I want to be very clear on one thing. I am in no way comparing what happened last night in Vancouver, to what happened 30 years ago today in Lake Placid from a social-big guy defeated by little guy-totally mind blowing once in a lifetime thing. Last night, a team of very good American NHLers, defeated a very good group of Canadian NHLers in one of the most thrilling hockey games I have ever witnessed. It was in no way a win of the magnitude of USA over USSR, despite the similarities.

These two games were similar in so much as in 1980 the United States had a goaltender that stood on his head (Jim Craig) and took advantage of their opportunities when they were presented. Last night Ryan Miller had the game of his life between the pipes for the United States, and when the US did get scoring chances, they capitalized on them. I feel Marty Brodeur was very underwhelming in goal for Canada last night, as Vladislav Tretiak was for the Soviets 30 years ago. While this was a big, huge win for the United States, I would rank it third behind Squaw Valley in 1960 and the Miracle on Ice in 1980.

Either way, was that some kind of hockey game last night or what?! Can we talk about the three breakaways they traded for a second? Oh my God. I thought for sure Doc was going to blow a gasket. Oh, and then the shooting gallery in the last 4 minutes? I even caught MOL secretly watching the third period last night! I am not sure how this tournament is going to wind up, but the United States certainly impressed the hell out of me last night. Do not count Canada out though. Even though they made their lives difficult by having to win four in a row, including having to go through the powerhouse Russian Club to win gold on home soil, they definitely have the squad to do so. Was last night the Miracle on Ice Part II? No, but it was one damn fine hockey game!

Happy Boxing Day all! Christmas has been lovely so far. MOL and I had dinner at Mother’s Christmas Eve, then we all had Chinese at a new joint (well, new to us) in Westford last night. Right now MOL is baking a cake to bring to Mother’s for our family party. My brother and the kids are coming up. It should be mega. I got a puzzle, underwear, and a bird book so far. Not a bad haul. I hope you guys all enjoyed the true spirit of the season, you know, getting plastered at a family Christmas party and falling into the Christmas tree while everyone rolls their eyes. I don’t drink anymore, so I am counting on the rest of the goons out there to carry on fine traditions in my honor!

Thanks to everyone for reading and posting on the Top 10 list. I hope you had as much fun reading it, as I did writing and reminiscing on the past 10 years of goonery. We have a ton of new readers because of the post, and I’d like to personally welcome you all. If you are looking for a fun place to talk hockey and enforcers, you’ve found it here at Goonblog. Thanks for stopping by.

Finally, I found this article on Boston.com about Shawn Thornton lobbying hard to get on the first line. Very funny stuff. The 4th line has been a going concern in the last few Boston contests, and I like the energy Sobotka has brought. The second goal in Ottawa was all Bitzy Cat and Thornton, and 22 had a nice dish Wednesday against Atlanta. Coach Julien rolls four lines, and when Boston had success last year, it was rolling all four with great success. It looks like they are still trying to find some chemistry on the top 3 lines, but the 4th line in Boston is getting it done night in and night out. Well done boys. So, looking forward to Canada vs. Latvia today at 4. Other than that, lounging around all day boys. Enjoy the weekend all!

If I may borrow a bit of old Charlie Dickens, this weekend was like the beginning of “A tale of Two Cities”, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” I don’t want to get overly dramatic here, but it really was the best and worst of the Boston Bruins on opening weekend. I will start at the worst of times.

On Thursday the Bruins opened against The Washington Capitals. I had friends up from DC for the tilt, and to say they were excited is a gross understatement. You know my Math book? Picture that times ten. So, Ginger, Cindy and I met in Boston around 2 O’clock and went to Porter’s across from the Garden. We had a lot of laughs, and good natured teasing back and forth all day about who was going to win. As other patrons filed in, they joined in, and the fun continued right on into the Garden. Then, after about 10 minutes in, it stopped. At least for me.

The only thing more documented here on Goonblog than my need for a math book when excited, is my ability to always be seated next to, or very near, “That Guy.” It is said, I have even been “That Guy” before, but that is here nor there. Thursday evening was no different as we definitely found “TG” early.

