Boston Sports Then and Now

Bruins forward Milan Lucic did what everyone wants to do to the Pens’ Matt Cooke…kick his cheapshotting ass. The Boston Bruins hate Matt Cooke especially after running Adam McQuaid through the boards earlier in the series and ending Marc Savard’s career in 2010.

Re-born my ass…..

Milan Lucic’s beat down of Cooke looked a lot like Cam Neely’s pummeling of Ulf Samuelsson back in 1993.

If you are old enough, you remember that Ulfie Samuelsson gave Neely a cheap knee to knee hit in the ’91 Wales Conference Finals.

That cheap shot, which Matt Cooke would be proud of , cut Neely’s career short due to the resulting knee and hip issues

The  Penguins goons have been doing this for over 20 years. No surprise Bruins fans and the players HATE Pittsburgh like hot fire.

April 28:

On April 28, 1947, winger, Grant Erickson, was born in Pierceland, Saskatchewan. He played just six NHL games over two seasons and two of them came with the Bruins in 1968-69. He managed to score one goal in his limited time in Boston.

Bruins players tap the phrase that has united the city in the last week.

Sometimes history takes decades and decades to create and sometimes it happens in the blink of an eye or in a 12-second span. The tragic and unfortunate events that hit Boston last week will undoubtedly be forever etched into the history of the city, but they won’t be remembered as its darkest times. Instead, the people of Boston and the world will remember the completely selfless actions of strangers running into danger as well as the unrelenting work done by our law enforcement agencies. Let’s now jump forward to this week in Bruins history, which features a record-setting achievement for one of the best ever, an interesting comment from a rival GM, a pair of overtime thrillers to stun the Canadiens and coach’s birthday. This is This Week In Boston Bruins History: April 21-27. 

Fans at TD Garden this past week.

April 21:

On April 21, 1970, the Bruins beat the Black Hawks, 4-1, in Game 2 of the NHL Semi Finals. This was their third of 10 straight wins and they went on to win the Cup.

On April 21, 1974, they beat Chicago with an 8-6 victory in Game 2 of the semis to tie things up at a game apiece. The B’s would go on to win the series in six, but would lose to the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals.

On April 21, 1991, Ray Bourque picked up two assists in the team’s 3-2 win over the Canadiens. With the two helpers, Bourque passed Phil Esposito as the franchise’s new all-time leader in postseason assists with 103.

On April 21, 2010, the Bruins beat the Sabres, 3-2, in double overtime in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series. Former Sabre, Miroslav Satan, scored the game-winner on the power play 7:41 into the second overtime.

On April 21, 2011, Michael Ryder won Game 4 of the Bruins’ first-round series against the Habs with a goal at 1:59 of overtime. Ryder had three points on the night and helped the Bruins come back from 3-1 down in the second period. The goal tied the series at two and of course, the Bruins would go on to win it in seven.

April 22:

On April 22, 1979, the Bruins swept the Penguins with a 4-1 win in Game 4 of their first-round series. They had finished the season 43-23-14, but were eliminated by an overtime goal in Game 7 against Montreal in the next round.

On April 22, 1980, Boston was eliminated in Game 5 of the second round of the playoffs with a 4-2 loss to the Islanders. It was the final game for coach Harry Sinden and he finished his coaching career with a record of 153-116-58.

On April 22, 1999, the Bruins opened the playoffs with a 2-0 win over the Hurricanes as Ken Belanger and Rob Dimaio scored goals. Byron Dafoe posted the shutout and the B’s would win the series in six after falling behind, 2-1, but they lost to the Sabres in the next round.

On April 22, 2009, the Bruins completed a four-game sweep of the Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs with a 4-1 win in Game 4. Ryder had two goals and an assist for Boston.

On April 22, 2012, Tyler Seguin scored the game-winning goal 3:17 into overtime to force Game 7 of Boston’s first-round playoff series against the Capitals. It was Seguin’s first goal of the playoffs and it came from Milan Lucic and David Krejci. Five Bruins had multi-point afternoons in this one, including Seguin, Lucic, Krejci, Andrew Ference and Rich Peverley.

Tyler Seguin forced Game 7 with this goal.

