The 2011-2012 Boston Bruins season is presented by the Massachusetts State Lottery.
Maybe that is the chief reason why things are not going as well as planned in this "Stanley Cup Defending Champion mode" type of year? It's been a roller-coaster type of ride instead: starting slow, going up to the top again before it fell flat again.
At blogging time, it is one of those valleys again - but we shall not fear as we travel through the valley of death, right? WE BELIEVE!
Truth be told, things were not always going perfectly on the actual, eventual Championship season either... And I haven't the foggiest idea who or what entity was officially "presenting" us with that one...!
I never paid any attention to those things - because, to me, as it is for coach Julien, it is the players' effort that mattered. And year in, year out, whether it was a good year or a rather mediocre one (though true mediocrity was hard to find in the Boston Bruins' camp in the last 40-odd years: they made the playoffs in the great majority of them and were true top contenders in a cyclical and extremely respectable period of five years - consistency was thus to be found throughout the "valley" in-between two Stanley Cup titles, basically! There never was anything to be ashamed of in Bruins Nation not even when they had forwards named Roy and missed the playoffs for an extremely rare occasion by the same occasion... But we are digressing.)
The team always gave a decent effort, therefore, even on those rare seasons in which their record was not good enough to qualify for the "Big Dance"... The team was always battling, against all comers. The team was a true TEAM - and even more than that, the Boston Bruins have always been like a fraternity, like a family. Red Sox outfielder Youkilis said that there was such a thing as a "Boston fraternity" uniting all athletes of the region, be they footballers, knuckleballers or apt to shoot hoops. Well, before that, even, there was the Boston Bruins family uniting all generations of hockey players to ever don the black & gold of the team, from Eddie Shore & Léo Labine to Milan Lucic & Brad Marchand!
It is not in itself bad that the MSL is sponsoring the Bruins' season, of course.
Americans always have had these sponsorship deals - one has to accept it as part of the game, almost... It used to be worse - much worse. Television shows in the early days of the medium were literally prisoners of their sponsors and had to accommodate them, often making a plethora of changes to their scheduled shows (usually live broadcasts) at the very last minute, not to "hurt the image" of the sponsor in any shape or form. The Boston Bruins do not have to change a thing about their "show" - they just have to perform. If anything, it is the MSL that is having some sort of effect on the team: making victory or defeat come as it does to any sort of gamblers - through mere luck. And, in today's NHL, where parity reigns and there is virtually no difference between teams, save rare exceptions (teams such as that Original Six team from a French town somewhere north of the border comes to mind: it's them and the team in Columbus that suck royally these days. Aside from that, the rest of the league is pretty equal and anybody can beat anybody else on any given day - almost!) sheer luck is, therefore, a major factor every time out.
Nowadays, a sports team owes nearly as much to their sponsors as they do to actual ownership or the fans. It probably makes complete sense that it is that way, too.
That is why one can never escape the "brought to you by..." messages - ever!
But why in blue blazes did it have to be the State Lottery? It may have jinxed the proceedings beyond repair already (lest it is me who has just done that, by inferring all that at all!) for the odds of winning are always dismal with any given lottery - don't they know that? So why have the State Lottery pass on this nefarious bug to the B's here - especially as they had everything (including Lady Luck - that bitch!) going their way just months ago, really (in June of 2011, of course!) and the odds of winning were, hence, totally fine? If this is not the jinxing factor, what is - the visit at Barack's baraque blanche there? What else can we suspect...?
The team just had a dismal month of February - just as they had a terrible month of October, to kick off the season and the defense of their title, both. In-between, they were invincible, ascending from last place to first in the East and overall even if only for a few weeks... The Boston Bruins have since seen the Canucks, Red Wings and Rangers surpass them in points totals and the likes of the Sharks and Senators come dangerously close to do so, too. Other hated rivals such as the Flyers and Lightning are not far behind at all either. For some inexplicable and totally illogical reason, the Bruins were unable to defeat the pathetic Carolina Hurricanes this season, not even a single time, in four confrontations this season. The good news is, of course, that these pathetic Canes will not even be in the playoffs - and nor will other perennial foes. But who cares about those, as the slate is already full and the championship defence is going to be extremely difficult as it stands right now...