From the second they sat down, I knew we were in trouble. For starters, neither guy could heckle. I pride myself on being able to provide a very well timed (albeit often times inappropriate) heckle, and these guys didn’t have it. They were yelling stupid things at people that weren’t even on the ice for starters, and while they were loud, they were very unfunny. A good heckle needs to give the rest of the people around you a good chuckle I feel, and these guys were making me anything other than chuckley. Furious is more like it. Neither nit wit knew the game either. They spent a good 20 minutes arguing over Blake Wheeler, and if he was a rookie or not. No, no he’s not. Both claimed to play in hockey leagues, which I find slightly more believable than me having to leave MOL because Jenny McCarthy has threatened to kill herself if I didn’t become her man. Anyway, they were awful, and should be ashamed of themselves.

As for the Bruins? Well, they played well for 10 minutes as a group. After that, the only persons that stood out were newcomers Steve Begin (who had better look out for MOL before starting his car. FURIOUS he is wearing 27. She has a thing for Glenn Murray. What can I say?) Derek Morris (whom that guys refused to believe was a New York Ranger) and Patrice Bergeron. Other than that, they played like a group that was not sure about the schedule, and when the regular season actually started. I would like to say as well, the Washington Capitals are no joke. They came out firing on all cylinders. They are dangerous enough when their opponent is playing at their level. When they play a team playing like the Bruins were the other night, you get the 4-1 result. No need to panic Bruins fans.

Saturday, on the other hand, is what Bruins fans should expect from the Boston Bruins this season. When they play the old Lunch pail AC style, they are arguably the toughest team in the NHL to play against. They got on Cam Ward early and often, and gave Carolina no room all night. I was very surprised it took as long as it did for Carolina to fight back, but after seeing the ill advised fight Jay Harrison had with Milan Lucic, and the beating Andrew Alberts took at the hands of Shawn Thornton, I can see why they were reluctant to get physical with Boston. Kudos to Harrison and Alberts for fighting, especially Harrison. Despite being bloodied by Milan Lucic, he landed a couple of very hard right hands himself. The trouble is punching Lucic in the face is probably similar to punching a block of stone.

Shawn Thornton again had a very impressive tilt against Andrew Alberts. After another very good bout against John Erskine Thursday, he laid a beating on former Bruin Andrew Alberts that Alberts won’t soon forget. Or maybe he will after that many shots to the mind eh? I could tell as soon as 22 stepped on the ice, he had no intention of playing hockey. He made a B-Line for Alberts, and made him answer the bell for roughing up Marc Savard at the end of the second. Alberts obliged, and Thornton used his face as a punching bag. This fight was as one sided as could be, as it appeared Alberts really didn’t want to fight Shawn Thornton. I give him props though as the code dictates he needs to answer for the Savard thrashing. As they were being separated, it looked like Alberts said something to the effect of, “you had to do it” to Thornton. I think this is going to be a career year for Shawn Thornton, and I am excited for this Thursday as his former club is in town.

Saturday was the kind of win that brings a club together. Reader Greg made an excellent point about how Saturday’s game was reminiscent of the Dallas tilt last season. That Dallas tilt brought that club together after they beat the Stars in the alley, and on the score board. I think this Saturday’s game was the same thing. I think the rest of the NHL should be wary of the new Lunch pail AC.

Hey, did you hear Michael Jackson died? No shit. I’m not making this up. Good thing the good Reverend Jesse is involved now. Phew! Through it all, the NHL managed to press on and hold their draft in Montreal Friday night. Naturally, I watched the whole thing.

The Islanders had the first pick and took John Tavares. Not a huge shock. Victor Hedman went second, and Matt Duchense 3rd. These first three picks are fairly predictable. From there on, it was anyone’s guess. This draft seemed to not be very deep, with a giant “but.” As in, they say he has an attitude problem, BUT if he gets that squared away, he could be a real steal. The announcers must have said, “how did he slip this far?” at least 10 times. For me it was a fascinating 4 hours of television, highlighted by Brian Burke wearing a wire on the floor. For MOL it was glare inducing, and shoulder shrugging fun.

