claude julien is the best thing to happen to my life.
Or maybe Chiarelli. Both of them together. And Neely, too. Those three guys are making my heart soar.
What impresses me most about the Bruins this year is their stick work and puck control. my god. I know they have the talent, the speed, the goaltending, even if it goes unrecognized by so many. But the kind of hockey I appreciate, the kind that really gets me going, isn’t about the flashy goal-scoring or fancy skates. Those make great highlights, sure, but when you’re watching a game, the real fun is watching the grinding, the work against the boards, what the players are doing away from the puck, how well they manuever between the zones.
And it’s all because of Claude Julien. The management systematically dumped all the dead wood (read: harry sinden), all the players who wouldn’t buy into the system (read: glen murray) and now it’s paying off. They are finally a consistent team. They aren’t going to win every night, but they are coming in to play hard every single game. you don’t need to question “what team is showing up tonight?” You know it’s going to be your Bruins and you know it’s going to be fun.
I just love watching them with their sticks, how zoned in they are on that puck, game after game. It’s so satisfying, you have no idea. Their dump-ins have purpose, they get to the puck, they make smart plays, and they are absolutely gorgeous on the boards. They are good in every zone. Strong on the skates, physical, not afraid to get dirty, mucking about, busting their ass, playing hockey like it should be played. And maybe most importantly? They are as mentally tough and calm as they’ve ever been.
I want to cry at how much they’ve improved. I know I haven’t been a lifelong Bruins fan, but I’ve been watching them since I moved to Boston, and I have never seen them play like this. I watch old B’s games, which are just so pleasurable, and this Bruins team today reminds me of that.
They say in the papers here that the “blue-collar Bruins” have returned. I think I even heard some hockey source refer to Boston as a lunch pail city. And it makes me smile with pride.
we’re not getting much credit, which is sometimes frustrating, but at the same time it’s better for my boys to just ignore all that noise and play their game, away from the spotlight.
we’ve got four solid lines, kids. four solid lines that can be relied on to do their job.
Savard is a freaking DREAM with those passes. kobasew is finally healthy & firing on all cylinders. lucic is a mack truck. kessel is coming into his own. krejci’s hockey sense is unreal. and berg is back.
Can I marry every single player please? please?
I’m all choked up now. I love these guys. I love them all.
This post makes me wish I liked sports. These are the 4 things I can say when a sports topic comes up:
1. I was a cheerleader in high school
2. I’ve been to 1 UCLA football game, 1 WVU game, 1 Dodger game
3. My ex-husband’s uncle was the head football coach at Ohio State
4. Tailgates are fun
Maybe you can teach me to like sports. Yet another reason to live near you.
The most important thing they dumped: their ugly third jersey! That bear-on-mustard-yellow shirt was hideous!
oh I know, those 3rd jerseys were just awful. you’re a canadiens fan, no? or a sens fan? I can’t remember.
I will make you like sports gina. move closer to me. stop living in hicksville USA and move to a real city, will you? doesn’t your bfriend like sports? learn it from him! we need to find you a sport that would interest you. hmm. what sport did you cheerlead for? all of them?
I know this post is boring to about 100% of my 7-member audience, and it makes me sad that there is not a single soul who will talk hockey with me. well there’s gordon, but I mean besides him.
this year’s all star ballot is a sham. well it’s a sham every year, but this year especially.
You need to get Michael Hummer to start reading your stuff about hockey. He LOVES it. Don’t you, Michael? In fact, there’s a chance that we’ll be going to a hockey game with him very soon.
you’re going to a hockey game with him? who? when? where?
talk hockey with me michael!!
I cut my hockey teeth on the Bleu Blanc et Rouge, but now I follow the Sens a bit since they’re the local team. And unlike the Bruins, the Sens don’t seem to be faring as well this season!
stupid senators. I like them, I want them to do better. what is wrong with them? they have a good team, or rather they have good players. what’s going on with them? why can’t they get that chemistry back that they used to have? explain this to me, Mark. PLEASE.