Category: NHL

With the First Pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns Select: Baker Mayfield.

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This is a time of year that is just the worst for sports.  Football will be over this time next week.  That means we’re stuck with silly Draft hype.  We will be getting slammed with Senior Bowl, Combine, and Pro-Day bullshit until our ears bleed.  Figured now is as good a time as ever to break down the top Quarterbacks in this years draft class.  Let’s kick it off with Baker Mayfield, 2018 Heisman Trophy Winner.  Is he qualified to be selected number 1 overall?

There is something about this kid, man.  I’ve said it a few times, but Mayfield is really the only Quarterback that intrigues me to a high degree.  Darnold, Rosen, and Allen just don’t move the needle for me.  Maybe it is because those guys are more of the “Prototype” Pro Quarterback.  Tall pocket passers with good arm-strength.  Mayfield is anything but tall.  Mayfield stands at 6 feet tall, and 216 ponds.  Certainly not built like most Franchise Quarterbacks.

I certainly understand the risks with Mayfield going in.  Much like Johnny Manziel, Mayfield took the College Football world by storm with electrifying play.  Much like Manziel, Baker is considered shorter than the ideal NFL Quarterback, but still electrifies.  They both have had issues with off-the-field issues in the past as well.  With all the similarities, there are differences to point out.

The first major difference is the way in which Johnny and Mayfield ran their offense.  Johnny was running a college based, read-option offense.  It involved a lot of Johnny improvising, and chucking the ball up to Mike Evans.  Evans was a man playing among boys at that time.

Taking a look at the highlights, it is pretty clear how simple Johnny’s offense was at A&M.  He was a one read and run guy.  He hardly ever stood in the pocket, and made his progressions.  At the slightest bit of pressure, or sign the play was breaking down Johnny took off running.  In the This lead to many highlight reel plays in college, as in the open-field Johnny was so hard to stop.  The Texas A&M offense set him up to fail in the NFL.  It was too improvisational, and he had an NFL ready Wide-Out at his disposal in Mike Evans.

Johnny in the NFL was nothing short of a disaster, particularly outside of Football. The second his name was announced, his time in Cleveland was a media circus.  On-field wasn’t great in 2014. Despite what many will tell you, 2015 Johnny was mostly good on the field.  The only real disaster performance came in his first career start in 2014.

After a tough start in 2014, and entering rehab; Johnny came back strong in 2015. Despite having next to no weapons, or belief from his coaches, Johnny put up solid numbers in his first chunk of playing time in the NFL. He finished 2015 with 9 games played.  He threw for 1,500 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.  He added 230 rushing yards on 37 attempts.  Johnny’s off-field issues took off during the middle of the 2015 campaign, and got so bad he was released in March of 2016.

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With Baker displaying tamer, albeit similar off-field concerns you would think the Browns would scratch him off their QB Short-list ASAP.  Based off the sound bites from this past Weekend’s Senior Bowl, Browns GM John Dorsey is intrigued with the Oklahoma Signal Caller, and maybe enough to take him with the number 1 overall draft selection this April.

First things first, Baker Mayfield is nearly a spitting image of what Johnny Manziel was in some ways.  He’s a fiery competitor, who isn’t shy with words or actions.  Manziel had his patented “Money Manziel Sign”, and Mayfield stuck his teams flag in the middle of Ohio State’s field, which got a lot of heat for reasons unknown.  Grow up you fucking pussies.  Oh, and he’s grabbed his junk on TV clear as day.

Image result for Money Manziel sign     Image result for Baker Mayfield junk

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To the naked eye, Manziel and Mayfield look like one in the same.  Mayfield runs a similar offense to what A&M was running in 2012-2013.  It is a lot of read option, run-pass option type plays.  While the offense is similar, Mayfield plays the game completely different than Manziel did.  He has balls.  By balls, I mean he doesn’t take off at the slightest sign of trouble, or his number 1 read is taken away.

