Wednesday night, I found myself bartending at my local pub waiting for the Bruins game to begin. As I began to prep for my shift at seven o’clock, one by one, fan after fan dawning the colors black and gold filed through the doors to witness what could be history in the making. Upon serving customers, I couldn’t help but listen to conversations about Claude Julien, Tomas Kaberle, the Bruin’s powerplay and so on.  Fans young and old talking Bruins hockey under the same roof in perfect harmony with words of hope and desire to make it to the Cup.  Roars of cheers upon every Bruin’s goal and and utter disgust in every Lightning score gave the illusion of the TD Garden right here in my home town.

It was then I noticed it.

Our Boston Bruins have gained the  hearts of all other  Boston sports fans and together we root as one big family.  A war machine that is not to be reckoned with.

Being a life long Bruins fan myself, I couldnt help but to feel at ease when I joined in on conversations and offered my opinions on certain players and matters.  This truly is what all of Bruins nation has wanted for over 40 years.

Now that Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Nathon Horton, and the rest of the team has proved themselves to be a viable contender for the NHL Stanley Cup trophy, fans are open arms to see something that hasnt been done in over 40 years”

A Bruins player raising Lord Stanley’s Cup Trophy.

Much to the amazement of fans however, the Bruins could not end the Tampa Bay Lighning’s playoff season in Game 6, and in turn fear of failure began to rise.  While whispers of defeat were extinguished,  only words of hope of a win at home in Game 7 were heard.

Friday night will not be just another Game 7. No sir, absoultely no way. This will be the city of Boston and all of Boston Bruins Nation in a fight to make history. Giving it all that they can not only in the TD Garden, but in every bar, club, and household across its plain.

One game,  60 minutes, to make history.

The Bruins players cannot just try to win Friday night for themselves. They must win  for every mother, father, sister, and brother that has given their heart and soul for the team since the season has begun. A failure at this stage could be catastrophic for years to come.

This feeling of jubilation that has filled every fan’s body has not been felt since 1990 and is refreshing to say the least.

While Boston’s other three major sports have come into greater graces in fans hearts, all have hiccuped over the past few years, from an undefeated season loss in the Super Bowl, to a Game 7 loss to our bitter rivals in the NBA Championship.

We, Boston sports fans, are accustomed to championships, something in which we have not had in hockey for nearly 40 years.

Hall of Fame players such as Cam Neely, Ray Bourque, and Rick Middleton were unable to win the trophy for Boston, but maybe….just maybe, this team can.

Their chance to become Gods among men in Boston and ensure a powerful fanbase will begin Friday night.

Nothing will keep me from watching this game, and hoping for a new Bruins era to begin.

© Derek Slicis for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, Opinion, Top Story.

The B’s made quite the comeback in last night’s 4-2 win over the Sidney Crosby-less Pittsburgh Penguins. Down 2-0 with under four minutes to play, Boston rattled off four unanswered goals, avenging the last-minute loss they suffered two nights earlier, up in Montreal.

As for the Senators, they find themselves in an 0-3-2 slump over their last five games, sinking them now 11 points behind the Canadiens for the East’s eighth and final playoff spot. Battling injuries and sub-par performances, the Sens look to right the ship tonight against a Bruins team now two points up on Montreal for the Northeast Division lead.

Let’s not waste any more time and risk breaking up this team’s momentum… time to get right to tonight’s pre-game notes:

