general laziness
It's been quite some time since I posted last- what was it, March? Yeesh. How things have changed since then. Well, sort of. The Bruins quietly ended their season in April; the P-Bruins would follow behind after a brief shot in the playoffs. And Boston is still without a GM. From what I've been reading, they're using June 1st as a target date- in other words, if all goes well, we should know who's running the show by then. The sooner the better, as far as I'm concerned, so they have plenty of time to sort out this team.

One good thing to look forward to is the draft- The B's will be drafting fifth, and it's the first time they've had a pick in the top five since the year they drafted Mr. Thornton. Kind of ironic, I guess, seeing that it's comes right after the season they traded him. He seems to be doing very well in SJ, but he's also a thing of the past. The way I see it, there's no sense griping about something you can't control, and the last time I checked, I was a Bruins fan, not a Thornton fan. But back to the GM search: I would not be entirely disappointed to see Jeff Gorton get it, but I think it would be much more beneficial to bring in some new blood. Gorton has an excellent grasp on the scouting/drafting department, and so far I think he's done a tremendous job with the younger players. But I also think we need someone who has not been in this organization, someone who can bring a new perspective. Not only that, I think it would help with how the fans, as well as other players perceive this team. You bring in someone new, and it just might alleviate the stigma this organization has built up in the past few years. My fear is that if Gorton gets it, no matter how capable he may be, the perception will be that it's just more of the same from the Bruins, since he worked under O'Connell.

And that's all she wrote...
It's funny how one dramatic action will grab everyone's attention, funny how that one action actually brings the team into the newspaper. In case you've been media-deprived anytime in the last week or two, I'm talking about the firing of Bruins GM Mike O'Connell. I remember when the Bruins hit the playoffs in the 2003-04 season and they were still snuggled in the back of the sports section with the high school and women's sports teams. It was ridiculous, considering the Sox had enough articles to fill a book and their season hadn't even started yet. OC gets his pink slip over the weekend, old man Jacobs emerges from his bat cave, and suddenly it's all Bruins. The worst part is, they don't even look like they're going to make the playoffs now. That they are mathematically still "in it" is a window that is growing smaller and smaller with each game. Funny, but I'm at the point where I don't care. It's nice to watch the games, and I'll root for them to win, but beyond that...

Finally a shootout win for Boston! After the last few games- the blown leads, the inopportune penalties, and the short end of the shootout, it is so good to see this team come out with a win. Funny how the B's play so well against one of the best teams in the league- but you can't complain. Patrice Bergeron gets the shootout goal, Tim Thomas stops everything that Ottawa sends his way, Bruins win 3-2.

Another loss? Sheesh. All I can do now is shrug my shoulders. The B's fell 6-2 to the Sabres yesterday. 6-2? Goals by Andrew Alberts and Brad Boyes. I won't say I'm fed up, but I will say that playoff hopes are growing slim. Okay, maybe they're borderline nonexistant at this point, but there's always that sliver of hope...

What happened this season? One minute they're one of the most promising teams in the League and now they're near the bottom of the heap and Mike O'Connell is up for sale on ebay (bidding at $10.50...) I'm not sure why, but it made me think of National Lampoon christmas vacation when Chevey Chase goes on the rant about his boss "And I'd like to have him right here, with a big ribbon on his head..." or something. Yeah, I know, it was a reach, but it's early.

Anyway, the Providence Bruins had a much better game. They beat the Hershey Bears 4-0, earning Jordan Sigalet his first professional shutout.

The Bears went on a powerplay 28 seconds into the game when Jason MacDonald was called for slashing, but both teams would go scoreless for much of the period. Ben Walter blasted one by the Bears' goaltender with just under six minutes to go, both Nathan Robinson and Pascal Pelletier picked up the helpers. Jonathan Sigalet scored late in the second period, while Eric Healey and Jason MacDonald would score in the third. Hershey outshot Providence 34-22 and went 0 for 6 on the powerplay. Jordan Sigalet was the number one star for the night; Jonathan Sigalet and Nathan Robinson were numbers two and three. hey, check out the box score.

It was hard to watch these guys lose last night. There was a lot of grit and a lot of heart in this game. Guys sticking up for Tim Thomas when the Isles were driving to the net, Hal Gill holding his own in a fight, it was overall an outstanding effort by a team that is unfortunately, offensively challenged. Also, too many penalties, though the PK was strong.

