AFC playoff outlook: Team by team scouting reports for each AFC playoff team

After a wild final week of play that saw the Patriots grind out win on a turf so wet that you could probably slide the length of it with one dive on your stomach, the Steelers get  3 out of the 4 decisions they needed to make it into the playoffs all before a botched call on the final play of the Cheifs/Chargers game eliminated them from contention and the Denver Broncos solidify their dominance as a top team via a 34-17 rout of the incompetent Raiders the AFC Playoff Picture has been officially set in stone.

6 teams are in and the rest are out. Below is an individual analysis of those 6 teams listed from lowest to highest seed...

San Diego Chargers (6th seed)

As we look back at what has happened and what has gone right to push the Chargers into the postseason, what stands out is a few wins in particular. First a foremost you have Week 15's triumph over Denver in which Philip Rivers tossed two touchdowns and no interceptions and then you see the duo of wins the Chargers had over the defense oriented Chiefs in Weeks 12 and 17. In those games, the Chargers combined to score 68 points both times riding on top performances by all facets of their game. As the NFL rules dictate the only way the Patriots will get to play the Chargers is if New England win their divisional game while the Chargers beat both the Bengals and Broncos in succession. To simplify, the only possible Patriots Chargers match-up would take place with the AFC title on the line.

Kansas City Chiefs (5th seed)

To state plainly this season for Kansas City, the Chiefs have been a streaky team. They finished the season with a respectable 11-5-0 record especially when you think about where they were last season. They won just 2 games a season ago but after Alex Smith was added during the off-season and a revamped Andy Reid got to know the team, defense became a strong backbone to the team and was a big reason why each of those 11 wins this season turned out the way it did. A Patriots match-up with Kansas City could occur via either a Kansas win in Wild Card Week and a Chargers loss the same week before a Kansas win in Denver added to a New England win in their divisional game or a Chargers win in their game coupled with a Kansas win in their Wild Card Game that would set up a offence vs defense heavyweight bout of a divisional game in Gillette.

Indianapolis Colts (4th seed)

The Colts are a team that have sat slightly under the radar this season. They finished the season with a record of 11-5 while like the Chargers nabbed 2 of those wins against teams ranked far above them. They handed Peyton Manning and the Broncos a humbling 39-33 loss back in Week 7 while they additionally ripped apart that Chiefs defense with 23 Week 16 points to go along with 367 all-purpose yards on the day. The Colts are one of the more likely opponents the Patriots could face especially in the divisional round. As it stands all it would take for such a matchup to become a reality would be wins by the Chargers and Colts in their respective Wild Card Week games pitting the Colts against the Patriots and the Chargers against the Broncos. Additionally, if the Colts win and the Bengals loose then Indy executes an upset of the Broncos and the Patriots win against the Bengals in the same week than the Patriots and Colts would meet in the AFC title game.

Cincinnati Bengals (3rd seed)

Perhaps the Bengals biggest win of 2013 came against our own New England Patriots. They held a still potent Tom Brady offence to just 6 points that week further complimenting an 11-5 for the year. The Bengals have had their runs, they have has their moments of success (namely a miracle tipped hail mary TD against the Ravens) and yet it is no secret that Andy Dalton is a different kind of quarterback in the playoffs...and not in a good way. Having started 2 playoff games in his past 3 seasons, Dalton has never won in the postseason and is yet to even throw a postseason touchdown pass. He has an average postseason QBR of 20.1 and more brutally has hurled 4 interceptions in those 2 games. While they are a decent team during the regular season, the Bengals will still be under question in Wild Card Week as they look to simply win the game. A Patriots vs Bengals meeting might actually be one of the most likely matchups this postseason. All it would take would be a Bengals win in their Wild Card game for the two to meet.

New England Patriots (2nd seed)

Our own New England Patriots have been a team of grinders this season. With Tom Brady will likely still be the difference maker in these playoff games, guys like Julian Edelman, Shane Vereen and Danny Amendola will force their opposing defenses to deal with a rather unconventional but still fearsome first down fixated attack. We have known this all season long but what we have only been shown in these past few weeks is the true power of 6 foot tall 250 pound rusher LeGarret Blount. He will have to be at his best this postseason if the Patriots are going to go far in this postseason.

Denver Broncos (1st seed)

Let’s just say something, the Broncos are not an overlooked team. Peyton Manning was dominant through the air this season hurling an NFL record for passing yardage as well as touchdown passes which he threw 55 of. Manning's offensive line has been one of the best in football this season often providing their QB with the luxury of having time and space with all of his throws. However, like the Patriots, they have all but no defensive backbone. They clenched the number one seed in the AFC this season via their 13-3 record. Additionally, the probability of their meeting the Patriots in the playoffs is high. All it would take would be wins for bot teams in their divisional games to set up a Denver vs New England AFC Title Game showdown in Denver.

