Gold Medal Game: USA vs. Canada OH MAMA DON'T YOU CRY

Today's preview is brought to you in youtube form, because who doesn't mail in a preview of a matinee game?

First, a word from our dirty communist neighbors to the north:


Next up, and far more important:


And here's hoping we see more of this:


We've seen these teams play before, a week ago. Huge game. Team USA is officially the home team, so they should be using last shift to their advantage as much as possible.

Go out there and take it.
USA! USA! USA!

Semifinals: USA vs. Finland LET'S BE FRIENDS TOMORROW

(nice hat, brah!)

Men's Olympic Semi-final Game
3pm ET, 2pm CT, 1pm MT, 12pm PT
Team USA vs. Finland

By the time you see this they could be playing already. Here's both teams in pictures. Click on the pictures for really really big (desktop-size!) versions:

The finns are a pretty good team. They knocked this guy out of the tournament:


Watch out for this trio:
I'm afraid of a lot of this:








But it could be ok, because we have this handsome fellow:


They're playing here:
Or maybe here, I just like arena photographs:

So hope for lots of this:


And a finish like this:

USA! USA! USA!

Game 1: USA vs. Switzerland NBC ISN'T THE ONLY BROADCASTER THAT COULD FUCK IT UP, BUT THEY SURE ARE GOOD AT IT

(click for really big - desktop size)

Game 1.
Victory.

3-1 win, and a "Miller Shutout."

USA! USA! USA!

Game 59: Bruins at Tampa Bay WHO WANTS TO BE STAMMER'S SWEETHEART?

Game 59
7:40 PM February 11, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
@ Tampa Bay Lighting (26-21-11)

Seen Stamkos? Yeah, goalies have been. Or maybe they haven't, and that's the problem. He's been scoring like crazy - 5th in the league with 33 goals on the season. He's scoring at 0.57 Goals/Game, 6th in the league. For comparison, Kovalchuk is at 0.58. Ovechkin is at 0.81. (Ovechkin is this year's MVP easily, by the way.) Where do those goals come from? A league-leading 14 goals come on the powerplay. Of course, he's no slouch at even strength, scoring 18 there. Hmmm...let's see, 18+14=32 goals, and he has 33. Where could that be? Why, at 8:44 of the second period of the November 11th Minnesota at Tampa Bay game, when he scored a short-handed goal.

So yeah, the kid is pretty good.

The other big story about the Lightning is that they just got bought by Boston money manager Jeff Vinik. Which means that this page is now out of date. I think they're the only team in the league that has "Owners" listed above things people care about like "Rosters" and "In the System" and such. Whatever. The Lightning still have some silly advertising options, like the "Stammer's Sweetheart" package:

Look at how excited little Stevie is to be posing with his Grandma!

Who doesn't want a romantic valentine's day hockey date punctuated by a visit from Thunderbug?

This team also advertises a "Fan Club Battle" where you can join Zanon Konopka's or Matt Smaby's fan club by....drum roll....buying a special ticket pack!

Seriously, though, sometimes I wish I didn't live in Boston or other established hockey market so the pre-game stuff amounted to more than occasionally having the same awful cover band play in one half of the player's lot.

Also their season tickets are a great deal. Basically, if you're reading this, living in Tampa, and like hockey...go to a bunch of Lightning games.

Stats!
The Lightning have a bottom-third PK.

A streak of 2 is nice. A streak of 3 would be nicer. A non-shutout regulation win would be somewhere in there too, just to prove we can. Nothing wrong with the other team getting shut out, though.

GO BRUINS!

Game 58 Preview: Bruins at Buffalo THE OILERS ARE OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS

Game 58
7PM, February 9, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
at Buffalo Sabres (32-18-7)

This might be the first time in a long time that the Bruins are playing a team with a better penalty kill and worse powerplay. The Sabres have lost their last 4, but still lead the division. The Bruins won their first game in a while on Sunday, breaking their much-celebrated, almost-record-setting slump.

Rask is in net tonight. I'm assuming he faces Miller.

The Bruins start next season in Prague, playing the Coyotes. Phoenix is a sister city to Prague, so I'm pretty sure they're considered the "home" team. Krejci and Sobotka ought to be happy playing there, and the rest of them probably won't like the jetlag, etc. However it's on a weekend so....ROAD TRIP!

Stats!

Holy crap, the Bruins' powerplay is in the top half of the league all of a sudden.

Anything is possible.

GO BRUINS!

