However...
It is true that Chicago rhymes with zero while Boston rhymes with... well, with both reason *and* champion!
It is true that, while the Blackhawks perpetuate the stereotype only rendered more ridiculed by the NFL's Washington Redskins and MLB's Cleveland Indians - the Boston Bruins continue to integrate all races equally into their extended family: from Milt Schmidt to Stan Jonathan to Milan Lucic today!
It is also true that while Chicago once spawned a movie whose original title included the words ''sexual perversions'' (Jim Belushi knows that one well; it was retitled - but it starred him and Rob Lowe, so...) Boston inspired nothing but good things since time immemorial - from Good Morning Beantown to the unforgettable Cheers of course - not to mention that certain film about good will and hunting...?
The Boston Red Sox shook off their curse - the Cubs did not.
The Patriots flourished since meeting the Bears in that Super Bowl there, winning three Super Bowls: the Bears never won it again.
The Boston Celtics' dynasty has no equal - the Chicago Bulls were mere pale imitators (despite being, shall we say, more tanned than most Celtic players - with the notable exception of Bill Russell?)
The Boston Pops have world-renown; does Chicago even have an orchestra...?
For all these reasons - and a myriad more - everyone can easily concur that BOSTON is the ONE TRUE CHAMPION... All categories, bar none!
June 20, 2013
June 19, 2013
Dream On: Boston VS Chicago
All right, CHI-TOWN...
You want a war?
YOU WANT A WAR?
We're gonna give you a WAR!
BEANTOWN versus CHI-TOWN!
Bruins, Celtics and Patriots
versus
Bulls, Blackhawks and Bears!
And our musical acts will get involved, too...
Nope - Peter Cetera's no match for Tom Scholz!
+++
June 13, 2013
Dream Match-Up
So then...
Just like it was the first time in its rocky history
that the last four champions lined-up
as the final four in the tournament
to crown a new champion this year...
(The 2009 and 2012 champs bit the dust)
It is the very first time
in NHL history
that the Boston Bruins
and Chicago Blackhawks
-two of the dubious 'Original Six' teams-
meet in the Grand Finale...
How can that even be?!?
It doesn't matter now, though -
what matters is that the most meritorious team
does come out on top -
just like it happened in 2011...!
And so, let's measure
the tale of the tape...
BOSTON BRUIN vs CHICAGO BLACKHAWK
The two are evenly-matched indeed!
Only one is more of a natural at this...
And, quite frankly, one captain is still
wet-behind the-ears - while the other is a real pro!
The inevitable outcome leaves no doubt -
once again!
BRUINS IN SIX
Hey - it worked before; it's going to work again!
Not the 2011 comparison, no -
we refer to the previous round prediction
visualized by plush belligerents!
The Bruin will pummel the puerile Blackhawk
just as the Bruin crushed the Penguin!
Thanks go, this time out though,
to our friend... Ty Bearius!
;-)
Dreams of Resilience And Perseverance
Adam McQuaid is a warrior. He is what the prototypical Boston Bruins defenseman should be all about: with grit, courage in the face of adversity, all-around professionalism, class and the determination required to do all that it takes in order to achieve victory.
He reminds me of Gord Kluzak - and the two share many other traits, too, that she shouldn't share... You could add Bobby Orr and Cam Neely to this list -and maybe even Normand Léveillé, but that might be too extreme- as great players who got career-threatening injuries or conditions that shortened their stay in the NHL.
Adam is fortunately not there yet: he can and does continue to play, contributing in a big way to the Bruins' march to the Finals, successively besting Toronto, New York and Pittsburgh on their way to battle their virtual mirror image in Chicago... Having said that, the adversary does not have anyone comparable to the survivors and warriors that are Patrice Bergeron, Nathan Horton and Adam McQuaid indeed; all they have are kids like Toews and Kane and one of those Hossa hussies.
That doesn't even begin to compare with an Adam McQuaid who just recently survived the greatest scare any athlete could have: to be diagnosed with a horrible condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome that causes dangerous, potentially lie-threatening blood clots to form in his body. He underwent two emergency operations to remove these clots and then went immediately into an intense rehabilitation program to join his team on time for the January start of the shortened 2013 season.
