Timmy Receives Vezina Nomination

As expected, Tim Thomas was announced as a finalist for the Vezina, awarded to the league's top netminder.

The Awards are to be dished out on June 18th in Las Vegas. I've already laid out my argument for why Tim should and will win and you can read my debate with the Caveman about it, and other awards, here.

Rangers, Penguins or Whalers?

Fun stuff coming out of these other series in the Eastern Conference. Just to bring everyone up to speed...

• John Tortorella was suspended for game six of the series against Washington. This guy has gone full retard. There is no way you can take yourself out of a potential clinching game on account of squirting fans with a water bottle, throwing said water bottle at those same fans, and then trying to get at them with a hockey stick. Bravo, John. And this is the same guy who expects Sean Avery to act mature.

• Oh, and Washington won 4-0 on Sunday in John's absence and now has all the momentum in the series.

• The Whale is beating Dirty Jersey right now by a score of 4-0 late in the 3rd period so it's looking like a game seven there, too. This is awesome because if the Whale can pull it off, and the Caps win that means the B's get the Whale and not the Penguins. I hate the Penguins and I think they're beatable ... but if we can avoid them I'll take it. Plus I get to break out my Kevin Dineen jersey.
  

• I shot a 113 today at Mount Hood in Melrose. I suck at Golf.
  

I'd Say We're Whores, But No One Paid Us

Thanks to Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness for helping me wade through the suck that is HTML and officially whore out some of our space to the good folks at Versus. Here comes the fun-cooker!

Yep, me and HTML go together like lamb and tunafish. Or Kovalev and effort.

Just watch the games, OK? As if you weren't going to already. I know. Shaddap.

Awesome Hockey Fight

Last year, for Christmas, I gave my father a DVD of classic Fred Cusick games, calls, etc. I had nearly forgotten about it until an email showed up in my inbox this morning from Dad, linking to a you tube version of one of the fights on said DVD. Check it out. Note that the Bruin (Jonathan) is wearing number 17...ironic?

GNH: Have fun with Tiger, Dickheads

How 'bout you boo this...

B's send Habs packing in 4

Enjoy golf season

(Hab's Fans)

I also really enjoy this as a notice to the pansies Montreal employs this off-season ...

Bruins Throw the Habs Off the Cliff, Sweep Series

With apologies to Steven Colbert, Canada's number one threat: Bears

Holy shit does this feel good. The Bruins just blew Montreal straight out of the water in game 4 by a score of 4-1 and if that doesn't make you smile then you should take a moment to re-evaluate your internet browsing skills(z?).

I'd break down the game, but it was quite simple. The Bruins were better. Much better.

How many times did you see a Bruin win a battle in corner, make that extra pass, or clear out a juicy rebound in front of Tim Thomas. These Bruins came in with a solid game-plan and executed it from start to finish. Don't do anything dumb, don't get baited, and just work harder.

Maybe my favorite moment of tonight came in the 3rd when Mike Komaserik grabbed Milan Lucic after a little contact along the Habs bench and roughed him up for no apparent reason. Luc glares at him, ducks out in between the linesmen, and glances back with a grin and heads for the bench. What does Mike get for his trouble? A game misconduct. That was the series in a nutshell.

Perhaps Jack put it best when he said "have a great summer, Mike". Damn straight.

Game, set, match. So long, suckers. In the language of the great city of Montreal: Via con dios, Les Habitants.

Bring on the Rangers (maybe?) and their poorly, poorly lit arena.

Game Notes Haiku: Bruins Withstand Habs Best Effort, Take 3-0 Series Lead

Fans boo our anthem
their coach, goalie, team, et al
Tuesday will be sweet

No Lucic, No Problem...B's up 3-0

No Lucic? No Problem. 3-0. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

One step at a time though. Let’s get the next one, first. The Bruins are a game away from getting this classless monkey off their backs and moving to the second round for the first time since 1999. At least my doctor isn’t spending hours at my bedside monitoring my blood pressure (he was last week - sorta) but we’re not there yet, folks.