The beloved Boston Bruins, who were booed loudly by the Montreal assholes, er, fans in attendance much to the delight of GM Peter Chiarelli selected Jordan Caron from Rimouski of the QMJHL. This I feel is a good pick, as the young man (sorry, way too much Pierre McGuire) is 6’2”, and plays a Boston Bruins style of play. Pierre compared his game to Cameron Michael, saying “He’s not as good, but plays the same style.” I like it. It shows they are truly committed to bringing the style of play back to Boston. Oh, and as an aside, it sort of works for them. Boston crashed and banged their way to the top of the Eastern Conference last season, and adding another young kid that can play the same style will only help. Nice pick by the Bruins brain trust. Now we wait and see if Kessel gets dealt before July 1.

George and I had very little to do yesterday. Well, actually, that’s kind of a blanket statement. Anyway, we decided to use the Flex Tickets we get as part of our Bruins Season Tickets and take the boys down to the all new look Dunkin Donuts center for the Baby B’s tilt against the Manchester Monarchs.

I hadn’t been there since MOL and I braved a blizzard when she was supposed to be doing homework to see Trevor Gillies in action when he was with the Springfield Falcons. The building has been totally redone, and ironically enough, they put us in the same exact row, almost the same seat MOL and I had that wintery evening.

Gone is the old folk’s home smell of pee, and ammonia. In are the excellent food choices, giant video board, and very wide concourses. I have two complaints, and they are minor. The seats are way too small. Even the kids were cramped. For a place called the Dunkin Donuts center, I thought there would be more than one Dunkin Donuts inside. Since I am not boozing anymore, I like a nice cup of coffee and a dip during the games. There being only one DD, and a line as long as Billy Tibbett’s’ arrest record, I decided to pass. We made up for it by stopping at the Tim Horton’s on the way out of town, but it would have been nice to enjoy a nice cup of coffee after my wicked sausage sandwich.

The game itself was a pretty good tilt. I am really impressed with Bruins prospect Mikko Lehtonen. He had a couple of nice goals yesterday, and should figure in the plan in Boston post haste. I was not impressed with Zach Hamil. He has not shown me anything in the dozen times I have seen him, and yesterday was more of the same. Out of position, and with his head down a lot. One play he came across the top of the slot with his head down. He tries that in the show, and he’s going to have his head taken clean off. There was a fight in the third that was OK as well. All in all, it was a great day. I think a Capital Grille dinner and a trip to the “House that Larue Built” is on the agenda for next season.

Speaking of calling off searches, I found Killer. He is alive and presumed hungover. I take my brother to a Bruins game every year for his birthday. Saturday’s Original Six tilt at the Garden between Boston and Chicago was this year’s game. Killer had alerted us he was going, so MOL, my brother and I drove him in to town and enjoyed some pizza and fights at Halftime Pizza. Killer was meeting some buddies, including frequent Goonblog commenter, KSpecial, so it really worked out for all. The pizza was excellent, and the 25 ouncer Killer started off his day with looked frickin tasty too. Killer, great to see you. Let’s not go so long next time eh?

As for the game, it was an n excellent tilt. The Bruins played very well, and I really like The Blackhawks this year. In fact they are the first two time winner of NHL Center Ice team of the year for me. They are young, fast, and tough. I really can’t think of a better cup final than Boston over Chicago.

In typical “us” fashion, “that guy”, or in this case, “those guys” were seated next to us. My brother is a magnet for “that guy.” It’s well documented he always sits next to “that guy.” Until I quit boozing, often times it was his little brother, but in yesterdays case it were two knuckleheads in our row. At least they were on the end, so everyone had to get up every time they got a beer. Mid period. As the play was going on. Oh, and the Bruins were about to score. MOL started out next to them when they arrived with about 7 minutes left in the first. I had the pleasure for the 2nd and 3rd. He quote, “Oh, you are going to love those idiots. One of them doesn’t shut the fuck up, and the other is just an idiot,” could not have been truer. By the third period, the one that didn’t shut up was so cocked; he had a three step process to take a sip off beer. It was two misses, a head bob, and then a little spill down the throat. They left with about 2 minutes left in the game to meet some friends at a bar. I pray the bouncer/bartender at whatever establishment they stumbled to recognized these two had enough, and needed a fresh 24. I forgot to mention, before they left, they agreed Mario Lemieux was the greatest ever because he was just like Cam Neely, only 20 times more talented. I’m serious; I wish I were making this up.

