"It just wasn't meant to be" - Lucic | BOS v ATL

Post game interview from 12/30/09, courtesy NESN:



I'll be the first to admit, I love Lucic. And this saddens me. Especially since the usually grinny Milan is not looking very happy at all during this interview. Is there still a possibility he could play tomorrow? Maybe. A very slim chance, probably <1%. Fourth line, limited minutes, who's to say? What makes me more sad is all the interviews he gave saying how he's never played an outdoor game before because it never gets cold enough in Vancouver. Keeping the streak alive, I guess? Here's to hoping the ankle is good to go tomorrow. If the Nor'easter heading towards New England turns to rain though, all bets are off. What happens if there's rain anyway? Is there a rain delay? Is the game postponed? Moved to the Garden? Has that possibility been prepared for? I'm curious. Snow? Awesome, make the players shovel. Rain? You can't stop play every 3 minutes to squeegie the ice off, and playing on wet ice creates way too many injury possibilities. But here's to hoping Looch is able to get into the game, if for no other reason than to put that smile back on his face, and break the "never played outdoors" streak.

In other news, the Bruins once again thrashed the Thrashers. Here's the interesting stat of the night. In 27:42 that Ondrej Pavelec played against the B's in the past 2 games, he allowed 6 goals on 18 shots, which averages to a SV% of .667, and GAA of 13.00. I'm thinking the Thrashers have his number, and he's hoping he never has to play them again.As it were, the B's have beaten the Thrash in 9 straight games. Shame they only play each other 4x a year. And like Jack Edwards says, 2 U's, 2 K's, 2 points, and another shutout.

David Krejci, Vladimir Sobotka and Patrice Bergeron were my personal players of the game. Krejci didn't put up too much in terms of the score sheet, but he made a lot of things happen, and I'm guessing he and Bergeron both put the excitement and sheer ecstasy of being named to their Olympic teams to good use in the game, especially after being embarrassed by Tampa the other night. Congrats to all the Bruins who've thusfar been named to their respective countries' Olympic teams: Zdeno Chara (Slovakia), David Krejci (Czech Republic), Marco Sturm (Germany) and Patrice Bergeron (Canada). Here's hoping Tim Thomas is named to Team USA.

Here's some photos from last night, courtesy Reuters, Getty, AP, etc.

Greatest photo sequence ever. Shame they weren't all shot from the same angle or I could've animated this. Or I could rip it off the DVD but I'm lazy and you got the Milan interview so be happy.

Winter Classic practice coverage on NHL Network right now if you're interested.

Figuring shit out

I haven't really known wtf to say about either the 'Hawks or Leafs games yet. I mean, Krejci was amazing in the Hawks game, and wow that building is quiet during play. It only really got loud if there was a good play, a hit, or a goal.  Then in the Leafs game, the B's came out hard, and the Leafs seemed pretty willing to keep giving them the puck. But yeah, I'm gonna blame the past two losses on Stuart, Wideman, Morris (HALF THE D-CORPS!) being out. I'm not going to finger point any particular player and say step it up... OK yes I am. Marc Savard, step it the fuck up already. This time last year you had 29 assists. Right now you have 8. You gonna let Big Joe outshine you like this? That's so not right.

There's also a little something that's been nagging at me. Three games Schenn sits out, the Leafs handily win two. His first return he plays 19:44, the Leafs lose. Second game, against the B's, he played 10:48, and they won. Stats don't tell all the tales, and his physical play was definitely up to par (I particularly liked watching he and Sobotka go at it (btw, it's Suh-boat-kuh, not Soh-bot-kah)), but it's little things like that that make me curious. Can one defenceman make that much of an impact on a team's W/L record? I know THREE can. Or the absence of three.

Also: RE Boychuk's hit on Stajan... first off, Happy Birthday, Matty! Keep your head up. Secondly, yeah I can see how people would say, it was a headshot, Johnny should be suspended, but he shouldn't. Stajan had his knees bent, he was in a defencive crouch stature, his head was down, and Johnny's kind of tall. He didn't leave his feet until the contact had been made and STAJAN NEEDS TO KEEP HIS HEAD UP. Especially in the neutral zone, c'mon. That's where the greatest open-ice hits happen! I will say I'm confused why Chara didn't get a penalty after the ensuing melee, and it's always nice to see Komisarek bleeding. But that was just a game lost due to inexperience on the blue line. Hunwick, Chara and Ference can't do it all alone. Tuukka needs his guys in front of him knowing what to do.