At the deepest of the current valley the team is skating through, additions made to the team are rather discrete and valueless, really: two more defensemen and... Brian Rolston. BRIAN ROLSTON? He was one of the greatest disappointments of the resurging Boston Bruins of the early turn of the century, back when they were contending again under the so-called leadership of Joe Thornton, Mike Knuble, Jason Allison, Bill Guerin, Anson Carter and Glen Murray. Oh, did I forget Martin Lapointe? How could I have: the only biggest disappointment than Rolston was ML! But let's not get into that depressing stuff now - truly, let's NOT.
Alas, GM Peter Chiarelli forced all of the Bruins fanbase to relive those atrocious times: those of the Mike O'Connell regime, the guy he was hired to replace and mend the bodywork of. By recuperating a washed-up Rolston, and through trade to boot, Chiarelli totally wiped off anyone's mind the impression that he might be, indeed, some kind of genius at putting together a winning team. Compared to last year's additions of gutsy elements such as Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley around the same trade deadline, this year's additions are totally devoid of sense. Or impact.
Rolston had good numbers ten years ago but now, to think that he might somehow partially fill the void left by an injured Nathan Horton is pure folly. At best, his experience might have him serve some sort of defensive role on the team: but what good can that be when the team needs a clutch goal late in a game? Of course Kelly, Peverley, Seguin, Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci, Lucic and Caron are all there to deliver those - but, lately, it hasn't come as easily as it had. Recchi is sorely missed at those times - and he is not going to be replaced by Rolston either.
And to think that the organization could have simply claimed B.R. off waivers - and didn't. They then saw only him available, along with defenseman Mottau, from the lowly NY Islanders, and had to trade for both, losing two prospects in order to acquire two temporary assets, one of them way over-the-hill and previously available - for free! Nope - Chiarelli ain't no genius after all. No one is! P.C. hasn't got a computer as a brain: he merely has more luck than his predecessor had...
Luck has deserted Boston lately, though: the Celtics have their leprechaun truly scrambling for his pot of gold these days... The same problem exists there, even heightened: as their three top players are slumping almost as bad as Rolston, and they are the same age too... The Patriots failed to go all the way again, against the execrable Giants again. To top that in the saddest of ways, a mere few days after the heartbreaking loss, quarterback Tom Brady's lifelong coach died. The Patriots have a great team, but these two devastations may be too much to overcome, next season... A collapse like the Red Sox went through just last season could well be in the cards for the Pats as well: and as for the former, here, the loss of several players can only indicate that Red Sox Nation will be suffering some more, as they used to regularly, pre-2004...
Maybe the Bostonian Dreaming can only be indulged in in times of difficulties indeed?
So... Who was "presenting" us with that greatest of recent seasons to remember, again, last year, when the Boston Bruins ended the season in brilliant fashion by simply winning it all?
Oh - it was probably Bob's Discount Furniture Store - again!
Let's stick with Bob, I say: for the odds of him jinxing the team are rather low!
:-!
Mottau Waits for the Call
ReplyDeleteFriday, 03.30.2012 / 8:14 AM /
By John Bishop - BostonBruins.com
BOSTON, MA --
Bruins defenseman Mike Mottau repeated his mantra again this week.
Mottau Even before the recent injuries to Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid, the alway-smiling Mottau said, "I would take a puck in the teeth for the B’s," when asked about his current depth role.
The blueliner may have only played three games (including one as a forward) for Boston since he was acquired from the Islanders on February 27th, but the Massachusetts born and raised Mottau already feels as if he bleeds Black & Gold.
But that's probably because the former Boston College Eagle captain, who won the Hobey Baker Award in 2000, grew up rooting for the B's.
"It was my childhood dream to play for this team," he said, candidly, during an interview earlier this week. "I wouldn’t want to be doing this anywhere else.
"I get to see my family and friends, and I’m not able to do that most of the times when I’m playing elsewhere. It’s a comforting feeling to come home."