Take a look at his 2018 Rose Bowl Highlights.  Mayfield expresses the pocket presence and poise that Johnny never had.  You can see on multiple big plays, Mayfield is in the pocket moving his eyes downfield, and eventually hitting his 3rd/4th option for a big gain.  He doesn’t rely on scampering through College Linebackers once the play breaks down.  He does run, but it feels like he runs more on design, than improvisation.

Baker has done it these past two years with a group of JAGS at Wide-Receiver.  I think this has actually helped himself.  He hasn’t had the downfield options that Johnny did, so he’s had to develop better deep throw accuracy.  I feel like the placement on his deeper throws is far superior to Manziel.  Manziel had the luxury of turning his head and throwing it as far as possible in the direction of Mike Evans.

Mayfield Stats 2

Manziel stats 2

These are the career college stats for both Johnny, and Baker.  Those who have been saying these two are a cut from the same cloth are just wrong.  Johnny caught fire in 2012, and carried it into 2013.  Baker has consistently performed at a high level.  With each year, you can see Baker’s stats grow.  The most impressive growth I see is, Average Yards per Attempt.  Baker’s grew from 10.4. to 12.3, and finally 12.9.  It shows that he developed into a quality downfield passer as he learned the college game.  Manziel’s Average Yards per Attempt was, 8.8 in 2012, and 10 in 2013.  Not even in the same ballpark as Mayfield.  It goes to show you how different they really are.

Should the Browns take Mayfield with the number 1 overall pick this fall?  I think he is as good an option as anyone to be drafted by the Browns this spring.  There is is something about the kid that makes me so intrigued.  He has the desire, and drive to lead his team to victory.  He isn’t afraid of anyone, and it shows on the field.  Is he cocky?  He absolutely is, but you can see how much he motivates his teammates on the field.  Baker has had an off-field incident, but it hasn’t plagued him nearly as much as Manziel’s issues.  Everything about Mayfield leads me to believe he really has the motivational drive in him, whereas the confidence Manziel displayed was more or less a front.

Mayfield has even expressed desire in being the Qaurterback to turn things around in Cleveland (Hey Josh Rosen, he ain’t scared ya fucking pussy). Whether this is just Pre-Draft bull-shit being spewed is yet to be determined.

Will Baker Mayfield be the Browns Quarterback in the Future when they hit the podium in April?   We’ll see…

Bruins Beat 1/4

The Boston Bruins opened up the 2018 Calendar year in spectacular fashion. The boys would kick the shit out of the Islanders 5-1. Great start to the new year indeed. Like many games recently, this wasn’t much of a contest.

The Islanders came into the game in a playoff position. Given how tough the Metropolitan Division that could change quickly. Once again, this game had scheduled loss written all over it. Random Tuesday night game in Brooklyn. Just didn’t have the feel of Bruins victory.

As they have for most of the season, the Bruins proved me wrong. From the drop of the puck they seemed to have their legs. They applied a relentless forecheck with all 4 lines early. At 8:17 of the first period, Danton Heinen ripped a wrist shot over the glove hand of Jaroslav Halak. The goal came from Riley Nash winning a face-off right back to Heinen, who slotted it home. 1-0 Bruins in the first.

Just over a minute later, the Bruins would be victimized similarly to the Islanders. Off. Brandon Carlo got the puck in front of Tuukka Rask off a defensive zone face-off. Carlo ended up having a car wreck, falling down, and kicking the puck in front of the net. Jordan Eberle hopped on the gift, and put it home

The first period would come to a close at 1-1. Carlo’s blunder had undermined what was a great first period from the Bruins. In the second, the B’s continued to hound the puck. Most notably, the fourth line. Tim Schaller, Noel Acciari, Sean Kuraly. A group of JAGS, but damn good ones. Kuraly in particular due to his speed, and relentlessness. This line made the Islanders look foolish all night. They drew multiple penalties on the Islanders, and 8:28 into the second, Patrice Bergeron batted home a wrap around goal to make it 2-1 Bruins. Perfect Patrice was behind his own net, caught the puck that bounced over the crossbar, put it down, and wrapped home short side. Perfect Patrice strikes again.

