R2G3 - Bruins v Flyers in photos

Just for a point of reference vs my Tumblr blog. All photos © Reuter's, Getty Images and the Boston Bruins.

  

 

Matt Hunwick: Goodbye to you!

Today we awaken to a world where Matt "Munch" Hunwick is no longer a Bruin. For this, dear friends, I do not shed a tear. Don't get me wrong, Munch is a cutie:

But in hockey, cute only goes so far. He was always on the rush, generally beating the forwards to the crease, but with little to show for it. In 164 games in the NHL, he has 13G and 32A for 45P, along with 76 PIMs and 150 SOG.I know, I know. You can't look at a defenceman's numbers and say how good or bad he is, except for the hits numbers, which NHL.com either stops counting or I forgot how to find them. But let's celebrate Munch for a few moments because as his quote on leaving the B's was:

“It’s an Original Six team with great fans,” he said. “I grew up watching the Bruins. Growing up in Michigan I had a chance to watch the Bruins on Hockey Night in Canada, and from the time I was drafted until today, I’ve loved every minute of being a part of this organization.

“It’s been great. The city is phenomenal and I love living downtown. It’s been a great experience overall, and that’s what makes it so disappointing.”

Oh Munch. I have the snifflies now. Here's a few pictures of him to celebrate his time with the B's.

But let's be honest. This hippie will probably be better off in Denver with his university BFF Kevin Porter.

 

 

Seeya, Munch.

Whoah, it's summer....

What's up, blog world? Welcome to summer, wherever in the real world you may be. I'm currently sporting sunburn (base tan?) #7 of the season, so clearly, it's been hot here for a while.

I know, I know, it's not OFFICIALLY summer until the SCF is over, but you know what? I honestly couldn't give a shit less about who wins it this year. I'm pissed off the Bruins fucked themselves out of their shot, and I'm happy it's not freakin' Detroit or Pittsburgh again. Other than that, I don't care.

A lot of bloggers are going through and grading the players on their season's performance. I'm not that kind of blogger. I mean, I'd be more than happy to give some grades, but I'm not gonna do any in-depth posting on why, nor giving an entire post to one player ('cept maybe Lucic. Or Krejci...). So here's my bare-bones thoughts on the tragic ending of a tragic season (at least it was consistent).

Marc Savard, was the veteran in the situation. Blaming Sobotka for the too-many-men penalty is bush league. He should be ashamed of himself. I'm not wearing his jersey again until November, unless he does some pretty spectacular shit in the opening month of the season. I'm not above hopping back on the Savvy bandwagon a little early.

The real Milan Lucic showed up in the playoffs. Where was he prior to that? Sure, playoffs give you the adrenaline and the push you need to do what needs to get done, but it would've been nice to see the beast in the regular season. Bring the playoffs-Looch back for next season. Not the injury-prone Looch.

The real David Krejci showed up with about 3 weeks left in the regular season. The Olympics brought out the best in him, and if he'd had the ability to pick up the entire Czech team and carry them to gold, he would have. But he can't be a goaltender, too. If he hadn't been injured, he would have added even more power to the team that won World's. Small consolation.

Dennis Wideman and Matt Hunwick, what the fuck? One of you is going to be gone next season. You only have yourselves to blame.

Johnny Boychuck, you are made of awesome. Am I the only person that's ever noticed that before every slapshot goal, he spins his stick in his hands? This, I believe, is the key to the goal. Not sure why, maybe it's the momentum. But for a journeyman everyone kept confusing with Zach Boychuk (maybe it was just me?), this guy's got the goods, and I demand he remain in Black and Gold for years to come.

Perhaps it is time for Zdeno Chara to step down as captain. Let Patrice Bergeron wear the C. I'm not necessarily talking shit about Z here, but he did not step up during playoffs, and aside from a soundbite after every game, there didn't appear to be a lot of captaining going on from #33.

Following that, Bergy, epitomizes the heart and soul of the Bruins. I can't fucking wait until next season to see what he's ready to do. Here's to hoping he has a team full of awesome to work with.

To all of the Bruins, Savvy excluded, I'm ashamed and hurt that so little was done in retaliation of Cooke's hit on Savard. Michael Ryder in particular.