April 23: 

On April 23, 1960, Claude Julien was born in Blind River, Ontario. In six seasons as head coach of the Bruins, Julien has won 254 games, which is good for the second-most in team history and, of course, he led his team to a Stanley Cup championship. As an NHL coach, Julien’s teams have gotten points in 60 percent of his games, which is the 17th-best all-time among coaches.

On April 23, 1982, the Bruins beat the Nordiques, 6-5, in overtime of Game 6 of their second-round series with their first win since Game 2. They would drop Game 7, however.

On April 23, 1989, Cam Neely and Michael Thelven combined to score the fastest pair of goals in Boston playoff history as they lit the lamp just seven seconds apart in the second period of their 3-2 win over Montreal in Game 4 – their only win of their second-round playoff series.

On April 23, 1995, they won their fourth straight game, 5-4, against the Rangers to improve to 23-16-3 on the season. Neely had a hat trick in the game, but this team failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

On April 23, 2011, Nathan Horton scored at 9:03 of the second overtime as the Bruins beat the Canadiens, 5-4, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. It was the 12th-longest game ever played in Bruins’ history and it prompted Montreal’s Max Pacioretty to tweet that “this game was longer than Marchand’s nose.”

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You know what makes Mondays better? A little bit of Bruins history. It’s fun, it’s counterproductive and I bet you will learn a thing or eight about the team you root for on the ice. As April moves on, historic Bruins’ teams are fighting through the playoff grind while others are just beginning their championship push. This week’s product includes a couple pairs of teammates who were born on the same day, a Stanley Cup victory, the final games for a handful of coaches, the final game for one of the best defensemen in franchise history and of course more than one playoff loss to the Canadiens. This is This Week In Boston Bruins History: April 14-20. 

The boys who won it all in 1939.

April 14:

On April 14, 1974, the Bruins swept the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 4. They would go on to lose to the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals, however, after a 52-win regular season.

On April 14, 1980, the B’s clinched their first-round series against the Penguins with a 6-2 win in Game 5. They scored a total of 14 goals in the final two games of the series and advanced on to play the Islanders, but would lose in five to the eventual champs.

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Tomas Kaberle did something on March 24 that he only did once.

For the first time, This Week In Boston Bruins History will look back on some of the great Boston playoff runs before the NHL started playing right on through April. Also featured are a milestone for one of the all-time greats, some milestone victories, a double-digit win streak, a few instances of matching up against the Canadiens in the playoffs, the final game for one coaching great and, most importantly, the team’s first Stanley Cup championship. This is This Week In Boston Bruins History.

March 24:

On March 24, 1938, the Bruins lost, 1-0, in two overtimes against the Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. They would go on to get swept, 3-0.

On March 24, 1963, the B’s completed their season on a nine-game winless streak. In the season finale, they lost, 4-3, to the Black Hawks. The team finished the season with a 14-39-17 record and just 45 points.

On March 24, 1968, the Bruins played their first 71^st game of the season as the season length had previously been 70 games. They would fall to the Red Wings in Detroit by a score of 5-3.

On March 24, 2006, the team signed longtime forward, P.J. Axelsson to a three-year contract extension. In 11 NHL seasons (all with the B’s), Axelsson scored 103 goals in 797 games and added 184 assists. He ranks 10^th all-time in franchise history in games played.

On March 24, 2011, rental, Tomas Kaberle, scored his only goal as a member of the Bruins in a 7-0 win over the Habs. Kaberle would help the team to win their sixth Stanley Cup during his half-season in Boston.

March 25:

On March 25, 1937, the B’s beat the old Montreal Maroons, 4-0, in Game 2 of the opening round of the playoffs. They would go on to lose the series, 2-1, in three games, however, and finished the season at 23-18-7.

On March 25, 1950, they would lose, 8-0, to the Leafs in their second-to-last game of the season and fall to 22-32-16 on the year. It was their worst loss of the season in George Boucher’s only year as coach.

On March 25, 1954, the Bruins lost to the Canadiens, 8-1, in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs. They would be swept, four-games-to-none, in the series and get outscored, 16-4, in the span.