Such dedication, perseverance and resilience indeed can only be applauded, admired and rewarded with the smallest honor the NHL bestows upon such remarkable players: the Bill Masterton Trophy, which has been won by Gord Kluzak and Cam Neely in the past for the exact same reasons, though neither of those two greats had faced life-threatening conditions: only career-ending ones...
The only other player worthy of the trophy is unquestionably Josh Harding, the netminder of the Minnesota Wild who has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and came back to play and lead his team after a 33-game hiatus for treatment.
And yet, and yet... The front runner for the trophy was Sidney Crosby with his concussion and broken jaw; or so it read like last May... Luckily, they regained their senses and awarded the trophy to the player dealing with the only thing worse than T.O.S. - M.S.
Adam McQuaid has a chance to win his second Stanley Cup in three years after being salvaged from a sinking ship called the Columbus Blue Jackets.
His warrior status was evident as he was seen writing his blog (and posting it at 2:44AM) after the Boston Bruins played a marathon triple overtime game one of the Finals against the Hawks. The fact that he displayed complete and absolute belief in himself and his teammates after the game ended the wrong way totally drives the point across: Adam is of that mettle that can only be aptly surmised as... the best. It makes no sense whatsoever to ever doubt that (or buy into the silly things put together by buffoons such as Jon Stewart back in 2011 to discredit the mettle of these champions: Jon Stewart would lose in the most pathetic way in a one-on-ne debate with Jack Edwards. And so would Colbert!) and Adam should be expected to be hoisting the Cup once again - exactly as he did back in 2011.
Hopefully it will not have to be in seven games again - but if so, then so be it!
Go Bruins - Go!
He reminds me of Gord Kluzak - and the two share many other traits, too, that she shouldn't share... You could add Bobby Orr and Cam Neely to this list -and maybe even Normand Léveillé, but that might be too extreme- as great players who got career-threatening injuries or conditions that shortened their stay in the NHL.
Adam is fortunately not there yet: he can and does continue to play, contributing in a big way to the Bruins' march to the Finals, successively besting Toronto, New York and Pittsburgh on their way to battle their virtual mirror image in Chicago... Having said that, the adversary does not have anyone comparable to the survivors and warriors that are Patrice Bergeron, Nathan Horton and Adam McQuaid indeed; all they have are kids like Toews and Kane and one of those Hossa hussies.
That doesn't even begin to compare with an Adam McQuaid who just recently survived the greatest scare any athlete could have: to be diagnosed with a horrible condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome that causes dangerous, potentially lie-threatening blood clots to form in his body. He underwent two emergency operations to remove these clots and then went immediately into an intense rehabilitation program to join his team on time for the January start of the shortened 2013 season.
Such dedication, perseverance and resilience indeed can only be applauded, admired and rewarded with the smallest honor the NHL bestows upon such remarkable players: the Bill Masterton Trophy, which has been won by Gord Kluzak and Cam Neely in the past for the exact same reasons, though neither of those two greats had faced life-threatening conditions: only career-ending ones...
The only other player worthy of the trophy is unquestionably Josh Harding, the netminder of the Minnesota Wild who has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and came back to play and lead his team after a 33-game hiatus for treatment.
And yet, and yet... The front runner for the trophy was Sidney Crosby with his concussion and broken jaw; or so it read like last May... Luckily, they regained their senses and awarded the trophy to the player dealing with the only thing worse than T.O.S. - M.S.
Adam McQuaid has a chance to win his second Stanley Cup in three years after being salvaged from a sinking ship called the Columbus Blue Jackets.
His warrior status was evident as he was seen writing his blog (and posting it at 2:44AM) after the Boston Bruins played a marathon triple overtime game one of the Finals against the Hawks. The fact that he displayed complete and absolute belief in himself and his teammates after the game ended the wrong way totally drives the point across: Adam is of that mettle that can only be aptly surmised as... the best. It makes no sense whatsoever to ever doubt that (or buy into the silly things put together by buffoons such as Jon Stewart back in 2011 to discredit the mettle of these champions: Jon Stewart would lose in the most pathetic way in a one-on-ne debate with Jack Edwards. And so would Colbert!) and Adam should be expected to be hoisting the Cup once again - exactly as he did back in 2011.