Tuukka was the man for sure, but in this blogger's opinion, he was ridden a little too hard, too soon. Next season, I suggest doing what was done in 08-09, and splitting the games between he and Timmy. It's the logical solution.

Shawn Thornton, you keep being you.

Why couldn't Miro Satan play in the regular season like he did in the playoffs?

Vladimir Sobotka, welcome to the NHL. Keep on keeping on, but keep a closer eye on the line changes. If Vladi keeps playing the way he did this season, he should also be in the lineup for years to come. His points could come up, but he needs to consistently play centre for this to happen and not be stuck haphazardly on the wing every other game.

Marco Sturm's OT GWG in the Classic is all I really have to point to.

Dennis Seidenberg, we hardly knew ye. But what we saw was pretty tight. Bring back some more next season.

Mark Stuart and Marc Recchi, I love you both.

There were other guys on the team, but I can't remember who right now (hi, headache), so I'm wrapping up my summary now. Bruins' overall grade: C+ regular season, B+ playoffs.

The B's signed defenceman Yuri Alexandrov today to an entry level contract ($730k cap hit for next season). The only thing I can think of when I hear his name is this:

For full context, here's the video:

Game 7 in pictures

There are no words. They say a picture says a thousand words, so here's a few thousand.

Onto Round 2

Those aren't spirit fingers!

THESE are SPIRIT FINGERS!

Playoffs note!

Dear readers, please don't be fooled by my lack of updates. I'm following the team. Rather religiously, one would say. I am worshiping at the altar of the Spoked B. I am just painfully superstitious, and not posting a damned thing until the series ends, one way or the other. Because as we know, it's all about me, and I do not want the weight of Bruins Nation on my shoulders. Nor the fury. That said, let's go Bruins!

Also, I'm a lot more active on Twitter if you're interested enough. http://twitter.com/roundthewaygrrl

O hai, I have a blog....

Sorry. Some personal crises been goin' on lately. I'm sure all 12 of my faithful readers missed me. My bad.

So much shit has happened in Bruins hockey. And also there was Olympics! How is Matt Cooke still playing hockey? How did Mark Stuart get a skin infection on his hand? Did you know Patrice Bergeron is one of Boston's Sexiest People? David Krejci is smirky that the "Euro Line" is kicking ass. I would be too if I had his point spread across the past 12 games. What's he at now, like 19? 21? Milan Lucic found his game again. Marc Savard is so sorely missed. Tuukka Rask has proven to be awesome (and hasn't thrown a milk crate in over a year!). And the Bruins are playing in my local area tonight. A game I can not watch because DirecTV and Comcast hate each other. It didn't occur to me to try and go see practice until well after noon.

Someone said to me the other night, hey, just remember what RJ Umberger said about the Caps. I hadn't heard what he said in the first place, so that got me nowhere, but apparently he said, if you play a defencive game against the Caps, you'll win. Shut down their O, their goaltending can't hold up, and Mike Green is only one guy. That's great, and I totally paraphrased there, but um. The Bruins have 3 defencemen right now with any experience. Four if you count Tuukka (which really, we probably should). Except Johnny Boychuk is still a rookie, and Dennis Wideman - I preface this by saying I love Dennis as a player, when he's playing well - seems to have forgotten how to play defence half the bobbles too many passes. That leaves Z. The man is Hercules, but tonight and Sunday against the Caps with no glimmer of returning-defenceman-hope, the guy's going to be putting up 30 minutes a night easy. I'm exhausted just thinking about that.

The bottom line here is, the B's have to win both games against the Caps (and the other two they've got until the regular season ends) to keep hockey going. Is that the NESN slogan? No wait, that's keep something alive. Whatever. But the next 4 are pretty much must-wins, and no one likes to be facing that. And there isn't really much blame to be laid here, not individually. Injuries ruined the hopes we all had in September -- it'd be easier to count the games when there were no injuries, than count the man-games lost to injury. I think there were 4. It's a painful reality to accept, but accept it everyone must - from the players to the fans to management to the coaching staff. Do or die time, guys.

And here, have a photo of Tuukka and Stu pretending they're BFD. Hah, I made a double-entendre. Picture snagged off the B's site

I've been sick, things happened.

