the weekends.  I'll be recovering from turkey and beer on the couch watching this game!


#5 October 5, 2013 vs Detroit Red Wings
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you one of our newest members to the Atlantic Division (yes we are now the Atlantic Division, while the old Atlantic division is now the Metropolitan Division).  We add another original 6 team into the fold and our second game of the season is the first time we'll play them as division rivals.  My Swedish crush, Daniel Alfredsson, also spurned us for the Wings.  Just a little added fuel to the fire.  Welcome East, Wings.  Did I mention this is a Saturday NIGHT game??  Get your drank on fans.


#4 November 9, 2013 vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Remember the feeling you had back on May 13th when you thought the hockey season for Boston was ending?  Then the beyond excitement feeling knowing you just completely ruined Toronto fans spring?  I do and I'm sure the Leafs do too.  This should be a very intense match up as the two teams play each other for the first time since Game 7 of the first round.  If Loui Eriksson scores, can we still chant "Thank You, Kessel"?


#3 October 30, 2013 @ Pittsburgh Penguins
The Bruins will have March 27th circled on their calendars (see #1), but I can guarantee you the Penguins will have 10/30 circled on theirs.  That is the date the B's will travel to Pittsburgh in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch.  Remember that one?  The series in which the Penguins were suppose to just man handle us offensively?  Oh yeah..the B's completely embarrassed the team and the two best players in the world by SWEEPING them. #BoomThatHappened


#2 Any game vs Montreal Canadiens
Best rivalry in all of sports.  I'll take on anyone in this argument.  These games never ever lack drama or emotion.  They will be a more skilled team with the addition of Danny Briere and they will definitely be a tougher team with the addition of George "Best Mustache in Sports" Parros.  I guarantee a Thornton vs Parros bout in the first period of the first game against these two teams.  Both teams will be competing for the division title again.  Sad the B's handed it over to the Habs late last season.


#1 March 27, 2014 vs Chicago Blackhawks
Normally the #1 spot is reserved for the Candiens, and while the 4 games against the Habs would take #2-#5, I have to give the Cup Finals rematch the #1 spot.  I'll just say that again, Stanley...Cup...Finals...rematch.  Less than 2 minutes away from forcing Game 7.  I expect the B's and the crowd to be on a different planet with intensity.  I don't even know if that statement makes sense, but it does to me.

Marchand Suspended 5 games...and my beef with the 'Nucks

While waiting for the results of Marchand's hearing, I refrained myself from posting because I was getting extremely heated at the Vancouver Canucks and their organization.  Now I'm heated at the Canucks and the NHL and I just can't hold it back.

As I said in an earlier post, I do think Marchand should be suspended.  I thought 2 would be fair, but if you take into consideration he's been suspended and fined before then I'd up it to 3 games.  If you take this instance in a vacuum, then I'm not that upset.  He got two more games than I thought, oh well.

Enter in the lobbying effort by the Canucks.  I just don't see how their coach, Vigneault, can say things like, "He'll get his".  I am shocked that the league hasn't fined him for saying this.  He's basically putting a hit out on Marchand.  Why hasn't Shanahan stepped up?!

And the GM, Gillis, saying things like "a dirty hit by a dirty player".  You don't like dirty players Gillis?!  One of the dirtiest players in the league, Lapierre, flies over and jumps on top of the pile trying to get in a few cheap shots.  Even TSN.ca (the Canadian ESPN) columnist and former referee agrees, Lapierre should've received the game misconduct as what he did is the definition of "third man in". 

How about your "tough" guy Wiese?  Clearly telling Thornton he'd gladly fight him, but only then to back off like a coward.  No, but it's cool for your goon to take on our first line winger.  Does anyone on your first line stand up for themselves or their teammates?

Next Mr. Gillis, you employ Andrew Burrows on your team.  Apparantley you think it isn't a dirty move to bite the fingers of your opponent....then joke about it on national television.

Yeah, Marchand will have to answer the bell someday, but he isn't afraid to.  Maybe someday Burrows, Wiese and Lapierre will "get theirs" too.

