Bruins Thank You Fans Video 2013

Why. Why didn't we win the cup? Sigh. Anyway great video below from the Bruins to the fans. PS- Half the reason I put this in here is for the Dougie Hamilton first goal highlight and call. Needed to have that somewhere on my blog





Click the link below if your phone sucks:
http://video.bruins.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=1369&id=260895&cmpid=embed-share-video

Bruins Cap Problems & Projected Opening Night Lineup

Well, today was break up day at the Garden. Very sad, as we are starting to see some of the most beloved Bruins from this incredible era depart.

Jenna, Ference, me in March 2013

Today we found out for sure that the team will not be bringing back Ference or Jagr. Both guys knew this was coming and both understand that hockey is a business. It's very sad to see Ference go. He's been an integral part of the Bruins and specifically the Boston community for the past 7 years.

Some other rumors that have started involve the Bruins trading away Peverly and possibly Boychuk. I had a lengthy debate with some friends on Facebook today about the Bruins Cap situation and who they might resign and at what cost. I figured to be clear I would break this down here.


2013-14 Salary Cap- $64,300,000 (64.3)

Players Currently under contract for next season & their current cap hit:

Chara- 6.9
Lucic- 6.0
Seguin- 5.75
Krejci- 5.25
Bergeron- 5.0
Marchand- 4.5
Boychuk- 3.36
Peverly- 3.25
Seidenberg- 3.25
Kelly- 3.0
Krug- 1.7
Campbell- 1.6
McQuaid- 1.57
Hamilton- 1.49
Paille- 1.3
Thornton- 1.1
Soderberg- 1.0
Bartkowski- .65


That's a total of about 56,670,000  (not including Marc Savard's salary which wont count against the cap). So if my math is correct that leave about 7,630,000 in cap space.

Here are the players who were on the Bruins and will be moving on:

Jagr, Daugavins, Ference, Redden, Johnson, Khudobin, Pandolfo.


And here is the very short list of free agent players the Bruins will have to choose to bring back on a new contract, or let go to free agency:

Tuukka Rask  (Ever heard of him???)
Nathan Horton

Now, I went over in detail back in February  about the type of money Rask would command on the open market. I wish the Bruins had extended him back then, before his impressive playoff run. You have to figure Rask is going to get a deal that lands him in the 6-6.5 per year range. Considering this is the Bruins #1 priority this offseason, lets add Rask's 6.5 to the Bruins Cap space:

Approx. Bruins Payroll next year including Rask- 63,170,000
Space left- 1,130,000

Lineup-

Lucic-Krejci-XXX
Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin
Peverly-Soderberg-Kelly
Paille-Campbell-Thornton

Chara-Hamilton
Boychuk-McQuaid
Krug-Seidenberg
(Bartkowski )

Rask
(XXX back up goalie)


Now, The backup goalie position will be filled by Nicklas Svedberg for $1,000,000 on the dot. He played very well for the Wanna B's this past seaosn in Providence. That leaves us with $130,000 to replace Horton. The other thing we have to consider is the Bruins are planning on extending Patrice Bergeron this offseason, which will most likely raise his cap hit at least half a million, but more likely he will get a higher raise than that because I dont see the Bruins paying Bergeron less than Seguin. Lets slot the future captain in at 6 per year.

So as you can see, something need to change. If the Bruins can trade Peverly and Boychuk, they will free up 6.6 mill in cap space. I would like/expect to see Ryan Spooner crack the lineup this season, so let's slot him in that 3rd line spot at $870,000. The Bruins will likely add a cheap veteran D man to replace Boychuk, so when its all said and done we will have about 4,000,000 to spend on the 1st line winger spot.

I think Horton is going to command at least $4 mill per year on the open market. He will likely get offers closer to the $5 per range, but this is a guy who was miserable playing for the Panthers. He flourished when he came to Boston and became Mr. Overtime. I think he would be willing to take a "home town discount" to stay in Boston. 3 years at $4 mill each seems more than fair to me for both sides.

So, Drumroll please.....



