It's about time...

1992 was a really long time ago. It really was.

That was the last time the Boston Bruins were in the conference finals. I was too young to remember or care, but it's exciting now.

1972 was even longer ago. That was the last time the Black and Gold won the coveted Stanley Cup, as champions of the National Hockey League.

This is my fist post about the Bruins since the season started. I said back then that the B's had a lot to prove, that there would be high expectations, and failing to live up to those expectations could and should lead to people (coaches, general managers, captains, goaltenders, etc.) losing their jobs with the organization.

I was hesitant to post anything more during the roller coaster that is the regular season. There were times when I thought Coach Julien deserved credit for the team's stingy defense; and there were times that I thought he should have been fired for, as team president Cam Neely eloquently put "trying to win games 0-0."

The team looked impressive against teams like Chicago and Vancouver, but looked like a high school team in their two games against Detroit. They had some exciting games against Montreal and Philadelphia, which would set the stage for the early playoff rounds.

As the Bruins prepare for their first conference finals in 19 years, it is important not to be content with this level of achievement. They have a series against the Tampa Bay Lightening which they are capable of winning, and anything can happen in the Stanley Cup Finals. While we wait for Game 1 on Saturday, let's take a look at the highlights of the Bruins' season thus far.

Tim Thomas. Timmy is back. After an injury-plagued '09-'10 campaign, The former Vezina Trophy winner showed why he was once the league's best goalie. At the age of 37, he had a career year and has performed well in the playoffs so far as well. This season may not have been Tuukka time, but he will get his chance someday, too.

Marchand Emerges. Brad Marchand had a terrific rookie season. The little agitator that could never seems to give up on the puck, and is always giving it his best effort when he is on the ice. He was certainly a pleasant surprise.

Strart, Wheeler, Hunwick, and Sturm Out, Kelly, Peverley, and Kaberle In. The Bruins made some big trades this year with Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley, and Tomas Kaberle donning the Black and Gold sweaters for the first time this season. Although Kaberle has not performed the way he was expected to, Kelly and Peverley have exceeded expectations and have produced in the playoffs. It was sad to see Mark Stuart get traded to Atlanta. I liked his toughness and his work ethic, but the Bruins needed to do something to bolster their offense.

What a Difference a Year Makes. This time a year ago, the Bruins were known as the team that could not win a Game 7 on their own ice, and could not close out a series with a 3-0 lead. This season they have done both already. They Beat the Habs in a thrilling Game 7 and then swiftly swept the same Philadelphia team that rallied back from three games down last year. They have been playing with more intensity and more confidence this playoff tournament and the collapse of last season is in the rear view mirror to stay.

Whatever the rest of the playoffs bring is still to be determined, but it has been an exciting ride through two rounds. Tampa will not be an easy team to beat. They have some really talented players and, like the Bruins, a veteran netminder who has been playing out of his mind so far this postseason. After that, Detroit, Vancouver, and San Jose, the remaining teams in the Western Conference, are no easy out either. There is still a lot of hockey to be played before the Boys of Winter hang up the skates to go golfing, but it would be really exciting if Lord Stanley were to pay his first visit to Beantown since Richard Nixon was president.

The Final Push

With an underwhelming and bizarre regular season almost over, the Boston Bruins can clinch a playoff berth today with a win over the Carolina Hurricanes this afternoon. Thus far, the Bruins season has been disappointing to say the least, but if they make the tournament, anything can happen. This is true in hockey more than any other sport.

The Bruins have had chances to prove themselves time and time again this seasons. They had countless opportunities to win over their passionate, but championship hungry fan base. For months now, people in Mass. media have been calling out Peter Chiarelli for building this offensively challenged team. People have criticized Claude Julien for using injuries as an excuse for the teams struggles and not lighting the fire and anger that defined the Bruins franchise for decades. For most of the season, Dennis Wideman has been the scapegoat for all of the Bruins on-ice issues. All of this can be forgiven if the Bruins revert back to the Big Bad Bruin way in the playoffs. If they show some toughness and show the Causeway Crowd that they will not go down without a fight, there will be anticipation and optimism heading into next season.

The Bruins have been playing better recently. Ever since the humiliating loss to Pittsburgh a few weeks ago, the Bruins have turned it around. In the Pittsburgh game, all the hype was about the Bruins getting payback for Matt Cooke's cheap shot on Marc Savard. Savard's teammates did not fight for him in the game he got hurt, and the effort on the ice in the next game was nothing to be proud of either. With the exception of Shawn Thornton's beat down of Cooke two minutes into the game, the Bruins seemed lifeless on the ice next to the high powered Penguins team. Since that game, however, the Bruins have been playing a much more inspiring brand of hockey. They still have difficulty scoring. Marco Sturm is the only 20 goal scorer on the team, and Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are the only players with 50 points or more. On the other hand, the Bruins play very good defense as a team. Anchored by rookie goaltender Tuuka Rask, the Bruins have allowed only 195 goals all season. The New Jersey Devils are the only team that has allowed fewer this season. If you think about it, it is pretty impressive that the team that scored the fewest goals in the NHL this year has a shot at the playoffs. The Bruins defense is underrated and has not gotten the credit it deserves this year.

Having said that, the Bruins defense is currently plagued with injuries. Mark Stuart, Andrew Ference, and Dennis Seidenburg are all out, possibly for the entire playoffs. This means that players like Matt Hunwick and Dennis Wideman really need to step it up if they Bruins want to make any noise this post-season. Wideman has been playing better lately. he scored a goal in the Buffalo game a few nights ago and he has been playing solid defense for a few weeks now.