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2013 in 8 Days: Tuukka Rask is the Boston Athlete of the Year

Christmas has come and gone and New Years Day is just around the corner. During the 8 days spanning from Christmas morning to New Years morning Go, Titletown will add daily updates to an 8 part series remembering the highs lows and all around heartwarming moments of 2013 in Boston Sports as well as a look ahead to what we might see in 2014. This is not a statistical analysis of these 298 professional sporting events that took place in Boston in 2013, this is a written rehashing and a reminder that we are the greatest sports town on the planet. 

Complete Schedule 

December 25th- A Year of Leaders

December 26th - Best Patriots Moments 

December 27th - Best Red Sox Moments

December 28th - Best Bruins Moments

December 29th - Top Plays 

December 30th - Top Games

December 31st - David Ortiz Is the Boston Athlete of 2013

January 1st - The Promise of 2014

On March 5th 2007, the Boston Bruins news team published a very brief 305 word article vaguely providing introduction to a 21 year old Finnish goaltender currently starting for Llves team of the Finnish Junior League. to that point we knew nothing about what this man would become and yet the seeds of our recognition of this kids greatness had already been planted.

"I was really impressed with him, to be honest with you," said "Goalie Bob" while watching the Colorado Avalanche practice today, prior to the Bruins optional skate. "I really liked a lot of things that he does. Some of the things that he needs to improve on (have to do with the) North American style. Just in terms of edge work, getting from point A to point B, and his mindset," Bruins goalie coach Bob Essensa said in the article. "I was really impressed with the kid,"

7 years later, Bruins fans know why. 7 years later, hockey fans know why and 7 years later, that young goalie who so recently was playing in a league few hockey fans have ever heard of is one of the best goaltenders in all of hockey. 7 years later, this young goalie is more than just an impressive prospect. 7 years later, he is Tuukka Rask, one of the most impressive athletes of 2013.

As we recap this year of greatness for Rask we must first acknowledge the questions that plagued him at the start of the year. After he was initially brought up to the big club to provide more size and reactionary skill than current backup, Manny Fernandez, Rask actually grabbed starting status on the Bruins squad starting 45 games for the Bruins in 2009-2010 while becoming the first goalie in NHL history to post a sub 2.00 GAA in his rookie season. However Rask was not even considered for a nomination as rookie of the year and as defending Vesna Trophy winning veteran Tim Thomas returned to form the following season Rask was relieved of his starting duties and once again locked into the role of backup goaltender.

From there, Rask slowly became an overlooked aspect of the 2011 Bruins cup run and while he did not log any ice time during that postseason that Tim Thomas so forcefully dominated, the Bruin backup backstopped 11 wins for the team and reminded the world that while Timmy Thomas may have been going around winning MVP’s and additional Vesna Trophy recognition the Bruins were one of the strongest goaltending teams in all of hockey. Furthermore, while nobody knew it then, Rask was slowly moving towards a huge change in the trajectory of his career and no matter how cold it might be he only has Tim Thomas to thank.

In his final season as Boston’s backup goalie, Rask made 22 starts won 19 games and compiled a GAA of just 2.05 all before his season was ended via a groin injury suffered in a mid-March game with the Islanders. Rask would not play again that season and in fact it was during those final days of the regular season that Bruins fans were finally shown how much Rask really meant to their team. The Bruins went through a whole assortment of backups as Rask rehabbed but as they ultimately settled on well-traveled net minder, Marty Turco, they hit rock bottom. Turco allowed nearly 4 goals per game in the 5 games he played that season Tim Thomas, no matter how skilled he was on the ice started to slip into hot water.

In January, Thomas had neglected to appear at the annual Stanley Cup ceremony at the White House and while he did eventually provide an explanation for his action the entire fiasco only intensified public discontent with the former fan favorite.

“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.

That statement would mark as the beginning of the end for Thomas while also being the beginning of Tuukka’s rebirth as an NHL starter.

“This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.” Thomas said. “Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.

This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT”

*****

By 2013, Thomas had announced his voluntary suspension from the Bruins roster and while it was no secret that Rask would be named the starter, many questioned his durability long term and wondered if he had the physical capabilities to string together multiple seasons in which he made 40+ starts in addition to manning the majority of the Bruins postseason minutes.

However after the delayed start of the 2013 NHL season finally concluded those questions rapidly vanished. Tuukka was there for 36 of 48 Bruins games in the lockout shortened 2012-2013 NHL season nearly willing his way to a 19-10-5 record. The Bruins nabbed the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference in 2013 and yet it was Rask’s postseason performance that quashed any lingering questions regarding his durability or just flat out skill. While the Bruins did not win the cup last season, Rask was still a prime candidate to win the Con Smyth award for postseason excellence mainly because of his stunning performance in the Eastern Conference Finals sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was there for every minute of the Bruins 4 wins over the Penguins and bookended his stunning performance with shutouts in Game 1 and then the clenching Game 4 that saw one of the iconic pictures of the 2013 season capture the pure elation Rask felt as he stifled one final drive by Jarome Iginla and slowly slid into the embrace of his teammates his arms extended in a jubilant victory salute. Rask also was there for a massive 53 save 2-1 double OT Boston win in Game 3 of that series.

