Congratulations to team Sweden! What an awesome game. It was competitive right up to the end, and you could tell both teams really wanted it. The best part was seeing PJ Axelsson get his medal after the game.

PJ is one of those players that just doesn't get enough appreciation. He means so much to the Bruins lineup, and he comes across as so humble, you can't help but want to root for him. The guy isn't out there scoring 100 points every season, but he shuts down some of the best scorers in the league, he's always working hard, and he'll even contribute a few nice points when it counts. Anyway, congrats, and can't wait to see him back in black and gold.

Speaking of the Broons, their next game is Wednesday March 1st against the Hurricanes (in Carolina). It will be great to see them back on the ice.

The baby B's lost in a shootout vs the Monarchs last night, but I have a feeling they're just on the edge of coming back strong with a bunch of wins. They're playing the Monarchs again this afternoon at the Dunk.

The Olympics are wrapping up- The Bronze medal game between Russia and the Czech Republic is today at 1PM; the Gold medal game between Sweden and Finland is at 8AM Sunday. PJ Axelsson is the man...

The Baby B's dropped another one last night 4-2 to the Norfolk Admirals. Despite this, they looked pretty good. Ben Walter and Jonathan Sigalet were back in the lineup, but Pascal Pelletier was out (not sure why). They will play Manchester at home tonight and tomorrow.

On the topic of the Peebs, I thought I'd try out one of those web casts, so last night I actually forked over the six bucks. It wasn't spectacular- I mean six bucks isn't much money, but the picture quality wasn't great. On the other hand, I didn't expect much more than I got. The action was fine, the picture was okay, but not crisp enough to be able to read names or numbers on the jerseys. It was nice to be able to see the game, especially since I can't always get down to Providence. I probably wouldn't order a webcast all the time though. Was this just my computer? I don't know. I've watched short films and commercials on it that were much better quality, so who knows.

Maybe they should offer a subscription system- something that's reasonably priced, and gives the option to watch whichever games you want, and maybe as many. It's a great idea, especially if you want to watch teams in other areas of the country or the world. I just don't think it's all there yet- plenty of room for improvement.

Sheesh, is there anything positive to come out of today? The PB's just got their rears handed to them by Portland- score: 6-3. I'm not sure what's going on with these guys, but hopefully they'll bounce back this weekend. Canada and the US were knocked out of the Olympics today, as were Switzerland and Slovakia. I watched some of the US-Finland game and the Slovakia-Czech Republic game today. Finland is just unbelievable, and the US, well, they waited until far too late in the game to wake up.

It was annoying that the announcers kept mispronouncing Milan Jurcina's name, and there were other moments where I swear my ears were playing tricks on me. Every time they said "Nashville Predators" I thought they were saying "National Predators" which made no sense, obviously, yet it had me doing a double take every time. With "Milan Hedjuk" it sounded like he was saying "Hey Dude", which is just silly. I guess it's time to get my hearing checked, eh?

The next round of games isn't until Friday. Of interest for B's fans- PJ Axelsson is part of Team Sweden, which is going on to the next round, so congrats to him-and as long as he comes back in one piece (preferably ready to play) I wish him luck. In the end, I don't really care who wins gold. But I guess if I had to pick it would be either Sweden or Finland...anyway...

So the schedule goes:
Czech Rep. vs. Sweden (10:30 AM Friday)
Russia vs. Finland (3:00 PM Friday)

Night all!

You know, I'm kind of sick of this Olympic break thing, though I did watch some of the games yesterday. The Finland-Canada game was okay, except for the fact that Canada was completely shut out. Hard to believe they couldn't score with all the firepower they have. Finland just dominated. And Team USA isn't doing so hot either- they're 1-2-1. You know what I say? Oh well.

The PB's completely redeemed themselves yesterday after a couple poor outings, winning 8-3 over the Penguins. Pascal Pelletier got a hat trick, and the B's also got goals from Leach, Lundbohm, Guite, Thompson and Stuart. Good stuff...

Box

somebody is seriously slacking, and she j=just happens to write for this blog. I could say I've been busy, or that I've been in the middle of a creative funk, or even just say that I've had a really big headache, and dammit, I just haven't been in the mood...but you're not here for my excuses, are you.

It's the Olympic break, my friends, meaning your Boston Bruins are either representing their countries in Torino, or enjoying a nice little vacation in the middle of the season.

Of course, if you're interested in AHL hockey, the Providence Bruins are still in business as usual.As a matter of fact, theit game will be televised tonight at 7PM on Fox Sports New England vs the hartford Wolf Pack.

More to come...