What would you believe as a plausible answer for where I have been since my last post?
1. On a whirlwind hockey adventure in which I saw parts of 12 games?
2. Starring as Kenickie in a production of Grease on Ice?
3. Drunk in a bar?
4. Jail?
5. Getting drunk in a bar, after being released from Jail?

Which one was the least believable? Number 2? Yeah I thought so too. If you guessed number 1, you are absolutely correct.

Hockey Week in Acton has become as grand a tradition as Hockey Day in Canada. They usually coincide with each other as luck would have it. My Hockey Week in Acton began last Friday night in Lowell in which I saw kind of a weird fight, and finished up last night at the Hub of Hockey with a real “Old Time Hockey” type game against the Ducks. Truthfully, it’s still going on as MOL is out, Milan is chewing my shoe, and the Habs are losing 2-0 to the Flyers. For the sake of this post, it ended last night.

Friday February 20th: Hartford at Lowell.
You would think with Sean Avery in town there would be a buzz in the building eh? I guess you’d actually need people in the building for that. Avery behaved himself, and only took a 2 minute penalty for something. Hooking maybe? Either way, he seemed pretty content (Habs scored, 2-1 Philly. I hate both these teams) to just play some hockey, and ignore some pretty creative signs. My favorite was the one with Rachel Hunter (FUCK 2-2. Good time for a fight) and Elisha Cuthbert on both side, and the words, “Sorry Sean, these girls only date NHL players.” Pretty darn funny. PL3 did ask him to go once, but he ignored him like he wasn’t even there.

Speaking of fights (DAMMIT 3-2 Habs), there was kind of a weird fight in this game. After drilling Hartford’s Brodie Dupont, Lowell’s Matthew Corrente was engaged with Hartford’s Jared Nightingale. The two dropped mitts and were about to square off when Dupont took decided he was going to do his own dirty work and fight his own battles. He dropped his gloves and went right after Corrente. Nightingale just kind of stood there and picked up his gloves as the other guys had at it. Very weird indeed. Not sure how Dupont didn’t get a third man in call, as Nightingale and Corrente were clearly engaged, but whatever. OK little scrap. I like Corrente a lot. He is afraid of no one, and is a good little hockey player to boot. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in the black and gold some day.

Hockey Day in Canada. Saturday February 21st. Started with Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, ended with Nashville at St. Louis with stops in LA, Dallas, and Florida.

I saw most of the Penguins game, except I missed the fight. The third period of the Dallas game, all of the LA game, all of the Bruins game, and the third period in St. Louis. I missed the fight in Philly due to a lunch break and the fight in the LA game because Milan had to poop. MOL was sick and asleep on the couch, so I parked it and flipped around. It was a superb way to spend a Saturday. I heard a couple of “Edwardsisms” all around the NHL. Obviously they were all over the Bruins game, but I heard two “layers of defense” and a few “half boards.” I am forgetting one. George, help me out here.

Sunday February 21st. First period of Pittsburgh at Washington. Worcester at Lowell. Third period of Boston at Tampa Bay. Lowell lost in a game best described as zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and Boston sucked in Tampa. Mark Stuart got beaten so badly coming out of the corner on Tampa’s 4th goal, I’m not sure his jock strap made the trip back to Boston. I just missed Shawn Thornton’s fight with David Koci in between periods, and I saw the replay of Stuart’s tussle with Gary Roberts. Needless to say, after the Bruins trip, I was concerned about the game against Florida Tuesday night.

Monday February 22nd. San Jose at Dallas. I could only muster the first period of this one, as MOL was kind enough to pass her cold onto me, and Milan and I could barely keep out eyes open. At the first intermission I asked her if she wanted to go to bed. She barked twice for yes. Then we went to bed, and she decided to bark at shadows in the bedroom for 30 minutes. Not good times. She is cute, but like her daddy, not bright.