"I don't think you feel that physical fatigue at that point, it's just you try to keep your head in and not thinking that you're tired. It's a mental challenge. If you think you're tired, you're tired; if you don't, you don't," Rask said after the 5 period marathon of a hockey game. "I feel good. I don't feel any better than I felt throughout the playoffs. Our team is helping me out a lot. If you let in two goals in three games, you're making some good saves, too. But we're blocking shots and taking care of rebounds pretty well, so that helps me to do my job a lot."

The 2012-2013 season was a coming out party for Rask. 2013-2014 has been a campaign dominated by an assertion of dominance as not only a great young goaltender but a great goaltender period. Tuukka is a stud.

In the wake of such a dominant run when games matter as much as they do in an NHL postseason, the services of a now far from underrated Rask became a hot commodity meaning that as his contract came to a close the Bruins were not the only team looking to ink a contract with the 26 year old Scandinavian. Over the course of a long drawn out process that included a decent string of worrisome days for Bruins fans contracts assembled themselves then fell apart all before on July 10th, 6 days after the Bruins traded away Tyler Seguin, the Bruins and their most valuable players came to terms on an 8 year, 56 million dollar contract that will likely keep Rask in a Bruins sweater for the rest of his career. Those 56 million dollars make Rask the highest paid goaltender in hockey and yet unlike many pro sports contracts these days, this one is worth every penny.

Rask is a kind of goalie to be treasured like the hope diamond. He, like the legendary Marty Brodeur, Patrik Roy or Henrik Lundquvist has the ability to effectively and completely steal a game meaning that when he is feeling it, it would take a mac truck to drive the puck past him. In the wake of that mega contract more than any other time in his career, Rask has exhibited that ability.

With the Bruins defense depleted and very young, whoever is manning the net for Boston has been forced to face a wide variety of unsuspected shots and fearsome breakouts nearly necessitating the bail-me-out qualities of a Rask like figure serving as that final line of defense. When you think it out, if Rask were not in Boston the man trying to fill that void would likely be either Anton Khudobin or Niklas Svedberg. These two goaltenders no matter how skilled they are are both as young as they come and while they have sure had their games they would likely not be able to steal wins like Rask can.

In this season alone, Tuukka has compiled 4 shutouts while on 11 additional occasions he has allowed just 1 goal. As a result of this nearly constant dominance his GAA of 1.89 is the 5th best in the NHL.

He has already played 31 games in 2013 and is just 14 appearances away from tying his career high of 45 appearances. Additionally, if he continues on the playing pace he is currently on, Rask will finish 2013-2014 having started 65 regular season games without accounting for any postseason play whatsoever.

Already, 2013 has been a season of shock for Tuukka Rask. He has erased the memory of Tim Thomas while watching in pain as 17 Seconds destroyed the Bruin’s Stanley Cup hopes. In just 1 year Rask has shed his shell and while that 2007 scouting report may have provided a whisper of what its subject might become, Rask’s on ice performance has walked straight into the center of Bruins nation and screamed it with booming ferocity.

He has screamed it as loud and as often as he could and in a year that he will end having played in 77% of Bruins games that repetition of his obsession with winning have turned into a chant Bruins fans will be so fiercely contempt with joining in on.

Statistics from ESPN.com and NHL.com

To see the visual accompaniment to this article click here...

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2013 in 8 days: Top Game of 2013

Christmas has come and gone and New Years Day is just around the corner. During the 8 days spanning from Christmas morning to New Years morning Go, Titletown will add daily updates to an 8 part series remembering the highs lows and all around heartwarming moments of 2013 in Boston Sports as well as a look ahead to what we might see in 2014. This is not a statistical analysis of these 298 professional sporting events that took place in Boston in 2013, this is a written rehashing and a reminder that we are the greatest sports town on the planet. 

Complete Schedule 

December 25th- A Year of Leaders

December 26th - Best Patriots Moments 

December 27th - Best Red Sox Moments

December 28th - Best Bruins Moments

December 29th - Top Plays 

December 30th - Top Games

December 31st - [To be determined] Is the Boston Athlete of 2013

January 1st - The Promise of 2014

The top sporting events of 2013...

