My Bruins versus your Bruins

Did you ever think we'd see the day when the Red Sox and Patriots would win their respective titles before the Bruins? Not me. Not when Craig Janney was making passes to Cam Neely like magnet and steel and Ray Bourque was patrolling the blue line. I remember 1988...Janney scores and the Bruins take the lead 5-3. My cousin actually started to choke on bread right after Janney scored the goal to put the Bruins in the Finals. My uncle kicked him so hard in the ass that it dislodged the blockage. I digress. I finally had the opportunity to shut my father up who had not stopped talking about Bobby Orr since 1978. Don't get me wrong, Bobby Orr was the greatest hockey player of all time, but I could not hear "when Bobby Orr played" anymore. Enough was enough.

Nineteen years later, I can still hear my dad saying "if Bobby Orr was playing today, forget about it!" I agree...forget about it. Now I tell my son stories about Cam Neely...44 goals in 50 games. A man who could score, check, fight, and intimidate better than any forward I have ever seen. The only difference between my beloved 1980's Bruins and my Dad's "Jesus Saves and Espo Scores on the Rebound" Bruins...2 Stanley Cup titles to 2 Stanley Cup appearances. My Dad is up 2-0.

My son is 5 and might grow up with the names Lucic and Bergeron. I keep hearing how Milan Lucic is going to become the next Cam Neely...forget about it. I hope he becomes half of what Neely was, but he's only 19 years old. Call me in 5 years. If he can put 50 goals on the stats sheet, we can talk. But he is one tough SOB. He would make guys like Stan Jonathan, Terry O'Reilly, and Wayne Cashman proud. Milan looks like a true Bruin.

Now let's discuss the 2007-2008 Bruins. They play with passion and fire under Claude Julien and actually back check. It's nice to see a winger supporting his defenseman in the Bruins zone. But what this team has in spirit, they lack in talent. They don't have the goal scorers to take them deep into the playoffs. Their leading scorer, Chuck Kobasew, has 12 goals for the season. Good production from a scorer, but they need more than that to be a legitimate contender. Glen Murray is starting to get hot and Marc Savard is playing sharper than ever. Auld has been a great surprise and Tim Thomas has been solid in net. They should be a lock to be in the playoffs, but they need to be more aggressive in the slot to defeat teams like the Senators and the Habs. If they can make it out of round one, I would consider this season a success.