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.