Game 57 Preview: Bruins @ Habs FOOTBAAAAUUUUUUUU

Game 57
3 PM February 7, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
vs Habs (28-25-6)

Welp, losing this game would push the Bruins to tying their longest losing streak ever, set in the historic first season of the Bruins in 1924-25. They played in what is now Northeastern's Matthews Arena back then. Here's how that season went:

That year, the Habs won the Stanley Cup Finals by forfeit. That's right, one of their 24 or whatever cups was just handed to them because the players on the Hamilton Tigers went on strike. Probably reasonable for them to do, but it sure does help Habs fans get smug about total cups. Whatever. The Bruins went 6-24-0 that year, which isn't the worst first season ever for all teams, but it's pretty bad. Oh well.

I wanted the Bruins to break some records and end up with a lottery pick, but I didn't mean for it to happen like this.

Stats!

Go Saints.
GO BRUINS!

Game 56 Preview: Bruins vs. Canucks THIS IS IT

Game 56
1PM February 6, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
vs. Vancouver Canucks (34-20-2)

It's early. Here are the basics:

Canucks have the Sedin twins:

Who play with Alex Burrows:


Who did this:

With Ryan Kesler:

A Bruins loss today would get that last W out of the last-ten stat for us. Woof. That's really really bad. Like, edmonton-bad. We'd be sellers at the deadline probably, though I'm sure Chiarelli would rather first-round-exit than go for 2 lottery picks. Both are acceptable to me (or will be by the time the draft rolls around) but I'd rather not split the difference and end up with a shit season that isn't quite shitty enough. That's how the Maple Leafs got to where they are today.

RIP Brendan Burke. My heart goes out to both the Burkes as well as everyone else involved in the hockey program at Miami.

Stats!

GO BRUINS!

It's on.

Get to this video. Worth every second.
GO BRUINS!

Game 55 Preview: Bruins vs. Habs THE QUEST FOR ONE CONTINUES

Game 55
7 PM, February 4, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
vs. Habs (26-25-6)

The Montreal powerplay is humming along at a brisk %25.15, second only to Washington right now. And their PK is 8th with %83.48. The Bruins have the 2nd-best PK with 86.67, but our PP is still a dreadful 19th at %17.68. Basically, a man up OR a man down isn't ideal. Then again, neither is 5-on-5 really. Hmmm.

The Bruins haven't won at the Gahden since last year, they're on a losing streak not seen since the 50s, and generally things are pretty low. I don't think Ilya Kovalchuk's walking through that door, either. At least, not without trading Lucic or something.

Halak and Rask in net, in the battle of backups playing better than their anointed starters.

Mike Komisarek and Paul Martin are both out for the Olympics, so you no longer have to cheer for a villain. Tim Gleason and Ryan Whitney are taking their place. USA! USA! USA!

Welp, here's hoping they don't lose another one. Sigh...

Stats!

Haha, we have the same winning percentage. But 3 games in hand. Hmmm. Still pretty grim.

But wait, there's this little picture from the official Bruins twitter:

Mustache in effect.
I've got a good feeling all of a sudden.

Hope Springs Eternal.
GO BRUINS!

Game 54 Preview: Bruins vs. Capitals WE'RE GOING STREAKING

Game 54
7 PM, February 2nd, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
vs Washington Capitals (37-12-6)

Welp.

The Capitals are on a 10-game winning streak. The Bruins are on a 7-game losing streak. Something's gotta give. Right? RIGHT?

Thomas in net. Stuart's out until after the Olympics. Mike Green is suspended. Meetup behind section 308 at intermission for group therapy session.

And now, local media personality Joe Haggerty with an uplifting message:One of the four guys who have played every game for the Bruins turned 42 yesterday. It looks as bleak as a post-apocalyptic wasteland. So lock and load.

We're hunting Wussians.

Stats!
(high point: this is a trap game)

Hope springs eternal!
WE CAN DO THIS!
GO BRUINS!

Game 52 Preview: Bruins at Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

The most normal picture of Miller's face, ever.
Game 52
7:30 PM, January 29, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
at Buffalo Sabres (31-14-7)

Well, at long last Bruins Hockey is back. Of course it's an away game on a Friday evening so you might skip it or turn it off early if the Sabres go up or whatever, but fear not!

The Bruins have beat the Sabres in both games this year! Huzzah! And some even better news:

Savard. Saviard?

THE SAVIOR RETURNS! LO, THE GOLDEN CHILD WILL LEAD US FROM THE DARKNESS!*

*offer may not be valid in all areas.

Stats!
I gotta say...it's not pretty.

Looking forward to the Bruins playing again.

Here's Ryan Miller's Olympic mask:

Miller v. Rask in net.

GO BRUINS!