Tuesday February 24th. Florida at Boston. This one found George and me in the Hub of Hockey and Hungry for Hockey. Like I said, there was great concern heading into this one. Good thing for us, and all the Bruins faithful (by the way, still plenty of room on the bandwagon) at the Garden. We were all hoping for the team we saw in November and dreading seeing the one we saw as of late. Luckily, they gave us the Marty McFly treatment and went back in time to the November club. Just a dominant performance by the boys, featuring a scrappy Nick Kobasew getting into it with Keith Ballard. He is playing like a man that doesn’t want to be dealt. The star of the evening was Byron Bitz. He chipped in 2 goals and had the 17,000 faithful chanting his name for the trick. They tried to give him a chance at it by putting him out on the ice at the end of the game, but it wasn’t to be. Still, Bitzy has played very well, and I expect great things from him in seasons to come. I have been very impressed with him and I hope he kicks the shit out of Huggy Bear tomorrow.

Wednesday February 25th. Lowell at Worcester. Yes, I willingly traveled to Worcester to see the Devils. What can I say? I’m sick. After some heavy apps. At Pizzeria Uno’s we settled into the DCU Center for what turned into a pretty interesting tilt. There were no fights on the night despite some serious chatter between PL3 and Worcester’s Brad Staubitz. Both clubs seemed pretty content to just play some hockey, and referee Terry Koharski seemed eager to get into his trusty green cooler of Bud Light as not a lot was called.

Thursday February 26th. Anaheim at Boston. George and I were back at the Hub of Hockey, and obviously, Hungry for Hockey. 4 dogs, some cookies and 2 sodas. Not a bad haul. Anyway, the Bruins are back baby! Notice to the rest of the NHL: if attempting to intimidate the Boston Bruins, I might suggest a different strategy. I love the Ducks aggressive strategy, but I love it even more when the Bruins respond. It was a rough and tumble affair the featured 2 fights and one Marc Savard taking matters into his own hands in self defense. Oh, plus a 6-0 bloodletting by the hometown team.

It all got started at 8:20 of the second period. After watching Princeton grad, former teammate, and resident tough guy, Yanni, er, George Parros flatten Marc Savard; Shawn Thornton went right over the boards despite it not being his shift to make big George pay for what he’d done. Thorts hopped over, and went right after Parros. They dropped mitts and had at it. Thornton did pretty well trying to get inside on the bigger Parros to take away the drastic reach advantage. It looked like a couple of shots were landed to the license plate on Parros, and Thornton got the takedown. (No points scored, and in MY NHL, would be an extra penalty for Thornton. The crowd loved it however, so I’ll move on.) Kudos to Thornton for doing his job, and reason number 7829 why I enjoy him so much.

The fireworks continued at the 14:49 mark. There was a little battle for the puck in front of Anaheim’s goal, when Mike Brown decided to cross check Milan Lucic (not my dog. That would be crazy) and then sucker punch Gino. Naturally, Milan went right after Brown, and pummeled him down to the ice. Normally, I take issue with a fighter continuing to throw punches when the other combatant is down, but when you jump someone like Brownie did, all bets are off. Sheldon Brookbank got the gate for being the third man in whilst trying to remove Lucic from his teammate by force. Then everyone, except the Captain of the Bruins, came in to get in on the action. I will never understand why Chara feels the need to stay on the periphery of such events…I guess I should stop expecting him to jump in on stuff like that, but in my mind, they should still be trying to separate him and Brookbank. Alas, the dust up was cleared. Gino went to his box in obvious pain, and anger, screaming at Brown the whole way. Brookbank was shown the door, and play resumed.

It resumed, but it wasn’t long until Scott Niedermayer and Marc Savard were involved in a little tussle. While standing at the far blueline, Niedermayer took it upon himself to plant 3-4 cross checks on the small of Savvy’s back. Having just about enough of that behavior, Savard decided to do something about it. He engaged Niedermayer and both dropped the gloves. It doesn’t look like either guy threw any punches, or the old fart took Savvy down, landing on him. Both were given roughing minors, and Savard did not return. If I may, NIEDERMAYER! DEAD! I really can’t explain how cross I will be if Savard is out for an extended period of time. If Niedermayer is traded back to New Jersey as per one of the rumors I’ve heard, someone on the Bruins better go after him when they return to town next month.