• Tuesday’s game marks the seventh time the B’s have had games on back-to-back nights so far this season. Through their first six instances like this, they are 3-2-1 in the second game of the back-to-back.
• This game will be the third of six meetings this season against Ottawa. Each team has shut out the other so far, with Boston topping the Sens 4-0 back in October, and Ottawa shutting down the B’s 2-0 in November.
• Mark Recchi will play his 1,613th career NHL game tonight, which will help him pass former Bruin great Ray Bourque for eighth on the league’s all-time list. Recchi scored the game-winning goal in last night’s victory, over the team that drafted him way back in 1988.
• Ottawa will be without their top centerman, Jason Spezza this evening, as he continues to nurse a shoulder injury. Also sidelined for the Sens are winger Alex Kovalev (knee) and goaltender Pascal Leclaire (lower-body). Center Mike Fisher (lower-body) is considered day-to-day.
• In place of Leclaire in goal, Brian Elliott (12-13-5, 2.98GAA) has shouldered the brunt of the workload. Backing him up is Mike Brodeur (0-0-0, 2.73GAA), who was recently called up from the team’s AHL affiliate in Binghamton.
• Scoring for the Senators is led by the team’s captain, Daniel Alfredsson (13G, 13A), followed by defenseman Erik Karlsson (8G, 17A) and Spezza (9G, 11A).
• Ottawa and Boston are two of just six teams remaining across the league that don’t have a player on their roster with 30 points or more. Boston’s Patrice Bergeron leads the way with 29 points for his team, with Alfredsson’s 26 points the tops in Ottawa. The other four teams without a 30-pointer thus far; the Islanders, Panthers, Oilers, and Predators.
• Lastly, the NHL announced their All-Stars earlier today and two Bruins made the list. Captain Zdeno Chara will make his fifth All-Star appearance, while goalie Tim Thomas will man the crease in his third All-Star game. Rookie Tyler Seguin will also make the trip to Raleigh for All-Star Weekend, participating with 11 other rookies in the Honda SuperSkills competition. Ottawa’s lone All-Star representative will be second-year defenseman Erik Karlsson. The festivities kick off Friday, January 28th with the first ever All-Star Game Fantasy Draft, where two captains will choose the teams amongst the 40 remaining All-Stars. Saturday the 29th, the rookies have at it in the SuperSkills competition, then Sunday the 30th, the All-Stars take center stage for the game itself, starting at 4pm. All three events will be found on Versus.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

A handful of the Boston area’s young hockey hot shots will be in action next week, as Wednesday morning, USA Hockey announced the 22-man roster that will travel to Buffalo to play in the World Junior Championship tournament.

This group includes a trio of Boston College Eagles, led by forward Chris Kreider. Kreider, a Boxford, MA native and sophomore at the Heights, is one of eight returnees to the roster from last year, where the U.S. bested Canada for the gold medal in a 6-5 overtime win. In last winter’s Juniors tournament, Kreider had six goals and an assist in seven games, with those six goals good for third-most in the entire tournament. Kreider was drafted by the New York Rangers 19th overall in 2009.

Along with Kreider, BC will send a pair of defenseman to Buffalo, with Biddeford, Maine native Brian Dumoulin and Patrick Wey, who hails from Pittsburgh, surviving the final roster cut to make this year’s squad. Both players were drafted to the NHL in 2009 also, with Dumoulin property of the Carolina Hurricanes and Wey a prospect for the Washington Capitals.

Boston University will send just one Terrier to the Juniors, with East Weymouth, MA native Charlie Coyle, a 6-foot-2 forward, heading to the tournament. Coyle was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the first round (28th overall) of this past spring’s NHL entry draft and is a freshman at BU. Coyle has two cousins with NHL experience, being related to both Bobby Sheehan (310 NHL games back in the 70′s) and Tony Amonte, a five-time NHL All-Star and two-time U.S. Olympian.

Ray Bourque’s son Ryan will also be a part of the US roster in Buffalo. Like Kreider, Ryan Bourque grew up in Boxford, MA, but currently plays for the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League). Also like Kreider, Bourque won gold with last year’s US Junior team as well. Ryan was drafted in the third round of the 2009 NHL entry draft, 80th overall by the Rangers, again like Kreider.

The action gets going on Thursday, when the U.S. will face off with Norway in a pre-tournament tune-up. They will start playing for real on Sunday, when the tournament games get rolling with the U.S. leading off with Finland. In last year’s tournament, the U.S. topped Finland 6-2 in the medal round, en route to their gold medal-winning performance in the exciting final against Canada.

All U.S. National Junior Team games will be broadcast on the NHL Network here in the States, as well as all medal-round games and five additional preliminary-round match-ups, all available in high definition. The tournament wraps up on January 5th.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, College, Featured.

For Boston, they aim to erase the sour taste left in their fans’ mouths after a brutal playoff loss to Philadelphia, a series that the B’s blew a 3-0 series lead in, not to mention a 3-0 game lead in the deciding Game 7. But enough about that… it’s time to turn the page and look ahead to a highly anticipated 2010-11 season.