Yeah sorry about not updating since whenever. I've been pretty sick. The Bruins have been pretty laissez-faire. The Leafs, while I don't really give too much of a crap other than about Schenn, have been downright fucktacular. So what's there been to write about. Let's see, I think I can sum up every thing I've missed in a few bullet points.

• Milan Lucic came back from his high ankle sprain and it's taken him about 6 games to start rounding back into form, and took I think 5 for him to score. 
• Marc Savard came back from a tweaked MCL and it took him one game to set up Lucic, and to get the 17-91-81 line back together. Please note: I will never, ever, ever NOT find it hilarious that 17-91-81 is back together with SATAN on the 81 jersey. Irony is my favourite mistress. 
• Marco Sturm came back from something or the other and scored in his first game back.
• Patrice Bergeron came back from a broken thumb and scored in, I believe? His first game back. 
• David Krejci did an almost admirable job of centring the top line whilst the other top centres were out.
• Vladimir Sobotka was awesome.
• Marc Recchi should never be allowed to take faceoffs unless someone else is tossed out of the circle.
• Somehow the Bruins beat the Sharks while missing their top 3 centres, and 3 of their top defencemen. Zdeno Chara taking a slapshot from 15' away in the shootout was one of the greatest things ever.
• Everyone hates Dennis Wideman. I don't. I think he is still pretty great. He's just having the same shitty streak half the team seems to be having. What's up with some dumb bitch going to the PJ Drive and asking him to sign a "How to Skate" book and nagging him about how he sucks? I don't see her out there playing in the NHL. Nice fanship, twatwaffle. 
• I think the Leafs won a game in January.

Then there is the oft-churning rumour mill spouting that the Bruins are looking to pick up Ilya Kovalchuk and/or Dion Phaneuf, with the word in the pipeline that Atlanta wants a player, a prospect, and a pick for Kovy. First off, I find that hard to believe. Unless the player is like, Evgeni Malkin. If Kovy came to Boston, the only untouchable player  in the trade coffers would be Marc Savard, because the whole point of putting Kovy in Black and Gold would be to reunite that scoring tandem. Add in the fact that there's no player on the current roster that any GM in his right mind would give up, that would free up enough cap space, and that Chia-pet has already said there's a better chance of the Leafs winning the Cup this year than there is of him trading that pick he got for Kessel.... Kovy ain't coming to Boston.

And then I come online before dinner to find out the Leafs made a blockbuster trade for Gigurere and Phaneuf. And really, all I have to say about that is, maybe Jason Blake can get some colour on his pale ass out in California, and thank fucking GOD Phaneuf isn't going to Boston. Someone let me know when Burke fires Wilson and I might start paying attention to the Leafs again. Poor Luke Schenn. On the plus side, at least for Schenn, he's now got a new buddy (who's been assigned straightaway to the Marlies) in the system in Keith Aulie, former Wheat King and teammate of a one Brayden Schenn. Find the positives where you can, people.

The Bruins have actually started playing really well, and frankly would've won last night if Thomas' backward momentum on Dustin Brown's shootout goal hadn't slid him and the puck into the net. The Bruins SHOULD have won that game, all things considered. Yeah, sure, they only really delivered about 50 minutes of 65, but you can see last year's Bruins finally starting to come back together. God damned shame it's taken 4 months of the season. And with 2 points separating 6th from 12th in the Eastern Conference.... it should be a fun spring.

Lastly, I would like to say that I love Jack Edwards. No one has more fun than him. And Andy Brickley who has the joy of sitting next to him night in, night out, often wondering when he'll get that 7 second delay and a censor button. Here was last night's (and probably the year's) GEM from Edwards, to kick off the overtime period:

"Krejci and Wheeler are the forwards for Claude Julien in this overtime, with Matt Hunwick and Johnny Bucyk on defence." Insert very long silence where Brick must have just been staring at Jack open mouthed while Jack waited for him to say something, then he realised his mistake. "Oh! I mean Boychuk. Haha, I bet Johnny Bucyk wishes he was out there, eh? Well, they're both from Edmonton, there must be some relation somewhere down the line."

