I’m not sure if it’s because all the Carolina fans are jumping off the ledge, and any that haven’t jumped yet are thinking about it now that Cam Ward is hurt, but I see a lot of Bruins fans coming in off the ledge. I wrote earlier in the week about what they need to get done. Saturday night, they did 2 of the three things. Amazing what happens when the Power Play is working, and playing with a truculent attitude eh? Looks like the blue print for success moving forward.

While it wasn’t exactly a knock down, drag em out affair, it was markedly more physical of a game last night. Shawn Thornton had 2 fights, and Mark Stuart had enough of net crashing late in the third. Unfortunately for Jochen Hecht, he was the target of Stuart’s frustration. Stuart has been physical all year, and I love his ability to fight. He is a very tough kid, and the rest of the league should take notice. If you are going to take liberties on the ice, you may have to deal with Mark Stuart.

Stuart’s fight was very one sided, as was the fight Thornton had with former Bruin Steve “Step Brother” Montador. Has anyone ever seen Steve Montador, and Will Ferrell in the same room? Anyway, I did not see what started the Thornton and Paul Gaustad fight, but to say Thornton was heated after the tilt is a gross understatement. He was yelling at him louder and with more animation than the bartender of the Makaha after refusing me service on my 6th Mai Tai and my subsequent refusal to go quietly into the night a couple of years ago. The point being, Boston was not pushed around last night, and when they play that way they are tough to beat.

Another good sign was the two PP goals scored by the Black and Gold. Mark Recchi got the party started in typical Wrecking Ball fashion with a trademark tip in while parked in front of the net goal in the first period. Later, Zdeno Chara got off the snide with a blast from the point that went in off a Buffalo defender. It was kind of a greasy goal, but it’s the kind of goal the Bruins weren’t getting a week ago. The bounces just weren’t going their way, and after last night’s game, it appears their luck may have changed.

I’ll give you the fact Buffalo played a goaltender that was making his NHL debut and was giving up rebounds bigger than he should have been, but it’s the fact Boston was putting themselves in the position to exploit said goaltender, and rebounds. Not two weeks ago, they made Yann Danis look like Terry fucking Sawchuk, and they put 98% of the shots on Carey Price the other night in the stupid CH logo on his butt smoking chest. After not giving up Thursday, and playing the kind of Bruins hockey that has made them successful last night, I am ready to say they may have turned the corner on the season, and are pointed in the right direction. With defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh in town Tuesday (riding a 2 game losing streak in which they have given up 10 goals while scoring 2) and playing in Pittsburgh next Saturday, we Bruins fans should get a good reading on where exactly this team stands. In the meantime, Carolina fans, there is plenty of room out on the ledge. I’ll leave the window open.

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.

I don’t know where to start. I guess I’ll take it from the top, and we’ll try to make sense of it all. I have questions that need answers, each one more diabolical than the last. Not really, I’ve just always wanted to start a post that way.

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting down for pizza at the usual Friday spot, when my cell phone exploded. Three people texted me to let me know Boston traded Aaron Ward to Carolina for a fourth round draft pick, and Patrick Eaves. Eaves was waived with the purpose of buying him out, which I am confused about, but I will get to that. This deal made little sense, but everyone decided it had to be a “do me a favor deal” as in, “hey Boston, we need defense badly we’ll trade you Eaves for Ward.” Or, it could have gone the other way as in, “Hey Carolina. We need to clear cap space; can we interest you in Aaron Ward? He lives in Carolina after all.” Either way, it looks like it’s a deal to free up space, as the Bruins signed Derek Morris last night to a 1 year deal at $3.3 million.

So, our suspicions were correct about it being a precursor to something else. I thought they were trying to free up money to sign Phil Kessel, and they may very well still be. This Morris signing is interesting. A lot of blogs and places that report on NHL rumors had Morris all but in a Bruins uniform last season at the trade deadline. Truthfully, I know very little about him, but I know he’s young, and can play a little bit.