Phoenix exited the playoffs with a Game 7 loss even earlier than the Bruins did, but no one expected the Coyotes to even sniff a playoff spot last year, so just getting there was enough for their futile fan base. The ‘Yotes tallied 107 points in the standings last season, good for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. They were one of only four teams in the NHL to win 50 or more games last year.

Without further ado, let’s kick this hockey doubleheader preview into high gear with some pre-game news and notes, to get you ready for a weekend filled with matinee hockey from across the pond. It’s the debut of the second season of “Ice Breakers,”… (standing ovation unnecessary, but much appreciated).

• Head coach Claude Julien has been tinkering with his forward lines and defensive pairings for the entire preseason, which makes it difficult to predict who will play with who when the puck drops on the regular season Saturday at high noon. The one forward line that has seemed to steadily stick together is that of Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and the newly acquired Nathan Horton. Beyond that trio, also look for Patrice Bergeron, with the ink still drying on a new three-year contract extension signed Friday, to center the second line between Mark Recchi and likely Blake Wheeler. The highly touted rookie Tyler Seguin should see third line center duty, but his wingers are tough to predict, as he’s been working with Daniel Paille, Michael Ryder, and fellow rookie Jordan Caron. The team’s fourth line will be made up of three of the following four forwards: Gregory Campbell, Brad Marchand, Shawn Thornton, and Brian McGrattan. On defense, you’ll likely see the captain, Zdeno Chara on the top pairing with Johnny Boychuk, followed by Mark Stuart and Andrew Ference, then Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Hunwick. Andy McQuaid projects to be the healthy scratch on the blue line.
• In these two teams’ only meeting last season, Phoenix dropped the B’s 4-1 out in the Arizona desert, with Mark Stuart scoring the only goal for Boston in the game. Phoenix’s Shane Doan added three assists on the night for the Coyotes.
• Doan was one of the team’s scoring leaders last season, putting in 18 goals and adding 37 assists. Wojtek Wolski was the team’s overall scoring leader (23G, 42A), but he split his year between Colorado and Phoenix. Also among the team’s scoring leaders, the departed Matthew Lombardi (19G, 34A), forwards Lee Stempniak (28G, 20A) and Radim Vrbata (24G, 19A), and young defenseman Keith Yandle (12G, 29A).
• In an effort to boost the team’s scoring even further, Phoenix added former Carolina Hurricane Ray Whitney during the off-season. The veteran winger, who signed a multi-year deal with the Coyotes as one of the most coveted free agents over the summer, put together a very solid year for Carolina last season, netting 21 goals and 37 helpers on the year.
• Phoenix’s special teams units very much mirrored that of Boston’s last season, with the power play struggling for much of the year, but the penalty killers leading the way for both squads. Phoenix ranked 28th in the league last season on the man-advantage, at 14.6% (Boston was 23rd at 16.6%), while boasting the league’s sixth best penalty kill, at 84.5% (Boston was 3rd at 86.4%).
• Tough to tell this early who we’ll see in goal for each team, but my money’s on Ilya Bryzgalov for Phoenix. Bryzgalov appeared in all but 13 of Phoenix’s 82 games last season, posting a 42-20-6 record with a 2.29GAA and .920 save percentage, stats that led to a Vezina nomination for the Russian netminder. For Boston, look for Tuukka Rask to get his first opening game start of his career. That being said, don’t be surprised if it’s Thomas who you see in goal for game two of the back-to-back. I see coach Claude Julien trying to keep the goaltender workload even for the first month or two until the hot hand wins out, whoever that may be.
• Speaking of Julien and coaches, this two-game series features the league’s last two Jack Adams Trophy award winners. Julien won the award following the 2008-09 season, and Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett was given the nod after his first year in the desert last season.
• Four native Czechs will be able to play in front of their countrymen in this series. David Krejci, born in Sternberk, CZE, is the only Bruin with Czech blood, while Phoenix has a trio of Czechs on their roster, including Radim Vrbata (born in Mlada Boleslav), Petr Prucha (born in Chrudim), and Martin Hanzal (born in Pisek).
• The only Coyote will local ties to Massachusetts is defenseman Keith Yandle. Yandle, who enters his fourth year with Phoenix, grew up in the Boston area and played his high school hockey at Cushing Academy out in Ashburnham, alongside his close friend Chris Bourque, son of former Bruin defenseman, Ray Bourque. Yandle has said he idolized the elder Bourque as a kid growing up a Bruins fan, and he has tried to model his game as an offensive defenseman after the Bruins Hall of Famer.
• Last but certainly not least, the Bruins are sponsoring two viewing parties for fans to get together and watch the B’s open the season overseas. Saturday, the Bruins Ice Girls, along with Blades, the team mascot, will be at The Fours on Canal St., just off Causeway, beginning at 11:00am. On Sunday, head across town to Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill on Boylston St. near Fenway Park. Doors open on Sunday at 9:30am for the 10am puck drop.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