Hopefully it will not have to be in seven games again - but if so, then so be it!
Go Bruins - Go!
June 09, 2013
Another Dream Come True!
We had originally envisioned a hard-fought series that would have almost gone the distance - evidently giving the mercenary hearts that chose a Pitt over a Beantown way too much credit in the process! Our prediction of BRUINS IN SIX was based upon the knowledge that all of those misbegotten statistics-lovers readily have at their disposal throughout the year; partly thanks to the wretched NHL.COM. And, sure, the core group of forwards that the Pitt had assembled had wreaked havoc all throughout the league, scoring almost at will against everyone else - but, ah-ha, there it is right there: the Boston Bruins are not ''everyone else'' - not at all! Where no one could make the necessary adjustments in any single game matching-up with these so-called ''mighty Pens'' - when two other teams (made up of considerably weaker elements than both the Bruins and the Pitt itself) could not adjust either, despite being in the midst of a series with them - the Boston Bruins could. Not only did they make all the right adjustments required to take game one, they made them for the course of the entire series and limited an adversary used to score at will and averaging nearly 5 goals a game to just two goals - for the entire series' length. This sure is another dream performance, another dream scenario unfolding and another dream come true: and it is all so richly deserved, too.
It's A Tough Job, But Someone's Gotta Do It -
The Bear - And His Broom!
Cleaning The League Of All The Posers
Since 2010 - at least!
(Photo Credits: Unknown - Come Forward!)
BRAVO BOSTON BRUINS! 2013 Eastern Conference Champions (just as in 2011 - however, this time around, they needed only 16 games to achieve it, compared to 18 two years ago. Still, both times they swept a team from Pennsylvania: and it seemed to be easier this time, too!)
What a great gift for Milan Lucic, who celebrates his birthday simultaneously...!
And, as I said on Facebook: no worthier team in the entire Eastern Conference (past, present or future: you hear, that, teams that will be realigned to be a part of the East, next year?) could or should have landed this precious title! Next up: the prestigious cup that should have been yours three years in a row, really - if not for that instance of high larceny on ice that occurred last year in the first round... Capital punishment was served afterwards though; they went nowhere fast after that and, this year, they were victimized by the under-performing ''blue shirts', that fell to the Bruins in five games. (Now this time it really was ''cing petites parties'' you history-revising -distorting, in truth- yellow wanna-be journalists up north - otherwise known as the envious rabble from Quawbeck! It was so nice to see your prodigal son, ''Mario Le Magnifico'' totally bewildered as his team of rag-tag all-stars failed miserably when they came up against a real cohesive team that redefines fraternity, hard work and flawless execution! Just like in the 80s and 90s, when Cam Neely eclipsed Mario Lemieux on the ice when their respective teams matched-up, Cam The Man has done it again to LaMeww from the other side of hockey operations this time! Take that, all of the so-called Belle Province - FOR YOU ARE NOT THE HUB OF HOCKEY - BOSTON IS THE HUB OF HOCKEY! But I digress...)
What's more, Milan Lucic proved he is the present and the future - while Jarome Iginla is only the past, fading away fast... Patrice Bergeron proved he is the best two-way center in the league - and that Sidney Crosby is a distant second. David Krejci proved he is the best performer come clutch-time - and Evgeni Malkin is nothing more than a poser indeed. Zdeno Chara schooled the entire Pitt defense (and most particularly absurd Norris Trophy nominee Kris Letang) what proper defense is all about. Andrew Ference taught every other defenseman from the Pitt what truly bringing it is all about! And Jaromir Jagr showed Brenden Morrow what a veteran is supposed to bring to the table in order to help his new team win!
I could go on with the comparisons... But why bother? The Pitt is gone - good riddance! Onwards to the next opponent now...
But not yet - not just yet...!
Enjoy this remarkable and complete victory first - for BOSTON deserves it!
NHL Properties again - but credit the Boston Bruins first!
June 02, 2013
Dreams Get To Boil Over Too - Before They Simmer Down
Simmer down a bit, it will, surely - but just as the Bruins remain brimming hot, of course!