The game was 2-1 until mid-way through the third period. David Pastrnak stripped the puck from Cal Clutterbuck in the neutral zone. It created a 2 on 1, which Pasta beautifully sold a shot. Pasta slipped a pass over to Marchand, who ripped the puck home to make it 3-1 Bruins. Tim Schaller, and Noel Acciari would each notch a goal to ice the game. 5-1 win for the Bruins.

Tuesday was a night for the fourth line. They hounded the puck all night, and made life hell for Islander defenders. Each member isn’t afraid to use their body to make a few plays. They can also chip in on the scoresheet. Can’t find a better 4th line in the league right now.

Wednesday saw the Bruins assign forward, Anders Bjork to the Providence Bruins.

Bjork was the odd man out here, as he had been on the 9th floor in street clothes since David Krejci returned to the lineup. This was the right move to make for the kid. Let him go down, and play top minutes at the Dunk. Providence has been instrumental in the development of Debrusk, Heinen, and Pastrnak. Bjork will find his way back to Boston in no time.

Tonight’s game against Atlantic Division foe, Florida Panthers has been cancelled due to the horrid storm. The Boys will get a few extra days of rest, as their next game will see the Carolina Hurricanes come to TD Garden. Puck drop 7:00 pm on Saturday. Let’s go Bruins!!!

Bruins Beat 1/2

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The Boston Bruins ended their 2017 Calendar year with an impressive 5-0 shutout win over the “dead from the neck up” Ottawa Senators.  It was the second time the Bruins had played them this week alone.  Saturday night they played the Sens in their barn, Canadian Tire Centre. The outcome of the game was the exact same however, a fucking beat down.

The first period saw both teams come out with some jump.  The Senators were matching the Bruins scoring chances in the first.  8:13 into the first Ottawa Native, Ryan Spooner banged home a rebound to make it 1-0 Bruins.

Overall good puck movement on the power play.  They found Krejci for a hard slapshot threw traffic from the point.  Anderson couldn’t handle it, and Spooner was there to clean up the trash.  With David Krejci coming back, it looks as if the Bruins will get a much needed boost on the Power Play.

At 3:23 of the second period, Noel Acciari made it 2-0 Bruins.  The onslaught was on, when Ryan Spooner scored his second goal of the game. It came just two minutes after Acciari scores the Bruins second. Spooner won a puck race in the neutral zone, then beat Ben Harpur to the front of the cage.  It was 3-0 Bruins.

The Bruins added two more power play goals in the third from returning center, David Krejci, and Patrice Bergeron. Tuukka Rask notched another shutout, and was named the NHL’s Player of the Month for December.

The game was honestly over long before the two third period goals.  Acciari’s goal to make it 2-0 in the second took the wind out of the Senator’s sails.  They then decided to not give a fuck for the next 18-19 minutes of play.  When all is going well for Ottawa, they play what is called a 1-3-1 neutral zone trap.  It is the most garbage form of play.  Basically just slowly surround the puck in the neutral zone, until there is a giveaway.  Rather than forecheck in the offensive zone, guys hold back to play the fucking trap.

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Senators coach, Guy Boucher is famous for employing this tactic.  The defending team lines three guys across their own defensive blue line, and one forward plays the man with the puck in front of the three lined up defenders.  There is another defenseman that plays in his own zone behind the wall of three.  It clogs the whole neutral zone to a point in which teams can’t function against it.  Last season the 1-3-1 trap frustrated the shit out many teams, including the Bruins.  It is a good system when guys are willing, and committed to playing that way.  The 2018 Senators do not care.  Last year, the B’s could barely get the puck into the offensive zone, against the Senators, and tonight they won 5-0.  They have outscored the Senators 9-1 in their match-ups.  Time to blow it up and get rid of the Bond Villain (Guy Boucher).

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Tonight, tune it to catch the B’s in Brooklyn to take on the New York Islanders.  The Islanders come in at 20-15-4 record. That is good for 44 points.  Right now, it’s towards the bottom of playoff seeding.  It is a playoff spot none the less.