Just because our players are tougher than yours, just because they aren't afraid to drop the gloves, just because our team takes after our captain and your team takes after yours, doesn't mean they are dirty.  I would take the make up of this Bruins team over the make up of the Canucks team every...single...time.  Yeah, the Canucks are very skilled, but my neutered dog has more balls than them.

Yes, I believe Marchands hit was dirty.  Unfortunately the league has been very inconsistent with this type of hit and there needs to be clarification now.  There were two instances during the finals last year, one against Lucic and one against Marchand, where a nearly identical hit occurred.  Unlike Salo, neither of them turned their back and luckily didn't hit their head on the ice, but the hits are almost identical.  Why were those not called?  This Boston.com article has the video's to prove it.

Normally you don't see Chiarelli or Julien say much towards another team or player,  but I am very happy that in this situation they stepped up to the plate and defended Marchand and the rest of the team.  That shows good leadership, not what Vancouver's brass is doing.

I'm finished.  I could go on and on, but I'm done.  I really wish we played them again this season, I guess we could if we both make it to the finals again.  I would love nothing more than to spank them again!!!

Golden Points: Game 38 vs Vancouver

Canucks 4 - Bruins 3

Although the end result was not what I was hoping for, the entertainment value of the Stanley Cup Finals rematch did not disappoint one bit.  The 'Nucks are very special team.  I've never not cared about a team one bit to absolutely despising every player on a team so quickly as I have with the Canucks.  Lapierre, Burrows and Weiss are the definition of the type of hockey player I can't stand and I highly doubt I'm alone.  It didn't take long for the B's to be fed up with their antics.  We were treated to a lovely 1st period scuffle that saw Thornton being jumped by 6 Canucks players, Lucic getting wrongfully ejected (NHL has rescinded the game misconduct and no suspension given), and 4th liner Weiss picking a fight with 1st line winger Horton.  On the replay it shows how smart Burrows is when he pokes Thornton's throat with his stick...stupid Burrows.

It was quite enjoyable watching the B's come to the aid of their fellow teammate, but this scrum somehow led to the Bruins being down two men.  Kesler scored the first goal of the game, but hey... it's hard to keep the number one power play from scoring on a full 2 minute two-man advantage.  

Campbell got the crowd going for the second time of the night by engaging in a not as entertaining bout with Lapierre.  The Garden faithful wanted blood in this fight.  We chanted "Campbell...Campbell" hoping to see a whoopin' we all know Lapierre deserves, but it was really more of a grappling match with a few punches thrown.  

What happened next was disgraceful.  As replays show, Weiss seemed to verbally agree to drop his gloves against Thornton, fakes like he's going to once the puke is dropped, then backs away like a coward.  Kudos to the ref that was standing right there, he gave Weiss two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct...aka....two minutes for being a bitch.

I was steaming after that one.  I very very much dislike this team.  Did you ever think that you could ever hate Swedish twins?!

Even with all this other excitement, the story of the game was Brad Marchand's clipping penalty.  Marchy got ejected from the game and put the team down a man for 5 minutes locked in.  That means even when Vancouver scored...twice...the Bruins didn't get their man back on the ice.  This is really what loses the game for them.  The Canucks scored 4 goals and all 4 goals came on the power play.  Two of their power play goals came as a result from this hit.  Marchy can't be feeling too good about this one; injures a player and then ultimately causes your team to lose.

The hockey hombres I follow on Twitter originally were blasting Marchand for a cheap play. The play occurred in the corner of the rink I couldn't see.  I just saw Marchand go into the corner and Salo's skates fly up over head...so I initially was going bonkers.  After watching the replays I reluctantly agree with the tweets that it was a dirty play.  Marchand does have the right to protect himself, but he has to do it in a manor that won't put Salo in serious harms way.  I would expect a 2-3 game suspension from this.

Some good news?  With Krejci's goal, he is now sporting an 8 game point streak (5 goals, 7 assists).  With Krejci and the first line playing well again, you wonder how the outcome of the game would change if Lucic wasn't ejected from the game.  We'll only be able to get another shot at them this year if we see them in the Stanley Cup Finals.  I hope not, I really don't like seeing a team with that make up get rewarded.  Hopefully someone else in the western conference can knock them out.