On March 25, 1973, Phil Esposito scored his 50^th goal of the season in a 6-1 win over the Sabres. Esposito is second in the team’s history with 459 career goals.

On March 25, 1982, Barry Pederson became just the fifth rookie to ever score 40 goals in a season as he picked up No. 40 in the team’s 75^th game of the year – a 5-1 win over Buffalo.

Barry Pederson had one of the best rookie seasons in team history.

March 26:

On March 26, 1927, the Bruins won their regular-season finale, 4-3, against the Rangers in overtime before making their first postseason appearance in their third season. They would lose to the Senators in the Stanley Cup Finals.

On March 26, 1942, they beat the Black Hawks, 3-2, to advance to the NHL semi-finals where they were eliminated by the Red Wings in two games.

On March 26, 1950, Boucher coached his final game with the team in a 3-3 tie against the Maple Leafs. The team finished the season 22-32-16 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1943-44.

On March 26, 1983 the Bruins scored seven goals in consecutive games with a 7-4 win over the Whalers. They would finish the season 49-18-9, but go on to lose to the Islanders in the Conference Finals.

On March 26, 2002, the B’s beat the Hurricanes, 3-2, to improve to 41-21-5-7. Goals were scored by Sergei Samsonov, Brian Rolston and Glen Murray. Boston would lose to Montreal in six games in the first round of the playoffs.

March 27:

On March 27, 1952, the team lost to the Canadiens, 4-0, in the first round of the playoffs to go down 0-2 in the series. They were outscored, 9-1, in the first two games and wound up losing in seven after picking up wins in Games 3, 4 and 5.

On March 27, 1974, the B’s won their 50^th game of the season – something they have done just eight times in their history with the last time being in 2008-09. They beat the Rangers, 3-2, to improve to 50-14-9 on the year, but would lose to the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals.

On March 27, 1982, the Bruins began a three-game stretch in which they allowed six or more goals in each, losing all three. They fell, 6-5, to the North Stars in this one before going down, 9-5, and 8-5 in their next two. Despite the skid, they still finished 43-27-10 under Gerry Cheevers, but lost to the Nordiques in the division finals.

On March 27, 1997, Ray Bourque recorded his 1,000^th career NHL assist in a 6-3 loss to the Islanders. He became the fifth to ever do it and the first to have accomplished the feat with just one team.

On March 27, 2007, the Bruins won their only game in a 12-game stretch to end the year, beating the Senators, 3-2. They would lose 11 of their final 12 games and finish the season at 35-41-6.

Ray Bourque recorded his 1,00th NHL assist on March 27, 1997.

March 28:

On March 28, 1946, the team beat the Red Wings, 4-3, in overtime to clinch their semi-final series with their third straight win and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they would, again, fall to the Canadiens in five games.

On March 28, 1972, the Bruins lost just their 11^th game of the season with a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Red Wings in the 75^th game for them. They would finish the season 54-13-11 on their way to winning their fifth Stanley Cup.

On March 28, 1973, the B’s won their 10^th straight game, handling the Rangers, 6-3, in New York. They would win 50 games for the third consecutive year, finishing at 51-22-5, but lost to the same Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. The team also had win streaks of five (twice), six and eight games that season.

On March 28, 1979, the Bruins lost, 9-2, to the Sabres in what was tied for their most lopsided loss of the season. It was also tied for the most goals they allowed on the year and the team would go on to lose, 5-4, to the Canadiens in overtime of Game 7 of the NHL semi-finals.

On March 28, 2009, the B’s beat the Maple Leafs, 7-5, in the second of six straight wins for them. They improved to 30 games over .500 at 47-17-10 with the win. Matt Hunwick and Dennis Wideman each had three points for Boston while Boyd Devereaux was minus-3 for Toronto.

March 29:

On March 29, 1929, the Bruins defeated the Rangers, 2-1, to win their first Stanley Cup championship. The team went 5-0 in the playoffs, sweeping both the Canadiens and Rangers and won each of their final nine games dating back to the regular season. Cy Denneny led the team to a division-best 26-13-5 record and Tiny Thompson played every game in net for the team. Eddie Shore was third on the team with 12 goals and Dit Clapper and Lionel Hitchman were also on the first championship team.