Will Pittsburgh be our doormat tonight? I sincerely hope so. I think they're a prime example of how a coaching change doesn't necessarily mean squat when it happens during the season. The only thing I've noticed is that Michael Therrien is pretty damn funny when he's pissed off, rambling on like a drunken fool.

Unfortunately, Marco Sturm is still out of the lineup, which sucks, so I really hope we see Murray light it up tonight, because he's about due. Anyway, too much on my plate right now, will update after the game. Good day everyone!

Out of the cellar...for now
Well, our boys did it. They beat the Habs 3-1 last night- shoulda been 4-1, coulda been 5-1, but who's going to complain because at least they won. This means they managed to hop over Montreal in the standings and the playoff race; they have also jumped ahead of Atlanta in the playoff race as well.

Honestly, take a look at what has transpired in the last few weeks. They've gone from being written off as a bunch of losers without a chance in hell of going anywhere to hey, maybe they have a chance. It's been a tough road, but if you've watched the games, they've been improving steadily, especially since the Thornton trade. It all came together once they had a confident- and highly efficient goaltender come in and stand on his head for them. Tim Thomas is a big reason why this team is winning, but he is certainly not the only reason. There is a fire under this team right now, let's hope it stays for a while. (preferably the rest of the season and into the playoffs)

-Brad Boyes should get something for that goal the officials didn't bother reviewing until it was too late. Can you imagine the mayhem if the team had lost? Good for him for getting the empty netter at the end of the game.

-Patrice Bergeron- is there anything you can't say about how good he looks out there? This kid does everything, and he does it well.

-Congrats to Glen Murray for getting a goal his first game back from injury.

-Will Brian Leetch's groin ever heal?

-Marco Sturm is so fun to watch after he scores a goal- the look in his face just makes it that much better.

-Alberts and Jurcina are getting better with every game- it's hard to tell these guys are rookies

-I'm so sick of hearing whining that Joe Thornton was traded. I always liked the guy and never thought he was the issue, but can we move on please? Both the Bruins and Joe are better off now. The Bruins have depth, people! All three players, while not big stars individually, have made big contributions to this team-both in play and attitude. No knock on Thornton, but he can't be in three places at once. The Bruins are a better team; Thornton should be happier on the West Coast where he is not picked apart as bad as he was here, and where he doesn't have the burden of that "C" on his sweater.

Habs again on Saturday...and I'm PO'ed because I have to work when the game is on. GRRR...

Thanks for your hospitality, Ottawa
All I can say is wow. A 5-0 shutout for Mr. Tim Thomas! And this makes three wins in a row against the Senators. Could it be we've been too busy complaining to see that something was actually growing here? That a team was coming together, finding an identity and a rhythm to their game. The entire team looked amazing tonight. That said, I'm too tired to talk any more tonight. Yes, that's something that happens when you start to get old. Suddenly 10:00 PM feels like midnight and your brain turns into oatmeal.

One small step back
Just when the B's were on a roll, one little stone to trip over. They lost to the Islanders last night 4-3- despite having multiple tries with a 2-man advantage. While they might have gotten sloppy towards the end-especially in the faceoff circle- they still played with some fire. My take tis that this is just a minor setback and they will be back on track.

Game Details

The good news is Atlanta also lost, so this doesn't have much effect on playoff standings. There are still plenty of games left in the season- enough so that not all playoff spots are guaranteed. Sheesh, I'm rambling.

Andrew Raycroft agreed to take a conditioning assignment in Providence and led the baby B's to a 4-3 shootout win over the Falcons last night.

Game Details

Sorry, folks, I'm having one of those mornings where I just can't add 2 and 2. Meanwhile, I have been working on a site redesign for my homesite. It is far from finished, however I have decided to start posting links to my articles. I know, I know- you are just so excited about this.

My Site

good things come
to those who are patient. No, I didn't read that on a fortune cookie. Wait...maybe I did. Who knows? Anyway, here we are, finally seeing the light at the end of the Bruins' deep, dark tunnel, and things are looking much better. But guess what-it's been happening for a while now! Sure the results were not always there, but aside from a handful of games (ahem San Joe-zay)this team has been playing better, they have been making improvements, and now, they're finally at the point where they're playing with some confidence. If you compare watching this team to drinking a cup of coffee, the progress was like drinking a cup of decaf instant coffee- just not very satisfying and it sure a hell doesn't take like coffee, even though you know at some point it must have been coffee because it at least resembles it. Whew! My point? Patience, my fellow black and gold faithful, and all that slog we've been drinking is starting to taste like a cup of fresh brewed Dunkin Donuts. What I really mean is, the signs were there, the progress was there, but because the results were not quite there, many of us were not happy to be there.

Anyway, Bruins win it last night in Atlanta, 3-2.