And that's exactly where Mottau feels he is in the Bruins locker room - at home.
Mottau credits the Bruins, coaches and teammates alike, for making him feel like an important part of the club, even as he's been a healthy scratch.
"I think that’s a good coaching staff, a good organization," explained Mottau of the reasons for his ease in a new hockey enviroment. "They keep guys involved when they’re not in the lineup, guys who aren’t in the lineup they are still very much part of the team. One injury and we’ll be needed to be called upon and be a big part of the team while we’re in the lineup.
(...)
original article - click here
ReplyDelete"But while we’re not in the lineup, we’re still part of the group and everyone treats you the same if you’re in the lineup or out of the lineup. It’s a testament to a good team.
Mottau receiving the Hobey-Baker award
"No one’s really above the team and everyone’s on the same page on the ice, and in the locker room, it’s a nice environment to be a part of," he said.
Head Coach Claude Julien said the B's work hard to ensure a team atmosphere even beyond the confines of the game night roster.
"I think number one is you have to keep working with them, and sometimes those guys have to do extra and the extra isn’t a punishment, it’s keeping them sharp so that when they’re called upon," explained the B's bench boss. "As a head coach, you have to understand those guys are being healthy scratches, they’re not always in the lineup and you have to talk them, you have to let them know they’re part of the team and that they’re just as important as anybody else.
"We talk about sometimes giving credit to a fourth line when they’ve done a good job like last night, and you do the same thing with some of your fifth and sixth D that don’t get the big minutes, the big blocked shot or a big play and you have to recognize those things. It’s all about confidence, and when those guys feel they’re part of the team it certainly helps along the way and we’ve always felt like we’ve had good team chemistry.
"And some of it’s created by making sure everybody feels apart of it and they’re just as important as the guy playing," added Julien. "We’ve saw that in the playoffs last year when Tyler was a healthy scratch at times and when threw as time for him to come in, he contributed and contributed in a big way in the Tampa series.
"It’s important to have those guys ready, it’s important to have those guys know they’re part of this hockey club and we need them and we try to keep that kind of thing going throughout the season."
But Julien also said that he's been impressed with what he's seen from the Quincy-born Mottau.
"I thought he’s played well in [those] games," said Julien. "With the number of Ds we have right now, it is a numbers game so we’re pleased with the lineup we have and the guys that we have available, and those guys that have come in and have been a good fit for us.
"So you have to give Peter and his group a lot of credit for finding those players when they were tough to find."
In the interim, Mottau is hanging tough, and waits for his chance to retake the ice wearing the beloved spoked-B for his beloved hometown team.
"I wouldn’t want to be doing this anywhere else," said Mottau. "I get to see my family and friends, and I’m not able to do that most of the times when I’m playing elsewhere.
"My son is saying some of the same stuff I did when I was a kid," added the Avon-native. "My mother is reminding me I wanted to play the B’s when I grew up, and when I played street hockey I’d be Ray Bourque or Cam Neely and he’s doing the same thing.
"It’s pretty exciting to see on that level, and that comfort level like I was talking about in the room, in the city and [just] knowing where to eat is just very comfortable.
"I’m happy to be here and happy to be ready when my number is called," he said.
So, Mottau is actually a hometown boy!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that!
And okay; maybe Rolston can still contribute something to this club - not to the level of a Recchi, but as a veteran of an ordinary mettle...
Zanon has been used a lot - he may be the poor man's Seidenderg or something...
It's always nice to have two of the same kind!
But let's go back to this article on Bruins.nhl.com: it revealed Mottau's deep-rooted ties to Boston to me; for I really had no idea!
Heck, he used to play for the Boston College Eagles! (Sorry, Eagles, but I know the Providence Bruins more than I know you!)
Not only that; he was the captain of that team!
Read the little article, here or there:
www.bruins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=624864
(Here, most likely, as it surely won't stay over there forevermore...!)
And choke up with emotion as you read about him wishing he was Cam Neely or Ray Bourque, growing up as a kid, playing hockey in the streets: and how his own son, now, reminds him of himself back then!
:-)