;-)
No pun intended at all at the expense of one Charlie Simmer whom I knew first as Bruin, a teammate and, I believe, a linemate of Ken Linseman, Steve Kasper or some other hard-working type, and truly appreciated immensely as such - especially on one given night when the final score was, I do believe... Boston Bruins 7, Montreal Canadiens 3. Thanks again, Charlie, for scoring - was it two or three? It doesn't matter: what mattered was that there were ten goals and seven belonged to BOSTON!
It was around those same good old days, when the Bruins tied and then bested a record for most consecutive playoff appearances by any NHL team, challenged the mighty Islanders (who were right in the midst of their little ''dynasty run'' there...) and suddenly found themselves in the Stanley Cup Finals of 1988, led there by newcomer Cam Neely, the three aforementioned veterans, captain Ray Bourque and a duo of brand-new (for the team anyway) goal-tenders... It was around those days, aye, I remember it very well (okay; somewhat well? Well enough not to have to google the info and actually pen this aaaaaaaaaaall by sheer memory - yeah!) when JUSTICE ON ICE had to be administered by the players -still- because the NHL and its sorry bunch of nitwit referees simply could not do it... would not do it... or were a totally clueless bunch of buffoons completely inept at doing their job!!!
And so the Boston Bruins saw this sell-out jerk, Chris Nilan, injure their proud enforcer, Terry O'Reilly one day - hitting him when he was down. I remember Brian Curran, among others, going after Nilan the very next game the two teams played again. It was time to settle that score - and then, the obtuse refs intervened and stopped JUSTICE from being served - and they did that far better than they ever could stop injustice from occurring in the first place, ironically. Goons were targeting Boston's best players? The Bruins dispatched their equalizers - and it was dealt with appropriately. It was necessary to do so, because the good players certainly were not being protected by the farcical league - or their representative zebras, the obtuse refs. Gretzky had his protector - didn't Boston playmakers Craig Janney, Randy Burridge and Ray Bourque himself deserve protection as well?
But that was then - and this is now.
Has nothing changed in the God-Forsaken NHL?!?
When one sees the likes of Matt Cooke boarding someone from behind - and that someone happens to Adam McQuaid, the same Bruin who suffered a life-threatening injury back in September 2012. CBC.ca will report it as a ''season-threatening injury'' but really now: when your league is looking at a work stoppage, there won't be any hockey for months, you're diagnosed with a condition that causes dangerous blood clots to form in your body if you are severely hit (whether it is from behind or not matters not at this point) - it's not your season that is threatened: it is your very life! And yet, in four short months, Adam McQuaid underwent not one but two operations followed by an intense therapy in other to be in shape for the season, yes, the hockey season which finally started only in January after the wretched NHL and spoiled-rotten NHLPA finally worked out a ''deal''...
Now, you're a jerk who happens to be able to simultaneously skate and chew gum - you see this guy, who may still be pre-disposed to this horrendous condition's hazards, and you're going to slam him face first into the boards the first chance you get...?!? (And then peeps complained of the similar, but vastly different hit later on, when Boston's Marchand planted one on the Pitt's James Neal - who then proceeded to embellish it and fall all over the ice, trying, hoping, dreaming of being able to draw a 5-minute misconduct penalty too...! The hits were not the same; the parties involved neither - it was totally different in any imaginable way. But I am digressing now...)
This is not surprising, mind you - since it comes from the same dirty player -COOKE- who cuts opposing players' tendons with his skates (by accident, sure) and caused so any to simply stop playing, due to severe concussions... Need we remind the tragedy that befell Boston Bruins playmaker Marc Savard?
And speaking of concussions... What kind of ''all-star'' player are you, Evgeni MACACO Malkin, when you try to drop the gloves and go out of your way to finally punch someone, prove you're a man, be tough on ice as all hockey players should be but you never are, really... What kind of ''man', though when you pick as your sparring partner concussion-survivor Patrice Bergeron, of all possible opponents? And you really went out of your way to try and hit him too - with those little fists of yours searching for Bergeron's head, not caring one iota that here is a guy who's had been sidelined MANY TIMES with concussions... Maybe you want a concussion all your own, Malkin? Maybe Lucic can serve you one - please, please. pleeeeeease ask Milan for one... illico! You shall be served - pronto!