1) Game Seven ECQF: Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs

 The intensity of having your season on the line can in many cases spell disaster in regards to the amount of nerves and inability to execute that a young player suffers in such a situation. However, at the same time, moments and situations like these can at the same time bring out the best in players with the mental makeup that allows for that to happen. That was exactly what happened on May 13th 2013 when, with their backs against the wall a host of age old veterans and relentless skill players stormed the Boston ice and reversed the storyline of a night that up until that point was one of failure, imperfect performance and the possibility of a looming firing for Claude Jullian. With the goalie pulled, the Bruins made history scoring twice in a span of 20 seconds to tie the game and send it to overtime.

6 minutes and 5 seconds into the first-goal-wins-overtime period it was all over as Patrice Bergeron did it again and the Bruins emerged victorious.

Throughout a 90 year history where last second comebacks a thrilling finishes have been far from rare from now on when Bruins fans say the words "Game Seven" that alone will be enough to remind Bostonians of THE Game Seven. The game that rescued the Bruins season or more simply, "The Comeback."

2) Game Two ALCS: Red Sox vs Tigers



No matter what the masses say, without the existence of what transpired during Game Two of the ALCS, the Boston Red Sox would not have won the AL and by extension the World Series. David Ortiz saved the Boston Red Sox that day and yet his 8th inning grand slam was not the only piece of saving majesty exhibited in the final innings of that historic game.

Before Boston even weathered an out in the bottom of the 9th inning, Jarrod Saltilamaccia came to the plate an slammed a near golf shot of a hit past Tigers shortstop Jose Iglacias to win the game and tie the ALCS at 1 game a piece.

3) Game Three ECF: Bruins vs Penguins



When you think about the Boston Bruins season, you remember two things. The 6 minutes of overtime it took for Patrice Bergeron to save the season and the 17 seconds it took for the Blackhawks to end it. However what is forgotten in this season of miracles and improbable happenings is Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals that better than any other proved once and for all the dominance the Bruins had over a Penguins team heavily favored to win the Eastern Conference Finals. Even after taking a 2-0 lead in the series, the Bruins were still the underdog as Evgeni Malken and Sidney Crosby were still playing and so long as they had the puck on their stick, anything could happen. Game 3 quashed those roomers.

After jumping out to an early 1-0 lead in the game, Chris Kunitz of the Penguins mashed a booming slap shot past Tuukka Rask to tie the match-up midway through the 2nd period. After scoreless 3rd and 1st OT periods however this one once again came down to "Mr. Clutch", Patrice Bergeron. After a giveaway in the neutral zone, Brad Marchand grabbed the puck and immediately broke up ice almost parallel to Bergeron who took off directly towards the net. With 4:42 left in the 2nd OT of this one, Marchand threw the puck to the net and Bergeron did his best to make it count. After seeing the puck deflect insanely off of Bergeron's stick the Penguins were forced to watch as an improbable Bruins team celebrated the win that effectively sealed the series for Boston.

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A tale of human error: How referees cost Bruins game against Senators

8 penalties were called Saturday night and yet they were not called as a result of a dirty game. Goal were scored, passes were made and yet an inability of Saturday's referees to simply let the players play ultimately made it so that the Bruins were unable to salvage a win in the back half of their home and home series vs the Ottawa Senators.

Now I do not mean to complain about every call, or simply whine about the loss and blame the referees but as you examine this game in even the slightest detail it becomes clear that while very few calls were missed, on several occasions they were made when such a reaction was not warranted. For example Bruin forward, Brad Marchand was whistled for a slash early in the 1st period and yet the play occurred just 11 seconds into the game and Marchand had taken just 2 strides away from his prior position near the center dot. This play was one that must have been allowed to proceed penalized not only because of its lack of severity and force but also because of the timing. Very rarely do you already feel any sort of anger directed at an opponent so early in a game meaning that even if Marchad intended to slash downward with his stick it was a completely defensive movement and I point out barely hindered it's Senators recipient in his move to break into the Boston zone.

Marchand would be whistled later in the game as well although that call, a hook against Kyle Turris, was acceptable.

"I think we deserved a win today," Coach Claude Jullian said to a gaggle of reporters after the game possibly hinting at 2 missed calls in particular that if reversed would have given the Bruins the win.

After falling behind 3-1 going into the 3rd period the Bruins battled back admirably tying the game at 3 off of goals by Jarome Iginla and then David Warsofski. For a brief time they even believed they had taken the lead when Jarome Iginla banked a puck off his skate and into the net. The play was overturned but not before the team in stripes held a long meeting with the Toronto review department via the penalty box video monitors. Jarome Iginla seemed a little disheartened by the call.

"I didn't really expect it to be a goal," Iginla said. "I knew (the puck) was coming to my foot, but I was hoping it wasn't a kicking motion. At the same time I understand the call, but you're always hoping for the best for sure."

While he did move his skate prior to the puck hitting it, it was in a motion to prevent himself from sliding straight into Craig Anderson rather than kick the it past him. 

