Da B's
If you're a Boston Bruins fan (yes, I'm addressing all 50 of you), this is arguably the most exciting off-season in years. Coming off a disappointing post-lockout season, the Bruins have been doing everything right to bring their franchise back to life AND attract fans. Let's take a look.
Bring on the staffing changes
Head Coach Mike Sullivan can't be solely blamed for the Bruins' troubles this past year. When two of your best players are traded mid-season in a wave of panic, the situation doesn't look so good. Unfortunately for, well, everyone involved (except possibly the two players themselves who were probably conflicted with The A-Rod-while-on-the-Rangers "Shit, I'm on a cruddy team and there's no way we're making it to the playoffs" Syndrome) , Sergei Samsonov went to the Edmonton Oilers and Joe Thornton headed to the San Jose Sharks. (Yes, he was the captain of the B's. Imagine Jason Varitek being traded in July because the Red Sox weren't looking so good. Ridiculous, right? Or better yet, imagine that the Sox's one-two punch guys, Manny and Ortiz, were BOTH TRADED because the rest of the team wasn't producing. Again, ridiculous.) Sure, Thornton was overpaid and not producing as well as the team would have liked, but the B's didn't make it into the playoffs. Actually, they ended the season with the fifth-worst record in the league. GM Mike O'Connell was fired after their season imploded, and now Sullivan is gone. But things are looking up with interim GM Jeff Gorton making some great moves for the team and Peter Chiarelli officially taking over those duties on July 15. Gorton will remain on staff as Assistant GM and continue to be a valuable asset. And now, Dave Lewis (an edgy, no-nonsense guy who's just what the Bruins need) has joined the organization as head coach. Sure, owner Jeremy Jacobs and his less-than-popular staff (including son Charlie, who's the Executive VP of the organization) are still in power but a new GM and head coach are here to give some hope.
New blood
Yes, Samsonov and Thornton are gone. Time to welcome Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard to the team. Chara comes to the B's as one of the best available free agents this off-season. Quite a feat for Gorton to land him, and it has Boston all abuzz. Chara is one of the league's best defensemen (standing at 6'9") and routinely logs 30 minutes of playing time a night. He joins Paul Mara and Brad Stuart to make a nice little defensive staff for the Bruins. As for Savard, he (finally) brings a second scoring center to the team. He's joined by recently acquired Mark Mowers, who, as a former Red Wing, was most likely recommended by Dave Lewis, a former Red Wings coach who must have a good bit of confidence in Mowers. As for goaltending, we'll see what Hannu Toivonen can do coming off an ankle injury. There's always prospect Tuuka Rask, young but promising.
Oh, and that Phil Kessel kid they just drafted. He's pretty good, too.
Here's an idea: Let's NOT alienate the fans
The Bruins made a wise decision in executing a complete overhaul of the team. Yeah, you could look at it as a "We didn't have much of a choice" situation, but it was SUCH a good move in attracting fans. This looks like a new team, fresh and ready to dominate after a terrible season. They're not overpaying for players past their prime. They're not holding onto aging guys like Shawn McEachern and Travis Green but instead buying out their contracts and aggressively going after valuable free agents. This team is proving to fans that it DOES care and DOES want to make a decent playoff run, if not go all the way. The upped salary cap definitely helps and the B's are also willing to spend the money.
The head coaching change was key, too. Like I said, it wasn't all Mike Sullivan's fault that the team sucked it up, but leaving him in charge would have proved a questionable move for the franchise and possibly ostracized already frustrated fans. Let's compare the situation to another Boston team: Do you keep Kevin Kennedy as Red Sox manager after a horrendous year? Do you hold on to Grady after he blows the season? Exactly. Bruins fans needed hope in the form of a new guy like Dave Lewis. With the new NHL rules and wide open playing style, which allows players to truly show off their ability and make hockey more tolerable to watch on TV, I decided to attempt to become an NHL girl this coming season. (Hey, college hockey is great but I need something else to follow when there's no baseball.) But I drew the line: I didn't want to follow the B's if Sullivan was sticking around. I can't fully explain it but this team is going in a new direction and Sullivan's exit was a necessary part of the overhaul.