My projected Bruins 2013 Opening day lineup with cap hits:

Lucic (6.0) -Krejci (5.25) -Horton (4.0)
Marchand (4.5) -Bergeron (6.0) -Seguin (5.75)
Kelly (3.0) -Soderberg (1.0) -Spooner (.875)
Paille (1.3) -Campbell (1.6) -Thornton (1.1)
Forward total- $40,375,000

Chara (6.9) -Hamilton (1.49)
Bartkowski (.65)-Seidenberg (3.25)
Krug (1.7)-McQuaid (1.57)
Defense total- $15,560,000

Rask (6.5)
Svedberg (1)
Goalie total- 7,500,000


Total on this roster: $63,435,000
Salary Cap- $64,300,000


Hopefully Rask, Horton, and Bergy all think big picture and help the Bruins keep this core group of players together by taking slightly less than they probably deserve. I'd be very happy with the lineup above on opening night in 3 months from now.

Hawks win Cup on Garden Ice

Not much to say right now. The Bruins ran out of gas, gave up 2 goals late, and the Hawks lifted the Cup on our home ice. Brutal.

-The Blackhawks got better as the series went on, and they wore down the Bruins. Usually the Bruins are the team that does that.... I guess Chicago just had a better team this year

-Lucic scoring monster playoff goals is a thing now. Everyone thought his go ahead goal with 7 min left would force the Game 7. It should have

-Bergy is obviously just the man. Played last night with broken ribs and cartilage, and suffered a separated shoulder early on last night. Played through it all. Always underrated, even in Boston.

-Jagr ends the playoff run with the B's with 0 goals. Just couldn't finish. I kept thinking his first goal would come in OT or late in a game or something.... never happened.

-Losing to a team like Chicago is so much better than losing to a team like the Canucks. People who say differently are lying and/or uneducated hockey fans.

-Rask made some huge saves last night but I find it hard NOT to blame him for the last goal. I guess Boychuk was there and could have/should have made a play... but I still think Rask cant let that in

-Claude post game presser was awesome. Love that guy. So humble and proud. Can we try not to "fire" him  in the Boston media for a couple years now?

-Kane winning Conn Smythe was lame as hell. He was just OK in the Finals. Not sure who I would have given it too, maybe Patrick Sharp, but Kane was just too easy/popular of a choice for me.

-Last night was probably the last time you see Horton, Ference, and Jagr in a Bruins uniform. B's gotta pay Rask and cant afford Horty.  Talented, young, cheaper D men will replace Ference. Jagr is probably done in the NHL.

2 wins short

Here's the tying goal... Blackhawks had an extra attacker on the ice. They won a couple board battles and Toews made a great pass.

Here's the Stanley Cup winning goal. Scored 17 seconds after the tying goal. I hate this one.

This sucks:

Fringe Fans (Disneyworld Edition)

As some of you know, I was away last week on vacation. Ms. Nobody Wins on the Blue and I went to Disneyworld for a few days.

Just like any other sports fan, its always interesting to me to see other teams paraphernalia on people coming from various corners of the earth. Since no one is actually from Florida, Disneyworld was a great place to check out the gear people were sporting from different parts of the country. 

Enjoy my pics from this vacation in the first ever edition of "Fringe Fans" 

Andre Johnson jersey. One of my favorite NFL players. I saw a TON of people from Houston and couldn't pass up the chance to capture a pic of Andre the Giant

This was interesting to see. The fight song "Hail to the Redskins" out of DC. Didn't have the heart to tell the guy that without RG3 this team will continue to go nowhere. However, RG3 is looking like he is on track to start the season healthy...attempting to pull an "AP" (tearing the ACL and MCL in December, ready to play by September) 

For a second I thought this was a Doug Martin bag, but quickly remembered he wears #27 not #20. This of course is the great Ronde Barber who is just a beast. I was always torn with the Barbers... Ronde is the man but Tiki is an absolute clown. Ronde unfortunately announced his retirement this past off-season, leaving the NFL even though he is still capable of being a force. 

 I haven't seen  Marvin Harrison jersey in a few years, and the first thing I thought of when I saw this was that the guy must have a gun in his bag. 

Whats up with this kid? Dude your football team went 6-0 and made "Undefeated Champs" shirts? Cmon now. What kind of trashy football league only plays 6 games. Sorry but 6-0 is weak, even though those scores are all lopsided. 