What was even more atrocious however was the play that was allowed to stand despite it being a blatant offside. Mere minutes after the overturned Iginla goal, Bobby Ryan made a forceful steal of the puck from Torey Krug and sped unchecked towards the Boston goal. However, as Krug charged back, Ryan seemed to lose control of the puck as he crossed the Boston zone. Amidst that bobble at the line there was confusion as to whether or not it was offside as lead linesmen Michel Corbille almost immediately waved the goal off while his fellow officiating partners immediately came rushing together to re-award the goal to Ryan.

As shown on replay, it is no secret that Ryan did not have the puck firmly positioned on his stick as he entered the zone and furthermore there is a case to be made that both his heels were forward of the blue line while the puck was still on it. According to the NHL definition of offside, this would be a discounted goal and yet the officiating team did not even seek the help of Toronto to get this one right.

"The position of the player’s skates and not that of his stick shall be the determining factor in all instances in deciding an off-side. A player is off-side when both skates are completely over the leadingedge of the blue line involved in the play.

A player is on-side when either of his skates are in contact with, or on his own side of the line, at the instant the puck completely crosses the leadingedge of the blueline regardless of the position of his stick."

The latter part of that definition was not firmly proven on this play and so the original call of no goal must have been counted by terms of the NHL regulation saying that without conclusive evidence, the on ice call is the one that will be upheld.

Saturday night in the Canadian capital, we saw a refereeing team plagued by inconsistency as while penalties like Marchands were called plays involving David Krjeci getting decked to the ice away from the play were not. Marginal kicking motion calls were made on plays like the Iginla no goal while they were not on the would be Ryan offside.

If you were going to let them play you needed to do just that from the first horn to the final horn and such was not the case vs the Senators. 

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2013 in 8 Days: Top plays of 2013

Christmas has come and gone and New Years Day is just around the corner. During the 8 days spanning from Christmas morning to New Years morning Go, Titletown will add daily updates to an 8 part series remembering the highs lows and all around heartwarming moments of 2013 in Boston Sports as well as a look ahead to what we might see in 2014. This is not a statistical analysis of these 298 professional sporting events that took place in Boston in 2013, this is a written rehashing and a reminder that we are the greatest sports town on the planet. 

Complete Schedule 

December 25th- A Year of Leaders

December 26th - Best Patriots Moments 

December 27th - Best Red Sox Moments

December 28th - Best Bruins Moments

December 29th - Top Plays 

December 30th - Top Games

December 31st - [To be determined] Is the Boston Athlete of 2013

January 1st - The Promise of 2014

The top plays of 2013 in Boston sports...

1)  December 8th: Stephan Gostkowski recovers onside kick



It seems strange to say that the greatest play in Boston sports this year was one as reliant on luck as Goskowski's onside kick an yet this play really was as good as it gets. With the game on the line, Goskowski bounced the ball along the ground desperate for that nearly impossible balance of hitting it the minimum 10 yards while not hitting it so hard that the opponent recovers it. In many cases finding such a balance is hopeless and yet with time ticking away, all the chips fell in the right way and as Stephan Goskowski showed with his reaction, the Patriots recovered the football.

2) October 13th: Kenbrell Thompkins wins game with 6 seconds remaining



Thompkin's catch was just fun.

To that point Patriots fans had not been shown the capabilities that this team had when it comes to comebacks and so we were all but contempt with the looming loss until...Tom Brady out of nowhere started off a 70 yard 61 second drive with no timeouts and a touchdown being the only result that would give New England a win. It all came down to one final play where, with 6 seconds left, the ball was tossed 18 yards to a wide open Thompkins in the back corner of the end-zone.

3) May 19th: Torey Krug between the legs goal



1 year after a tiny kid named Torey Krug failed in his first stint with Boston back in 2011-2012 he was called upon during the second round this season vs New York and delivered better than ever. With 4 goals in 5 games, Krug netted one of the primer tallies of the entire Bruins season when he received a David Krejci pass between his legs and slung the puck around his leg to pound it into the net. What makes this goal even better is the fact that such a dart was used to beat mighty Henrik Lundquvist himself. 

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The Case to Trade Chris Kelly: With young talent waiting in the wings and defencemen going down in bunches a trade could be looming

The 4 year 169 game Chris Kelly experiment for the Boston Bruins was a productive one and yet, the time might be now to terminate that experiment and move on from their streaky 33 year old center. 

Originally drafted by the Ottawa Senators back in 1999, Kelly spent 7 years in the Canadian capital making himself useful with a 50+ face off win percentage and a near perennial scoring output of 15 goals and around 20 assists. He certainly was not a guy comparable in skill to the Senators greats he played with, Danial Alfredsson in particular but was a decent compliment to a Senators team devoid of any talent at center whatsoever. However, as the Senators began to contend in the east once again the Boston Bruins slowly came into the picture. 