In other news, what's the word on who's going to be in net for the Classic? Here is what I think. Timmy, I love you, I really go - GO CATS GO! - and I get that you're the current Vezina winner. But right now, last night excepted, Tuukka has the hot glove. Unless that goes downhill significantly over the next week and some, I really think Rask should start. Now maybe they can switch off halfway through? But that makes it more of a ... "we're not so serious about the 2 points as we are the novelty of being in Fenway." It's a tough decision that'll have to be made. And we'll see over the next 5 games who plays their way into the spot. But man I'd hate to be either of those guys right now.

Pictures later. I have windows to cover with insulating film (YAY SNOW!).

Milan Lucic pulls a fast one

Go read this.

Now I bring you evidence of Looch's mischeviousness:


(Sorry about the quality. I'm still learning the different settings on my new video program.)

OK that was pretty slick. "I'll stay in Boston for the roadie, work out, maybe start skating soon. Oh hey look! Legends first skate at Fenway! I can get into that! I'm totally going." I admire him for going in his kicks and not on skates, just in case. This must be one of the greatest days of his life. I love this guy's moxie.

Stuff about the game later. Photos courtesy bruins.nhl.com and video courtesy NESN.

I bring you some funny

No B's or Leafs games this week, although quite a bit of news, but I'm not what you'd call "a news source," so why bother trying to be the 2nd person in the world to re-phrase and re-post a Google alert? You, my readers, are intelligent peeps. I'm sure you'd know stuff without me having to inform you. So instead! I bring you funniness!

First off, Milan Lucic explains to Maxim magazine why getting punched in 30f/-1c weather sucks. While watching, some of you may recall my rather graphic physics lesson in my earlier post. Aha! Found it on YouTube!



Next up, from MLIA (if you don't read this site, you're banished from my blog until you do):

Today, I was watching an NHL game, in the backround you could hear Party In the USA playing at the rink. The camera zoomed onto the teams captain, he was singing along to the song. MLIA

Who was it? Who so badly represented their team's C that they sang along to MILEY CYRUS ON CAMERA?? They better have daughters, whoever they are, because that's the only acceptable excuse for knowing the words to that tramp's songs. Britney, however, is perfectly acceptable.

Third, I heard, as I'm sure you all have, that Mark "Ironman" Stuart is out 4-6 weeks with a broken sternum. And kept playing the remainder of the game AFTER breaking his sternum, at full throttle. That's not the funny part. I also read that he's in a body cast. Still not the funny part. Wondering if said body cast included the aluminum props to hold his arms to the side, I googled "sternum cast." Here comes the funny part. Click that link. For the low-low price of only $40 you can buy a cast of a human hand in puzzle form! For another $20 you can get the hand already put together. I'm considering purchasing one of these for the next time someone asks me for a hand.


By the way, if you were wondering WTF a sternum is, it's the dagger-shaped bone at the front of your chest that steadies your ribs in a protective cage around your heart. And yes, playing with that particular bone broken is foolish and a little reckless, but when are hockey players NOT a little foolish and reckless when it comes to winning games? Does anyone know what a broken sternum body cast looks like? Photos appreciated. Poor Stuey. He had 246 consecutive NHL games played, including playoffs, until, well, tonight. I believe Krejci is the next guy on the team with the Ironman record: 192 consecutive NHL games played, 93 of those with a badly injured hip. Go Krejc go!

Lastly, Mr Luke Schenn will be giving up his press-box seat in favour of a uniform tonight vs. the Sabres. There's a nice article in the Sun about his return, and frankly? I would LOVE to see what would happen if Crazy Ron slapped him upside the head. Anyone else think Luke would punch him as strictly a reactionary measure? I hope Luke used some of his time off to visit a boxing gym and learn how to properly make a fist and throw a punch. I will congratulate Luke on nailing some of the best hockey cliches while being scratched. In my Milan Lucic is to Bill Clinton as Sidney Crosby is to Hilary... Luke tends to fall more on the Hilary side of wooden-ness with the media.