So, there it is. Despite learning all of Kinickie’s songs, and dance moves, I have been on a hockey binge that continues with a very good Flyers game right now, and will continue with the Blackhawks when this one is over. Then to Vancouver for the Tampa Bay matchup at 10. Really, does it get any better than spring hockey?

It is official. I am a meat slapper. I bought a Bruins third jersey last night at Sports Authority. I have been debating if I should get one since they came out. On the one hand, I strongly believe that jerseys are for meat slappers, and kids. On the other, I really like the Bruins third jersey. Along with the St. Louis Blues third jerseys, they are my favorite alternates in the league. After much deliberation, I decided I was going to get a blank one as you never wear another man’s uniform. I feel the blank jersey avoids that issue as there is no name; so really, it’s like wearing a t shirt of your favorite team. That makes sense right? The problem then became finding one.

The Bruins hit a home run with this jersey, and the fans agreed. When they debuted, I wasn’t sure if I could get one, and when I decided I wanted one, I couldn’t get one. I tried a XXXL on in the Pro Shop at the Garden, but it was way too big. All outlets are reporting 12-16 week lead times on getting more in. Well, unless you want a Chara, and I do not. So, when we were going to the mall last night to get MOL a new phone, I asked her to pull into Sports Authority to see if maybe they had one.

Has anyone looked for Bruins gear in Boston these days? Let’s put it this way, Whitey Bulger is easier to find than a store with a good Bruins selection. Most places I have been have racks upon racks of Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics gear, and a tiny corner where the Bruins gear is. Even Modell’s, the supposed “official” place for Bruins gear was nearly barren of the Black and Gold. Interesting side not, they did have a very nice Glenn Murray jersey. Full price. When I walked into Sports Authority and saw the sea of Red Sox gear before me I thought, “Well, here we go again.” I looked against the wall, and they had several Chara thirds, and some other uniforms. Disappointed I began to walk away. I thought well, maybe I will just take a peek through these jerseys to see if they have a blank XXL. I looked around to ensure no one was looking as I didn’t want to be labeled a Chara fan. Rifling through them like a kid going through his friend’s mom’s underwear drawer, there it was in the back. XXL. Blank. I looked away, stunned. No way was this my lucky day. Even better, the jersey was 20% off.

MOL was not very pleased with me spending $92.00 on a hockey jersey. I felt a little like Ralphie asking for a Red Rider BB Gun. Instead of “you’ll shoot your eye out,” I got “really? This is what you want to spend your money on?” I felt like a little kid asking for it. “Please mom? It can be my birthday-Christmas-Easter present.” After a few minutes of being totally emasculated by my wife, I bought it, and we were on our way.

I must say, I really like the jersey. It fits really well, and Milan Lucic and I watched the game last night while I was wearing it. She was trying to chew on the crest. Bummer they lost, but all in all, I couldn’t be more pleased with my purchase. Does this really make me a meat slapper?

Good day, and like, Happy New Year eh? Without turning this into a Shecky Greene show, I’d like to say, boy am I glad the holidays are over. Not so much because I was overly busy doing a lot of holiday partying or anything, but I swear to God they started in with the Christmas music at Halloween, and by Christmas Eve if I heard Jingle Bell Rock one more time I would not be held responsible for my actions. My word. Who can take the marketing these days? Also, it’s nice to be able to leave the house and not have to deal with 87,00 other people on the road all trying to get into one little strip mall. I’ve had it up to here.

Having said that, my Christmas was lovely, and New Year’s was great. MOL and I went to the Capital Grille for dinner, and then she flew to San Antonio to visit her mother taking Milan Lucic with her. I hung out with George all day enjoying the Winter Classic, some excellent seafood, and then a nice Italian dinner, before heading in to Boston for the Bruins 4-2 wins last night. I hope the NHL does the Classic again next season in Fenway Park. Boston against Montreal outside on New Year’s Day? Are you kidding? That would be the best thing EVAH! Although the home team has yet to win the outdoor game, so hopefully if they did do it Boston would break the cycle. Happy New Year to all. Goonblog is looking forward to a great 2009, and along with wishing everyone the best of health and happiness, we’d like to remind you all to “stay goony”!