With their situation at goal-tending rapidly solidifying and their homegrown talents including Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi, Milan Lucic and David Krejci turning into that of superstar proportion the Bruins seemed to be moving towards having their best chance as a cup run since the late 1980's to early 90's. With guys like Bergeron, Recchi and Lucic they were a stacked team when it came to working in the corners and playing physical through the neutral zone however they were also a team that knew very well that they needed to be able to score goals in clutch points in a hockey game.

GM Peter Charelli remedied that need prior to the 2010-2011 season signing Nathan Horton during the off-season and trading for Gregory Campbell and of course Chris Kelly during the season. Kelly's 49th game in Boston was Game Seven of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.

In the 4 years since that day in February of 2011 that brought Kelly to Beantown Chris has scored just 28 times. Once you average that out, it begins to seem strange how he has lasted this long. In 169 games with Boston, Chris Kelly has averaged just .165 goals per game. By comparison, DEFENCEMEN, Zdeno Chara has averaged .17 goals per game in 563 caps with Boston. 

Kelly's strongest attribute is one that frankly is not as needed in Boston as would be anywhere else. He wins face-offs but due to Patrice Bergeron's proficiency in improving that statistic his talents at the dot are expendable. With all this coming together it is time that a case be made for the movement of an inept Chris Kelly.

When you look at the present day Bruins roster there is no longer a need for goal scoring, between Jarome Iginla, Reilly Smith and Milan Lucic, the Bruins have already scored 111 goals. There has never been a need for face off help and as it stands the Bruins has a certain man named Ryan Spooner ready to take over as a possible 20 goal scorer. Furthermore, there is a more urgent need to trade Kelly than just having a place to put Ryan Spooner. All season long, the Bruins defensive core has been absolutely inundated as they have been forced to fight through injuries to guys like Dougie Hamilton, Johnny Boychuck and most recently, Dennis Sidenberg.

Even Zdeno Chara who has not been injured this season has averaged 25:03 minutes of ice time per game meaning that his chances of getting injured or at least burning out especially with the Olympics this season are even higher. Much like 2010 the Bruins have a need and GM Peter Charelli seems to have recognized it. When it was announced today that defencemen Dennis Sidenberg had torn his ACL, instead of making the decision to put Kevin Miller up on wavers the Bruins called up mediocre replacement, Zach Trotman to serve has his short term replacement. Such a decision shows that the Bruins are planning something and that something could very well be a trade of someone on their current roster. 

In 2010 the Bruins were a team in desperate need of goals. 4 seasons later they need defense and if it takes the loss of a streaky Chris Kelly to get that, than that is what must happen.

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2013 in 8 Days: Best Bruins Moments of 2013

Christmas has come and gone and New Years Day is just around the corner. During the 8 days spanning from Christmas morning to New Years morning Go, Titletown will add daily updates to an 8 part series remembering the highs lows and all around heartwarming moments of 2013 in Boston Sports as well as a look ahead to what we might see in 2014. This is not a statistical analysis of these 298 professional sporting events that took place in Boston in 2013, this is a written rehashing and a reminder that we are the greatest sports town on the planet. 

Complete Schedule 

December 25th- A Year of Leaders

December 26th - Best Patriots Moments 

December 27th - Best Red Sox Moments

December 28th - Best Bruins Moments

December 29th - Top Plays 

December 30th - Top Games

December 31st - [To be determined] Is the Boston Athlete of 2013

January 1st - The Promise of 2014

May 13th will be a day forever remembered in Boston sports as the day Patrice Bergeron scored the 21st century version of 'The Goal'.

Down by 2 with less than a minute and a half to go in the game, Claude Jullian pulled Tuukka Rask and put the fate of the Bruins on the sticks of his best players. As we now know, those best player delivered as Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron and Patrice Bergeron again all scored, combining to tie the game late and then win it in OT thus sending the Bruins to the 2nd round and Boston in to flat out celebration mode. 

That day was the highlight of a strange year of Bruins games.

First and foremost, what gets lost in the shadows of Game Seven in Toronto as well as the other assortment of exhilarating moments of 2013 is the fact that the NHL season did not even begin until January 19th as a result of the schoolyard bully that was the 2013 NHL lockout. However while anger at the league was something that was prevalent for the many hockey fans, the Bruins did their best to regain the trust of their fans lowering ticket prices and playing like they were shot out of a cannon via their winning 14 of their first 18 games however even with that majestic start, the Bruins finished the season with the 4th seed of the Eastern Conference and went into the playoffs pitted in a story-line filled series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Over the course of that series, we saw Tyler Seguin's career in Boston fall apart while Game Seven delivered one of the greatest moments in Bruins history.

The Bruins won that game and then won 4 more in the second round to drop the Rangers and knock John Tortorella out of the coaching job in New York. Once in the conference final, the Bruins made an effort to stick it to Jarome Iginla for choosing the Penguins over them in a mid-season trade opportunity and they surely did sweeping the best team in the east out of the playoffs and moving on to their second Cup Final in 3 seasons. 