But no, seriously. Who the hell was singing Party in the USA? Have them stripped of their captaincy immediately unless they have daughters.

"...forward Wozniewski..." - TSN

Per TSN, the Bruins have recalled forward Wozniewski and d-man Adam McQuaid as a result of placing Milan Lucic on IR. Four weeks after he injured himself. I get it. They don't want to put Wideman on IR despite what's quite possibly a broken foot (Marc Savard, same shot, sound familiar?), so when Lucic is ready, and it's sounding like he'll be ready for the Classic for sure, if not a game or two prior (hopefully), both get sent down. Wideman gets a few-game break, the team gets two easy healthy scratches (no offence boys, if you're reading), and in possibility, neither Sobotka nor Paille have to be sent down when Looch returns. A forward has to be recalled for a forward, and D for D. I wonder if Wozniewski is any better playing forward. Every time I hear Wozniewski's name, I confuse him with James Wisniekski and get a tiny bit psyched. Not so much by the +/-, but the points!

But then I remember.

I hope this is the shortest IR possible. What's that, 3 days?

Bruins v Flyers: Classic Preview Video Highlights

All videos courtesy (except the very last one) NESN. Sorry for the questionable quality. I burned the DVDs on the wrong setting. 

Item the first: Dennis Wideman doing what a defenceman does, and taking a few for the team, + interview



Item the second: David Krejci's had enough of Danny Briere:



Item the third: Vladimir Sobotka's no goal/goal + interview



And lastly, the best commercial that's been on TV in a very, very long time:



You know you were singing along, don't lie. Video courtesy Heineken.

Classic Preview: Painful

I'm not really sure what to say about last night's game. Was it an awesome game? Absolutely. It would've been a lot more awesome if the Bruins actually played the last 20 minutes of the game, but what can you do? Dennis Wideman was out for the third due to his super-human shot-blocking and penalty killing in the 1st (place your bets now: lower body pays out 3:1, broken foot pays out 5:1) so the D was shortened to 5, but that's still not much of an excuse for the Flyers having the puck in the attacking zone for most of the 3rd. There were just too many mistakes in that period.

On top of that, what the fuck was up with the refereeing? Who paid those refs off? They better not be the guys calling the Classic, cause there were about 8 bullshit calls, starting with Vladimir Sobotka's goal that was called dead. That was a goal. Period. The puck was clearly across the line before the goal came off its posts, and before the whistle was blown. The goal post wasn't knocked off until the puck hit the back of the net, and the whistle wasn't blown until the puck had circled the inside of the cage and was on its way out again. Vladi made sure the 2nd one counted, but the loss of that first goal was a blow to the team, and helped create a mind-set that the calls were not going to go their way.

"No goal" my ass.

Goal love = goal.

Add into that, Danny Briere under-arming David Krejci's stick and taking him for a ride and not getting called, Marc Savard getting smacked in the forehead with (I believe) Hartnell's high stick and not getting called (listen, say what you want, but something made his helmet move, and it wasn't his own glove because the helmet moved before he grabbed his face).

Can someone explain to me why the play was called dead when the Bruins sent Tim Thomas to the bench for a 6th attacker during the delayed call for the 5-on-3, giving the B's 6-on-4 once Savvy hopped the boards and came out. The B's sent it tape to tape 5 times in their own zone, and when Savvy touched the puck, the play was blown dead. What the fuck? The substitution player touching the puck is the only reason anyone can figure why the play was killed, that or the Flyers not attacking the play. But it makes no fucking sense. It was a game of blown calls.

But blown calls can't be used as excuses. It happens. All the time. Instead of evaluating the use of the trapezoid and head shots, the GMs and the powers-that-be in the NHL need to start evaluating refereeing, and the lack of consistency, especially in big games (which last night was not, I will admit), but if there's shitty refereeing in the Classic, against the Bruins, the blue-collar B's fans will rise up as one and riot, and force the NHL to evaluate the quality of game-calling.

