It would have also revealed to all so-called experts that these Boston Bruins of 1990, who'd finished first overall in the standings and had added veteran stalwarts such as Dave Poulin, Brian Propp and Dave Christian to their potent line-up led by Bourque and Neely, were no longer the upstart Bruins that surprised themselves by reaching the Finals in 1988, when their previous match-up with the ageing Oilers had taken place... They were legitimate contenders that actually peaked in 1993, the year of their worst playoff performance in years, due to terrible, woeful bad luck really: three losses in overtime in four games. Glen Wesley was a part of that team, too...
Larry Bird is still dreaming of that shot he rushed to take in the final seconds of a crucial game in the NBA Finals against hated rival Lakers - as he thought them to be about to rush him, too. They weren't - all they wanted was to test out the famous Boston Garden Mystique of those years: the parquet had all the credit as the Boston Celtics found a way to mystify opponent after opponent, most often the Los Angeles Lakers themselves. But this time, the Celtics would not pull off a miracle: he missed the shot and the Celtics lost that game, a precious game on their own parquet. They would lose a series to the Lakers for the first time ever next. Larry Bird was quoted afterwards that they (the Celts) felt that they ''should have won all three games there'' (in those good old days, the series' format was 2 at the top seed's place, 3 at the other city and then, if necessary, and it sure was, the last 2 games of the series at the first place again. With the series being led by the Lakers 3-2 going back to L.A. after that improbable steal in game 5 -after the Celtics winning games 3 and 4 handily, of course- the series seemed to be decided already - and, alas, it was. Earvin ''so-called Magic'' (Black Magic?) Johnson got his NBA title before he got tested HIV positive and it was *he* who was chosen to pose with Wayne Gretzky on the cover of Sports Illustrated - instead of Larry Bird.
Bill Buckner - of course - is still dreaming of having caught that ball that went by him in the most awkward of ways - between his legs - during the most crucial game of the 1986 World Series opposing the Boston Red Sox to the New York Mets. Gary Carter, a Montreal Expos transfuge that somehow realized all of his own dreams in New York (like Babe Ruth did, perhaps - and at a terrible price, too. However, unlike Ruth, Carter's destiny would have likely been the same had he remained in MTL or gone anywhere else for that matter) wrote a book about this ''feat'' - which truly is winning a World Series through sheer luck, basically. The Red Sox had it all under control: they had taken the first two games, Roger Clemens was even available to pitch in a relief role; utility players such as Spike Owen and Mike Greenwell were at their peak; and Wade Boggs was the best hitter in the majors, bar none other - yet he was left a weeping mess in the players' dugout after this botched-up play and subsequent inability on the part of the Sox' managerial braintrust to match simple cowboy histrionics displayed by the Mets' one-hit wonder coach... And so, Bill was the scapegoat for it all.
As were Glen and Larry in most people's eyes - well, especially Glen...
Now, this oncoming season, two players on the Bruins' roster will have a chance to make up for mistakes - similar and different all at once - and they should have a greater chance than the previous three examples (and countless others) ever got to redeem themselves indeed...
Tuukka Rask proved his status as an elite NHL goaltender throughout the 2012-2013 NHL season and the playoff run that followed - he was every bit as good as Tim Thomas had been when he held the job of number one goalie, both before and during 2011, and just a little unluckier than Tim was for the final two games of the playoff run. Indeed, if one compares the two playoff runs, that is the only difference - luck in the final stretch. Thomas could shut-out the Canucks in their own home to win it - Rask was poised to try and do exactly the same but was served two garbage goals instead to turn his victory into bitter defeat. Comparing that apparent meltdown to an actual meltdown (such as the one lived by rival and first-round opponent Reimer, the Toronto goalie, when he gave up three goals to drop the first-round series he could have stolen, against all odds...) is like comparing apples and oranges: for the quality of the goals is simply not the same at all. Reimer saw quality shots beat him, as Boston courageously fought back to take what was rightfully theirs. Rask, for his part, saw two second-rate has-beens bang in lucky shots out of the blue to steal what seemed to be in the bank for Boston - instead, it became a Chicago cup-clincher through the backdoor; but so was their first cup in decades, too, back in 2010, so... (Yeah, yeah - that's another story!)