GLORY GLORY HALLALUJAH

Look, I know that things are looking very down and apparently we need to blow up the team or something and trade everyone or else the bruins will never win another game.

Just look at Pierre LeBrun's article over on that pinnacle of hockey coverage, ESPN.

"But I can tell you one thing, I'm not trading Toronto's pick [for this year]," said Chiarelli. "I am not trading it. That pick is too valuable."

You have no idea how glad that makes me. Now lets attack a troubling line from the article:

"The Bruins, who...currently sit one point out of a playoff spot" Bullshit. Stop right there, Pierre. As it turns out, every team plays 82 games. Once you've got that little tidbit in your brain let's look at the Games Played stat.

Three teams ahead of Boston have the same amount of games played as Boston: Buffalo, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Buffalo and New Jersey are so far ahead right now they'd have to suffer dramatically for us to catch up. Philadelphia is one of the teams between 6 and 12 that is at either 55 or 54 points right now.

Two teams have one more game played than Boston: Washington and Atlanta. Washington is in the same category as Buffalo and NJ, and Atlanta has the same point total.

Three teams have 2 more games played than Boston: both New York teams and Florida. They're all in that 55 or 54 bubble as well.

Four teams have 3 more games played than Boston: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Pittsburgh. Peter already told us about Toronto's season, Montreal is bubbling along, and Ottawa and Pittsburgh are at 62 and 67 points right now.

Going by the absolute standings the Bruins are in 12th right now. However, if you go by points percentage, the Bruins are in 7th. Let me repeat that:

The Bruins are in 7th in the East.

7th ain't so bad. 7th is, in fact, a playoff spot. And that's what we've achieved with a crippled team that's been in a slump and lost the last 5 games. What I'm saying is the Bruins aren't screwed yet. But that bubble's going to burst eventually and I hope we don't sell the future now for some crap rental.

Hope Springs Eternal.

GO BRUINS!

Game 51 Review: BRUINS 1 LAST PLACE HURRICANES 5 READY SET PANIC

Luckily instead of watching this mess of a game I got to watch some football...like watching the colts make it to another superbowl (dammit) and the Saints win but fail to cover the spread (worst case scenario). Woof.

Most of the people who watched the game mentioned things like "heart" "energy" "character" on Twitter, so I'll just say sure, that's probably it.

The Bruins now have the longest losing streak of the year. To find the last 5-game losing streak, you've gotta go back to December of 2007. Incidentally, the Bruins also dropped the 5th game of that streak to Carolina. They then lost the sixth game in a row to Atlanta. Luckily, there is not another game for a couple days. They have the opportunity to try to right the ship now before Friday. Oh wait, that's Buffalo? (Could be Savard's first game back) And then LA? ruh-roh.

At least the Olympics are soon.
GO BRUINS!

L10: Game 41-50 (2-7-1) NEW STRATEGY: 2 LOTTERY PICKS

(From sports club stats)

Yeah, we're not doing so hot right now. Let's jump right in because we all have days of watching sports ahead of us. First of all, the Bruins are currently out of the playoffs in terms of total points but if they can win the next three they'll be back to tied with Ottawa. By point percentage, they're in 7th in the east right now. I'm not entertaining dreams of catching Buffalo at this point, especially since we don't have games in hand on them and they're 13 points ahead. Jerks. Ryan Miller better bring his A+ game to Vancouver next month, is all I'm saying.

The losses we've had have been bad losses and as a result I know I've been much more interested in football and the Wild. Whatever, this is part of being a fan. Watching all your hopes and dreams slip away. Like that graph up there, which is the likelihood of the Bruins making the playoffs. Even if they do, I don't see them making it past the first round unless things really turn around. Then again who thought the Carolina Hurricanes would beat two of the best teams in the league last year and end up in the Conference Finals? Not I. Not I. Fuck those guys anyways.

17.18%

That's our powerplay. Not terrible, not great, 20th in the league. Not as good as it was last time around, not as bad as the start of the year. 1718 didn't have a whole lot going on, but Blackbeard the pirate was riding around, and that's pretty slick. Way to go, 1718!

87.71%

PK percentage. The Bruins are back on top of that stat, after dropping to second for a couple days this past week. Well, we're still good at SOMETHING....

126

Goals for AND goals against. The Bruins have scored the fewest goals in the whole league, and the only teams that have fewer goals against are Miller's Buffalo, Brodeur's Jersey, Luongo's Vancouver, and Keith/Seabrook's Chicago. Fortunately if they win today they'll tie or pass the next-lowest team in goals for (Carolina)

4

The number of players that have played in every game for Boston this year: Zdeno Chara, Blake Wheeler, Michael Ryder, and Mark Recchi. Three of these guys follow Patrice in most points for the Bruins. Ryder has 20 points, good for 9th.