The caveat in this is that, yes, Bucyk and Boychuk are derivatives of the same Ukranian last name, bastardised upon entry into North America, and while I suppose at first glance, the two look similar, I can't really figure out how one could forget that Johnny Bucyk hasn't laced 'em up for the Black and Gold since 1978, and was actually a left winger, not a d-man. But hey, whatever, you win some, you lose some. Well played though, Jack.

Up next for the Bruins are the mighty Caps, who will be missing defenceman Mike Green for the game, who threw an irresponsible peoples' elbow at someone's head and got himself a 3 game suspension. Here's to hoping last year's Bruins show up for this one as well.

Congrats on your 3 wins in January, Boston!

But I'm not all doom, gloom, and sarcasm. A friend of mine found the greatest photo ever of Marc Savard, and I will share it with you, because that's how I do. While probably the most innocuous split-second in a long-forgotten game, this, people, is the reason to get into sports photography. Because every once in a thousand photos, you get something like this:

And that, my friends, is a beauty.

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.

Supporting Schenn | Tonight is what Tivo is for

There's a super nice (SHOCKINGLY) article on Luke Schenn in this morning's Star. Someone in Toronto make a sign and take it to the ACC tonight for warmups, and hold it right behind Ron Wilson's head. It should say "YOU NEVER BENCHED WITTER!" Also potentially appropriate, "CAN'T FIRE WILSON CAUSE YOU HIRED HIM FOR TEAM USA? GO CANADA!" I'm just saying.

Get those little digs in where you can, Torontonians, because Wilson sucks as a coach. Can he just get the sack and Burkie ring up Tim Armstrong and have him come take this dude's place?  If CR belongs behind any bench, it's with a big fat ASSISTANT before the word coach. I can't figure out where the hell Army went after the Capitals switched affiliations from Portland to Hershey, but if anyone can lead the Leafs out of the valley and closer to the mountaintop, it's this guy. The first year he coached in Portland, the Pirates went from 12th in the conference with 80 points, to 1st in the conference with 114. I can't remember subsequent seasons, or find ANY information on him on the internets - TIM ARMSTRONG WHERE ARE YOU? Because I sense another Bruce Boudreau situation waiting to happen should Timmy get the call. Make it happen Burkie. The world will forgive you even though you hired Wilson to coach Team USA. But let's be honest, Team USA ain't winning gold anyway. It'll be Canada and Sweden in the final, mark my words.

Sorry, I digressed. We were talking about Luke. Don't bench him. That's the bottom line. He's a fragile little bunny right now, trying to find his confidence and his game again. You really think benching him will give him "the ability to watch the game from up high" and let him lick his wounds? WRONG. That's what IR is for. You just don't do that to a potential franchise defenceman. Case in point: Steve Eminger. Go look him up. He was supposed to be one of the Caps' franchise defencemen and then bounced all over the place after Wilson fucked him up too.

I can go on about this all day, can't I? Here's Luke looking pretty cause all the ladies in the place, I'm callin' out to ya'!

Anyway, tonight is the kind of night Tivo was made for. The Leafs are taking on the WORST team in the league (ha ha Carolina, HA HA!), and the Bruins are down in Atlanta taking on the 4-win-streak-having Thrashers. Plus Lucic and Savard are rumoured to be game-time decisions. With Savard being higher in the "rumour" category than the "reality" category, but no one be surprised if Savvy takes to the ice for warm ups, cause that is just the kind of guy he is. Wysh, over at Puck Daddy, wrote a pretty interesting article about the return of the Lord and his protector. Give him a read. Just skip the parts where he quotes Kathryn Tappen.

So here's what I'm thinking, if you're a betting kind of fan. Keep Schenn in uniform and let him build some confidence against a shit team. I put the line on this game at 4, and I suggest you take the over. Bruins in Atlanta, with a returned Lucic, and possibly Savard taking the warm-ups, this'll have a HUGE psychological impact on the B's so I'm setting the line at 6, and definitely take the under.

THANK YOU TIVO, FOR BEING INVENTED, SO I CAN WATCH ALL THE GAMES. AMEN!

Saturday Night sucked.