It was awkward running into so many Penguins fans on this trip. I sported my Bruins gear pretty much the whole time, and I saw a LOT of Penguins fans. Kudos to these people for sticking with the Pens...coming off that sweep there was really not much to do when walking by these people except completely ignore them. I looked the other way because I truly felt bad (for the fans, not for the players) that we destroyed the Pens so badly. I didn't want to rub it in their faces and I felt just exposing them to my Bruins gear must have hurt bad enough. 

I just wanted to include this pic to trash on Ryan Braun for a second. What a fraud. He should have been suspended for 50 games last year but his positive drug test was "tampered" with so he was let off the hook. I cant stand players who vehemently deny steroid use and then get caught using..... just the worst people ever. Baseball is full of them. Braun's named was recently brought up AGAIN and I hope he gets suspended 100 games this time. 

I love Duke, root for them every year. I know there's a TON of irrational hate out there for Coach K and Duke but guess what... just because the team is white and throws up 3's all game doesn't mean they are bad guys. I'd love to catch a game with the Cameron Crazies. 

I see you Duncan Keith. I took this pic when the series was 1-0 Blackhawks so I resented every Blackhawk fan I saw the day after the 3OT loss. Keith is a beast though... and its near impossible to hate the Blackhawks because I like the way they play. 

This needs no explanation. If you help me win a fantasy football championship you are going to make it onto my blog multiple times. I drafted Foster #1 overall last year en route to my  second Dirty D title. I actually asked this chick if I could get a picture of her shirt...she was so confused. Probably not near cool enough to be wearing this shirt. 

A golf t-shirt. Kinda weird, kinda cool. This lists all the winner of the Memorial Championship, the "5th Major" if you will. Here, guy, let me update you with the champs since you got this shirt 4 years ago

2010- Justin Rose

2011- Steve Stricker

2012- Tiger Woods 

2013- Matt Kuchar 

Had to swipe this pic because who the hell owns and wears a Jabar Gaffney jersey? And let me tell you this jersey looked brand new.  The only thing he ever did that was productive was his 14 catch 200+ yard performance in Week 17 of 2010 when Brandon Marshall was sitting for disciplinary reasons. No one even plays fantasy football in week 17 so that was a complete waste of a performance. Currently Gaffney is a free agent is his career is likely over. He was the first pick of the 2nd round in the 2002 draft after a productive collegiate career at Chomp Chomp University. Get a new jersey kid. 

Final Scoring US Open- Bill wins

Final Scoring for the US Open

Jason Dufner turned in the low round for the tourney on Sunday (67, -3) which powered Bill past Dan and myself for the win. Phil finished 2nd for the SIXTH time in the US Open… just a crazy stat. Anyway,congrats to Bill for the 7 free rounds of Ponky golf. Nice win. And to think he did all of this through the traumatic experience of having his wisdom teeth removed. Heroic effort, Bill, heroic.

Also congrats to Justin Rose who won the tourney. I would have preferred Phil, Day, or Mahan, but Rose deserved the win with solid play down the stretch.

Bill +36

Dan +38

James +38

Adam +39

Paul +46

Abe +50

Sean +51

Beckerman the n00b +54

"Get that weak shit out of here"  