42

Mark Recchi's age on February 1st. Mark Recchi is one of the better things going for the Bruins right now. In the last game when the top line was Paille-Bergeron-Recchi that was Claude saying to the rest of the players "These guys. These are the ones I want on the ice more than the rest of you shlubs." Recchi has said that this is his last year.

Fun fact: Mark Recchi is from Kamloops, where Blogger/Leafs beat writer James Mirtle is also from.

TORONTO PICK WATCH

Cam Fowler, according to this mock draft.

Toronto? Still bad. Not as bad as Carolina and Edmonton, but still pretty damn bad. 3rd place in the lottery standings right now. Here's a fun little piece by Ryan Classic about Phil Kessel's performance this year. Fun part: Compared to Alexai Yashin. Look for Brian Burke to be yelling on your TV soon, folks!

Oh, and draft party at my house.
GO BRUINS!

Game 50 Preview: Bruins vs. Senators WELP

Last time they came to town it sucked. Early game, not much in the way of preview. They're wearing the Winter Classic jerseys. If you see a guy in a #1 Brimsek classic jersey, come say hi. if you're not going to the game, chat over at Stanley Cup of Chowder Enjoy, y'all.

GO BRUINS!

Game 49 Review: Bluejackets 3 Bruins 2 Refs 1 WHY YES I DO THINK 'POOP' IS AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION

I think this just about sums it up:

I don't want to really talk about the game, so here's the recap in video form. Discussion post-video:

Video Link for Email subscribers

But let's not get crazy about it. Everyone loves watching bushkorn go crazy but nobody wants to be him. So let's get some rationale here. First of all, the Bruins are still on pace for a playoff spot with all their awful play recently. Granted, they'll have to start picking up, and the 07-08 team has caught up to them. However, the overall stats bear out that they're in sixth right now in points percentage and SRS. The sharks have passed them in PK supremacy but they're still best in the east in that (though buffalo is hot on their tails).

The Lucic fight wasn't exactly highlight-reel material but good for him for playing "pissed off hockey" like he said. I would have liked "goal-scoring hockey" or "game-winning hockey" but I guess it's something. Anyhow the big story here is that the refs called high-sticking on Lucic with 1:something to go in the third in a tie game when it was a different-colored stick.

The real story there is that at 4:02 of that video up there, you can see where if Krejci doesn't straight-up miss the net I'm high-fiving everyone around me and we don't have to be tied 2-2 with 1:something to go and getting shitty calls.

I was pissed about that last night, and it's an absolutely terrible way to lose a game, but I've calmed down now and I know that game 50 is coming up tomorrow morning (or close to...) and, well, time to work for those 2 points.

GO BRUINS!

Game 49 Preview: Bruins vs. BlueJackets BURN THE FLAG

(Yes, really)
Game 49
7:00 PM Jan 21st, 2010
98.5 FM, NESN(HD)
vs. Colombus Blue Jackets (19-24-9)

Silly mascots aside, the Blue Jackets are 14th in the west with 47 points, and only 4 points ahead of Toronto. Yeah, they're not that great. The FLYERS beat them. Oh well, here's some links:

• New Blog Beantown Athletic Supporters has been writing like crazy. Pretty good stuff. Check it out.
• Georges Laraque was told to stay home by Montreal and that he'd be bought out at the end of the season. Not a huge loss for the Habs or the NHL, which is why it's annoying.
• If you didn't see the Zdeno Chara poem yesterday, go back and read it.
• Pretty much everyone in Carolina is on the trading block, but Aaron Ward's contract is way too big for us to get him. Sorry, guys.
• "Dr. Recchi Prescribes Ugly Hockey" - I can't make this up.
  

Anyhow, I'm not expecting all that great of things but who knows? Maybe Tuukka will stand up to Nash and friends and Steve Mason will continue to pull his best Raycroft impression. I have hope, except these are the lines for tonight, from Bruins Blog:

Daniel Paille	Patrice Bergeron	Mark Recchi
Milan Lucic	David Krejci	Blake Wheeler
Miroslav Satan	Trent Whitfield	Michael Ryder
Shawn Thornton	Vladimir Sobotka	Drew Larman

Actually, that top line is pretty nice. Paille has great wheels, Bergeron would be in discussion for Hart if he didn't get hurt, and Recchi is the oldest working Dinosaur in sports. What I'm saying is that's a great effort line, though I don't know if Recchi or Bergeron will be taking faceoffs. I'm hoping Bergeron is back to 100% and all, because Recchi isn't exactly elite at faceoffs.