One minor complaint I have about loving the Bruins and Luke Schenn is that, the B's and Leafs somehow managed to get nearly identical schedules for the duration of the season. How am I supposed to be a good cougar and watch Schenny play when the Bruins are playing at the same time?! Thank god for opening ceremonies EVERY GAME at the ACC (or so it seems), and staggered start times, and commercial breaks. I still haven't quite figured out the length of LeafsTV commercial breaks yet though, so I'm missing important things. Or unimportant, depending.

But Saturday night, I was pumped. It was supposed to be grrrrrrrrrrrreat! The B's taking on the Pens, whom they'd JUST shut out earlier in the week, and the Leafs welcoming the Flames into the ACC (Side note on why this was great: Kipper's GAA in the ACC lifetime is ~5.42) was filled with promise. And it was 80s night at the ACC! WENDEL CLARK! TRUCULENCE! I felt my heart swell watching Wendel not only beat ass, but pot a shitload of goals. Luke Schenn I hope you were watching, young man! THAT is how you do it. Someone set up a meeting with Luke and Wendel. I think that can help his confidence a lot.

Moving on before I fangirl like a teenager who likes Twilight.... So the game starts. And the Flames put up 2 in like a minute in a half, :16 apart. Oh. Shit. But hello pugilists. Was I the only one laughing at Olli Jokinen dropping his gloves? Has anyone ever seen a Finn fight (Tony Salmelainen not included)? I'm trying to think of badass pugilistic Finns, and I'm failing here. Someone help a sista out.

But oh blessed relief, the B's game was about to start. So I'm working my remote-control magic, caressing the remote and flipping at every stoppage in play and every commercial. And holy fucking shit the Bruins and their O! David Krejci, marry me! I love you! I love when you set up beautiful goals put in from the goal line. And I love your goal celebrations! And I love that you and Sobotka were on the 5-on-3 PP towards the end of the 3rd together (well played Coach!). I can't lie. At some point during the evening, possibly once Monster was pulled in favour of Toskala (yeah, I see the irony too), I kind of just gave up on the Leafs, relying on my friends online to tell me when to flip to catch Luke looking truculent. Because the Bruins! They were playing catch up with the Pens every few minutes. It was like watching ping pong. Not that I've ever done that sober, but whatever. And when Timmy stopped Crosby towards the final few minutes, oh dear god how I love this team.

AND THEN THE BRUINS TOOK THE LEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE GAME, with 2:29 to go! Danke, Marco! Then Bylsma pulled Johnny out of the net and put the 6th attacker out, and was I the only one waiting for Timmy to shoot for the empty net? He'd been wandering almost up to the blueline all  night and I felt like it was in preparation for something, and MAYBE THAT SOMETHING WAS AN EMPTY NETTER! HERE WAS HIS CHANCE!

And then.... then it all fell apart.

Patrice Bergeron was moving to take a shot at the empty net from the blueline and HIS FUCKING STICK BROKE. HIS STICK BROKE! RIGHT IN FRONT OF CROSBY, MALKIN AND GUERIN! Sweet bleeding Jesus, those are the last 3 guys you want to have an equipment malfunction in front of. And sure enough, the three raced up ice with the puck and with 00:00:00.04 left on the clock, Guerin snapped it high stick side, tying it, and leaving every Bruins fan in the world with a slack-jawed look wondering, what the fuck just happened? No seriously, what the FUCK just happened?

Just when you thought, well it'll be okay, OT, the boys're pretty good in OT, just, for the love of the lord don't let it go to the shootout cause Julien kind of sucks at picking his shootout snipers. And then Timmy wandered into the trapezoid. And Dennis Wideman, who in all fairness should not have been on the ice, what, having taken a slapshot IN THE FOOT in the 3rd and was shown beating his head on the dasher in pain, missed Jordan Staal coming around to steal the puck from Tim, who got sort of caught up on his own pipes, and Pascal Dupuis just hit the layup right into the open net and the green light turned on.

I'm still wondering what the fuck just happened. I'm sort of over it, cause tonight it's the Isles. But you know what? Let's take a look at the positives that came out of Saturday night, shall we?