Tuukka Rask will be between the sticks for the Bruins tonight.  Nothing has changed lineup wise, and why should it?  The game in Ottawa really showed how important David Krejci is to this team.  When he came back all of a sudden they started potting a few more chances on the powerplay, they have more overall depth, and Krech just makes players around him better.  He slows the game down to his pace, allowing his linemates get into dangerous shooting positions.  He’s got hands as soft as a feather.  He can make any pass on the ice, and is good in the face-off circle.  It has certainly been nice to have Krech back.  Here’s to hoping he can stay healthy.

Veteran Net-Minder Jaroslav Halak will be manning the cage for the Isles.  Bruins fans might not want to, but definitely keep an eye on Islanders Rookie Center, Matthew Barzal.  In 2014-15 the Bruins had a chance to draft him on three consecutive picks., and did not pick him.  It kind of stings, because Barzal has 13 goals, 23 assists, and 36 points in his rookie campaign.  He tops all rookies in points, and is 1 goal behind Arizona Coyote’s forward Clayton Keller for tops in goals.

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As always, let’s go Bruins!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFF-vzYbEj0

Bruins Beat 12/29

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The Bruins traveled down to our Nation’s Capital to take on the Washington Capitals, in the tail end of a two games in two nights stretch.  The Bruins came in a staggering 0-12 in their last 12 match-ups against the Caps.  What do you know, they lost again.  This one was right there for the taking, but they just cannot put this team away.  Miscues at inopportune times really derailed hopes for victory.

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The Bruins came out, and immediately staked their claim on the game.  Just 1:43 into the game Riley Nash served David Backes a sweet spin-o-rama dish, and Backes snapped the puck home.  1-0 Bruins.  Things were looking even better when Noel Acciari banged home a wrap-around attempt to make it 2-0.  The Bruins came out of the gate hounding the puck, just like they had against Ottawa the night prior. Both goals were a result of a amped up forecheck.

Everything was going according to plan.  The Bruins were on their way to exercising Capital demons.  The play became more balanced in the second period.  You aren’t going to silence a team that has Kuznetsov, Oshie (Most overrated player in the league), Ovechkin, Carlson, and many more for long.   With 8 minutes to play in the second period Lars Eller, a noted Bruins killer since his days with the Canadiens got the Capitals on the board to make it 2-1.

The worst aspect of this goal was the fact that Eller was offside entering the offensive zone, and for some unknown reason the Bruins decided to not challenge it.  It was an absolute head scratching decision, because had they challenged the goal would have been waived off.   Things got worse, as just over a minute later Alex Ovechkin tied the game at two. It was an unstoppable shot by a great goal scorer.  Nothing Dobby could do.

Luckily, the Bruins survived the second period, keeping the score at 2 a-piece.  The teams continued to trade chances in the third period, when Danton Heinen found David Backes in the slot.  Backes snapped home the shot to make it 3-2 Bruins close to mid-way through the third period.

The Bruins tried their best to hold on-to the lead, but just couldn’t.  A mere 4 minutes after Backes’ goal, the Bruins were hemmed into their own zone.  The puck was in front of Dobby, with multiple players crashing into him.  Through the casserole of nonsense ex Bruins stiff, Brett Connolly slipped home the tying goal 3-3 was the score.  It would remain the same for the remainder of the third period.

^ Tom Wilson was originally credited with the tally, but was later changed to Brett Connolly^

The Teams would go scoreless in overtime, but traded some decent chances.  Dobby, and Holtby stood tall.  The game would go on to a shootout.  Dobby stopped Oshie and Kuznetsov in the first two rounds.  Holtby stoned Marchand, and Pastrnak.  Finally, Alex Ovechkin potted home his attempt in round three.  Instead of putting out McAvoy, Bergeron, Spooner, DeBrusk, Bjork, Heinen, Grzelyck, or anyone else, Cassidy trotted out Riley Nash.  Nash missed the net per usual.  Two points for the Capitals, and a tough defeat for the Bruins.  They did pick up 1 point in the loss.

Tough night for Bruins.  It looked as if they would finally break this horrid streak against the Caps, but for some reason, they just can’t.  It was another quiet night for the Marchand, Bergeron, Pastrnak line.  Seems as if Pasta, and Marchy were trying to do a bit too much with the puck all night long.  They had chances on 5 power plays, but couldn’t get a goal to extend the early 2-0 lead.