You would think that Malkin and co. would be kind to players who have come back from concussion syndrome - just like their precious Sid The Kid finally did, after taking longer than anyone - save Marc Savard, maybe? You would think that Sid The Kid had been hit by Matt Cooke too...! He sure would deserve it, too... What was that, Sidney Boy: you shoved the opposing goalie, Tuukka Rask, after he blanked you and your entire over-rated team of punks with mercenary hearts and not much else to show for it: you, the purported poster boy of the league, the face of the NHL (a face that deserves to be bashed in considerably more than Brad Marchand's, I tell you now and I'll tell you again - in any hockey bar there is!) you showed no class, displayed no guts and proved to be nothing more than a sour puss sore loser on the grandest stage of all: the Eastern Conference Finals. You even shoved Tuukka Rask twice - because he did not accept your feeble attempt at intimidation with the first shove, he pushed you back and you came back to shove him more convincingly...! WHAT A TOUGH GUY! Try and do this with Zdeno Chara next, with whom you were having such interesting conversations but always from a certain distance - try and shove HIM like that, you coward!!!
Now how about Bylsma, the Pitt's coach - you better not take a page out of one of your predecessors-ancestors, DAN... We mentioned 1988 - flash-forward to 1991, and we have the same Cam Neely (now the fully empowered Cam ''The Man'' Neely) leading the Bruins' offense and single-handedly beating the Pittsburgh Posers that included Mario ''the magnificent'' and several other inflated egos who thought themselves to be greater than they truly were - ironically, that included even one Mark Recchi, who aptly replaced Marc Savard in the Boston Bruins line-up for the 2011 championship run. But that is another story... What did the old Badger do when he saw this? He dispatched the most despicable cheap shot artist he had at his disposal to ''take out'' the opposition's number one weapon, with a sneaky insidious knee-on-knee attack... Up until then, Neely was virtually scoring at will - much like David Krejci does, did in Game 1 against the Pitt's Posers, and will continue to do - heck, Krejci has 45 points in his last 45 playoff games! He's even more reliable than Neely himself, being a playmaker primarily, not a power forward like Cam redefined the role of, christening it in the process... Don't even dream of it, Danny Boy - because if you send anyone after Krejci, Nathan Horton will tear him limb from limb!
It was a wonderful sight to behold: David Krejci and Tuukka Rask silence the rowdy crowd at Consol Energy Center in the first game of the series. Boston proved they can beat you in so many different ways: with physical play, surely, but with finesse plays too. With teamwork, neutral zone entrapment and flawless defensive execution all throughout the game. With excellent coverage and even more excellent goal-tending! Any given night, any given game, it can be any one of the four lines scoring against you: and it will be so delightful when Jaromir Jagr breaks out with two or three goals against his former team! He doesn't have to score them himself though - he can always assist on Bergeron and Marchand goals! Or Lucic's... Or Seguin's... Or Krug's - KRUG THE BRUIN KING!
I have just had about enough of all this talk that "the Boston Bruins use intimidation to win their games, playoffs series, Cup championships..." - they simply play the damn game the way the damn NHL wants it to be presented as a spectacle ''different enough'' to have a chance of progressing in an extremely tough and competitive sports market in the damnable U.S.of A. - dammit!!! Anyone too blind to see that deserves only to be condemned to a lifetime of watching nothing other than curling and figure-skating - 24/7 - without the slightest chance of parole!
The fools who claim this do so, of course, on message boards such as those found on... NHL.com! What a coincidence... Some claim that the league plays favorites with the Bruins, due to the Bruins' ''Merlot line'' forward Gregory Campbell being the son of one Colin Campbell... I see no evidence of favoritism, any nepotism stemming out of that and, in fact, I see the league constantly being unfair to the Boston franchise just as they used to be back in the old Boston Garden & Harry Sinden days...! When a pro-Bruins commenter tries to post something, something totally devoid of cynicism, disguised profanity or ill-intent of any kind, it gets blocked by the so-called moderators - who then turn around and let a dozen inane and revolting bits pass by their ''keen eye for censorship''... MY FOOT! There is bias a mile long and if I didn't know any better, I'd say this crappy site is run by Montreal Habs-Not fans...!!! What with titles and headlines reading in such uninspired ways as ''Bru-te Force'' and ''Trouble Bru-in?'' when the Boston Bruins soundly defeat the Pitt Posers - how can anyone with half-a-brain even pretend that the nhl is biased towards the Bruins? It makes no sense whatsoever, you nhl ninnies! And by that I mean the FANS - of course!