LUKE SCHENN GOT HIS GAME BACK! Seriously, Ron Wilson if you don't keep Schenn and Gunnarsson together, I'm coming up to TO and keying "you still suck Crazy Ron" into your car. OK no I won't, but I will think about it for a long time! These two played together the same way Luke and Tyler Myers played together in Kelowna. There was instant chemistry there that hasn't been apparent yet between Schenn and ANY of the d-men he's been paired with, no matter how much he can learn from them a veterans. What have we learned from this experiment? Keep the younger guys together, and look - they stay at an even +/-. Who knew?

Also, Phil Kessel, way to keep trying to carry this team on your back. This is unnatural for me, not talking shit about Philly. But I'll give credit where it's due. But Ron Wilson, I mean it, mister! You know I mean business! You keep those boys together and your blue line will improve. OK well, I mean you have 2 other pairings you've gotta worry about but I propose you put Beauchemin and Komisarek together AND LEAVE THEM TOGETHER, and then I guess White and Finger, and just let Ex stay upstairs. I'm sorry, I spent too many years watching Ex lose games for the Thrashers. His play appalls. I am appalled. It's appalling.

David Krejci got goal #2 on the season, and assist, what, 5? He's finding his groove again. I give it another 5 games before he's back into last season's form, and 7-8 before he's showing us what he can REALLY do while healthy. AND! Milan Lucic showed up in the NESN studios during the 2nd intermission to promote Travis Roy's Fenway Winter Classic charity raffle. We all know I love Looch so it was like Christmas for me. Except.. well. OK I like what Looch was wearing, but I have to admit, he's kind of pushing the mobster look a liiiiiiittle too far here. It's a nice shirt but um. Well you guys can decide for yourselves what you think about this:

Keep in mind that Looch's nickname is Gino, and just go ahead and let your mind wander from there. Way to live up to your nickname, big guy. Drop it like it's hot and get your ass in the lineup on Thursday and all will be forgiven.

So! In my way, instead of dwelling on the negative (FUCK YOU, COMPOSITE STICKS!) I will instead ignore everything crappy that happened Saturday, and post some pictures highlighting the positive. Enjoy. Photos courtesy Reuter's and Getty and maybe AP. All rights reserved, etc.

 

 

Apparently David Krejci didn't actually score, since there's no photos of it. ANGRY FACE! Bring it tonight, Bruins.

OH OH! I almost forgot! Word on the street is, Marc Savard will be signed to a contract extension right around American Thanksgiving. Can I get a WHUT WHUT HOLLA HOLLA BLING BLING?! Wooooord up!  Best. News. Evar.

Lastly (hah, yeah right, we've met, you know me and my PS's), if you're into this sort of thing, go over and check out The Handsome Man's Guide To Life where a totally hetero man posts and reviews the fashion wins and fails of professional athletes, and also talks a lot about the Leafs. I have a sneaking suspicion it may be Sean Avery in hiding, but he's funny, so I'll let that suspicion slide by the wayside.

One more year in the Blue, dear friend.

Kari re-signed. Terms undisclosed.

Bruins are hosting the Winter Classic.

Today is a good day.

Olympic lure hooks Savard

Before we get into Savvy being great, there's things I do want to write about eventually about the Thrashers. But I'm kind of keeping it to myself for right now and just watching what they're doing as I form my thoughts. Actually, life's just gotten super busy so it's more like finding time to think. But um. Yeah. Hey did you change your hair? It looks rilly good!

And of course... good job keeping the throat guard on Kari. How long'd that last? 2 weeks? 3? I feel you. I dunno how anyone wears them, they drive me crazy. Have you considered a kevlar turtleneck? No? Just a thought.

Anyway, back to one of the ones we let get away:

Olympic lure hooks Savard

By ROB LONGLEY, TORONTO SUN

Last Updated: 22nd January 2009, 3:41am

Yes, it's early, and Marc Savard knows he may not be near the top of the average Canadian hockey fan's list of Olympic prospects.

And, yes, he knows there is a lot of hockey to be played over the next year and a lot of hype before the torch is lit in Vancouver.

But when the league takes an extended break next February, not for an all-star game but for the Olympic Games, the Ottawa native suddenly may be a name familiar to Canadians coast-to-coast.

"(The Olympics) are always in the back of my mind, especially with it being in Vancouver," Savard acknowledged yesterday as the Bruins prepared to face the Leafs at the ACC. "I've got some family there. It would be one of the highlights of my career if I got the chance to play for Canada."