Can Rask come back as strong as ever from this disappointing finish? Yes, he can! He already has - mentally. And with strong back-ups (Svedberg, Johnson and that rookie named Subban) coupled with all the improvements to the overall line-up, the Boston Bruins stand to be able to win virtually all of their games in 2013-2014...! Rask is a confident and competitive goalie by nature and his recent triumphs over Lundqvist and whoever-that-guy-is-between-the-Pitts-pipes (hey - whoever he is, he is a former Stanley Cup champ - right?!?) have made him one more thing too: hungry for more! Tuukka Rask loves it in Boston and wants to bring it another championship - and what Tuukka wants, Tuukka is capable of taking all by himself; but he's getting some help along the way for that end anyway...
The spotlight will be on Tuukka Rask even moreso than before - as, now, he is not merely the guy who aspired to replace a great goalie on a championship team: he is the new master, true and true!
Most of all though it is one Jarome Iginla who will be focused upon throughout the 2013-2014 season - which may be his last. Everyone will hope he ends it with a championship alongside heir apparent (and confirmed: the heir has even surpassed the sire already) Milan Lucic, all-around best player in the game Patrice Bergeron, heavily under-rated all-star David Krejci, new gun Loui Eriksson and the rest of the first-rate line-up of Boston Bruins assembled for the exercise.
Iginla made up for his mistake in part already - as he had used his right of refusal to avoid going to Boston via trade before the 2013 playoffs, preferring to join the Pittsburgh Penguins instead. He only saw the error of his ways when the Boston Bruins decimated, overwhelmed and completely dominated the Penguins in four straight games, nullifying in the process all the vaunted offence that Pittsburgh was supposed to have, especially with the added firepower of hired guns such as Iginla indeed... After becoming an unrestricted free agent, Jarome Iginla was quick to make up for his blunder of having chosen the losing side in that match-up, quickly accepting G.M. Peter Chiarelli's offer and signing up with the Boston Bruins who were in the midst of tweaking their line-up in what everyone agrees to be but a simple retooling of a true contender, fostered to bear expectations by some of the best minds in all of hockey. This same championship-caliber line-up that came so very close to repeat as champions two years after upsetting the heavily-favoured (but totally undeservingly so) Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 Finals may have lost some components this off-season (namely Ference, Seguin, Horton, Khudobin and Jagr) but they more than aptly replaced them on the roster already.
Can Jarome deliver consistently all throughout the season in Boston - and then contribute in timely fashion during the playoff run for the cup, unlike what happened during his short time in the Pitt?
Can he be, for but one single season, a second coming of Cam Neely? Can Jarome prove to do better than namesake Jaromir? Can he be more like a Recchi than a Jagr, basically?
(One thing Jaromir Jagr sure wasn't, was a second Cam Neely - or even Mark Recchi...!)
With support from Bergeron, Krejci, Lucic, Marchand, Kelly, Soderberg, Eriksson and the Merlot line (!) - yes, Iginla sure can deliver all the goods and more! He stands to gel quick with this team and thrive in coach Claude Julien's system, much moreso than he could in that God-awful Pitt...!
And so Jarome can finally dream of seeing his name engraved upon that cup at long last - it was destiny that it would be with the team that he should have played for all along, all those years wasted up in the tundra of Alberta called Calgary, as they were...!
Jarome is a Bruin and, like so many before him - so many who didn't seem to fit there: Dave Christian, Brian Propp, Dave Poulin, Reed Larson, Al Iafrate, Adam Oates! - he looks better than ever with that Black & Gold of the Boston Bruins upon his shoulders!
A Cup for Boston - courtesy of Rask and Iginla - with a large, large supporting cast, of course!
This is exactly the way the 2014 season should end.
+++
