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.

GOLDEN POINTS: Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens

Bruins 2 - Habs 1

Bruins goals: Seguin (2), Krejci (3)
Canadiens goals: Subban PPG (1) 


While we didn't get the pleasure of listening to Jack and Brick call the first B's/Habs game of the year, I actually thought NBC Sports did a nice job on the whole "Rivalry Wednesday" theme.  If you tuned in at 7ish you got treated to some video montages of the rivalry through the decades and some sound bites taken from interviews with old players.  If you don't like two teams that hate each other, then it wasn't for you.  But for me, good stuff!

Every season divisional games obviously mean more than others.  You win the division, you are a top 3 seed.  In a shorten season they mean even more.  It's still early in the year, but the B's had a chance to either put 3 points between them and the Habs (and remain on top of the East) or allow the Habs to leap frog them to the top of the division.  The Habs are playing well this year, combined with the fact that it's never easy going to the Bell Centre (like the little Canadian flip of the "e" and the "r"...I'm so cultured), I wasn't too sure if the B's would pull off the double U.

Then the game started and I REALLY didn't think the B's were going to get a shot on goal, let alone a victory.  They played just awful hockey in that first period.  Luckily we have a good goaltender or it would've been a long night.  It was also a surprisingly uneventful game in terms of fisticuffs/face washes/scrums.  Not necessarily a bad thing, for while it was a fairly clean it was still entertaining.  Maybe the B's are waiting for them to come to the Garden to rattle their cages a bit.

Anyhoo...

• TUUUuuuUUUUUUKKKAAA!!!  Number 1 star of the game, hands down.  He was the only player that showed up to play and if it wasn't for him, the B's would've been down a significant number of goals after the first few minutes.  Timmy who?
• I thought the defense played a very poor game, especially Chara.  This is one of the worst games I've seen Chara play.  He's a machine, so I'm sure he'll just shut down for 30 seconds, reboot and be back to normal...not very worried.  Dougie was easily the best out of the bunch last night.  Maybe he can...ready... teach 'em how to play defense!!  See what I did there...
• Claude Julien looked like a hockey Albert Einstein last night (minus the hair).  The offense struggled mightily all night, so coming out of the 2nd intermission he flips Seguin and Horton and the first line scores two goals right out of the gate.  Well played, Mr. Julien, well played.
• While they didn't get much playing time, I thought the rookie line (MacDermaid - Tardiff - Spooner) played pretty well.  Basically, they didn't f-- up, which is impressive considering the type of game and the environment they were playing in. 
• I hate Subban's flopping ways, but man does that guy have a rocket of a shot.  Grrr why can't he just suck so I can trash on him some more??  And, after typing this I'll have to go throw up, Carey Price had a good game too.  That's all the praise a Canadiens team can get right now without my B's card being revoked.
• And lastly, the power play BLOWS.  What is going on here?!?  I've tried to be patient, but this is just embarrassing.  It has to be all mental.  The players on the ice are very good players on a very good team and yet when they have an extra man on the ice they all fart in their brains.  I'm not talking SBDs, I'm talking loud clear the room farts in the brains.  I still feel if they can get a few in, they'll get on a roll and make it a dangerous part of their game.  They are just too damn good.

Next Up: SnowStorm Nemo Tampa Bay Lightning (6-3-0 12pts  3rd in East)  They play the Devils tonight so there position in the standings can change tonight.  Either way, it's another big game.

GOLDEN POINTS: Boston Bruins vs Carolina Hurricanes

Bruins 5 - Hurricanes 3

Bruins Goals: Marchand SHG (3), Chara PPG (2), Horton (2), Krejci (1), Seguin ENG/PPG (1)
Hurricanes Goals: McBain (1), Skinner (5), E. Staal (4),

**SHG - Shorthand Goal, PPG - Power play goal, ENG - Empty net goal

The Bruins hot start continues!!  But please TV and radio peeps, please stop saying the Bruins are undefeated or unbeaten.  I understand that they haven't lost in regulation, but they lost in overtime.  Let me say again... they LOST in overtime.  Meaning they have been defeated in the form of a dagger through my heart during extra time.  Do I need to continue?

Prior to the game, GM Chiarelli told Dougie Hamilton that he would not be sent back to his juniors team. Duh.  One of the more easier decisions of his tenure here as GM.