Here’s where I get super confused. Why waive Eaves with the purpose of buying him out? Can Boston buy him out and sign him at a reduced rate now? I thought once a player was bought out, he was free to sign with any other team, except the one that bought him out. The thinking being that a team like the Islanders who bought out Alexi Yashin’s albatross contract couldn’t have bought him out, then turned around and signed him to a more sensible offer. Which if they could do that, they might want to think about buying out Rick DiPietro. I may be way off, but I am almost positive one can’t be bought out and resigned by the same team. I’m thinking Boston wanted no part of Eaves in the first place, and was doing Carolina a favor by getting him off their books.

How does this affect the one Boston owes Carolina? Scott Walker needs to answer the bell for the sucker he threw at Aaron Ward in the playoffs last year. Now that they are team mates (Ward and Walker that is) is the debt null and void? TKO says Boston owes Walker one for the goal he scored to win the series anyway. While I agree, I’d like to beat him up for that; it’s not how the code works. In my mind, Walker is still owed for the punch. He slighted a member of the team, and must pay. Having said that, does Ward now have to do something in defense of his new teammate should Thornton, or Lucic, or anyone go after him when the season starts? I think he does. It’s also part of the code. This is either going to be the start of a nasty rivalry with someone going after Walker, Wardo having to answer, and so on and so forth, or nothing at all will happen because of this trade, and we’ll all move on. Either way, I am looking forward to October now more than ever.

Hey Scott, Wanna room on the road with me? No?

Congratulations to the winner of the 93rd Indianapolis 500, not the IRS, but Helio Castroneves! This year’s race featured a one beer race day by The Hammer, the greatest “pooping in the infield at the 500” story EVER, one of the wildest crashes I have ever seen, and much more silliness that make Memorial Day in Indianapolis so special every year. I am already looking forward to the 94th running next year. Thanks again Steve. You made a grave error in judgment inviting Hammer in 1988, but if you keep having us, we’ll keep coming!

So in between the poop stories (POW! Out go the lights!) and the mega tenderloin sandwich I got race day, we did what we always do at Indy. We watched hockey. Hands up for who thought I was going to say drink. Anyway, there we are at the end of the Hurricanes loss to the Penguins the other night, when Ryan “Closet Tough Guy” Bayda sets off a fight late in the game. It all starts with a high elbow and a cross check to the head of the Penguins’ Kris Letang. Bayda received a match penalty, and a $2500.00 fine.

There was a car load of guys next to us on the way into the race on Sunday that may or may not have had a few in them. We were stopped at a light waiting our turn to go, which is kind of the norm when 300,000 people are trying to get to the same spot, at the same time. These nitwits decide to start saying, “This is bullshit” loud enough so Indy’s finest could hear them at least 30 times. It was pretty funny because they had an accent that made them sound dumb as dirt anyway, and them saying, “Man, this is bullshit” over and over did not help them in the IQ department. You had to be there, but trust me, they were dumb. So dumb in fact, they got the bright idea to honk at the cop directing traffic! Yes. That dumb. The beep was met with the cop spinning around and giving them a glare that could have burned the whole car up, and he stared them down as he walked over there to make sure they knew he knew they had honked, and were indeed, the dumbest people on earth.

Why am I telling you this? Because I think it may have been Colin Campbell and Gary Bettman in the car. Had to have been right? I mean, how does another player in the playoffs get assessed a MATCH PENALTY FOR A HIT TO THE HEAD, and NOT get suspended? I was teetering on my trust in player safety being a priority for the NHL before, but now, I have no faith in what the league has to say. The league had another chance to send a message the other night, and again with the hit on Marty Havlat (debatable if it was legal. Looked like Kronwall left his feet, and Havlat didn’t have the puck when he was hit, or ever actually have possession of the puck. Having said that, keep your head up) but once again passed on handing out a suspension for a hit to the head because they were too busy sitting in traffic telling Indy Metro PD their traffic directing was less than par. If I am off base on this, please, let me know, but I got to be honest. I am thinking this is bullshit.