Torey Krug’s days should be numbered.  He is a small offensive d-man.  The problem with Krug this year is the offense is not there.  His d-zone play has been a train-wreck, and twice he lost the puck on the power play leading to Caps breakaways.  He is the worst player night in night out.   With McQuaid healthy I think it might be time for Torey to take in a few games from the 9th floor.

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The Bruins travel to Ottawa to take on the limp-dick Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.  Puck drop 7:00 pm EST. Look for a return of Center David Krejci, and or Adam McQuaid.

Bruins Beat 12/28

Image result for Erik Karlsson Riley Nash

Riley freaking Nash!! Last night, the Bruins welcomed the reeling Ottawa Senators to TD Garden.  The Black and Gold would not disappoint. Coming off the 3 day holiday break, I was a bit nervous.  The team had gone into the break with some serious mojo, and any sort of time-off would possibly disrupt that.  This is not the case for the 2017-2018 Bruins.  Bruce Cassidy seemingly won’t allow complacency.

Last season, Ottawa had made it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and continued to make additions.  They added playoff tested d-man Johnny Oduya, and shockingly traded for Colorado Avalanche Center Matt Duchene.  It looked as if Ottawa was only going to get better.  What happened instead was major regression.  After looking like the best player in the world in 2017, Swedish D-man Erik Karlsson has had a bad year.  He is posting a -19 +/-, which is a huge dip from his +10 one season ago.  Matt Duchene has a measly 5 points in 20 games since joining the Sens.  Not number 1 center type numbers to say the least.

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To pour some salt on the wound, one of the pieces traded away from the Senators in order to acquire Duchene, Kyle Turris is having a monster year.  Turris was traded to the Nashville Predators as part of a three team deal.  Turris has 17 points in 20 games, and is a +8.  He was the heart and soul of the 2017 Sens.  Well respected by teammates, and coaches alike.  The trade has since caused Ottawa to do a tailspin. They are second to last in the Eastern Conference.  Posting an 11-16-8 record.  Good enough for 30 points.  The Bruins only made things worse for them on Wednesday Night.

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The Bruins came out firing early.  It’s nice what three days off can do for some players.  All four lines, and three d-pairs were flying from the second the puck dropped.  The Bruins back-end looked re-energized, as they stifled the Senators early attack.  The Senators came out, and looked as if they were equal to the task. Never fear, Kevan Miller is here.  About 6 minutes into the first period Miller ripped a laser over the glove of Senators goalie Craig Anderson.

Miller pounced on just an atrocious rebound Anderson gifted to him via a David Backes snap-shot.  Nearly three minutes later noted Candy-Ass, Ryan Spooner found rookie winger, Danton Heinen right in front of the net for an easy tap in goal.

Ryan Spooner made the whole play.  He drove to the outside forcing Anderson, and Senator defenders to commit to him.  That lead to the nice easy tap-in goal for Heinen.  With Danton’s 9th goal of the year he is now 6th in Rookie Scoring (9G, 15 A, 24pts).  The Nash, Backes, Heinen line is a three zone monster, especially during this current 5 game win streak.

The Bruins continued to hound the puck, as the Senators started playing desperate hockey.  With around 5 minutes left to play in the first period, Fredrik Claeson hit Noel Acciari in the neutral zone.  It was a high hit, but 4th line grinder Tim Schaller stepped up and beat the living shit out of that prick.  The Bruins were beating the Senators in every single facet of the game.

Early in the second the onslaught continued.  Riley Nash blocked Erik Karlsson’s shot from the top of the Blueline.  Nash did the incredible, he walked Karlsson end to end, and fired a snap shot goal past Anderson. The Bruins had taken a 3-0 lead early into the second period.

Soon after Nash’s goal the Sens finally got on the board.  Rookie D-man Thomas Chabot fired home a Slap-shot over the blocker of Tuukka Rask.  It was all set up by a slick feed from Mark Stone.  It was 3-1, and the Senators again start to up the pressure.  They seemed to be playing with a sense of desperation.  The Bruins weathered the storm.  Tuukka has been playing lights out, and tonight was no different.