Team scores including +2 for MCs

Team James
McDowell +15 (MC)
Donald +6
Stricker +6
Jacobson +11 (MC)
Total +38

Team Paul
Mikelson +3
Westwood +9
Oostheuzien +21 (WD)
Choi  +13
Total +46


Team Dan-
Woods +13
Z Johnson +13 (MC)
Fowler +7
Mahan +5
Total +38

Team Beckerman-
Furyk +18 (MC)
McIlory +14
D Johnson +17
Els +5
Total +54

Team Adam-
Bradley +14 (MC)
Rose +1
Poulter +11
Simpson +13
Total +39


Team Bill-
Snedeker +10
Dufner +5
Schwartzel +8
Haas +13 (MC)
Total +36


Team Sean-
Kuchar +12
Watson +13
Garcia +15
Harrington +11
Total +51


Team Abe-
Scott +15
Day +3
Cabrera +17 (MC)
Leischman +15 (MC)
Total +50

5 thoughts from Game 2

1. Boy am I glad I didn't actually see the 1st period (live)

The Bruins got outshot 19-4 in the 1st period. The Blackhawks only scored 1 goal, and it was trashy one at that. Tuukka Rask pretty much defined the term "weather the storm" and was the sole reason the Bruins had a chance to win the game. He bailed out the entire team, which apparently forgot the game started at 8pm. Rask is pretty much running away with the Conn Smythe if the Bruins end up with the Cup. Krejci & Chara are the only other real candidates, with Bergy behind them. The only other positive that came out of the 1st period was the Bruins PK held strong and continued to shutdown the Hawks PP. And we got lucky as shit the ref blew the whistle on that goal that was reviewed. I listened to this abortion of a period on the radio while in the airport. I was able to see the second 2 periods in full on the plane from Orlando to Boston.

2. Chris Kelly is back, and we have a good 3rd line again

Chris Kelly last scored a goal on April 17. Insane. His huge goal towards the end of the 2nd period to knot the game at 1-1 last night was his FIRST POINT OF THE ENTIRE PLAYOFFS. Ference made a nice pinch in on the boards, Kelly dropped back to cover for him, and the timing worked out great when Kelly drove the net and buried the puck. The newly formed line of Seguin-Kelly-Paille was fire from the 2nd period on. GREAT adjustment by the Coach mid game. Thornton, Daugavins, and Peverly barely saw any ice in the 3rd or OT.Look for those 3 to stay together for the foreseeable future

3. Danny Paille & Seguin

Paille was an animal tonight. He was fast, disruptive, and clutch. His GWG in OT was well deserved. He had an assist on the first goal as well. Seguin also looked great, and playing with other speed players is working out nicely for him. He did a great job corralling the puck on the turnover in the OT and feeding Paille for the winner. I'm looking for Seguin to break out with a multi goal game soon. Hopefully.

4. Jagr cannot buy a goal

Jagr is the definition of snake bitten right now. Just can't buy a goal. He has gone over 25 straight playoffs games without lighting the lamp. He hits the post every night. Last night, he rang one off the crossbar in OT that really should have gone in. He is due for a big goal soon. So many Bruins players are so close to breaking through... we may be looking at some blow out home wins this Stanley Cup Final a la 2011 Games 3, 4, and 6. Also, side funny story. My buddy Abe The Godfather is in a goal drought right now as well, and we jokingly talk about who will score first, him or Jagr. It's actually comical how close both players have come to scoring. My money is on Jagr cuz he plays 2 more games before Abe does and he HAS to score soon.



5. The Blackhawks are really good 

They really are. I underestimated their defense.... they are right on par with the Bruins in this part of the game. They have playmakers (Hossa Kane Toews Sharp) and depth (Shaw Bickell) and reliable D men (Keith, Seabrook.)  I think Crawford is good, but not as good as Rask. This the one area I think the Bruins have a big advantage and the reason why they will find a way to win the Cup. These are clearly the 2 best teams in the NHL right now though.



BONUS

Marchand stonewalling the shit out of Dave Bolland hahahaha

US Open Round 3 Update

Scoring update after Round 3

Dan +25

James +27

Bill +29

Adam +31

Sean +36

Paul +37

Abe +44

Beckerman the n00b +45

Team scores including +2 for MCs

Team James

McDowell +15 (MC)

Donald +1

Stricker E

Jacobson +11 (MC)

Total +27

Team Paul

Mikelson -1

Westwood +6

Oostheuzien +21 (WD)

Choi  +11

Total +37

Team Dan-

Woods +9

Z Johnson +13 (MC)

Fowler +3

Mahan E

Total +25

Team Beckerman-

Furyk +18 (MC)

McIlory +8

D Johnson +13

Els +6

Total +45

Team Adam-

Bradley +14 (MC)

Rose +1

Poulter +5

Simpson +11

Total +31

Team Bill-

Snedeker +8

Dufner +8

Schwartzel E

Haas +13 (MC)

Total +29

Team Sean-

Kuchar +9

Watson +7

Garcia +11

Harrington +9

Total +36

Team Abe-

Scott +10

Day +2

Cabrera +17 (MC)

Leischman +15 (MC)

Total +44

Update after round 2

Scoring update after round 2:

By the way, this is Beckerman updating the scores...  In an unprecedented event, Louis Oosthuizen had to withdraw from the tournament due to a hip injury. (Obviously he never watched Tiger win it on a broken leg) Thus, his second round score will be forced to match what the worst round of the day was, which was a 84 by John Nieporte.  Below are the standings through day 2...