My personal favourite moment of the game as watching David Krejci shake his glove like he was about to drop it and go after Danny Briere after Briere dropped his stick in the first, challenging Krejci. The look in Dave's eyes was one of ... well I've never seen him look like that, and I've seen all his games since he made the show. He had one fight in the Q (Rimouski, if you're keeping count, and that was v. Kyle Doucet), and one with the P-Bruins v. TJ Fox - two guys I've never heard of. Then again, I don't follow WC teams. So who's to say. But in 174 NHL games, Krejci hasn't had a single fight. Last night, Briere almost pushed him to breaking that record. I would love to see Krejc take on Briere. I'm pretty sure Krejc would make St Danny wear his ass as a hat.

So yeah, the Classic should be great. I'm willing to bet that it'll be the first classic with fighting and blood. And I'm also willing to go out on a limb and say, given the cold, and the physics of cold and glass... if Lucic can get enough velocity and speed, and catch him just right, Looch is going to knock either Hartnell or Pronger through the glass. Who wants in on that bet? Just remember, the colder the ambient temperature is, the tighter the skin cells become, and the higher the chances of the slightest contact causing a skin-split, and gushing blood, even from the smallest cut. This year's Classic has a high probability of being the most classic Classic to be played. It's definitely the biggest rivalry of the three played thusfar, because the Flyers and Bruins HATE each other. Let the blood-lust begin!

I'm gonna rip some stuff out of last night's game because of their interesting-ness, and post them up on YouTube in a bit. But here's one for the books: Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley ran into Lucic during the 2nd intermission, and he said this was the kind of game he was dying to play. Everyone keep their fingers crossed that Looch is raring to go on the 1st, because it won't be very Classic without Big Bad Looch.

It's beginning to look a lot like hockey!

Milan Lucic on VH1

Enjoy!

The good and the bad

Good

FWH long-time friend Robbie Schremp scored his first NHL goal tonight against Vezina-winning goaltender Tim Thomas. You go Tater Tot! Keep 'er up! Just not against the B's, eh? Love you!

Signature Schrempie knee-drop fist-pump.

Now THAT'S goal love.

Bad
Luke Schenn is a healthy scratch. Was it the turnover that led to Krejci's goal that sealed the deal? I'm not sure. I took way too much joy in the Bruins' win to notice any additional mistakes he may have made. I just hope that this serves to bolster him and strengthen his resolve, rather than weaken him further and rattle him and his game.

 

Sad Luke. =[ At least he has on a new suit?

Thanks to Sasky for the screen cap.  

Re-post: Army Rangers to Present Flag

I'm just copy/pasting straight from the Bruins site. I'm a Navy girl, but this is awesome. Excuse me, I think I have something in my eye.

Army Rangers to Present Flag

Mark Stuart will receive Bruins flag from soldiers.

Thursday, 12.10.2009 / 9:34 AM / Boston Bruins

BOSTON, MA - Eight soldiers from the United States Army Rangers will present a Bruins flag to defenseman Mark Stuart prior to Thursday’s Bruins/Maple Leafs game in a special pregame ceremony at the TD Garden. From February 2, 2009 to September 11, 2009 the Bruins flag was carried into battle with Bravo Company 2-35 Infantry, 3rd Platoon, 25th Infantry Division United States Army during combat patrols supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"This Boston Bruins flag represents the trademark of the Big Bad Bruins, past, present and future," according to Sergeant Lucas Carr, one of the soldiers from Bravo Company presenting the flag to Stuart. "It marks our steadfast devotion in the call to duty on the fight against global terror and the vindication of the thousands of innocent people that perished during the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001."

The members of Bravo Company that will be participating in the pregame ceremony are SGT Lucas Carr of Boston, SSG. Mark Sollars, SGT. Andrew Zinkievich, SGT. Andrew Rindflesh, SGT. Alick Holland, SGT. Brian Saminego, SGT. Adam Whitney, and SSG. Zach Plante.

Stuart purchased $5,000 worth of tickets to the Bruins/Panthers game on November 12 for military members and their families, as part of the team’s "Military Appreciation Night."

It's beginning to look a lot like hockey!

Ooooooooooooover at Fenwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.

SO EXCITING!!!! 21 days to go!