Count me as one of those who were absolutely terrified (but not surprised) by the ferocious start Montreal brought in the first fifteen minutes last night. I give tremendous credit to our defensive corps and Timmy for not imploding from the pressure. One goal in that stretch was commendable and they clearly have the mental toughness to be where they are, as demonstrated by the responses to both the first and second goals Montreal netted, each of which could be called "breakdowns" by our defense. We never got down as a team and kept coming right at them.

I think Montreal may have spent its stack at this point. Sure, they’ll come out hard in game four, but let’s face it, they probably missed their chance. With Lucic, our physical initiator, out serving a suspension (Footnote: i won’t argue with it and i’m impressed with the maturity Lucic displayed in not appealing it), the Habs had a fired up hometown crowd and every opportunity to sieze the momentum - but they could not. In this case, it was Phil Kessel, who’s defelction home late in the first that tied things up, reminding the Canadiens that they aren’t ever going to be able to keep momentum for long in this series. Their only lead of the three games lasted exactly 6:43. If Montreal couldn’t capitalize on that setup, I’m gaining confidence that they simply won’t ever do it this year. I know, that statement isn’t much of a stretch.

Final though on last night’s game. What has happend that we’re suddenly "ok" with an entire fanbase repeatedly demonstrating an utter lack of class and maturity? I have some rich French Canadian heritage in my blood and many of my relatives going back four or five generations called Quebec home. Frankly, the behavior of these Canadiens fans to boo the National Anthem in now two consecutive years emabarrases me and should embarrass the Montreal organization. Once is a mistake, twice is a tradition. I’m ashamed to see this moronic display of disrespect in a game, that has nothing to do with countries, politics, or anything else remotely related to it. How do you think the players on the Bruins (or their coach?) feel about these idiots booing the American National anthem…and i’m talking about those who are FROM Quebec?

Fuck the Habs fans and their bullshit behavior. I've had enough. Let’s end this series and send them packing.

Playoffs - Wooooo!

So I had a real job type obligation that forced me to watch last night's game on DVR. I spent the entire day hoping no one would text me (including the Bruins.com thing) the result before i could get home and watch what turned out to be quite a barn burner. Since i was remote, and delayed, I turned to my good buddy Jim the Baptist to present some first hand analysis of what it was like to scalp tickets and be at the opening game of this rivalry's return to action.

"Game 1: Bruins vs Canadiens, from the perspective of a fan in the balcony.

Watching a Bruin's game from the balcony is certainly an experience. If you are between the ages of 18 and 30, its a lot of fun and hilarious at times. If you are a parent brining a young impressionable human along with you, not so much.

Having never been to a Bruins vs Canadiens playoff game, I had been told I'd run into a lot of crazy Habs fans at the bar before, and during the game. Well, they were a no show at the Greatest Bar before the game, all Bruins fans. And they were few and far between at the game, which was great to see. I think last year was different because the Bruins were the 8 seed, and hadn't really become relevant in the city of champions just yet.

I got to see both ends of the spectrum for Montreal fans. There was one cocky, Jersey Shore looking kid, who really took a ton of shit for being short/Canadian. He had about 3 sections of Bruins fans chanting "your gaaaay, your gay your gay your gaaaaay" directly at him.

Then there were two fans sitting on my right, father and son about 50 and 25 yrs old, who were trying to keep to themselves. Obviously just die-hard Canadien fans taking advantage of $100 seats instead of $200+ in Montreal. They were getting harassed quite a bit, and you actually felt bad for these guys. There were getting screamed at by some obnoxious Bruins fans that almost make you feel embarrassed that they represent you. The two Habs fans to my right shook my hand after and said it was a great game.

Overall, well worth the $90 for the seats."

Love it. Sounds like the bleachers at Fenway in 1994. Exactly the way it should be. Let's face it, hockey went wrong and lost most of its casual fans when prices started rising above 100 bucks a ticket. This is a blue collar sport with (mostly) a blue collar fan base and the reality is that no one should ever be making more than 9 million a year (enjoy Russia, Jagr) and no fan should ever pay more than 200 bucks for a loge playoff ticket. I don't mean to go on a rant here, but, ah nevermind.