(Andover, MA) – November 16, 2009 – Georges Larauqe and Ray Bourque are hosting an online raffle at www.netraffle.org to give one lucky fan a chance to win a once in a lifetime prize package. The grand prize package includes tickets to a Bruins vs. Canadiens game, a meet and greet with Ray Bourque and Georges Laraque, and autographed jerseys. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit The Celebrities for Charity Foundation and Montreal based Children’s Charities.

• Winner’s choice of 2 tickets to the Bruins / Canadiens game on Thursday February 4, 2010 in Boston or the Sunday February 7, 2010 game in Montreal
• Winner will receive a Meet and Greet with Ray Bourque and Georges Laraque
• Winner will receive an autographed Georges Laraque and Ray Bourque Jersey
• Dinner for two at either Tresca, Ray Bourque’s Restaurant in Boston’s Historic Northend, or Ristorante Da Vinci, his favorite restaurant in Montreal.
• One night hotel accommodations in either Boston or Montreal and a $500 travel Allowance.
• Winner will also receive a cash prize in the amount of $758.96 to mitigate the Winner’s tax liability that results from winning the raffle. This prize is withheld and paid, on behalf of the Winner, directly to the IRS and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The online raffle will take place at www.netraffle.org with tickets costing $2.00 each and a minimum purchase of 5 tickets. This gives every fan a chance to win this amazing prize. The raffle closes on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. EDT.

About Celebrities for Charity Foundation:

The Celebrities for Charity Foundation was established in 1997 to assist charities in obtaining celebrity support for their organizations fund raising and charitable purposes. It was also established to support celebrities in fulfilling their philanthropic aspirations. CFC is professionally managed by volunteers and provides celebrities with advice, fulfillment services, state of the art technology and a 501 (c) (3) public charity vehicle from which they can conduct their charitable work. Over the past 11 years Celebrities for Charity has donated over $2 million of memorabilia and funds to over 1,000 different causes. www.celebritiesforcharity.org

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments
Filed under: Bruins, Charity.

It’s a trend that continues to grow and grow. Athletes who turn to politics after retiring. There is now news that former Pro Footballer Jay Riemersma is running for a position in the House of Representative in Michigan’s 2nd District.

This is not new. Athlete’s and politics go hand in hand. Every champion at every level travels to the White House after their victory. Many Senators and Congressman have been standout athletes during their playing days, several have even made it to the top office.

There have been many, but here is a list of the top players who not only succeeded in the games they played, but in the games of politics as well.

J.C. Watts

Watts was a standout Quarterback at Oklahoma and led the Sooners to back-to-back Orange Bowls in the late 70′s. After that, he played in the Canadian Football League until his retirement in 1986. In 1994, he ran for Congress and won in Oklahoma. The Republican served eight years and even got the chance to deliver his party’s rebuttal to President Bill Clinton’s State of the Union Address in 1997.

Bob Mathias

No other athlete has the resume that Mathias has. He is a two time Gold medal winner in the decathlon, in London (1948) and Helsinki (1952). If that wasn’t enough, he lead Stanford to a Rose Bowl appearance in 1952. He later went to Congress form California and served through four terms.

Jim Ryun

He was a part of the United States Track and Field teams in 1964, 1968 and 1972, winning a silver medal in Mexico City (1968). He also set numerous records in High School, including the mile record which was tops for 36 years. In Politics, he spent eleven years in the House from Kansas’ second district.