Adam -  +22
Dan -  +23
Sean -  +24
James -  +26
Bill -  +27
Beck -  +32
Paul -  +33
Abe -  +43  (Nice showing by The Masters winner)

US Open Scoring after Round 1

Scoring update after Round 1

Paul +2

James +8

Dan +9

Adam +10

Sean +11

Beckerman +12

Abe +14

Bill +15

Team James

McDowell +6

Donald -2

Stricker +1

Jacobson +3

Total +8

Team Paul

Mikelson -3

Westwood E

Oostheuzien +5

Choi E

Total +2

Team Dan-

Woods +3

Z Johnson +4

Fowler E

Mahan +2

Total +9

Team Beckerman-

 Furyk +7

 McIlory +3 

D Johnson +1

Els +1

Total +12

Team Adam-

Bradley +7

Rose +1

Poulter +1

Simpson +1

Total +10

Team Bill-

Snedeker +4

Dufner +4

Schwartzel E

Haas +7

Total +15

Team Sean-

Kuchar +4

Watson +1

Garcia +3

Harrington +3

Total +11

Team Abe-

Scott +2

Day E

Cabrera +4

Leischman +8

Total +14

2013 US Open Challenge

Me and some friends are doing a pool for the US Open, like we did for the Master earlier this year. Abe will try to defend his title after a convincing win back in April. 

Scoring: The way this game will be scored is the cumulative +/- to par for each person's golfers. 

Each person in the pool has 4 golfers so the lowest combined +/- will win this pool. 

NEW for the Open. If any of your players miss the cut, they will get a 2 stroke penalty. So if Tiger misses the cut and finishes at +5, his score for this game will be +7. 

Winner gets a free round of golf from all other members at our normal golf league spot- Ponky. $12 cash value for people like Beckerman who doesn't really have a use for 7 rounds of golf at a course 300 miles from home. 

Tie breaker: If two people tie, which is highly unlikely, whoever has the golfer with the lowest score on the 2 teams will win. 

Round 1

Dan- Eldrick Tont Woods 

Sean- Matt Kuchar 

Abe- Adam Scott

Bill- Brandt Snedeker

James- Graeme McDowell 

Adam- Keegan Bradley 

Paul- Phil Mikelson 

Beckerman- Jim Furyk 

Round 2

Beckerman- Rory McIlroy 

Paul- Lee Westwood

Adam- Justin Rose

James- Luke Donald

Bill-  Jason Dufner

Abe- Angel Cabrera

Sean- Bubba Watson

Dan- Zach Johnson 

Round 3

Dan- Rickie Fowler

Sean- Sergio Garcia 

Abe- Jason Day 

Bill- Charl Schwartzel 

James- Steve Stricker

Adam- Ian Poulter

Paul- Louis Oostheuzein 

Beckerman- Dustin Johnson 

Round 4

Beckerman- Ernie Els

Paul- KJ Choi

Adam- Webb Simpson

James- Freddie Jacobson

Bill- Bill Haas

Abe-  Marc Leishman

Sean- Padraig Harrington

Dan- Hunter Mahan 

By Person: (In my predicted order of finish)

Team James- McDowell, Donald, Stricker, Jacobson
Team Paul- Mikelson, Westwood, Oostheuzien, Choi
Team Dan- Woods, Z Johnson, Fowler, Mahan
Team Beckerman- Furyk, McIlory, D Johnson, Els
Team Adam- Bradley, Rose, Poulter, Simpson
Team Bill- Snedeker, Dufner, Schwartzel, Haas
Team Sean- Kuchar, Watson, Garcia, Harrington

Team Abe- Scott, Day, Cabrera, Leischman

12 down, 4 to go. Cup Predictions Here

As we all know by now, the Bruins completely dismantled the Penguins with a 4-0 sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals, obviously. Who didn't see that one coming? 

