Both teams sport the exact same color scheme - and both have, over the years, courted the exact same talent pool as well (from the lamentable Kevin Stevens to Jarome Iginla, most recently...)
Both teams have won Stanley Cups with the exact same player in their line-up: Mark Recchi.
And, now, the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins are set to do battle once again - the winner representing the Eastern Conference in what probably will be a lopsided battle for that Cup again, advantaging the Western Conference champion (be it Los Angeles, San Jose, Chicago or Detroit.)
But then - the Western Conference champion was a heavy favorite in 2011 too: and the Boston Bruins did defeat that supposed juggernaut to hoist the Cup as the one true NHL champion.
But that is getting ahead of oneself now...!
Let's remain focused on the present task, that which lies ahead for the coming week or so - defeating some sort of cosmic twin opponent.
We say ''cosmic twin'' for various reasons: these teams' histories are intertwined in so many ways. Both teams are led by a concussion-survivor in the B's Patrice Bergeron and the P's Sidney Crosby. Both teams are perennial contenders, dating back to the days when they were led by Raymond Bourque and Mario Lemieux, respectively - ironically two Québécois by birth who've become Americans by choice. There is bad blood between the teams, too: for it was a P, Matt Cooke, that gave a (all evidence leads to believe career-ending) concussion to Marc Savard - imagine (dream of) the team the Boston Bruins would have if they had Savard as an additional offensive threat... It was also a P that effectively ended the great Cam Neely's career - when Neely was single-handedly defeating the Pens in the 1991 playoffs and then P-coach (we'll not ever speak his name again - ever!) dispatched a dirty-player to collide with Neely's knee in order to purposefully take him out of the series - which they did. Also, but of considerable lesser importance, there is that color scheme... The Pens used to be blue-garbed but, quite obviously out of envy, they adopted the same colors as the Bruins after a while... Here are the eventual Stanley Cup champions of 1972, the Boston Bruins, facing off with the Penguins of their era. Pens' goon Bryan Watson can hardly contain his jealousy of the great Bobby Orr and tries to hurt him - to no avail. The Bruins' legend roughs him up, instead! Just watch an all-around hockey master, who could do it all on the ice, teaching the lesser opponent not to mess with his success...
Aw, that was beautiful - said Don ''Grapes'' Cherry to Blue. And speaking of success...
The Boston Bruins have already shown that they are a tailor-made team for success in the playoffs - that last year's failure to defend their championship was a fluke (losing to a lesser and lowly Washington Capitals squad that, immediately after, floundered and went nowhere at all; just like they did this year, too. The Caps couldn't handle the New York Rangers - what did the Boston Bruins do to the New York Rangers just now? They dispatched them in five games!)
The Bruins allow less goals than the Penguins do and produce more than the P's are used to allow to weak opposition such as the Islanders and Senators. The B's have a better overall defense, with greater depth, a superior goaltender and four lines that have gelled well together. The Bruins are also more of a tight-fitting team, as the majority of the players have been together for more than three years and most of them were there for the 2011 championship. Therefore, the nucleus remains that of a champion, even though more than a year removed from it. The Penguins have their core top three still intact, of course, but then they've assembled a team of mercenaries - that's all. They must realize that Krejci, Bergeron, Jagr, Marchand, Horton, Lucic, Seguin, Chara, Seidenberg and Krug match up extremely well with Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Kunitz, Iginla, Dupuis, Jokinen, Morrow, Letang, Orpik and Martin - it is only their fans that do not realize it. The Bruins have far more grit then the puny Pens, who rely on the referees not allowing anyone to touch their Sid The Kid and their Evgeni - and yet they still have got Matt Cooke, consummate goon, on their roster - the very same that injured Bruins star Marc Savard. Forget revenge - this is a cause of JUSTICE. And justice will be served - by the Bruins! The Bruins are better coached too: a distinct advantage in the playoffs. Aye, this will be a battle for the ages between two well-balanced teams - but only one deserves to win: the team that didn't injure the other's star forward, the team that plays hard but fair, without intent to injure the opponent - the Bruins!
But who cares about all of these stats and long, drawn-out series of numbers and analytics... For it just comes down to simple logic here. BRUINS defeat PENGUINS - every time out! A hirsute bear up against a bird that doesn't even fly? Come on! It is a pre-decided outcome here! Especially since it is long-term competition between the two, a test of endurance such as a best-of-7 series...
It is but simple pure common sense; such as the following demonstration illustrates perfectly well:
BRUINS IN SIX.
Many thanks to the little sister's room
for all the props - and inspiration!
;-)
No comments:
Post a Comment