A direct quote by Milan Lucic, from the Hockey News who named him this year’s winner of the John Ferguson Award given to the NHL’s toughest player.

“I had to let him get his gloves off, and I caught him clean.”

What he is speaking of is the one punch he gave Mike Komisarek in game 4. Komisarek asked him to go; Milan appeared to ask if he was sure about his decision. When Komisarek decided he was sure he wanted to get knocked the fuck out, they fought. That’s how those types of things go. Scott Walker sucker punched Aaron Ward and he will pay for it next October. As Forrest once said, “that’s all I have to say about that.”

Drubbing is the word I would use to describe game 6. Boston is a better hockey team, and it really showed from the goal out last night. Tim Thomas was outstanding, Lucic had a fantastic game as well, and the defensemen looked excellent. Tomorrow night will not be the funeral parlor entrance we received in game 5, but one of rowdy Bruins fans looking to cheer on the boys to a game 7 triumph. I am giddy at the thought. One game closer to lifting Lord Stanley and I can’t wait.

It is well documented, that I am not a bright man. Ask anyone. They’ll say, “Good guy. Not bright though.” Well, they might just say the not bright part. Point being, I am very confused as to why Scott Walker lowers the boom on Aaron Ward last night, and gets a $2500.00 fine. No suspension, just a fine. He got an instigator penalty in the last 5 minutes of the game, and Ward wasn’t even assessed a fighting major, and the man got a fine. I am really confused by this. I think the league really dropped the ball here and can no longer be taken seriously when speaking of curbing fighting in the game. This may be the only bright spot of this whole thing. The GM’s speak of wanting to get tougher on calling the instigator, and punishing people for fighting. Last night was a classic example on the traditional NHL double standard. Their argument about curbing fighting carries even less weight with me than it did before, I am just kind of bummed out Wardo had to get his face caved in to make my point. Like I said, I’m not bright, but I talked to a lot of people today that are way smarter than me, and they were confused too…leads me to believe it’s not just me.

As for the game last night. Walking into the Garden was like walking into a wake. There was a sense of doom and gloom in the building. That all changed as soon as Milan Lucic tried to put Dennis Seidenberg into the third row. It was the catalyst for the whole game, and was exactly the kind of play that got Boston to where they were in the first friggin place. Where the physical game went after the Montreal series I have no idea, but it would appear it is back. If they play like that tomorrow, they have a chance. If I were Carolina, I might not want to push the envelope too much with these guys. If you poke an angry bear, you will get bitten. A lesson learned by the 4-0 thumping they took last night.

I am not panicked about this series. Carolina does not scare me, and the Bruins are way better. They will win this series, and the next one, and the next one. I’m fired up for tomorrow night. I feel like a not so bright bear that’s been poked.

Claude has asked us all to turn the page on Sunday’s game, so I will do so. It happens, and there is no cause for panic. It is not possible to go undefeated in the playoffs gang. The Bruins had to lose sometime. Before I turn the page, I will give you what I think happened.

For starters, I think all of the Black and Gold faithful thought the Bruins were waltzing into the Conference Finals after bearing witness to the shellacking the Bruins put on the Whalers Friday night. To be sure, it was a complete victory. Carolina looked outmatched, and Cam Ward was not sharp at all. Big Z remained in Eric Staal’s back pocket all night continually frustrating the young star. Boston’s offense was clicking and the shakeup of the lines to what we saw for most of the season really seemed to give the hometown team a nice lift. It was a big win, and had us all thinking, bring on the Caps/Pens.