Moving into a broader lens it is no secret that the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals between the Bruins and Blackhawks rapidly turned into one of the greatest championships in the history of sports. The Cup delivered us 3 overtime games and a season that stretched father into June than any other in NHL history. We saw games that lasted 6 hours and games where 11 goals were scored but no team ever held a lead larger than 2 goals, and then we saw 17 seconds. 17 seconds where a 2-1 Boston lead turned into a 3-2 Chicago win and Boston's elimination from the playoffs. 

The Bruins are a team that will strive for nothing short of a championship and while they fell just 2 wins shy of doing just that in 2013, the Bruins went into complete overhaul mode during the off-season dropping Nathan Hornton and backup Anton Khudobin while trading away stars like Rich Peverly and Tyler Seguin for a list of prospects and one star winger. Oh and by the way the Bruins finally snagged Jarome Iginla via free agency.

Riding the success of a whole new cast of characters, the Bruins ended 2013 just like they began it, winners of game after game and contenders for the NHL's ultimate prize. There was a story enclosed between these up and down games of 2013.

This is a ranking of the top 3 of those tell-tale moments...

1) May 13th: Patrice Bergeron ties Game Seven vs. Toronto

In the words of Jack Edwards, "the Bruins were getting run out of their own building" until desperation took over. Down 3 late in the game, Nathan Hornton scored to bring the Bruins within 2. However the Bruins failed to bring the score any closer and with 2 minutes to go it was clear that it was time for a last ditch effort to salvage the win. With 1:30 to go in the game, Tuukka Rask was pulled in exchange for a 6th attacker and within seconds, that immediately paid its dividends. Milan Lucic scored with 1:20 go while Patrice Bergeron tied the game via his shot through a screen with 52 seconds left. It is important to note that Rich Peverly almost won the game 20 seconds later when he grabbed the puck at the top of the crease with James Reimer down and out and roofed the puck over the net. Nothing to worry though as when Bergeron grabbed the puck in a similar situation he made no mistake in slamming it into the back of the net.

2) April 17th: Bruins fans sing national anthem following marathon attacks

2 days after their city was torn apart by one of the most terrifying acts of evil this city has even known 17,000 Bruins fans came to the TD Garden on April 17th and when they were asked to sing a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner that was thousands of voices strong. The Bruins lost the ensuing game to the Sabers but even that held a magical moment for those suffering from the fallout of the bombings as the two teams both gathered at the center circle and raised their sticks to the rafters in remembrance of those who died at the finish line.

3) February 12th: Bruins score 2 in the final seconds to tie game vs. Rangers



You know the comeback where the Bruins scored 2 goals with the goalie pulled...no, the other one. On February 12th, the Bruins found themselves shutout through the first two periods of their game against the Rangers but erased that trend with goals from Milan Lucic and then Brad Marchand both with Tuukka Rask out of the Boston net. As Boston celebrated that tying goal the phrase used by NESN Jack Edwards to describe Bergeron's magic months later was actually first used there as when the play by play man first screamed "hearts of lions" he was talking about Brad Marchand not Patrice Bergeron. 

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Bruins home dominance continues: Reilly Smith takes team lead in goals while Tuukka Rask snags 4th shutout of the season

When they are playing on their home ice, the Boston Bruins are the best team in the NHL. Winners of 16 of 21 games at home this season, the Bruins added one more victory to that column Friday night as fresh off a 3 day Christmas break, they put up 5 goals in a 2nd and 3rd period demolition of the Ottawa Senators.

As has been the case in 7 straight Bruins games now, 2 of those 5 goals came from the same player. Over the course of the past 2 weeks of so, guys like Jarome Iginla, Milan Lucic as well as Brad Marchand have all pounded in multiple goal games and yet, the Bruins still hold that impossible to defend amount of scoring distribution. Reilly Smith however is a different animal. Smith is insane and netted his 2nd 2 goal game in 3 games Friday night while adding to his tally of 5 goals during that stretch. As a result of that recent explosion of scoring, Reilly Smith now leads the Bruins in goals scored this season.

"He's really taken that opportunity he's been given. He's on a streak now. When you're hot, you're hot, just keep shooting and it's been working for him," Tuukka Rask said when asked about his young teammate.

Furthermore, coach, Claude Jullian admits that many who follow the Bruins did not see this one coming. "I don't know that during the summer when the trade was done that we'd expect him to be where he is right now, so those are bonuses for teams after they make those kind of deals," Julien said.

Smith however was not the only Bruin who stood tall during the ups and downs of this game that for the better part of two periods was far closer than the score dictates. The Bruins were outshot 15-5 in the first period frequently leaving Tuukka Rask out to dry as they forced their star goaltender to morph into something more than a goaltender. For 20 minutes, Rask was a brick wall. You can shoot all you want but those shots will NOT go into the net.