Oh look, time for some stats:

Well, I guess they are worse than us in some ways. Higher GP and lower Points percentage. There's hope, y'all.

GO BRUINS!

"Ode to Zdeno Chara" by Kevin Devaney

Editor's note: This was written by Kevin Devaney, a friend of mine who was inspired when I brought him to a preseason game. And people say those games are pointless...

Aries and Poseidon once took a half drunk road trip north
for a frost sprite gangbang
the child, they name “Zdeno.” But something happens,
the boy is colder than, more ferocious,
than others. He grows to a man and receives
the gifts of his fathers’.
Aries, throws him a bowstaff, titanium
and flatten headed labeled Easton and two 15 inch blades.
Poseidon gives a zamboni.
The arena, he finds on his own,
when he is ready, thunder in his chest
known, and born, of gods.

11 pm. November 18th 1984
“Old Time Rock N’ Roll” thumps out of speakers because
Will Murry is turning 40.
Jean Devaney “dances”
as much as one can, sober,
with a three year old daughter asleep next door,
and belly all out with me.
There’s a pillow in the car. Someone shouts
over the music, “When are you having the baby?”
and the music that just soothes the soul soothes on.

Sometimes, I think I can hear that song in my sleep,
as I imagine Zdeno can hear the slick slice of skates, that tower
of a man. At six foot nine, the tallest to ever play in the NHL,
he’s still better known for his fights. Just ask Bryan McCabe.

For years before my parents had children
they lived in California.
I have a photograph of my mother from back then,
bandana in her hair and
she’s smiling like the sea behind her
couldn’t exist without it,
like she had shifted things, swayed if not built
by her power. It was a carefree smile that
I didn’t see much of as a kid when
for days she was a Diana
her body a taut bow
because that’s what it takes to raise kids like me.
Zedeno, we were born to be two different types of titans.

11:45 pm. November 19th 1984
There was what they called
a natural birth.
“not even a frigin’ baby asprin,”
my mom describes it today.
That night was the first time
she and I disagreed .

Bless the rage of your fathers, Chara,
you have pushed ice with their gifts
until it yielded immortality,
Zdeno, professional, your peers call you fear,
but do you close your eyes, ever, and think
of your mother?

Yes, if you write poetry about the Bruins (or team USA or hockey in general, really), I will put it on the blog. Within reason.

GO BRUINS!

Game 46 Review: BRUINS 1 SHARKS 1 SO WIN WE BEAT THE SHARKS WE BEAT THE SHARKS EAT THAT WE BEAT THE SHARKS

Yeah, it totally happened. And despite the fact that the only Bruin to actually shoot a puck on net and get it in was Chara in the 4th round of the shootout, but who's counting? Sharks captain Rob Blake probably isn't.

Thomas played an unreal game, and you really owe it to yourself to watch all of his "save" highlights from the game. No, really. Insane stuff. Here are some links:
Vs. Setoguchi
Vs. Marleau

And here's the big one: RIGHT HERE. Thomas makes a hundred saves, and practices the Fosbury Flop enough to win a couple high-jump events.

What I'm saying is that if at 1:15am you were still glued to the TV, I was right-there with you. Amazing game. We don't have to get into the ugly ducks game a night or two before.

GO BRUINS!

Game 43 Preview: Bruins vs. Blackhawks RECCHI COULD PASS STAN MIKITA

Game 43
7pm, January 7, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
vs. Chicago Blackhawks (million-negative 5-0)

Ok, so the hawks don't actually have -5 losses, their record is really 30-10-3, which is good enough to be top of the West right now. And the West is a better conference than the East this year. Much better. On top of that the Blackhawks are the next-best PK in the league right now, after the Bruins. Oh and their PP is 6th in the league, not 17th. Yeah, I'm not expecting great things tonight either.

However, Tim Thomas has won 5 out of his last 6 games, and the one loss came when he allowed 2 goals against Tampa Bay. 2. That's not a lot, considering that the goalie they

However, there's always hope. Hell yeah. The Bruins could win this. Mark Recchi is currently tied with Stan Mikita at 13th for all-time points leader, and he could break it against his old team. Hell, Mark Recchi was probably playing at the same time as Mikita.

Game threads at Stanley Cup of Chowder and Second City Hockey. And fan tweetup for those attending the game behind section 308 during 1st intermission!

Here's a touching story about a Chicago fan. Did you sign YOUR organ donor card?

Stats!

GO BRUINS!