On March 29, 1941, the Bruins would lose for the last time in the playoffs with a Game 5 setback against the Leafs. They would come back to win the series, 4-3, and then sweep the Cup Finals over the Leafs culminating with their sixth straight win to claim their second championship in three years.

On March 29, 1969, the B’s played their first 75^th regular-season game in a 5-3 loss to the Canadiens.

On March 29, 2008, they won their 40^th game of the season in Game No. 78, improving to 40-28-11 with a 4-0 win over the Senators. Four different Bruins scored in the game, but, again, the team would go on to lose to the Habs in the first round of the playoffs.

On March 29, 2011, Boston beat Chicago, 3-0, as nine different players registered points in the contest for the eventual champs. They improved to 43-23-10 with the win.

The 1929 Stanley Cup champion Bruins.

March 30:

On March 30, 1933, the Bruins beat the Leafs in Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs in the third straight overtime game played in the series. They won the game, 2-1, to take a 2-1 series lead, but would lose the next two, ending their season with a three-games-to-two first-round playoff loss.

On March 30, 1949, Clapper coached his final game for the Bruins as they were eliminated from the playoffs with a 3-2 loss to Toronto.

On March 30, 1969, the team beat the Habs, 6-3, in their regular-season finale. In the process, they became the first NHL team to ever score 300 goals in a single season as they finished with 303 on the year. They wound up 42-18-16, but would obviously lose to Montreal in the second round of the playoffs.

On March 30, 1993, the B’s started an eight-game winning streak in their final eight games of the regular season with a 3-1 win over the Hartford Whalers. Bourque and Cam Neely each scored goals in the game. The team finished up at 51-26-7, but were swept by the Sabres in the first round of the playoffs.

On March 30, 2004, the Bruins won their 40^th game of the season, 3-2, over the Hurricanes. They improved to 40-18-15, but, if you have not picked up on the pattern yet, they lost to the Canadiens in seven games in the first round of the playoffs. They blew a 3-1 series lead to the seventh-seeded Habs and lost in seven.

Sorry about all the playoff losses to the Canadiens. Not a good time of year to be playing them apparently. Hopefully, this Wednesday will yield a better outcome and it seems pretty much impossible that the teams will match up in the first round of the playoffs this year. Look out a week from today for history from March 31 through April 6 with a special look at April Fool’s Day events.

Follow me on Twitter @RealAndyLarmand.

Boston Bruins forward #20 Daniel Paille deserves to win NESN’s 7th Player Award

The Boston Bruins seventh player award is awarded to a player who exceeds all expectations in a season. Previous winners of the award include Tim Thomas, Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, and Milan Lucic. Many high-profile Bruins have won the award and gone on to have excellent careers with the black and gold. Last season the award was given to Tyler Seguin for his breakout performance of 29 goals, 38 assists, and a +34 in 81 games.

While the Bruins’ prized young player certainly played well, I think we all expected him to play at the level he did. The award should have really gone to the now injured Chris Kelly. Kelly blew everyone away with a career high in goals with 20, 19 assists, and a career high +33 in 82 games.

I bring up this award in particular because I feel as if the award is unfairly awarded to players who are fan favorites. Yes, it is a fan vote, and in reality it is a relatively meaningless reward. This season it will likely go to Brad Marchand and his 13 goals so far this season, when in reality, the award belongs to Dan Paille. Paille has been outstanding this season and has exceeded every expectation I had for him going into the season. Exceeding expectations is what this award is all about, not a top six winger scoring a few more goals than last year.

The Bruins’ fourth line is considered one of the league’s best, and has been since it was assembled three seasons ago. Gregory Campbell has been just what the Bruins needed in the fourth line center role after various attempts at finding a player that worked. Shawn Thornton provides his usual brand of pugilism, leadership, and the occasional nifty deke to score a goal. Dan Paille has the speed that some high-end players in the NHL wish they had, great positioning, and a willingness to do the little things that help the team win. There are few lines in the NHL who have the chemistry the “Merlot” line does, and while Campbell and Thornton have played well this season, it is Paille who has played at a higher level.

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