One thing is for certain, goaltending was not an issue. Tim Thomas stopped all but 2 out of 45 shots. He really deserved to get a win- unfortunately, the Bruins just can't seem to find the net.

Mark Stuart looked excellent in his debut- not out of place at all. No fear, good decisions with the puck, excellent skater, and really strong around the net (got a few nice shoves in there, too)

Patrice Bergeron's hit on Bouchard was unbelievable- he just leveled him, and the guy still looked out of sorts when he was on the bench.

Yan Stastny didn't look out of place either, though with the limited time on the 4th line, it's tough to tell how he will be.

what can I say? It was tough to see them lose this one. I hope they can bounce back today.

Isles Tonight
Who knew that crazy little scuffle in the habs game the other night would result in a one game suspension for Nick Boynton? Unfortunately that's the last thing this team needs- to have another d-man off the roster. I didn't see the alleged throat slashing gesture-but I think a game suspension is a bit much. I mean, they fined him, too, so it's not like he would've gotten off without punishment. Maybe I'm just a little more laid back about things than most? The throat-slashing thing may be a little inappropriate, or maybe in poor taste, but it's not like the guy's actually going to slash his throat. At any rate, what's done is done- I think Boynton's intentions were good, in that he wanted to fire up his team. Unfortunately it just didn't work out that way.

The good news is Mark Stuart will be coming up from Providence to make his NHL debut and hopefully patch a hole or two in the defense. We'll also get to see the Bruins new acquisitions for the first time. I've been reading nothing but good things about Marty Reasoner- sounds like a good hard-working kid who's had a few tough breaks. Hopefully he'll find success in Boston.

It's always tough seeing a guy like Samsonov leave- I have to admit, I'll miss seeing him dart around with that crazy stickwork. He's another guy that'd been on the team for years. But what are you going to do?

I've come to a realization- I love watching hockey, I love the Bruins, but I just don't feel the anger or animosity when things aren't going well. I've got more important things to worry about in my life, and like many, watching sports is an escape from everyday life. Okay, so I'm starting to make it more of a job, but still-I admire what these guys can do, and I enjoy watching them do it. As long as they're giving the effort, i will continue to enjoy watching.

Sergei Samsonov traded!

well, not a huge surprise seeing that his name has come up frequently in trade-related talk this season. I'm not sure what to make of this yet. The Bruins get Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny and a 2nd round pick from the Oilers. You may remember that Stastny was originally drafted by the Bruins and only went to the Oilers last Summer. Reasoner went to BC, but beyond that, I don't know much about him. Strange day, but I have the feeling it could be worse.

Is this the extent of the action before the trade deadline? In a couple hours we'll know for sure.

Picking up Czerkawski off waivers from the Leafs is hardly a huge move-and who knows how it will help us. He hasn't had much of a season in Toronto, but that doesn't necessarily mean he won't produce here. Sometimes a change of scenery is a good thing. And sometimes it's not. Anyway, welcome back to Boston, Mariusz.

We play the Habs tonight-I'm crossing my fingers on this one. I think we can beat them. This is definitely a must-win, especially after Buffalo.

Post game cynicism
What, I say, what the heck was that? Perhaps more disturbing than the the fact that the Bruins lost to the Sabres (yet again) is that it's not over anytime soon. They meet again on Sunday, and it's not very promising, especially considering the Bruins have not beat them once this season. Why is that?

WARNING
If your name is Sergei Samsonov, practice can be hazardous to your health. You might collide with one of your teammates, someone considerably larger than yourself, like Josh Langfeld, and chances are, you could really hurt your knee. Then, after you hurt your knee, you have to talk about the possibility that you could be traded in the next couple days.

This time of year must really suck for a player-especially guys that end up the subject of trade gossip. Maybe it's all part of the business, but it's also a little like seeing who gets the short straw, except instead of picking it, it's chosen for them. All I can say is I'll be glad when it's over- the rumors and speculation are starting to get annoying- I'd rather concentrate on watching the team than wonder who might be traded away. Once Thursday rolls by, hopefully we'll be done with that until the season is over.

Anyway, since Mr. Samsonov might not be able to play tonight, Ben Walter has been recalled from Providence. Will he actually get some minutes out there or will he just warm the bench?