One other thought about last night. It's already been mentioned in this space that the Canadiens are a bunch of pansy's and sore losers. Well, leave it to Patrice Briesbois and Tom Kostopolous to prove that once and for all by initiating two separate and COMPLETELY unnecessary skirmishes in the final 13.6 seconds of last night's game (hows THAT for a run on sentence?) These two clowns, and Kovalev, deserve fines and frankly should've been tossed for their antics. Honestly, who throws a punch at a guy for scoring an empty netter? Answer? A Canadien. I'm all for emotion, but there's a point when you're just being a moron.

Habs: We care for nothing Lebowski

I wrote this yesterday afternoon, but couldn't post it. Bear with me:

Uli and his band of Canadiens approach tonight, Nihilistic and ready to rob us of our dreams. Is Uli from Quebec? No. Do I care? No. Ride with me on this.

The Canadiens have knocked us out of the playoffs three times since 2001, including twice when we were the Division champs and held home ice. The Canadiens are lucky to be in the playoffs, as one of the most penalized teams in the league, one of the worst defensive teams in hockey, and show up as literally the walking wounded with their second best forward (Lang) and best defenseman (Markhov) gone for the series. Do you think these Canadiens care about anything? Do you think, seriously, that they have anything to lose? If you do, get outa Malibu, Lebowski!

There’s only one expectation from fans in Montreal now (I know some, so trust me) - make it respectable. If they win, we’re the humiliated, sad, sorry excuse for a franchise that they always make us out to be. If we win, big deal, they were hurt and we’re not.

One of my favorite sites for analysis, if you’re looking for something intelligable that is, is Puck Prospectus. The same sabremetric wizards that gave us VORP in baseball, now give us GVT (goals versus threshold, read more here) in hockey. They have a phenomenal preview of the series available here.

Great tidbits…

1. Did you know that Tim Thomas posted the second best save percentage mark EVER? Only DominiK Hasek in 98-99 did better (by 0.004).

2. The Canadiens are one of 8 teams in the NHL to allow more than 10 Shorties this year (11).

3. The Bruins rank 3rd in offensive GVT and the Canadiens rank 25th in defensive GVT (eeeeek!)

4. I’m stuck in an airport right now…wait, that’s not pertinent.

Montreal fans are pumped up, no doubt, but from a pure hockey standpoint, they’ve got to be about as fired up for this series an LA cop searching for a tape deck who’s working in shifts with no good leads. But statistics to not apply anymore. What applies now is what the teams leave on the ice in these next two weeks. Can the Bruins bury the ghosts of Quebec Separatist past? Can the Canadiens muster the consistency to stay with the young B’s for 6 or 7 games? One thing’s for sure, a longer series favors the Habs. If you don’t love every inch of this, hockey just isn’t for you.

Go B’s!!!

Calvin Hates the Habs

Courtesy of my brother, Mike.

GNH: Go Back to Canadia, for now...

Bruins Make Statement

Despite Blunders, PIMs, Tempers

See you in 1st Round(?)

Let’s face it. Odds are we’ll be watching the Canadiens roll into town next Thursday as the Bruins’ first round foe for the third time in the last 6 seasons. The Rangers hold the tiebreaker with Montreal and neither has a desirable match-up in their respective final games this weekend (so, let’s call it 2:3 odds that we see the Habs and not the frustrating boys from NYC). Montreal gets to host the long haired chumps from Broad Street (there’s alot, alot of culture there) and the Rangers visit the Igloo (er, Melon Arena) to get beat up by Geno one more time.

Look, we all knew this was coming. To this man, it is no different than Aaron bloody Boone. The Bruins, and the city of Boston, have unfinished business with our neighbors to the North, just like the Sox going through the Spanks following the Boone Series en route to the 2004 Title. Let’s accept reality, put the anxiety behind us and bring ‘em on. I want to play them. I’ll go so far as to say it will be good for this team to bury the ghosts of Le Habitant. Call it a cleansing excercise, if you will, but come Sunday evening, round about 8pm ET, the Rangers will finish up their tilt with the Penguins and we’ll know who to expect next week. Granted, if the Habs lose tomorrow, we’ll already know.

Get ready Boston. There’s a familiar storm brewing in the Adams’ Division of old and last night our guys just stood up and said "we’re ready, come hell or high water". I’m ready, too. Maybe its time to buy one of those "Canadiens’ Suck" t-shirts that some guy made in his basement with food coloring and a stencil he bought at Osco Drug. Oh wait…I already have one.