Jim Bunning

For 17 seasons, Bunning was a strong arm and retired with the second most strikeout of all time, he has since been passed by others. In 1996 he was elected into the Hall of Fame. In 1986 he entered the House and in 1999, he ran and won the Senator seat from Kentucky. He has been one of the Senate’s biggest voices with the steroid issue.

Steve Largent

One of the greatest wide receivers of all time, Largent retired tops in receptions (819), receiving yards (13,089), touchdowns (100) and a record of 177 straight games with a reception. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995 and ranked 46th in the Sporting News, for the 100 Greatest Football Players. He became a member of the house in 1994, from Oklahoma. In 2002, he lost his position by less then 7,000 votes.

Bill Bradley

He was a three time All American and National Player of the Year in 1965. He was a member of the 1964 Gold Medal winning basketball team in Tokyo and was a two time NBA Champion with the New York Knicks. If that wasn’t enough to fill a resume, Bradley was a Senator from New Jersey for over 20 years and was a favorite to win the Democratic nomination in 2000. The Basketball Hall of Fame member ultimately lost, but has since been a vocal member of the Democratic party.

Jesse “The Body” Ventura

The Body was never WWF Champion, but did hold the Tag Team titles for some time. He was a commentator for a few Wrestlemania’s and know for his flamboyant outfits. He shocked the world in 1998 when he became the Governor of Minnesota as a member of the Reform Party. He has been known for his humorous speeches and tough words towards the opposition. He left to host his own TV show on MSNBC and continues to appear every once in a while to “bodyslam” the issues.

Jack Kemp

On of the Greatest Stars of the AFL, Kemp was a stellar Quarterback for the Bills. He led Buffalo to back-to-back AFL Championships, being named the games MVP in 1965. He was also league MVP in 1965, in the middle of the Bills three straight Eastern Division Titles. In Politics, He was a member of Congress from 1971-1989 and made a run for President in 1988, but was named to George H. W. Bush’s cabinet. He later was Bob Dole’s running mate in 1996.

Gerald Ford

Numerous President played on championship football or baseball teams, but it was Ford who anchored the Michigan Wolverines to undefeated seasons and championships in 1932 and 1933. Then with Spiro Agnew resigning, Ford became Vice President. Then that little Watergate thing happened, and Ford found himself in the nation’s highest position. He lost his bid for reelection to Jimmy Carter, but did a great service to linebackers everywhere.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

He was the youngest Mr. Olympia of all time (won it six straight years). Conan, Terminator, Commando, Predator, Total Recall, True Lies, Mr. Freeze. Married a Kennedy. The “Governator”. Enough Said.

Any Famous Athletes/Politicians from New England?

Those were some impressive names and some great athletes. However, this is New England, home of the Kennedy’s and the birthplace of the American Revolution. Surely there has to be some members of the New England community that can take the reigns if needed. So here are five athletes who should make a run for political office.

Curt Schilling

He is a strong Republican and was vital in the campaigning efforts of John McCain in 2008. He ran a tight grassroots campaign. Should he run for an office in New England, the bloody sock memories might lead to a surprise win.

Tom Brady

It doesn’t matter his stance on the issues or what party he joins. Is there anyone in New England who wouldn’t vote for him? Didn’t think so. Watch out Tom Menino, there could be a new Mayor in town.

Doc Rivers

He gives great speeches and lives on Ubuntu. He knows how to lead a group and if he stacks himself up with a great cabinet, (Hello Tom Thibodeau), Doc could become a dangerous member of the Boston political scene.

Bill Belichick

Not everyone likes him, but everyone wants him running their team. He does what it takes to win, (cough*spygate*cough), but in the end gets the job done. If he takes his dedication for football and puts it towards politics, we could have a new Nixon on our hands.

Ray Bourque

This city loves him. Enough to give him his own parade when he won a championship with another team. He has what it takes to get people behind him and gain some votes. There is one issue though, he’s Canadian.

© Teddy for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Opinion, Top Story.

On Thursday, two days after turning 40, Joe Sakic, the storied center of the Colorado Avalanche and Team Canada, announced his plans to retire from hockey. In light of this announcement, which will have an extensive impact on the entire National Hockey League, let’s journey back into history. This trip is not to recount all of Sakic’s statistics or retell every anecdote highlight his leadership, but to know how things might have been different for Sakic and the Boston Bruins. In short, to understand what could have been.