Crosby, Malkin, Igninla, Neal, and  Letang were all held pointless in the series. As in none of these clowns scored or even had an assist.... Wait....unless you want to count the series ending goal that Iginla deflected into his own net. Sweet decision bro. great call going with Pitt. Enjoy the Presidents trophy. 

The Penguins never had the lead in the entire series at any point. This is not a typo. 

Rask stopped 134/136 shots and recorded 2 shutouts. 

The Bruins PP went 0 for 13 in the series, although their PK was a perfect 15/15. Get Chara off that PP1 Unit and let him rest! 

In the West, the Blackhawks took down the defending champion Kings, who I have said multiple times remind me a lot of the Bruins. That being said, I think the Bruins are a much deeper team and better defensively than the Kings. Quick I admit is better than Rask (blog to follow comparing those two) but the team defense of the Bruins is suffocating. Ask those stars from Pittsburgh what it’s like to try to get through the Bruins. Aint happenin. 

When it comes to picking a winner for the Stanley Cup, I fail to see how anyone can pick against the Bruins. What else do they need to do to prove the doubters? They beat teams with great goalies. They beat teams with great forwards. They beat teams that are fast. They beat teams that (foolishly) try to play physically with them. They have the experience/leadership that ensures they wont take any games off. 99% of the roster has already won a Cup. 

To me, it’s a complete no brainer. I do not mean to trash the Hawks in this blog… more that I’m lifting the Bruins up way above them. For the record, as of this writing, I really like the Hawks. I respect Toews' game. Patrick Kane is NASTY. I like some of their D men and I truly fear Hossa in this round. (One of my former favorite players)

So, if you want to pick the Hawks, I guess that’s OK. But anyone picking the Blackhawks to beat the Bruins in anything less than 7 games is on crazy pills. Why you ask? 

BECAUSE THE BRUINS HAVEN'T LOST A PLAYOFF SERIES IN LESS THAN 7 GAMES IN TEN YEARS. 

Yea that’s right. 10 friggin years since a team has beat the Bruins in a series before the 7th game. It’s pretty insane to think about. Obviously this team is vastly different than the 2003 roster… so if you want to just talk about Claude Julien's Bruins, well, now we can say “Julien has never lost a series that hasn’t gone 7 games as Bruins coach.” Boom. Fire him for sure. Right everyone? 

Here are ALL of the Bruins recent playoff series outcomes in backwards order:

2013 ECF- Beat Pitt in 4

2013 ESF- Beat Rangers in 5

2013 EQF- Beat Leafs in 7

2012 EQF- Loss to Capitals in 7 

2011 SCF- Beat Canucks in 7 (LOL)

2011 ECF- Beat Lightning in 7

2011 ESF- Beat Flyers in 4

2011 EQF- Beat Canadiens in 7 (LOL)

2010 ESF- Loss to Flyers in 7

2010 EQF- Beat Sabres in 6

2009 ESF- Loss to Hurricanes in 7 

2009 EQF- Beat Canadiens in 4

2008 EQF- Loss to Canadiens in 7

---Claude is hired----

2007- Missed Playoffs

2006- Missed Playoffs

2005- Lockout/Kill/Fail

2004 EQF- Loss to Canadiens in 7 

2003 EQF- Loss to Devils in 5 games 

Like I said… incredibly impressive. This team goes the distance, so it's foolish to pick the Hawks in anything except 7 games. 

OFFICIAL PREDICTION: 

Overall I think each game will be close, like it was with the Penguins. Sure, the Bruins won that series 4-0, but like the coach said, it wasn’t a 4-0 series. 2 of the games could have gone either way.  I think something similar will happen in the Stanley Cup Final. Close games, but I like the Bruins to take it down. I’d love to see the hawks extend the series to Game 6 so that the Bruins hopefully have a chance to wreck my bank account and win the cup on home ice. However, I think the Bruins have finally figured out that "killer instinct" thing they were missing the past few seasons and will make fairly quick work of the Hawks.  

Bruins win the Cup in 5 Games!! (just got chills typing that)

as Dave Goucher would say..."Get the Duckboats ready !"

Bruins win 2OT thriller, go up 3-0

Destiny

des-ti-ny

[des-tuh-nee]

noun

The predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events. 