With training camp still months away, it is anything but a short list that Steve Yzerman and his staff are working. And as a smallish centre, the 5-foot-10 Savard might have to move to the wing to get his shot.

There is no denying, however, that he's making his case. Prior to last night's action, Savard was a league-best plus-29, dispelling an old knock that he can't play defence.

As well, his 55 points this season not only lead the Bruins, but are tied for third among Canadian-born NHLers, behind only Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby (60) and Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf (56).

"I think he has earned (the attention)," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "Since last year, he has shown he is capable of playing a good two-way game. The criticism he was taking at one point, he kind of silenced that and has kept on doing it this year."

He also has been a testament to perseverance. When discussions about the 2006 Canadian team began, Savard was just starting to play for his third NHL team and finally exhibiting the scoring touch that made him a junior star with the Oshawa Generals.

The New York Rangers, who took him in the fourth round of the 1995 draft, dealt him to Calgary in 1999 and, after a so-so stint there, was traded to Atlanta in 2002.

After a breakthrough 2005-06 season in which he scored 28 goals and 69 assists, Savard was a sought-after free agent. At the time, Savard was public about his desire to come to Toronto. There was a reluctance on the part of Maple Leafs management, however, because of the perception that his 97-point season as a Thrasher was largely the result of being on a line with Ilya Kovalchuk.

So, on the same day the Leafs signed Pavel Kubina, the Bruins landed Savard and the now 31-year-old has been the B's leading scorer ever since.

While the hockey world can't generate enough buzz over John Tavares these days, Savard has one up on the junior sensation. When starring for the Gens, he compiled a club-record 413 points. Before being dealt to the London Knights earlier this month, Tavares was at 381.

"That one is still mine," Savard said. "Good thing he got traded."

NO MIRAGE
Good thing Savard landed in Boston, too. He may have been a late-bloomer, but he also has shown that his big Atlanta campaign was anything but a mirage. Earlier this season, he celebrated his 600th NHL point and has 17 multiple-point efforts in his first 47 games.
"It took some time, I learned along the way," said Savard, who produced 78 and 96 points in the past two seasons. "I've had some ups and downs. I'm happy where I've got to, through hard work."

As much as he would revel in the opportunity to play for his country, in what will be a most anticipated series of games on Canadian soil, he is doing his best not to look too far ahead.
And he knows that the success he has in Boston may earn him the first-class ticket to Vancouver.

"Right now, I'm focused on the Bruins," Savard said. "As long as I play hard here, hopefully I will get noticed and get the chance (to be an Olympian.)"

The B's keep winning; Atlanta Spirit sucks

And really, thank god about the B's, because if they'd lost to Habsy and his cult, I'd be distraught.

Here's the awesome front page of NHL.com - Z being the lead story!

So here's Stu talking about his throw-down, which I thought was awesome. Way to step up and fill in for Luc!

And here's the fight, along with the rest of the highlights. Hopefully including Timmy popping Andrei Kostitsyn or whoever the hell it was that banged Ward into the glass:



ETA: Here's Timmy taking out Andrei:



I think Timmy is my new hero. And I think ALL goalies should start banging more players. You want to make the game more exciting? LET THE GOALIES HIT!!!

Now for those of you who still come here for Kari and/or Thrasher stuff... I'm breaking up with the Thrashers until the organisation gets its head out of its ass and starts running the team like, I dunno, A FUCKING NHL HOCKEY TEAM, and not, let's say, a beer league run by a bunch of cokeheaded drunks who love to sit around and talk about the good old days when they were relevant. You know what would help the team a lot? A GOALIE COACH. IT'S JUST A THOUGHT. SINCE EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE NHL HAS ONE YOU FUCKING LOSERS. Marting Brodeur, arguably the best goalie of this generation, HAS A GOALTENDING COACH. You can't expect ANYONE to get better at what they're naturally good at, without coaching in guidance. You get to the NHL the same way you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice. And that practice, learning, and improvement has to continue. Which it won't, without proper coaching. Way to go, Atlanta Spirit, you cheap bastards. You have now become the model for how NOT to run an NHL team.