Rask held the fort enough, and the B’s started to get their legs back.  With just over 5 minutes to go in the period, Anders Bjork pressured Dion Phanuef who turned the puck right over at the Bruins attacking blueline.  Bjork gave Nash a soft dish, and Riley walked to the crease slipping the puck between the post, and Anderson’s pad.

The Senators were done from that point on.  They completely quit for the remainder of the game.  Late in the third David Backes notched another tally.  Final score 5-1 Bruins.

The Bruins keep on rolling as the calendar moves to 2018.  All four lines are clicking.  A few games ago it was the Marchand, Bergeron, Pastrnak line that carried the young Bruins to victory.  Last night it was the Heinen, Backes, and Nash line that carried the team.  I can’t believe I am saying this, but Riley Nash has really solidifed a steady role on this club.  He is Bergeron lite.  He is a very good face-off guy, makes great plays defensively, and makes the smart correct play in the offensive zone.  People pick on him (myself included) because he doesn’t have the ability to finish on most nights. Even with that, he has a role on this team, and arguably the second best line the past month or so, has been that third unit centered by Nash.

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Tonight the Bruins will be in Washington to take on the Capitals.  The Bruins have a scorching 2-14 record against Brayden Holtby.  The Capitals are not much better than this Bruins squad.  I can’t think of a better time to break the Capital snide.  Dobby the goalie will be between the pipes.

Brayden Holtby will be in net for the Capitals.

Puck drop from Verizon Center at 7:30 pm EST.  Lets go Bruins!

Bruins Beat 12/23

The Boston Bruins took to the TD Garden ice this Saturday, and took care of the Detroit Red Wings. It was the final game before the brief three day holiday break. Typically, the Bruins are known for dumping a steamer during a Saturday Matinee.

This Saturday they almost succeeded in doing so. But, it’s like they say, good teams find ways to win games.

The first period started, and the Bruins came out of the gate hot. All four lines were generating offensive zone pressure. This lead to the Wings taking two boneheaded penalties back to back. On the ensuing 5 on 3 power play Brad Marchand ripped a snap shot over Jimmy Howard’s glove hand. The play was all made possible by a slick cross crease feed from David Backes. The B’s were up 1, and had over a minute still left on a 5 on 4 power play.

Instead of adding to their lead, the B’s decided to dick around in their own end. A series of poor passes, and dudes falling lead to a Frans Nielsen short handed goal less than a minute after the Bruins opened up the scoring.

The two teams played in a stalemate from that point on. The Red Wings generated more chances than the Bruins, and out-shot them 20-10, after the Bruins Out-shot them 10-2 in the first. Still, $7 million dollar man Tuukka Rask stood tall. Rask shut the door, after giving up a soft five hole goal earlier in the game. Tuukka stopped 30 of 31 Red Wing shot attempts when it was all said and done.

In the third period the Bruins tightened up in their own end, and finally, Brad Marchand found Patrice Bergeron in the High slot for the go-ahead goal. Perfect Patrice would go to score the empty netter sealing the game. The Bruins head into the Christmas break on a 4 game win streak. They’ve also managed to jump over the Toronto Maple Leafs for second in the Atlantic Division. Let’s hope the Rangers can pull off a win tonight over the Leafs as well.

Overall, not the best showing from the Bruins. They struggled to get going offensively at times, and were caught making boneheaded decisions with the puck in their own end. It was definitely a game in which they stooped to their opponents level. Still, they found a way to get it done. In years past, they would’ve wilted. The end years of Julien saw his team play like dog shit on home ice, especially in matinee’s.

The Pastrnak, Marchand, and Bergeron line continues to show they are the best line in hockey.