I am through bothering to dignify such a lowly website, owned by such an abysmal league run by inept sapsuckers in it for nothing else than the money, with any of my commentaries! They will remain exclusively here - on B.D.! And if the masses miss them entirely - too bad for them and their lack of enlightenment...!
The wretched NHL sure missed their chance -once again- to make an example and send a message not only throughout the blasted league but throughout the world of hockey as well; they refused to suspend repeat offender Matt Cooke for his reckless play relapse... What they deserve to see now is one of the Bruins -Shawn Thornton, maybe- send Cooke to the hospital. But then they would suspend Shawn, I suppose...? For what, I wonder, Brendan "Blind Sonovabitch" Shanahan? Using his fists? Rectifying an oversight on your damnable part? DOING YOUR JOB FOR YA? And to think that I once wanted to see a guy whose initials are ''B.S." finish his uneventful career as a member of the Boston Bruins... He went on to become the ''senior vice-president of player safety"" instead, imagine that - and he can't even prevent things from happening, seize the opportunity to do so, when he can do so - WHAT A JOKE! Curse you, Shanahan - curse you to hell! Where Badger is, with Ulf - and his Cooke is heading there too!
Cooke and his idiotic teammates better ease off the Boston Bruins' best elements - and their most vulnerable -yet courageous and resilient- ones, such as Bergeron and McQuaid - or else, Pen Posers... You're going to be in a world of hurt, courtesy of the fists of Milan Lucic, Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell - to name but three possible providers of JUSTICE ON ICE!
Since the zebras and NHL hierarchy seem to be so devoid of any sense of justice...
;-)
No pun intended at all at the expense of one Charlie Simmer whom I knew first as Bruin, a teammate and, I believe, a linemate of Ken Linseman, Steve Kasper or some other hard-working type, and truly appreciated immensely as such - especially on one given night when the final score was, I do believe... Boston Bruins 7, Montreal Canadiens 3. Thanks again, Charlie, for scoring - was it two or three? It doesn't matter: what mattered was that there were ten goals and seven belonged to BOSTON!
It was around those same good old days, when the Bruins tied and then bested a record for most consecutive playoff appearances by any NHL team, challenged the mighty Islanders (who were right in the midst of their little ''dynasty run'' there...) and suddenly found themselves in the Stanley Cup Finals of 1988, led there by newcomer Cam Neely, the three aforementioned veterans, captain Ray Bourque and a duo of brand-new (for the team anyway) goal-tenders... It was around those days, aye, I remember it very well (okay; somewhat well? Well enough not to have to google the info and actually pen this aaaaaaaaaaall by sheer memory - yeah!) when JUSTICE ON ICE had to be administered by the players -still- because the NHL and its sorry bunch of nitwit referees simply could not do it... would not do it... or were a totally clueless bunch of buffoons completely inept at doing their job!!!
And so the Boston Bruins saw this sell-out jerk, Chris Nilan, injure their proud enforcer, Terry O'Reilly one day - hitting him when he was down. I remember Brian Curran, among others, going after Nilan the very next game the two teams played again. It was time to settle that score - and then, the obtuse refs intervened and stopped JUSTICE from being served - and they did that far better than they ever could stop injustice from occurring in the first place, ironically. Goons were targeting Boston's best players? The Bruins dispatched their equalizers - and it was dealt with appropriately. It was necessary to do so, because the good players certainly were not being protected by the farcical league - or their representative zebras, the obtuse refs. Gretzky had his protector - didn't Boston playmakers Craig Janney, Randy Burridge and Ray Bourque himself deserve protection as well?
But that was then - and this is now.
Has nothing changed in the God-Forsaken NHL?!?
When one sees the likes of Matt Cooke boarding someone from behind - and that someone happens to Adam McQuaid, the same Bruin who suffered a life-threatening injury back in September 2012. CBC.ca will report it as a ''season-threatening injury'' but really now: when your league is looking at a work stoppage, there won't be any hockey for months, you're diagnosed with a condition that causes dangerous blood clots to form in your body if you are severely hit (whether it is from behind or not matters not at this point) - it's not your season that is threatened: it is your very life! And yet, in four short months, Adam McQuaid underwent not one but two operations followed by an intense therapy in other to be in shape for the season, yes, the hockey season which finally started only in January after the wretched NHL and spoiled-rotten NHLPA finally worked out a ''deal''...