Tell me the 2013 Bruins aren't a team of destiny. Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

Last night's 2OT win by the Bruins was the longest playoff game in over 20 years. Patrice Bergeron (of course) ended it with just over 4 minutes left in the 5th period.

The way I watched this game was very interesting. I was supposed  to referee 2 men's league hockey games in Stoneham at 8pm and 9:10. SO, as I've done in the past, I DVRd the game. I turned my phone and radio off. My plan was to head straight home and watch the game on tape delay from the beginning. After the first game ended the rink manager told us the 2nd game had been cancelled....I was so pumped. I headed home and started watching the game  from the beginning at about 9:45pm.... so I literally watched the entire game last night straight through with 0 commercials and 0 intermissions. 96 straight minutes of incredibly tough playoff hockey. Awesome way to watch a game. The only problem was I live above a bar and when the winner was scored, people in the bar and on the streets started going wild.  I was about 15 minutes behind the play so I kinda knew the Bruins were going to win once I heard the reaction from the bar. That sucked, but it was still an incredible experience to watch all that high-quality hockey straight through.

I knew the deeper the game went into OT, the better it was for the Bruins. Each team rang the post in OT and the action was pretty equal in both ends. The save of the game was Rask on Malkin in the 2nd OT.. just a great job of cutting the angle and squeezing the puck into his body with his right arm.

Speaking of Rask.. what a beast. The Penguins hit at least 5 posts in the game... again, while this is obv pretty lucky (for the Bruins), you also have to realize that Rask is always in the right position so these posts aren't as lucky as they may seem. For example, in the 3rd period Rask made a sliding save to his right, and had to get up and slide all the way back to the left of his net to stop a shot off the rebound. I forget who shot the puck on the Penguins but they hit the right post. The in-net camera showed that Rask literally had his skate all the way to the post so there was 0 room for the puck to go in. It would have hit his pad or the post. A great positional save. Tuukka stopped 53 or the 54 shots he faced, including about 8-10 shots that could have easily gone in on an average goaltender.

Other Random bits:

-Greg Campbell is a warrior. He blocked a shot on the PK in the 2nd period and reports are it BROKE HIS LEG. He stayed on the ice for the remainder of the shift even though he could barely move. The Bruins rallied around this act of toughness and carried the play after Campbell's last shift of the season. (He is out the remainder of the playoffs. Bring on the 1 eyed Swede!) Click here for video.

-Brooks Orpik felt the wrath of Lucic pretty badly in the 2nd OT. He kinda held Lucic behind the play and about 20 seconds later, mad Lucic rocked him (cleanly) on the glass. Orpik was clearly stunned and just kinda stood there with a blank look on his face for a few seconds. Had to have sustained some sort of concussion or something. Click here for video.

-Marchand is..... just the man. I love his game. LOVE it. I know its dirty sometimes. I don't care. He's such a gamer. People hate the Bruins because of #63 (the little ball of hate) and he is a large reason why they are Cup contenders. He has been one of the best Bruin players since the start of Round 2.

-Is Nathan Horton the most dangerous OT player in the league? No, seriously, is he? He should have a golden glow around him once the 3rd period ends. Always around the puck. Always getting chances. If I'm an opposing coach I make sure I have someone shadowing Horton every OT shift. He had a bunch of chances in OT including hitting a post on a shot that beat Vokoun.

-The Bruins PP sucks again. 0/5 last night. Looked awful on 2 or 3 of those. However, I  do love the 2nd PP unit with the young guys out there. Seguin and Krug bring some electricity to the ice when they have the time and space.

-Time on Ice is always a fun stat to look at after long games. Here are the leaders from last night. This was Chara's most ice time in a Bruins uniform. Another fun fact is the Bruins are 5-0 this playoffs when Chara plays north of 30 minutes.

Chara   42:05

Letang  40:50

Seidenberg 39:54

Orpik   38:10

Martin 36:51

Krejci  35:46

Quick update on the 2 best players in the world.  Crosby and Malkin this series combined:

0 goals

0 assists

-7

The Play

(click here for video if the video above doesn't work for you)

Jagr was carrying the puck on the right board in front of the benches when Malkin cut him off and took the puck from him. Jagr didn't give up on the play though, and he hooked Malkin and go the puck back. The hook was perfect. Enough  to be effective but not enough to warrant a penalty call in 2OT.