*****
So bring it on. Let's win the Stanley Cup. Let's see more Chara jerseys around Boston this October than Ortiz ones. The Bruins are back in action and I'm hungry for some hockey.
Bring on the staffing changes
Head Coach Mike Sullivan can't be solely blamed for the Bruins' troubles this past year. When two of your best players are traded mid-season in a wave of panic, the situation doesn't look so good. Unfortunately for, well, everyone involved (except possibly the two players themselves who were probably conflicted with The A-Rod-while-on-the-Rangers "Shit, I'm on a cruddy team and there's no way we're making it to the playoffs" Syndrome) , Sergei Samsonov went to the Edmonton Oilers and Joe Thornton headed to the San Jose Sharks. (Yes, he was the captain of the B's. Imagine Jason Varitek being traded in July because the Red Sox weren't looking so good. Ridiculous, right? Or better yet, imagine that the Sox's one-two punch guys, Manny and Ortiz, were BOTH TRADED because the rest of the team wasn't producing. Again, ridiculous.) Sure, Thornton was overpaid and not producing as well as the team would have liked, but the B's didn't make it into the playoffs. Actually, they ended the season with the fifth-worst record in the league. GM Mike O'Connell was fired after their season imploded, and now Sullivan is gone. But things are looking up with interim GM Jeff Gorton making some great moves for the team and Peter Chiarelli officially taking over those duties on July 15. Gorton will remain on staff as Assistant GM and continue to be a valuable asset. And now, Dave Lewis (an edgy, no-nonsense guy who's just what the Bruins need) has joined the organization as head coach. Sure, owner Jeremy Jacobs and his less-than-popular staff (including son Charlie, who's the Executive VP of the organization) are still in power but a new GM and head coach are here to give some hope.
New blood
Yes, Samsonov and Thornton are gone. Time to welcome Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard to the team. Chara comes to the B's as one of the best available free agents this off-season. Quite a feat for Gorton to land him, and it has Boston all abuzz. Chara is one of the league's best defensemen (standing at 6'9") and routinely logs 30 minutes of playing time a night. He joins Paul Mara and Brad Stuart to make a nice little defensive staff for the Bruins. As for Savard, he (finally) brings a second scoring center to the team. He's joined by recently acquired Mark Mowers, who, as a former Red Wing, was most likely recommended by Dave Lewis, a former Red Wings coach who must have a good bit of confidence in Mowers. As for goaltending, we'll see what Hannu Toivonen can do coming off an ankle injury. There's always prospect Tuuka Rask, young but promising.
Oh, and that Phil Kessel kid they just drafted. He's pretty good, too.
Here's an idea: Let's NOT alienate the fans
The Bruins made a wise decision in executing a complete overhaul of the team. Yeah, you could look at it as a "We didn't have much of a choice" situation, but it was SUCH a good move in attracting fans. This looks like a new team, fresh and ready to dominate after a terrible season. They're not overpaying for players past their prime. They're not holding onto aging guys like Shawn McEachern and Travis Green but instead buying out their contracts and aggressively going after valuable free agents. This team is proving to fans that it DOES care and DOES want to make a decent playoff run, if not go all the way. The upped salary cap definitely helps and the B's are also willing to spend the money.
The head coaching change was key, too. Like I said, it wasn't all Mike Sullivan's fault that the team sucked it up, but leaving him in charge would have proved a questionable move for the franchise and possibly ostracized already frustrated fans. Let's compare the situation to another Boston team: Do you keep Kevin Kennedy as Red Sox manager after a horrendous year? Do you hold on to Grady after he blows the season? Exactly. Bruins fans needed hope in the form of a new guy like Dave Lewis. With the new NHL rules and wide open playing style, which allows players to truly show off their ability and make hockey more tolerable to watch on TV, I decided to attempt to become an NHL girl this coming season. (Hey, college hockey is great but I need something else to follow when there's no baseball.) But I drew the line: I didn't want to follow the B's if Sullivan was sticking around. I can't fully explain it but this team is going in a new direction and Sullivan's exit was a necessary part of the overhaul.
*****
So bring it on. Let's win the Stanley Cup. Let's see more Chara jerseys around Boston this October than Ortiz ones. The Bruins are back in action and I'm hungry for some hockey.
posted by Pam at 3:13 PM
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