For the first time in their storied history, the Boston Bruins will play in a Game 7 for the Stanley Cup. And for the one millionth time in my life, I will be on the edge of my seat, watching every shift with nervous anticipation.
Every Bruins fan from Maine to Cape Cod has their own story, their own reasons why this game and this team matter. Yes, it's "only" a sport and yes we have seen an unprecedented run of success in this region over the last decade. But the Bruins are different.
In my years as a Bruins fan, I have always felt like part of a fraternity, a brotherhood of fans who skip the luxury boxes and corporate outings in favor of simply enjoying the sport. The Garden was never a place to be "seen". Jimmy Fallon never made movies on center ice as he did in Fenway. You don't have to walk past a Victoria's Secret to get to your seats as you do at Gillette. Hockey in this town is the last pure sport, the sport where hardcore, knowledgeable fans of the game converge and share their love for the game.
My earliest memory of the Bruins coincided with my first crack at Pee Wee hockey. The 1992-93 team was the first that I remember, an exciting team featuring Ray Bourque, Adam Oates, Andy Moog, Don Sweeney and my idol, Cam Neely. My first Bruins heartbreak came that spring, when they lost to the Sabres in four games. The six-year old version of me couldn't understand how the mighty Bruins, the same Bruins that kicked ass all season, could choke in the playoffs like that. Little did I know, this would be a running theme for the next 19 years.
One of the best moments came in the next season, when Cam Neely scored 50 goals in 44 games. Between him scoring and exacting revenge on Ulf Samuelson and Claude Lemieux for their cheap shots, Sea Bass solidified his spot as my favorite player. Unfortunately, Neely's unparalleled skill set didn't help the Bruins in the postseason.
They lost two years in a row to the Devils, then lost in 1996 to the Florida Panthers in their first year at the FleetCenter (Now TD Garden).
There was dissapointment off the ice as well early in the next season, when the Bruins traded Adam Oates, their number one playmaking center to the Capitals for Jim Carey (how bad was he?), Anson Carter and Jason Allison. The inept front office stylings of the trio from hell: Mike O'Connell, Jeremy Jacobs and Harry Sinden. I remember asking my dad why the Bruins made this trade and he couldn't up with an answer as to why the Bruins would trade their top playmaker for these guys.
The turn of the century produced more heartbreaks and head-scratchers. The beloved captain Ray Bourque was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 2000, winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in his illustrious career. This was a weird feeling. I was happy to see him win the Cup but I always thought that he would do so wearing the Black and Gold.
After losing Bourque, the Bruins lost series after series. First it was a loss to Montreal in the 2002 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, followed by a loss to the Devils the following year.
The 2003-04 Bruins team was a great unit, led by emerging superstar and former No. 1 pick Joe Thornton, speedy Sergei Samsonov, Bill Guerin and Byron Dafoe. New team, same result. I remember being in Amsterdam on my senior trip following the series from an internet cafe in my hotel room. The Bruins led the series three games to one but were never the same after Kyle Mclaren leveled Canadien Richard Zednik. The hit obviously rattled the Montreal fans, similar to the Chara hit on Pacioretty. The Bruins ruined their season, and almost ruined my senior trip. This started the dark ages for the Bruins and hockey in general in Boston.
After that epic choke, the NHL was locked out, turning many fans and media against the Bruins and the sport of hockey. Any hope for a resurgence in fan support was shattered when we jettisonned Guerin and Dafoe, as well as trading Thornton to the Sharks for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau. While Sturm would become more than serviceable, the trade turned people further away.
Realizing that, the Bruins started to assemble their current core, signing Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard, drafting David Krejci, Milan Lucic and relying on a thirtysomething year old journeyman goalie named Tim Thomas. With this core in place, the Bruins skated to a President's Trophy in 2008-09, swept the Canadiens 4-0 but blew a Game 7 at home, against the undermatched Carolina Hurricanes. The next year was worse.
Savard took a nasty hit from Matt Cooke, and the Bruins never really recovered. The Bruins won the Winter Classic in overtime at Fenway Park, in a game that I attended with my father. This was one of the best moments of our lives but the playoffs were not. They defeated Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabers in the first round but then suffered an epic collapse against the Flyers, blowing a 3-0 series lead and losing Game 7 at home. Oh yea, they were up 3-0 in that game too.
Things changed this offseason, when the Bruins drafted Tyler Seguin (thanks again Toronto), prompting the fans to sell out the Garden for a pair of rookie games. This year was an amazing ride, Tim Thomas was dominant, Chara was a Norris candidate and most importantly, the Bruins shook things up. A preseason trade sent Dennis Wideman to Florida for Nathan Horton and Greg Campbell. Rich Peverley came from Atlanta on a trade for Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart. Chris Kelly was also acquired from Ottawa, and Brad Marchand bolstered the lineup with his scoring. Tomas Kaberle was acquired at the deadline as well from the Maple Leafs.
These changes have helped change the landscape of this team and this city. Now these guys are one hockey game away from the holy grail of hockey: the Stanley Cup.
There are people who have waited way longer than me to see this team win a Cup, but tonight, we are all united. This team has the chance to do something special. Let's hope that our story includes a Bruins championship.
Follow @RyanBurns88
Tweet
No comments:
Post a Comment