Now, you're a jerk who happens to be able to simultaneously skate and chew gum - you see this guy, who may still be pre-disposed to this horrendous condition's hazards, and you're going to slam him face first into the boards the first chance you get...?!? (And then peeps complained of the similar, but vastly different hit later on, when Boston's Marchand planted one on the Pitt's James Neal - who then proceeded to embellish it and fall all over the ice, trying, hoping, dreaming of being able to draw a 5-minute misconduct penalty too...! The hits were not the same; the parties involved neither - it was totally different in any imaginable way. But I am digressing now...)
This is not surprising, mind you - since it comes from the same dirty player -COOKE- who cuts opposing players' tendons with his skates (by accident, sure) and caused so any to simply stop playing, due to severe concussions... Need we remind the tragedy that befell Boston Bruins playmaker Marc Savard?
And speaking of concussions... What kind of ''all-star'' player are you, Evgeni MACACO Malkin, when you try to drop the gloves and go out of your way to finally punch someone, prove you're a man, be tough on ice as all hockey players should be but you never are, really... What kind of ''man', though when you pick as your sparring partner concussion-survivor Patrice Bergeron, of all possible opponents? And you really went out of your way to try and hit him too - with those little fists of yours searching for Bergeron's head, not caring one iota that here is a guy who's had been sidelined MANY TIMES with concussions... Maybe you want a concussion all your own, Malkin? Maybe Lucic can serve you one - please, please. pleeeeeease ask Milan for one... illico! You shall be served - pronto!
You would think that Malkin and co. would be kind to players who have come back from concussion syndrome - just like their precious Sid The Kid finally did, after taking longer than anyone - save Marc Savard, maybe? You would think that Sid The Kid had been hit by Matt Cooke too...! He sure would deserve it, too... What was that, Sidney Boy: you shoved the opposing goalie, Tuukka Rask, after he blanked you and your entire over-rated team of punks with mercenary hearts and not much else to show for it: you, the purported poster boy of the league, the face of the NHL (a face that deserves to be bashed in considerably more than Brad Marchand's, I tell you now and I'll tell you again - in any hockey bar there is!) you showed no class, displayed no guts and proved to be nothing more than a sour puss sore loser on the grandest stage of all: the Eastern Conference Finals. You even shoved Tuukka Rask twice - because he did not accept your feeble attempt at intimidation with the first shove, he pushed you back and you came back to shove him more convincingly...! WHAT A TOUGH GUY! Try and do this with Zdeno Chara next, with whom you were having such interesting conversations but always from a certain distance - try and shove HIM like that, you coward!!!
This is where I should credit NHL PROPERTIES - hmm?
Sid The Kid, at his most pathetic, about to be bitch-slapped...
And he will be - trust me - he will be!
No one will spare him from the lesson he deserves -
not Iginla, not Cooke - NO ONE!
Now how about Bylsma, the Pitt's coach - you better not take a page out of one of your predecessors-ancestors, DAN... We mentioned 1988 - flash-forward to 1991, and we have the same Cam Neely (now the fully empowered Cam ''The Man'' Neely) leading the Bruins' offense and single-handedly beating the Pittsburgh Posers that included Mario ''the magnificent'' and several other inflated egos who thought themselves to be greater than they truly were - ironically, that included even one Mark Recchi, who aptly replaced Marc Savard in the Boston Bruins line-up for the 2011 championship run. But that is another story... What did the old Badger do when he saw this? He dispatched the most despicable cheap shot artist he had at his disposal to ''take out'' the opposition's number one weapon, with a sneaky insidious knee-on-knee attack... Up until then, Neely was virtually scoring at will - much like David Krejci does, did in Game 1 against the Pitt's Posers, and will continue to do - heck, Krejci has 45 points in his last 45 playoff games! He's even more reliable than Neely himself, being a playmaker primarily, not a power forward like Cam redefined the role of, christening it in the process... Don't even dream of it, Danny Boy - because if you send anyone after Krejci, Nathan Horton will tear him limb from limb!