You can change that to 19 after today’s win as well.  It all starts with Bergy.  I will fight and die on the, “Patrice Bergeron is the best two way player in the NHL” hill.  He’s simply disgusting at every single facet of the game.  He is an elite face-off guy, he can dangle through you, he possess a lethal wrist/snap shot, he can make a slick pass, and he plays incredible defense.  Brad Marchand possess more of the “wow” factor than Bergy.  Marchand’s motor is always going.  He is an elite offensive talent which many of us know by now, but his constant hounding of puck carriers make him underrated defensively.  These two beauties give David Pastrnak a lot of room to do his thing.  Pasta is not very good defensively at all, but Marchand and Bergeron are just too fucking good it does not even matter.  This line is clicking, and the offensive numbers aren’t necessarily wowing to this point.

The Bruins will have the next three days off for the Holiday, and they take on the woeful Ottawa Senators next Wednesday.  The Bruins lost all regular season matchups with Ottawa last season, as they never found an answer for Guy Boucher’s 1-3-1 neutral zone trap.  They did however, beat the Senators twice in their best of seven Playoff series last April.

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One last thing before I go:

Let’s go Bruins!

Bruins Beat 12/22

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The Boston Bruins finished up their jam packed week on Thursday, at home, against the Winnipeg Jets.  The Jets are a high flying young team much like their opponent, the Boston Bruins.  They have a stacked roster with names such as, Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Tobias Enstrom, and Kyle Connor.  The team is filthy good, and the Bruins were going to have their hands full.

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This one was even from the drop of the puck early on. Neither team were able to beat the others goalie. The two goalies, Tuukka Rask and Connor Hellebuyck stood on their heads. The Bruins peppered Hellebuyck with 38 total shots, while the Jets fired 33 at Rask. Both equal to the challenge late into the game with the score 0-0.

At 8:16 of the third period the Bruins finally broke the deadlock. Torey Krug fired home a snap shot from the top of the offensive zone face-off circles. The Bruins has taken a 1-0 lead at long last.

It was Krug’s 6th of the season, and with the play of Rask it looked like all that was needed. Winnipeg had other plans.

A mere 57 seconds later the Bruins got caught in their own zone. The puck was turned over to the Jets right in front of Rask. Nikolaj Ehlers passed the puck to Patrik Laine, who ripped the puck into the yawning cage.

The two teams played to a draw at the end of regulation. 3 on 3 was a fucking treat to watch with these two teams. The amount of youth, speed, and skill on the ice was just absurd. Neither team were able to break through, as both goalies continued to stand tall.

On to a shootout they went! Bryan Little scored on the Jets first attempt, and Marchand was stopped by Hellebuyck. Rask then stopped Laine, and David Pastrnak went bar-down to tie the shootout at 1.

Rask would go on to stone Mark Sheifele, and Ehlers once each, while Bergeron was stoned by Hellebuyck. Never fear! Charlie McAvoy stepped up with a chance to win the game. Chaz ripped a wrister right over Hellebuyck’s glove hand ending the game.

The Bruins will be off until Saturday when they face the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden. The Bruins unexpectedly took 6 out of a possible 6 points in this 3 games in four nights stretch. They’re sitting pretty right now. In the NHL the top three teams in each division get an automatic playoff bid at the end of the year. The Bruins currently sit in 3rd in the Atlantic Division. The Leafs are in 2nd by only 2 pints, and have played 3 more games. They currently sit at 7 points ahead of Montreal who are one spot behind them in the standings. Montreal has played 1 more game than the B’s as well.

^Fucking turds.

Either way, the Bruins put themselves into a good position. They control their own destiny, and I am looking forward to seeing where this goes. Outside of the 2011 cup run, this years Bruins are BY FAR my favorite team to watch. Things are looking up on Causeway Street.

(Game Highlights below)

Seattle?

For those keeping score at home there is some big hockey news coming out of Seattle. The NHL has opened up Expansion talks with Seattle most notably. They were they only City eligible to apply this season.

On December 7th an ownership group was notified that they’d be able apply. The team would likely cost upwards of $650 million dollars, and would begin playing in the 2020-21 season. This will be sad news for those residing in Quebec City, QC. Fans up there have been pushing for a Nordiques return since Atlanta relocated to Winnipeg.