In 1987, the Boston Bruins finished the regular season with a 39-34-7 record and were swept out of the playoffs by the rival Montréal Canadiens for the third time in four years (the other year losing to them in five games). In that year’s NHL Entry Draft, which included Sakic, Brendan Shanahan, and locals Ted Donato (Catholic Memorial High School), Chris Marshall (Boston College High School), and Joe Sacco (Medford High School), the Bruins, by order of league standings, had the 14th overall pick. To this they added the third overall selection in the draft by trading Barry Pederson to the Vancouver Canucks for Cam Neely and the pick.

The Bruins used their first first-round pick on Glen Wesley, a defenseman from the Portland Winter Hawks (WHL). By the time their second first-round pick arrived, Joe Sakic still remained undrafted, despite posting incredible statistics in the juniors. Thirteen teams had passed on the player who, in two seasons with the Swift Current Broncos (WHL), played in 136 regular season games, scored 138 goals and dished 155 assists. Passing on the opportunity to draft the stellar center for the second time, the Bruins instead drafted Stéphane Quintal of the Granby Bisons (QMJL), another defenseman.

Joe Sakic

Immediately following the Bruins’ pick, with the 15th overall selection (which was also their second of the draft), the Québec Nordiques chose Sakic, who became one of the greatest centers to ever play hockey. In the pros, he scored at an incredible rate, compiling 1,641 points, a figure composed of 625 goals and 1,016 assists, in 1,378 games. These statistics rank him 8th in points, 11th in assists, and 14th in goals in NHL history.

During his career, which spanned twenty seasons (all of which were spent with the Nordiques/Avalance franchise), the 16-season captain won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1996 and 2001, was named to the NHL All-Star Game 13 times, and earned various individual trophies, including the Conn Smythe Trophy (NHL Playoff’s Most Valuable Player), the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (NHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player), the Lester B. Pearson Award (Most Outstanding NHL Player in the Regular Season), and the Hart Memorial Trophy (NHL’s Most Valuable Player). In addition to the above accolades, Sakic won a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was also named the tournament’s MVP.

How do the careers of Glen Wesley and Stéphane Quintal, the players the Bruins drafted instead of “Burnaby Joe,” compare?

Glen Wesley

Wesley, who retired last year, notched 307 points in seven seasons with the B’s and was named to the NHL All-Star Game in 1988. In 1994, Wesley was traded to the Hartford Whalers for three first round picks, who turned out to be Kyle McLaren (drafted in 1995), Johnathan Aitken (1996), and Sergei Samsonov (1997).

Wesley eventually went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes, for whom he now works as director of development for defensemen. The No. 2 jersey was retired by the Hurricanes this past February in his honor.

Stéphane Quintal

Quintal split his four season with the Bruins between Boston and their AHL affiliate at the time, the Maine Mariners. In 1992, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues along with Craig Janney in exchange for Adam Oates. Before retiring in 2004, Quintal also played for the Winnipeg Jets, the New York Rangers, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Montréal Canadiens. (Note: Quintal wore the No. 5 jersey for the Canadiens, a number they retired in 2006. Unfortunately for Quintal, they did so in honor of Bernard “Boom-Boom” Geoffrion.)

What Could Have Been?

So, Sakic or Wesley & Quintal? The numbers illustrate the obvious answer.

They say – Orwell, forgive me for the cliché – that hindsight is 20/20. Indeed, it is. As a result of decisions they made in 1987, the Boston Bruins will forever be known as the only organization in the NHL to have had two chances to draft Sakic, yet failed to do so.

If they had drafted him, who knows what may have happened. Maybe the Bruins wouldn’t have been swept by the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals the next season. Maybe they wouldn’t have been beaten by the Canadiens in the quarterfinals in 1989. There’s even a chance that Ray Bourque could’ve handed off the Stanley Cup to Sakic in a Bruins uniform in 1990 instead of in an Avalanche uniform in 2001. No one will ever know for sure.

Unfortunately, we, the Boston Bruins faithful, are left to only wonder…what could have been.

© Erikk for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.