And I have a bunch of pictures of Mistah Lehtonen from Casino Night, but I've gotta be real with you here. He's miserable in every fucking picture. Every smile is forced, I have not seen one photo of him yet where he's actually looking at the camera, and has a real smile. So I'm not posting them. I'm not spreading the misery around for all to see. You my faithful readers, are smart smart people. If you want to see them, I'm sure you can find them on ye ol' Intarwebs.

No wait, I lied, because I wanted to show this one picture, because (A) It's the closest Kari comes to a real smile, and (B) this is the most awkwardly uncomfortable photo I have ever seen in my life. And I've seen and been in many. But this photo could not be any more forced (photo courtesy TammyMoose):

It looks lovely at first glance. A very nice photo of the Johan Hedberg and Kari Lehtonen, the team's beloved (?) goaltending tandem. And then you start reading the body language, and it all unravels verrrrrrry quickly.

Get it together Atlanta Spirit. If you don't know how to run a fucking hockey team, I'll buy it off you for $50 and some BBQ ribs. Because I am about 1,000,000% certain that I could do a better job of owning a team than this group of don't-give-a-fucks. You know how? I'D HIRE A FUCKING GOALIE COACH TO START!

Anyway, B's are flipflopping at the top with the Sharks, who need to go on a damned losing skid already, Luc might be back for the next game (fingers crossed!), Bergie's skating again and feeling good (toes crossed!), and playing with Marc Savard appears to make ANYONE look good.

Tonight is the first Thrash game since that clusterfuck on ice that was the Kittens game. If there's a time for redemption, and a team against which to find it, that time is now, and that team is the Sens. Get it done, boys.

Sweet lord the B's are dropping like flies

Phil Kessel is now on IR with mono. Seriously who goes on IR with mono? I've never had mono personally, so I have no idea what it's like, but is it really an IR and not a day-to-day? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY WHO THE HELL IS GOING TO PLAY WITH SAVARD?! EDIT Kessel's expected to be out up to a month, according to Chiarelli.

..... A MONTH!!!!! FROWNY.

In other news, Kevin Regan, Tuukka Raask and Saint called (back) up, Matt Lashoff, Tuukka Raask, and Kevin Regan have been sent down. YEAH YOU READ RIGHT. I'm not entirely sure which goalie is still here though, it's all very confusing. Can't C make his mind up?

Does anyone have news on Lucic? And his "upper torso" injury? Why is that always in quotations? Does the guy have a sinus infection or something?

Anyway, no seriously, B's play the Habs tomorrow night and they're down 2/3 of their top line. GET WELL SOON KESS! YOU TOO GINO!

Gather round my loves, it's picture time!

B's pull a sweet win over the Sens (I rather enjoyed how the B's toyed with their emotions, letting them think they MIGHT have a chance to win, then RIPPED all hope out of their hands with the Savard goal!) and was the first team to reach 30 wins this season, having done it in 42 games. Well played, Bruins, well played indeed! Kari got his 1st shutty of the year, 12th of his career, Jimmy Slats had possibly his best game of the year, and holy shit the Thrashers potted 4 goals, and played some damned good defence. Slap my ass and call me Charlie! Although someone, perhaps Valabik as he seems to have learnt and settled down a bit, should take Boults aside and have a word with him about how to pick your battles.

Anyway, moving on, moving on. Look. Teh pictures! So pretty! If ANYONE has a photo of Savvy doing the glove pump up towards the crowd after his goal, I will be your best friend forever, and talk about how amazing you are to my crowd of 9 faithful readers, and then they too will love you! Oh and also, check out this great article on the B's!

As always, pics resize to 1024 etc etc etc. Don't you guys know this by now??

Goal!

Another goal!

 

Goal love!

More goal love!

And even MORE!

This team scores a lot...

Thorty puts it to Neiler

Smoosh

Smash

And POW!
I love that Z's laughing at Fish.

---

Kärrrrrrrrrrrppä!

Army thought he could fly... or something?

Russian/American goal love. I love this game!

I THINK Boults is trying to hug Oyster.

Save

Save

Another...

Y uno mas

Man it's like all this guy did all night was stop pucks!

.... oh wait.