Seattle is probably a lock to get in if I’m being honest. You aren’t getting approval to apply if you aren’t expected to be approved. Seattle has a hockey history that many are unaware of largely because they don’t have an NHL team. They have an arena in place as well (Key Arena).

As mentioned above there is a strong-ish hockey history in Seattle. They have the Spokane Chiefs and Seattle Thunderbirds, who play in Canada’s Western Hockey League (WHL). This league is Major Junior, where most players play to improve draft stock.

I think the market is perfect for the NHL’s next expansion team. It’s not like trying to expand into Arizona or Florida. The Seattle area is certainly a hockey hot bed, and despite what the NHL tells you, both the Florida Panthers and Arizona Coyotes are massive failures. They are failures in completely dead markets.

Hopefully, there will be news on this as we enter the new year. Generally it is a lengthy process. Vegas was 1-2 years in the making. Seattle has been granted access to step 1. Interested to see where it goes from here.

^ So far the two best jersey concepts I’ve seen for Seattle. Intriguing options to say the least.

Fighting in Hockey: A Necessary Paradox

In recent years, the NHL news has comprised of the McDavid vs Eichel and Matthews vs Laine. But with recent pressure from other professional sports league, the NHL has been faced with the negative press of the negative side effects of multiple concussions in a physical sport such as hockey.

The NHL response to this was to take steps to eliminate fighting all together from the game. The debate has been waged for years “Does fighting in hockey actually make the game safer?” In an article published by The Hockey News in November 2013, the players themselves think that fighting does in fact act as thermostat for the game. Columbus Blue Jackets enforcer, Jared Boll,  was quoted in the article stating “I think you’d see more [cheapshots] by people being dumb on the ice and running around and knowing that they don’t have to face anyone or answer the bell if they do something stupid”.

Now by all means in my playing career I was not going to be the next Crosby or Ovechkin — so in order to try and peruse my dream I took up the role of being an enforcer. Was I worried about the consequences of getting punched in head repeatedly? Of course I was. If you aren’t then there are bigger questions. But what drove me to continue was seeing the impact my presence alone had not only on my teammates but the opposing team. I knew full well by going up to Canada to play Juniors that I would be fighting guys bigger and more experienced, but how one deals with fear is as personal as their choice of equipment.

Ask any skill player if they feel more comfortable playing on a team with an enforcer or one without. Hands down they will tell you they want that kind of player in the locker next to them. By having an enforcer, it allows the skill players to have more room on the ice than normal. Look at Gretzky, he had McSorley and Semenko. Without them there is no Great One. Enforcers are some of the hardest working and most loyal individuals you will ever meet. This is evident by our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others. If fighting is eliminated players’ careers will be cut much shorter than they are now.

 

 

The Islanders are Headed Home

 

Some major news coming out of the NHL yesterday. News broke that the New York Islanders will be returning to Nassau County, Long Island. It has been two years since they moved to the Barclays Center in disgusting Brooklyn.

It has been two disastrous years since moving from their longtime home, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum out on Long Island.

Nassau Coliseum was completely run-down, and the county would not build the team a new stadium. In 2013, it was announced that the team would move to Brooklyn at the start of the 2016-17 season. It was a nightmare. The arena is built specifically for basketball, so hockey sight-lines are miserable.

The above pictures say it all. Brooklyn may help you reach a wider audience marketing wise, but they lost a major portion of their fan base. Watching the Isles play is strange at the Barclays. There is no atmosphere. It is a very cookie cutter environment, which is a shame. The Islanders’ old stadium was a fucking dump, but it had everything Barclay’s doesn’t. It has atmosphere and charm. Two elements that make a great arena.

The Isles are one of the proudest franchises in the NHL like it or not. Back in the 1980’s, they went on a run that won’t be repeated. They won four Stanley Cups in a row from 1980-84. They were known for having rabid fans looking to get out of the shadow of the New York Rangers.

A huge chunk of their history was ripped away the second the Islanders moved to Brooklyn. This move back will hopefully bring back one of the leagues most intense fan bases.

Now, this new barn will not have the same charm the Colisuem had (it was a complete fucking dump) but it’s a start. Congrats Isles fans!!!