The Bruins also need to find a way to score more early and often to have any success. In the playoffs they will face Washington, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, or Buffalo at some point. The Washington Capitals have a very prolific offense that can intimidate people, but their biggest weakness is their goal tending. The Caps expressed an interest in acquiring Tim Thomas from Boston earlier in the year so they could have a more stable net. Historically, teams that have dominant goalies have made runs in the playoff and sometimes get further than they were supposed to. The other three teams that the Bruins might play have superior goalies to Washington: Martin Brodeur for the New Jersey Devils, Ryan Miller for the Buffalo Sabres, and Marc-Andre Fleury for the Pittsburgh Penguins. All three of those teams are teams the Bruins are capable of skating with and being competitive with.

The main concern I have for the Bruins this year has been leadership. I know Zdeno Chara is the captain and he is the defending Norris Trophy winner, but he does not seem to be the angry vocal leader that an NHL locker room needs. Somebody needs to step up and really take on the role of pumping up the team and motivating them. I do not know it that player is Bergeron, or Mark Stuart, or Tuuka, or veteran winger Mark Recchi, or enforcer Shawn Thornton, but somebody has to do it. Claude Julien does not seem to be the fiery motivator in the locker room. Julien is a good Xs and Os guy but there should be a player who inspires this team to play to their fullest potential. They might not be able to win a series against Buffalo, or Pittsburgh, or Jersey, or Washington, but they need to at least show us that they can hit hard, and make those teams earn every point they score. The slogan going into the season was "Big and Bad Are Back", so they need to prove that this is true.

If the Bruins can gain some momentum from a strong showing this year, next year should be a huge bounce back season. Thanks to the dismal play of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins have a 67% chance of getting either the #1 or 2 pick in the draft. Chiarelli has been criticized for the signings he made, but I still think this was a great move. Phil Kessel is a great scorer but clearly did not want to be in Boston. It is good that they have a chance to really improve the team for the long run with this draft because they need another scoring force. Kessel can stay in Toronto. The Bruins will be better off without him.

Whatever happens in the next few weeks, the Bruins will still be my favorite team. I can only hope that they get better and that they play tougher hockey, but only time will tell. Just last year, they were the class of the Eastern Conference. I hope they get there again. It is too bad that they declined in play this year when we were supposed to be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1970 Stanley Cup winning team. Hopefully by next year, the Big Bad Bruins will make their return.

Bruins vs. Penguins: This game had better live up to its billing...

Disclaimer: This post is about sports: hockey in particular. If you are not interested in sports, especially the current events in the National Hockey League, you do not have to read it, but do continue to check out my blog as this is not the only thing I write about.

I for one am totally stoked for the Boston Bruins game tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. I am pretty sure I have never been this excited for a single regular season NHL game (with the possible exception of the Winter Classic at Fenway Park back in January). I just hope that the Bruins decide to show up and enforce their way with the defending champs.

When It comes to sports I am a Boston fan through thick and through thin, in sickness (like the injury plagued seasons the Bruins and Celtics have both had) and in health. When I see games without Boston teams in them, I generally root for the underdog unless it involves a team I specifically do not like. I do not like New York teams; especially the Yankees, Jets and Rangers. After that, I am not too big on Philadelphia teams either (except for the Phillies because they have played against the Red Sox's division rivals in the last two World Series), and there are the other rivals like the Los Angelas Lakers in basketball, the Indianapolis Colts in football, and the Montreal Canadiens in hockey. Recently, however, I had to add another team to the naughty list: the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I have never been crazy about the Penguins to begin with. I think that Sidney Crosby is the most overrated star in any sport. He is good, but he also has good teammates and he is not as physical as a star hockey player should be. I also think that it is not very impressive when a team with that many high lottery picks wins a championship (I was not impressed when the Tampa Bay Rays got to the World Series, either. Seriously, if you get the first pick in the draft every year for a decade, you should be in the World Series every year). When I read more into Bruins history I learned about the dirty play of Ulf Samuelsson against Boston great Cam Neely, I bagan to dislike them even more. Last week when Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke delivered a blindside elbow hit to Marc Savard's head, that was the last straw. To me, the Penguins are no better than the cheating, steroid taking, championship purchasing New York Yankees that I have been told to boo since childhood.

This could also be a defining moment in the Bruins season. Finighing first place in the Eastern Conference a year ago, the Bruins have not been the same team since losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Conference Semi-Finals. Last Year, they could outscore, out-defend, and outfight anyone in the league; the "Big Bad Bruins" of old were back. This season, they have been cursed with injuries, inconsistency and their lead scorer refusing to sign and getting traded to a team within the division. Last year, they were competing for the best record in the league, and right now they are clinging to the #8 seed in the East. If the Bruins can show people, what they are really made of in this game, against one of the best teams in the league, they will earn back some of the respect they lost from other teams and from the fans.

Matt Cooke was not suspended for the cheap shot that he took on Savard. Savard is one of the Bruins' best players and their post-season hopes hang in the balance because of an unfair play by Pittsburgh. I would like to see enforcers like Shawn Thornton and Milan Lucic really step up in this game. The Bruins have a history of being a team where teammates protect each other and opponents should think twice about messing with. If they can rise to this occasion, then they should be able to take that momentum and ride it the rest of the season and into the playoffs.