From the Bonesaw's Box of Amazing...

There's this box of amazing i keep around, for days like this, when the B's have just lost to a crappy Ottawa team. Forget the Haiku today. Just enjoy this video. To use a line from the Big Head Braden (WZLX morning show), this is "more awesome than a whole bunch of chocolate covered awesome rockets".

Game of the Night: It's, well, a mess

Herb Brooks: "That look like Hockey to you?
{pauses}
"To me it looks like two monkeys trying to hump a football"

Sounds about right for the fight at the bottom of the Eastern conference playoffs. In tonight's "Game of the Night" let's focus on two games...a double dippah!!!

First, the 4th place Flyers host the 9th (technically tied for 8th) place Panthers in a must win for both. If Philly loses, they lose the division to NJ and could easily drop out of having home ice in the coming days. If the Panthers lose, well, they get to keep the football and are a day closer to playing golf, folks.

The second game is Montreal visiting the NY Rangers. This battle of 7th vs. 8th is crucial to both teams.

Coming out of tonight, we could very well have the following scenario battling it out for the last two spots...

6. PIT - 93 pts
7. NYR - 92 pts
8. MTL - 91 pts
9. FLA - 91 pts

Talk about a barn-burner for the last two seeds. The other key is that Slug-a-lo is hanging back with 85 points and 3 to play, so wins by the Habs and Cats all but elminates the Slugs from contention. Watch these games closely, now, as the Bruins first round opponent is definitely coming out of this group. You heard it hear first (like that was difficult to predict).

Oh, and the B's play some clowns in Ottawa tonight, too. Can you guess what Wideman's thinking below?

Phillips Arena Earns LEED Certification

Congratulations to the Atlanta Thrashers and their ownership on the earning LEED certification for Phillips Arena. From NHL.com ...

"If every one of our 5.1 million existing commercial buildings in the U.S. followed the lead of Philips Arena and worked to become more energy efficient, we could save some $160 billion by 2030 and put a significant dent in our carbon emissions," said USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chairman Rick Fedrizzi. "There are also tremendous water-saving practices that are built into LEED and I know how important that is in Atlanta. Schools, stores, hotels, office buildings, government buildings and sports arenas all have a contribution to make, and Philips Arena is to be congratulated for its achievement and the leadership it demonstrates for others."

For those of us in the real estate industry this is a big deal. I've been through the LEED certification process (LEEDS?! Yea, they got us working in shifts!) very recently and it's a huge time and money comitment. A well deserved glove tap to the Atlanta Thrashers and their ownership group.

What's this LEED business? Read more here.

Hardware Speculation Spectacular

The following took place over the course of April 5, 2009. No animals were harmed in the production of this post, however, a cat bed was peed on. Seriously.

Bonesaw: You know, Caveman, we have never done a back-and-forth column. Seeing as there's two of us lunatics in this cave, we ought to. Watching the Bruins the last week and in person yesterday, one thing has become incredibly clear to me: Tim Thomas, he of the new contract, should absolutely win the Vezina Trophy this year, in addition the Jennings Trophy the team will be bringing home. The save he made on Scott Hartnell last weekend was one of the best I've seen all season. How he didn't even make the all star ballot is beyond all comprehension. That said, let's have a debate on the top awards (Vezina, Hart, Calder, Norris, Adams and Selke). Starting with the Vezina - who ya got? Who SHOULD win and who WILL win?

The Caveman: The back and fourth email column? Not the most original idea we've ever had but I don't have a better idea.. Actually, screw it. Everyone rips off everyone else. A mutual friend of ours got his blog practically plagerized by Bill Plashke for chrissakes.

Quick note: Hockey has the coolest awards in all of sports. So many trophies, so many cool categories. Except the Lady Byng. That award kinda sucks.

Vezina Trophy: Who SHOULD get it? I say Tim Thomas. The reasons are all over the place:

1.) Lowest GAA in the league
2.) Career high in wins this year
3.) He's been the most consistent cornerstone of the Eastern Conference Champs.
4.) He's a fiery guy who the league can market.

Now, who WILL get it?