Carolina dominated the B's last season.  The B's evidently didn't want that to happen again came out flying.  It looked like they could potentially blow the 'Canes out.  Then I remembered I'm a Bruins fan and that RARELY happens.  The Hurricanes came back out in the 2nd period and got some very good play from their top tier players.  I'm still not sure how Skinner roofed that puck so close to the goalie, but he roofed the crap out it. 

Side note: anyone else think of Kenny Wu when Ference and Johnson sandwiched Skinner?  And if you don't know who Kenny Wu is LEAVE THIS BLOG IMMEDIATELY AND NEVER RETURN! Only the greatest childhood movie of my childhood.

Anyways...

• I'm pretty sure that Dougie's amazing start to his career is directly linked to whenever I mention him in a post.  I'd be doing his career a disservice if I didn't mention him.  Another strong game from the young man.  He recorded yet another assist on the go ahead goal from David Krejci.  There was a lot of action in front of the net, so it would've been easy for anyone to just wind up and take a shot.  Instead, he calmly faked the shot and slide it over to a wide open Krejci who had a wide open net to shoot at.  Awesome.  I smell he'll get his first goal very soon.  He's had some great shots.
• Besides Dougie we need to keep talking about the penalty kill.  They went a perfect 6 for 6 last night to remain impenetrable on the PK.  To add to the awesomeness, the Gnat (BRINGING IT BACK!) aka Marchand, nabbed a shorthander that was a thing of beauty.  We are the lone team left that has yet to allow a PPG this season.  *Knock on wood*
• As expected, we saw our first look of the season of Anton Khudobin.  I thought he looked very impressive.  He let up 3 goals, but I didn't think any of them were necessarily his fault.  I was a little nervous when he completely disregarded the trapezoid rule, though it led to Marchands SHG so maybe he knew something we didn't?
• Although Seguin's goal was an empty netter, I'm hoping that will open the flood gates for the young forward.  He's getting some quality shots off, but he has yet to beat a goaltender.  Let's hope this gets him going.
• Speaking of the end of the game, Bergeron went APE SHIT on Skinner.  Bergeron, although still very young, is like the old wise man on the team.  You rarely, if ever, see him lose his cool.  Puck Daddy was the first place I was able to read with what happened.  Apparently the little guy decided to "slew-foot" Bergeron (which you can see in the video).  Can't wait for them to play again, would love to see another Bergeron fight!

Next Up: New Jersey Devils   #BrodeurIsARobot

HOCKEY IS BACK!!!!

Welcome back, NHL!  You don't know how badly I have missed you.  I tried watching the NBA.  That lasted about one quarter.  It'd be much better if you let KG and Carmelo duke it out on the court...sissies.  I tried watching NCAA basketball.  That's better, but I don't really have a team to cheer for.  I like football a lot and the Pats are luckily fun to watch, but come on...

NOTHING      BEATS    HOCKEY!!

I must admit, I avoided this blog throughout the lockout.  I had a lot to say, but they were not very nice or kind words, especially towards our own owner, Jeremy Jacobs (he's not reading is he? Video).  Anytime the B's were brought up, I'd start chatting it up calm, cool and collected.  Gradually I'd feel my heart start to race and fire flow through my veins, so I'd remove myself from the conversation before a baby got punched.  But that's the past...let's focus on HOCKEY HOCKEY HOCKEY!!!! When I found out they agreed on a CBA I dusted off the Lucic jersey and blasted the Bruins goal song.

What I'm excited for this year:
1. Besides hockey fights, I'm most eager to see where Seguin takes his game this year.  He seems like he's on the verge of becoming a real star.  He played really well in Switzerland, let's hope he can continue his development and take his game to the next level. (Video of Seguin's dominance in Switzerland at Puck Daddy).

2. A close second is Dougie Hamilton.  I cannot wait to see this kid play.  He's been dominating juniors, so I'm eager to see how that translate to the big league.  Put him next to big Z and let's see what we got.

(1a/2a: Funny how my first two points are related to the Kessel trade... thank you, Brian Burke.  Oh, sorry you just lost your job.)

3. Tuukka toga time.  I think Rask is ready to be a number goalie in this league.  With only a one year deal signed, he's playing for a HUGE contract.  I hope he gets it.  The back up goaltender on the other hand is a huge question mark.

I could go on, but those are the three things I'm most interested in.  Oh man, let the countdown begin, and Mr. Jack Edwards start warming up those pipes, it's going to be a fast and furious season.

JANUARY 19th, RANGERS @ BRUINS

P.S: I moved in with my girlfriend this fall.  I told her now she'll understand what it's really like to live with me!!!