Marchand picked up the puck Jagr had pushed forward around the blue line. The play had developed into a 2 on 2, Marchand carrying the puck on the left side with Pens D man Engelland on him tight. Streaking through the middle of the ice was Patrice Bergeron who got inside position on Brooks Orpik and redeflected a Marchand feed into the net for the win.

I have been in favor of putting Seguin back up on the first line, however I am fully aware that the game winning play probably doesn't develop like it did if Seguin was out there instead of Jagr. Clearly the chemistry between Marchand and Bergeron is very strong... I've said it before and I'll say it again. Bergy is a top 8 player in this league. has to be. Tell me right now who you want on your team in a playoff game... Bergy or Crosby? I'll take the guy who owns the dot, shuts down opposing superstars, and scores clutch goals all day long. That's Patty B. We're lucky to have him. The legend continues. When it's all said and down #37 will be hanging in the rafters.

Dumb Shit Mark Madden Says

I will be updating this blog throughout the rest of the Bruins-Penguins series. Mark Madden is a sports radio host in Pittsburgh. I found him because Gresh and Zo had him call in last Thursday to talk about the Bruins-Pens series. This hardo decided to troll the airwaves spewing dumb shit left and right (Rask an avg. goalie at best, Rask is a liability, Penguins win in 4 or 5, etc...). I started following this clown on Twitter (with the full intention of "Unfollowing" once this series is over) and after a couple days I have realized this guy really is an entertaining source of incredibly dumb thoughts.

The most recent Tweets are at the top. I don't have the time to go back and find all the dumb shit this clown said from the past few days so this will have to start now, the afternoon before Game 3.

@MarkMaddenX

Mark Madden ‏8:54 am 6/6
@ChrisAtkins tweeted "@MarkMaddenX are you capable of admitting you were wrong yet? 11 periods, 2 goals. Again, you are the #clownact. #accountability

Marks response "Does it matter? Why does it matter so much to you? Isn't that a bit obsessive?"

Best responses on Twitter:

@rwmulvey "he's a fuckin squid. Clown act. Mediocre. Average. Hysterical. Pens in 5 Max. Ya ok pal."

@beantowndleelee "is a complete buffoon.  Not only were his comments about Rask disrespectful but showed he knows zip about hockey" and "obsessive would be continuing to demean Rask's efforts instead of admitting your buffoonery"

Mark Madden ‏12:20 am 6/6
Rask played very well. I think the goalpost should get a star, 2.

Why it's dumb: I've said it a million times. Rask has amazing positioning and its not all "luck" that the Pens keep hitting the post. Rask is playing masterfully.





Mark Madden ‏11:50 pm 6/5
All the response to what I've said during the week in two cities- Bos&Pgh - shows you how you HANG ON MY EVERY WORD. Thx!

Why it's dumb: Last nigh Mark was so proud that everyone in Boston hates him and is giving him shit for his dumb comments. He thinks he's the man. the response below sums up my thoughts to a tee.

Best response on Twitter: @fastGman said "Enjoy it, it all ends Friday when we sweep you and you go back to your moms basement"



Mark Madden ‏8:56pm 6/5
Bruins are overwhelming Pens. Rask is a non-factor. He could be a shooter-tutor.

Why it's dumb: Ummmm newsflash bro. Rask made 53 saves last night. You're wrong about Rask.




Mark Madden ‏8:06pm 6/5
Every day you wake up I'm disappointed

Why it's dumb: someone tweeted at MM "Everday day I wake up and thank God I'm not from Pittsburgh and have to listen to Mark Madden" This was Mark's response. Asshole.

Best response on Twitter: @hashtag_colin said "real classy joking about death"



Mark Madden ‏9:30am 6/5
JetBlue pilot making fun of Sid needs to realize: He's working for the Natty Lite of airlines. Strictly bush-lg. I'd rather go Greyhound.

Why it's dumb: JetBlue is easily the best airline I've ever flown. Easily. Same with most people i know. US News Travel ranked Jetblue #3 in 2012.

Best response on Twitter: @wyshynski said "JetBlue as Natty Lite? You've either never flown JetBlue or never had Natty Light"