It was a wonderful sight to behold: David Krejci and Tuukka Rask silence the rowdy crowd at Consol Energy Center in the first game of the series. Boston proved they can beat you in so many different ways: with physical play, surely, but with finesse plays too. With teamwork, neutral zone entrapment and flawless defensive execution all throughout the game. With excellent coverage and even more excellent goal-tending! Any given night, any given game, it can be any one of the four lines scoring against you: and it will be so delightful when Jaromir Jagr breaks out with two or three goals against his former team! He doesn't have to score them himself though - he can always assist on Bergeron and Marchand goals! Or Lucic's... Or Seguin's... Or Krug's - KRUG THE BRUIN KING!
I have just had about enough of all this talk that "the Boston Bruins use intimidation to win their games, playoffs series, Cup championships..." - they simply play the damn game the way the damn NHL wants it to be presented as a spectacle ''different enough'' to have a chance of progressing in an extremely tough and competitive sports market in the damnable U.S.of A. - dammit!!! Anyone too blind to see that deserves only to be condemned to a lifetime of watching nothing other than curling and figure-skating - 24/7 - without the slightest chance of parole!
The fools who claim this do so, of course, on message boards such as those found on... NHL.com! What a coincidence... Some claim that the league plays favorites with the Bruins, due to the Bruins' ''Merlot line'' forward Gregory Campbell being the son of one Colin Campbell... I see no evidence of favoritism, any nepotism stemming out of that and, in fact, I see the league constantly being unfair to the Boston franchise just as they used to be back in the old Boston Garden & Harry Sinden days...! When a pro-Bruins commenter tries to post something, something totally devoid of cynicism, disguised profanity or ill-intent of any kind, it gets blocked by the so-called moderators - who then turn around and let a dozen inane and revolting bits pass by their ''keen eye for censorship''... MY FOOT! There is bias a mile long and if I didn't know any better, I'd say this crappy site is run by Montreal Habs-Not fans...!!! What with titles and headlines reading in such uninspired ways as ''Bru-te Force'' and ''Trouble Bru-in?'' when the Boston Bruins soundly defeat the Pitt Posers - how can anyone with half-a-brain even pretend that the nhl is biased towards the Bruins? It makes no sense whatsoever, you nhl ninnies! And by that I mean the FANS - of course!
I am through bothering to dignify such a lowly website, owned by such an abysmal league run by inept sapsuckers in it for nothing else than the money, with any of my commentaries! They will remain exclusively here - on B.D.! And if the masses miss them entirely - too bad for them and their lack of enlightenment...!
The wretched NHL sure missed their chance -once again- to make an example and send a message not only throughout the blasted league but throughout the world of hockey as well; they refused to suspend repeat offender Matt Cooke for his reckless play relapse... What they deserve to see now is one of the Bruins -Shawn Thornton, maybe- send Cooke to the hospital. But then they would suspend Shawn, I suppose...? For what, I wonder, Brendan "Blind Sonovabitch" Shanahan? Using his fists? Rectifying an oversight on your damnable part? DOING YOUR JOB FOR YA? And to think that I once wanted to see a guy whose initials are ''B.S." finish his uneventful career as a member of the Boston Bruins... He went on to become the ''senior vice-president of player safety"" instead, imagine that - and he can't even prevent things from happening, seize the opportunity to do so, when he can do so - WHAT A JOKE! Curse you, Shanahan - curse you to hell! Where Badger is, with Ulf - and his Cooke is heading there too!
Cooke and his idiotic teammates better ease off the Boston Bruins' best elements - and their most vulnerable -yet courageous and resilient- ones, such as Bergeron and McQuaid - or else, Pen Posers... You're going to be in a world of hurt, courtesy of the fists of Milan Lucic, Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell - to name but three possible providers of JUSTICE ON ICE!
Since the zebras and NHL hierarchy seem to be so devoid of any sense of justice...
NHL Properties - Boston Bruins
Go, Bruins, GO!
May 28, 2013
The Renewed Rivalry Dreamed For...
Both teams have defeated competition coming from New York on their way there: and both teams eliminated opponents hailing from Ontario too...
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...
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!
;-)
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