The Sports Hangout - Boston Bruins

Sox, Celts, Pats...But what about my B's!?!?

2008-08-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

If you spend any time by the water cooler, I'm sure you'll hear "What do you think of the Manny trade?", or "Do you think the Celts will repeat?", or "Do you think will the Pats go 19-0 this season?" Great topics for conversation for your average Boston sports fan, but one topic always seems to be missing from the water cooler conferences. And if you are a die hard fan of the local black and gold, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

While discussing the sports topics of the day at work, I love to throw out "what do you think of the Bruins signing Michael Ryder?" (Insert crickets sfx). No reaction...no comment. Just the blank stare I typically get when attempting to discuss the B's.

What has happened to our beloved hockey town? Now don't get me wrong, I understand why many fans jumped ship after Bourque was traded to Colorado, or when "God" aka Bobby Orr donned the Chicago Black Hawks uniform, or even when Espo was traded to the Rangers, but where have the rest of us gone?

The Bruins have raised ticket prices astronomically (avg 56.44 - 2007) over the years and have the reputation for letting every prospect/star leave town for when we are one player away from becoming a contender. So what if they never sign a super star goal scorer (ie: Marion Hossa) or have a winning season as often as we have a new president. They are the "Big Bad Bruins!" "Good Guys, Great Game."

Do you think Brady will win the MVP next season?

What else do I get with my ticket?

2007-12-19T15:36:00.001-08:00

If you're like me, it's difficult to shell out $450 to spend the evening at the TD Banknorth...Fleet...Shawmut Center Garden. I'll be taking my son to his first game this Saturday against the Blues and I know I will be spending a good portion of his college funds for our afternoon in the City. $200 for 2 tickets, $100 for food and drinks (probably by the first period), and $150 for souvenirs. Ouch!

Now I am devising a new proposal for our beloved Jacob family to make our experience a little bit better. With each ticket purchased should accompany some kind of perk.

For example...

For the $176.50 seats, we should be able to re-enact the Bobby Orr goal from the 1970 Stanley Cup with Derek Sanderson in the first intermission. Line 'em up and take your dive with Derek!

For the $101.50 seats, fans should be given headphones that convert the audio from the Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley broadcast to Fred Cusick and Johnny Pearson. It has never been the same without them.

For the $90.50 seats, fans should be able to meet the Jacob family to thank them for the several Adams Division Championships and not signing free agent goal scorers when they were one player away from several Cup opportunities. Fans will not have to pay for security or the state police.

For the $84.50 seats, fans should be able to throw objects on the ice like the good old days! Popcorn boxes, beer cups, Canadien fans hats!

For the $71.50 seats, fishing rods with hooks should be provided to allow fans in the Balcony the opportunity to steal food, beverages, and wallets from the rich bastards in the luxury boxes below.

For the $55.50 - $26.50 seats, fans should be given free binoculars so they can actually see the game.

For the $19.00 - $10.00 seats, fans should be given oxygen and a telescope. These seats are the equivalent of watching a Red Sox game from the top floor of the Prudential Tower.

My Bruins versus your Bruins

2007-12-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

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.