They're going to get this one right; Tim Thomas takes it home this year. Everyone likes the guy and his story is perfect. From Flint, Michigan to Sweden, to Boston, to finally getting that huge payday that most people seem to think he deserves. He's been better every year he's been in Boston and his play has been at an elite level all year.

By the way, I don't want to hear anyone crying over the Jacobs not paying people anymore. Can we cut that out, please? Argue all you want about who they pay, but let's stop saying they're cheap. You dig?

Bonesaw: Alright. No surprise, we agree. I think Steve Mason is a serious candidate though. He's played 5 more games and is second in GAA. He's single handedly putting the Jackets in the playoffs, but i still think the Writers/GM's will get this right. Mason's young, and his time will come. I actually think he's a strong candidate for the Hart though. The B's surrounding cast is much stronger than the Blue Jackets (thus removing Thomas from that conversation), but i don't hear Mason in the national debate for the Hart.

I think it comes down to Malkin / Ovechkin and Parise. Parise is the sleeper, Ovechkin is the fan favorite but Malkin is the clear choice. He's the energy behind the Pen's resurgence, he's leading the league in points and assists and he's netted 34 goals to boot. He's still getting better. If his goalie weren't terribly overrated, I'd be frightened of them come playoff time.

The Caveman: This is going to be really boring if we keep agreeing. But you're right, Malkin is the guy. Ovechkin is the sexy pick and fans love him, hell I love him, that goofy bastard. The (probably) fake feud that he and Malkin orchestrated was awesome, one of my favorite story lines for the year.

(Did anyone really buy this? Do you think that two countrymen (kids, actually) in a foreign place who play hockey for millions of dollars really hate each other? Sure they get fired up on the ice, they should, but I'll bet they play Xbox together in the off-season while trying to make Crosby's head bleed in NHL 09.)

But anyway, Malkin should get it and I think he will. Calder Trophy time. Great young talent this year, some of it in Boston, some of it used to be. We already mentioned this guy, but Steve Mason has lit it up for the Blue Jackets. The Bruins saw first hand what this kid can do when he shut them out a short time ago. Oh, yea, he has 7 shut-outs too. SEVEN*. The other candidate is old friend Kris Versteeg. Crazy points, 21-29-50 as of today, will force some voters into picking him over Mason. But I have to go with the goalie on this. He plays for Columbus, keep in mind, not exactly the pillar of great defense.

Go ahead, disagree with me. Please.

*I am a retard on this statistic. I get called out, don't worry.

Bonesaw: Mary, Mary so contrary. That's me. With all due respect sir, I find fault with your adjudication.

Mason is in the discussion and I'd say he's got a good shot (btw he has 10 shutouts, moron). This is really a four man race the way I see it and I'll order them by my rankings.

4. Kris Versteeg

3. Pekka Rinne

2. Steve Mason

and....

1. Bobby Ryan

Versteeg is a nice choice here, granted. He's having a solid rookie campaign. Rinne and Mason are the two brightest young net minders in the game and both are doing it in relative obscurity in the equivalents of hockey purgatory (Nashville and Columbus, respectively). The case for Ryan is clear though. He's played only 61 games and is still leading the candidates in scoring with 56 points and a +15 on an Anaheim team that's been getting old in a hurry. He's averaging nearly a point per game and is a terrific goal scorer. Mason's played 8 more games the Rinne, and that's where the separation is for those two, putting it at a two man race in my mind. Ryan should get it, Mason will.

How about the Norris, Chuck?

The Caveman: Fair enough - Bobby Ryan is legit. Man this is a tough year to be a good rookie, it's too bad Blake Wheeler fell off mid-season or else he'd be in the conversation too.

I think the Norris is a two horse race and I'm not going homer on this one.

Look, captain Ze-deeeey-no is a great, great player. He can shoot the puck and is as close to a 'shut-down' guy as there is in the league. But here is the problem, I really like goals. Who doesn’t? Mike Green can score goals AND play a solid defensive position. When you compare the numbers side by side, and I think that's how it should be done, it's a no-brainer.

Chara: 17G 30A 47P +24
Green: 30G-40A 70P +24

So, yea, Green should get it and I think he will. Sorry folks.