Here’s the thing. Carolina is a good club. One does not get to the second round of the playoffs by being bad. For the most part they have excellent goaltending, and some proven playoff performers on the roster. This fact was driven home by the shellacking they put on the Bruins Sunday night. Boston played poorly, with the exception of Thomas and the 4th line, and never really got into a rhythm. In the first, they soundly outplayed the Canes, but couldn’t get anything to drop for them. Carolina stuck with their plan and bang, 3-0 win. Disappointing? Heck yes. Cause for panic? Nope.

So, now it’s a series. Tied at 1-1, the Bruins will look to exact revenge in Raleigh tomorrow night, which is no easy task. The building is VERY loud, and the fans raucous to say the least. Think of me at an all you can eat buffet hosted by PJ Stock, Dennis Bonvie, Bob Probert, and Tie Domi, and you get an idea of the excitement level. Both games down there are shaping up to be the toughest they have had to play to date. Cause for concern? Yes? Panic? No. Now turn the page.

I subscribe to the theory you never wear another man’s uniform, which is one reason why I don’t buy or wear team jerseys. One exception is my Syracuse Bulldogs sweater. Its part of a Halloween costume the year I went as Oglethorpe. I wore the jersey, and a giant afro wig. For about 15 minutes. Anyhow, having said that, the Carolina Hurricanes unveiled their third jersey today, and I gotta say its pretty fucking sweet. I might consider lifting my ban on wearing and buying another man’s uniform. I love the hockey stick flag pole, and how the emblem looks like its being blown by Hurricane force winds. Kudos to the all black deign too. Really sharp. Did you know the only other teams in the NHL to never have donned a third Jersey? New Jersey (obviously. That would be fun and God forbid Lou have any fun) and the Detroit Red Wings. It’s true. You can look it up. I think Boston was going to do another third this year. I saw a design of it on TV and it looked pretty snazzy too. Still, Carolina really captured the spirit of the thing here. Tell you guys what. Trevor Gillies makes the big club; I will get a third jersey with his number on it. I swear, I’m not mental.

MOL, George, and I went to Feng Shui for a very serious throw down, two Mai Tai’s and the division of Bruins tickets for the upcoming season. If you are in the Chelmsford area, I highly suggest stopping in. In fact, here is a quick ranking of my top 3 local Chinese restaurants.

1. Feng Shui. Chelmsford, MA. Try the General Gau’s shrimp, salt and pepper shrimp, and the house rice. Very strong Mai Tai. Nice buffet on weekends
2. Bamboo. Westford, MA. Johnny is the heat! Strong Mai Tai. Excellent shrimp tempura, salt and pepper pork, and lo mein. Excellent buffet as well.
3. Makaha Acton, MA. Excellent Pu Pu. Mai Tai strong enough to run your car on. Excellent Juke Box. If you’re looking for a dark place to get a Pu Pu and get loaded…this is it. No real redeeming qualities other than they let me drink in there when I was 16.

In keeping with the Public Service spirit, I thought it appropriate to let you know the games in which I have drawn. Reason being, if you are a faithful Goonblog reader, you might want to stop by and say hi, or if you are a faithful Goonblog reader you know what happens at these games when I go, so you might want to avoid being in the City of Boston all together. Should be a great season, and I am getting more pumped by the day. I can almost hear the roar of the Zamboni, OK, the propane whine, of the Zamboni!

I have 9 games on my own. I’ll probably need a date for 8 of them. MOL will go to opening night, and that’s about it for her. Maybe I’ll run a contest. Go to a Bruins game with a guy that is trying to disprove Dean Wormer’s fat, drunk, and stupid theory…..that’ll be cool.

George has 10 solo games. We were very surprised how easily the schedule was divided. It just kind of fell into place easily. No arguments at all. Sort of the opposite of MOL and me.

We will both be in the house for 20 games, and are giving away 2 games that neither one of us can attend. It looks like January is going to be a busy month of hockey for me. Between the Bruins, and the Lowell Devils, I will be at 15 hockey games. That’s a lot of hockey. This is going to be great. Breakdown is below.

My solo games in BOLD in case you want to enter my Fat Drunk and Stupid contest.