It's the little things that bring me joy

With about 1:49 remaining in the 2nd, and :16 in Toronto's power play, the puck in their defencive zone, Phil Kessel has the puck against the boards. Marc Savard skates all the way across the sheet to throw himself at Kessel, then turns and skitters away to the bench for the change. Kessel turns around, ignoring the puck and the play, and starts chirping Savard. Hey listen, you little snot-nosed punk. You chose to leave. And the boys announced they were going to make your life hell every time you came back. You think because he centred you for 2 years, Savvy's gonna take it easy on you? Grow up. Count your stars that Looch is out right now or you'd be Van Ryn revisited.

Marc Savard, you are totally my hero. I hope you were chirping Kessel while throwing yourself at him. Also I love that Savard doesn't hit, he throws himself at people. Not unlike how he throws himself at the glass after a goal.
 
Big things make me happy too, and let me just say, that robohip David Krejci got during the off-season is really working out for him. Someone put him in an All-Star game. The kid is FAST. He spun Schenn around to leave him on his knees, outskated Kaberle without even trying, and gave every Bruins fan in the world a taste of the skill and talent that's bubbling just below his calm, shy surface. That goal was a thing of beauty and set my heart aflutter. Oh the dekes! Oh the fakes! Oh the wicked forehand he just snapped past Toskala. Was that 7-hole? I think it was!

Toskala is rather askew.

Goal love! Toskala quenching thirst.

And hey, listen, Jamal Mayers? Mark Stuart is going to hand you your ass every time. Just let it go. But thanks for the entertainment!

THAT is how you throw a punch.

Phil Kessel is going to be chirped, booed, and serenaded every time he sets foot in the Garden for the rest of his life. And I could not be happier for that. KesselMania? I think not. KesselFail more like.

I can't wait til Looch is back on the ice and raring to go against Komisarek. Looks like Toronto is suddenly as big an rival as Montreal, if not moreso. When do these two teams play again?!

Psst: It's behind you.

Also, for your pleasure and information, Don Cherry will be manning the NESN desk with Kathryn Tappen and Mike Milbury on 12/30, for the pre-game analysis, and for the 1st intermission, which will be a Bruins-centric Coaches Corner. I can't fucking WAIT. I hope Tappen does as she says she will and just sits back and shuts the fuck up because there is not a THING she can contribute while sitting next to those two great hockey minds. Set your Tivos. 12/30, BOS v ATL. There might be a shoe-beating, who's to say?

Note to self: Save cocky blog posts for after the game, because the opponent will sense said cockiness and set out to shove my foot into my mouth. But thanks to the B's for stepping it up and getting it done. Nice try, Leafs.

Lastly, with tonight's win, Tuukka Rask is 9-2-2 on the season, the best start for a B's goaltender since '73-'74.  God I love Finn goalies.

PS: Yahoo!FAIL:

Um.... pretty sure the only thing Milan Lucic was playing tonight was Brickbreaker on his Blackberry during TV timeouts. Good job using the team's media darling to bring in more clicks, though. Sneaky bastards.

PPS: With Ray Emery on the shelf for 6 weeks with a bruised ego, am I the only one waiting to see how long it takes for Philly to trade for Ty Conklin? It's just not outdoor NHL hockey if Conklin's not playing, and hello - opportunity is knocking!

Looch rocks 30 Rock, TOR v ATL

It really pains me to do this, but Getty/NHLImages are getting really anal about releasing their photos to ANY free photo sources, so ... here's some pictures of Milan Lucic at 30 Rock today in NYC. I'm sorry about the watermarks. I hate them too.

Had to include the last one to give appropriate props to his snazzy and well-chosen outfit. Am I the only one wondering if the camera guy's about to get run down by a yellow cab? You know, it's funny. Mr Charismatic, Milan "The Camera Loves Me" Lucic, actually looks awkward and slightly uncomfortable and hella overwhelmed. In the States, you don't get much more famous than having your face bigger than life in the front display windows of NBC Studios in Rockefeller Center. Welcome to super-stardom, kiddo.

Also! Tonight the 15-8-3 Thrashers visit the ACC to take on the 8-13-7 Leafs. I'm not entirely sure what to say about it, but I'm pretty excited for the game, and I'm curious which Leafs team will show up to play - the team who got raked/blown/crushed by the Bruins, or the one that took the Caps down a notch. I'm just really hoping that whatever team it is, they fight the good fight and don't sleep their way through 60 minutes while the Thrash put on a clinic (See: Leafs @ Bruins 12/5/09). However, this I know: there will be two guys on the ice called "White" and for some reason this makes me laugh.