Bonesaw: Green will get it. He should not. You're crazy. Go to bed. The award goes to the best defenseman, not the highest scoring defenseman. I'm so sick of high scoring D-Men winning this award that i could strangle Terry Frei and throw his rug in the trash. Z is the best "defenseman" in the game. The only other guys in this discussion should be Dion Phaneuf, Niklas Lidstrom and Mike Komaserik.

But Chara stands above them all. He logs over 26 minutes a game on a team that truly plays 6 D men deep and is a stalwart on the penalty kill. The fact that he's big shouldn't go against him. Remember, he's got to know how to use that size and not have it be a hindrance like it is for guys like Hal Gill who can't get out of their own way.

Green's going to get it because numbers has taken over this one. But it makes me very, very angry young man. You hear me?

What about the Adams? And if you better muster the creativity, or Google ability, to come up with someone beyond Julien.

The Caveman: Chara?! The numbers, they do not lie, sir. However, voters are a fickle bunch and you never know what will happen. Terry Pendleton won the NL MVP in '91 and he sucked. Go back and look, he was awful.

A challenge on the Adams nominees? Fine. I give you Ken Hitchcock.

The Blue Jackets were a joke; I still thought they were going into this season. Today? Look at the Western Conference standings and after the 3 seed it looks up-side down. The expansion teams have turned on the jets and Hitchcock has the Jackets playing some great hockey. Yea, they're not blowing anyone's doors off but they have a play-off spot all but secured in the West and they have developed a host of young talent.

That said, you're a lunatic if you think Julien won't take this one down. From the basement of the league to a President's trophy contender in 2 years? Triple-stamped it, no backsies.

If you even think I'm going to debate the Selke you're crazy. I have a microwave burrito with my name on it and I'm starving. Have you shampooed your den rug yet? That cat bed really tied the room together - at least Holly is house-broken.

Bonesaw: First of all, sir, there was no rug involved here and "chinaman" is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian American, please.

I like the Hitchcock (giggle, snicker) nod. I also like the job Joel Quenneville has done in Chicago with that young team. They've got a terrific core but their youth and quick rise from the cellar just three years ago is a testament to Quenneville's leadership behind the bench. I agree Julien likely wins it, but don't forget Todd McLellan in San Jose. San Jose is a top heavy team and lacks the depth the Bruins have down the forward lines, so i gotta give him props for making it all work. Especially with a lousy guy like Thornton in the mix. Jesus, why can't we get players like that? What? We had him? Fuck. I think the Selke candidates are as follows:

(crickett noises, tumbleweed)

...

Did you really think i was going to list them? Please. Time for some old fashioned hangover cure: a fantasy baseball draft.

In the ensuing fantasy baseball draft one of us took Arod at #5 (so, so unclean) and the other took Josh Beckett way too early (3rd round?! wtf!). Sadly, Jason Varitek remained undrafted.

GNH: Thomas to receive extension

Bruins getting close
To locking up home ice and
Timmy for more time

According to ESPN.com's John Buccigross (aka, the one true hockey fan left in Bristol), Tim Thomas is about to receive a contract extension from the B's. The deal is set to be announced Saturday. You can catch the report here. In other news, the boys rolled the Sens 2-1 at home last night earning their 50th win of the season for the 8th time in franchise history.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

2008-2009 7th Player Award Winner Is ...

All three people listed above share something in common. Do you know what it is?

I know, I'll bet you first guess was that they were all Boston Bruins 7th Player Award winners, but you'd be wrong. The only guy above that has done that is David Krejci.

Yes, Saddam had a twisted wrister and Jessica really knew how to break the left wing lock. But the only 7th player winner was Krejci. Promise. Turns out they all were born on April 28th. Who knew?

But Enough about late ousted dictators and bionic women. Congratulations to David 'The One' Krejci on being voted the 7th Player Award Winner for 2009. He might have scuffled a little bit there but the numbers certainly were amazing this year for the second year pro*. Plus, now that he seems to have remembered how to play hockey we can start to count on him to consistently produce in the play-offs.

Here's hoping the Bruins can lock this kid up for a while - he's one hell of a center and might just be a guy that we can count on for years to come.

Oh, and some dude won a truck as a part of the ceremony, too. Good for him.

*I know, he played 6 games in 06-07. Doesn't count, ok?