Oct. 20th. Opening night. Penguins. Probably MOL’s only appearance of the season. Come see her in all her glory.

Oct. 23rd. Maple Leafs. George wasn’t too happy about this one. He saw every Leafs Bruins tilt last year, and admitted the 10-1 or 10 something loss the Bruins took at the hands of Toronto was the only time he’s ever left a game early. Can’t blame him. I was there too, and I left early.

Nov. 1. Stars. Sean Avery is a shit disturber, and I love it.

Nov. 6th. Leafs. George couldn’t take it (seeing the Leafs again), so I took one for the team here.

Nov. 13th. Canadiens. Now way either one of us was missing the Habs, or Georges Laraque’s debut in the Garden as a Canadien. This one will be electric.

Nov. 28th. Islanders. I love the annual day after Thanksgiving game. Kinger and I had a blast two years ago. MOL might actually want to come to this one.

Dec. 8th. Lightning. I am interested in seeing Steve Stamkos.

Dec. 18th. Maple Leafs. See what I mean? George hates the Leafs.

Dec. 20th. Hurricanes. I am happy Tom Rowe has a job in the NHL. There are still a few faces left on this roster from the old Lockmoster days.

Jan. 1st. Penguins. MOL and I were going to Chicago, but decided a trip to Florida for a couple of Bruins games was probably a better idea. I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year than by watching the Bruins and Penguins slug it out. The last time I went to a game on New Year’s Day was against Philadelphia a few years ago. Dave, MOL and I went, and I assure you. It did not end well.

Jan. 3rd. Sabres. Not sure why I agreed to go to this game. I have an unexplained and unnatural hatred of the Buffalo Sabres. Not sure why.

Jan. 6th. Wild. Boogieman. That’s the reason I’m here.

Jan. 8th. Senators. This is going to be an interesting club this season. Eager to see how they react after all that has happened to them over the last season. Jason Spezza, when he wants to be, is a God.

Jan. 10th. Hurricanes. Love the Matinee.

Jan. 13th. Canadiens. Hopefully the bad blood is really boiling by now.

Jan. 27th. Capitals. If you have never seen Alex Ovechkin live, I highly suggest doing so. You can’t take your eyes off of him.

Jan. 31st. Rangers. Original Six matinee. Doesn’t get any better than that.

Feb. 10th. Sharks. Joe’s second trip as a Shark. His first one was short lived, but a great performance. If you remember, he got kicked out very early for “boarding” Hal Gill. Questionable call at best. I just don’t like Gill, so I was cheering wildly. Pretty sure the people in my section didn’t like it.

Feb. 24th. Panthers. What else is there to do on a Tuesday in February?

Feb. 26th. Ducks. George Parros and his awesome Porn ‘stache in the house. Can’t miss it.

Feb. 28th. Capitals. A matinee and the Caps?! I can’t lose!

Mar. 3rd. Flyers. Shawn Thornton and Riley Cote. I am looking forward to these guys having a go.

Mar. 5th. Coyotes. Probably my most anticipated game of the year. Todd Fedoruk, Brian McGratton, and Daniel Carcillo all on the same club? This could be my Center Ice West Coast team of the season.

Mar. 14th. Islanders. Nothing better to do.

Mar. 19th. Kings. This should be another interesting team. Revolving door in goal. Some decent talent in Dan Boyle, and Teddy Purcell possibly coming in. Very young on defense. Really could go either way.

Mar. 31st. Lightning. Barry Melrose will field a scrappy team. No doubt.

Apr. 2nd. Senators. We’ll know by this point if the Senators have put all their troubles behind them.

Apr. 4th. Rangers. Original Six matinee. Can’t miss it.

Apr. 14th. Canadiens. Great way to end the regular season.

So, there it is. I am really looking forward to this year. It should be awesome. I may need a good divorce lawyer after as that is a lot of hockey. I think MOL understands the psychosis by now though. Let’s get it on.