Milan Lucic: Media Appearance Darling

If you love Lucic, as do I, then this is your lucky week! With the Bruins having the week to get through before playing the 2nd of a home/home-and-home, and the apparently quite-minor high ankle sprain injury (kid's already taken off the boot!), Looch is having a media frenzy. So to say.

Tomorrow, if you happen to be in NYC, Looch will be at the NHL Store (1185 Avenue of the Americas) for what nhl.com is calling a "Q/A Session," from 5-5:30pm EST, which will be something similar to this:

And while in the City, Looch is going to stop by the VH1 studios to talk about the Classic for the Top 20 Countdown show. I'm not sure if he'll be helping count down the Top 20, or if he'll just be a filler or bumper, but Milan Lucic. On VH1. Awesome. The show will air on Saturday at 9am EST. Set your Tivo now!


On Wednesday, Looch, Tim Thomas, Patrice Bergeron, Z, and Marco Sturm (nice representation of all their nationalities except Czech - did Krejci pass on his 7th required public appearance?) will be hitting the Target (LOVE Target!) in Woburn MA (101 Commerce Way) to go Christmas shopping for kids who can't go home from hospital for Christmas. I love hockey charities. They're so awesome. Each guy gets a wish list from each of the participating hospitals. And there is hilarity to be had because, hello?

LOL 1: I know it's a media thing too, but the jersey kills me. Like anyone in New England who saw him would not know who he is.

LOL 2: "I am NOT wearing the hat."

LOL 3: The oblivious couple behind him, studying alarm clocks and iPod docks as intently, while Looch confusedly tries to pick a portable CD player.                                          

LOL 4: Are his fingers pinned between the handle and metal gate?

So there you have it. Loochapalooza. Dig it.

Phil who?

Welcome back, your dreams were your ticket out.

Welcome back, to that same old place that you laughed about.

Well the names have all changed since you hung around,

But those dreams have remained and they're turned around.

Yeah we tease you a lot cause we've got you on the spot, welcome back.

Kessel: Oh hey Marco, great to see you buddy!

           Good luck tonight, haha, you'll need it.

   Sturm:  Bereiten sie zu sterben.                          
(Prepare to die)                       

 

Yet another awesomely bad hockey player commercial

I'll give Looch props. His delivery is a little wooden, but his facial expressions are awesome, and you can tell he's speaking memorised lines, not reading a teleprompter. So in carrying with the tradition of sharing with you awesomely bad (although in this case, bad meaning good) hockey player commercials, I give you:

Milan Lucic pimping TTC

Thanks to HubHockey for digging up this gem. If you actually go to the YouTube site, you can find out why the video game looks so ghetto, which is kind of brilliant, IMO.

Here's to hoping Marc Savard shows up next doing an advert for the Ed Hardy Home Collection!

7 + 28.05 + 200 = EPIC WIN

Marc Savard just scored his 200th NHL goal on the eve of re-upping with the B's for 7 years at 28.05m, taking less money than he'd been getting in his current contract, and this is the single most amazing quote I've heard about the re-signing, and I really have to share with my 11 followers:

Savard freely admitted to the media at Wednesday morning’s press briefing he could have entertained more lucrative contract offers had he hit the open market following this season. Toronto, for certain, would have been more than willing to show Savard the money and reunite him with wayward winger Phil Kessel.

But it was an option that the 32-year-old center gave exactly zero thought to while pledging allegiance to the Spoked B – an action that’s effectively thrown down the gauntlet for the rest of the team going forward.

You can read the rest of the article here. But reading between the lines? TAKE THAT, PHIL KESSEL!

Savvy Signs for Seven

I'm kind of in the middle of a move so this'll be short and sweet (just like Savvy himself!). Marc Savard signed a contract extension today with the Bruins for 7 years, $28.5m. What does that say? It says that, just like Krejci, and unlike the winger who fled to Toronto, guys who want to play here, who want to stay in Boston, and stay Bruins, are willing to take less money to get it down. Because let's be honest. Anything over a mill is really just gravy.

Love you Sav! Thanks for staying a Bruin!