“We easily could’ve been down a couple of goals in the first period," Milan Lucic said in regards to Rask. “That’s why I think he’s been our best player so far throughout this year. He makes big saves like that at key moments and gives us a chance to win. We talked about stepping up for him and playing well in the second and third. It was good that we were able to do that.’’

Whatever you want to say about anybody else, Rask has been the Bruins best player this season as his 4 shutouts now lead the league in that category while both his GAA and save percentage also rank top 5 in the league's leader boards.

Rask was dominant in the 1st period but he would not have had to if the Bruins played like they did in the 2nd a 3rd period. For many, the 3 day break could be attributed as the cause of this lackadaisical play.

“They pretty much had all their best chances in that first period,’’ said Rask. “We had five [shots] so that tells us a lot about that period. We weren’t skating, we weren’t hitting, we weren’t as sharp with our passes as we were in the last two periods and we talked about it after the first — fix it — and we were pretty dominant after that I thought. You take three days off and you probably go for a walk or something like that, you don’t skate or play hockey so I think there’s a little bit of that, I’m just happy that we fixed it and we realized it wasn’t going to be good enough."

Like Rask said the Bruins responded in the 2nd period bringing the shot totals closer together while finally breaking the 0-0 deadlock via a Jarome Iginla goal with just over 3 and a half minutes to go in the period. From there, things only got better for Boston. David Krejci opened the 3rd period with a goal just 38 seconds in while Reilly Smith tallied his 2 goals that were separated by just over 7 minutes of play.

As highlighted by Bruins play by play NESN announcer, Jack Edwards, this 7th straight game where a Bruin scored twice tied the franchise record set back in 1929. 

The Bruins were up 4-0 but even then they were not ready to let up, a quality that has run strong in Bruins teams these past few years. Approximately 2 minutes after Smith's second goal, Brad Marchand lit the lamp shorthanded via his score with 27 seconds to go.

The Bruins always find a way to win and whether it be their goaltender or their 22 year old winger the combination of these starters stepping up can in some cases bring about fireworks no matter where the game is being played. Such was the case Friday night in Boston and while the 1st period was not pretty the 2nd and 3rd periods were and that is all that matters mainly because when the Bruins are rolling you just cannot stop them.

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2013 in 8 Days: Top Red Sox moments in 2013

Christmas has come and gone and New Years Day is just around the corner. During the 8 days spanning from Christmas morning to New Years morning Go, Titletown will add daily updates to an 8 part series remembering the highs lows and all around heartwarming moments of 2013 in Boston Sports as well as a look ahead to what we might see in 2014. This is not a statistical analysis of these 298 professional sporting events that took place in Boston in 2013, this is a written rehashing and a reminder that we are the greatest sports town on the planet. 

Complete Schedule 

December 25th- A Year of Leaders

December 26th - Best Patriots Moments 

December 27th - Best Red Sox Moments

December 28th - Best Bruins Moments

December 29th - Top Plays 

December 30th - Top Games

December 31st - [To be determined] Is the Boston Athlete of 2013

January 1st - The Promise of 2014

On April 20th, David Ortiz, took to the mic and screamed to the world that his city did not belong to the terrorists who tried to break it. "This is out F****** CITY" he yelled with a rallying ferocity, "and nobody going to dictate our freedom, STAY STRONG!"

On April 20th David Ortiz screamed otherwise offensive profanity into a microphone that broadcast the now famous quote to millions live and even more through you tube clips and radio cuts and yet the FCC, surprisingly seemed to do the best job at describing the feeling Bostonians were feeling as Ortiz's battle cry rang through the nooks a crannies of Fenway Park.

"David Ortiz spoke from the heart at today's Red Sox game. I stand with Big Papi and the people of Boston" FCC Chairmen Julius Genachowski tweeted following the committees decision not to fine Ortiz.

Much like Genachowski, whether you like it or not, Ortiz's proclamation united a team, a fan base and a city scarred by the actions the evils that descended on the city on Marathon Monday 2013. But there was more that one cry to this season.

It seems like decades ago when we were questioning whether or not Ortiz would ever hit another home run following his Achilles injury the year before while we all wondered how John Lackey would respond to the urgency that Boston fans were rapidly demanding. There sure was no lack of talent on this team but what there also was not was allot of young talent. Between guys like Mike Napoli, and Shane Victorino many believed that they would never return to the hall of fame kind of play they showed in their early years in the league. How did they respond? Well, Victorino won a gold glove and delivered the Bob Marly walk up song to Fenway while Mike Napoli ground through horrendous slumps and slammed 28 home runs from his spot as David Ortiz' safety blanket.

The 2013 Red Sox World Series winning season gave us so much. We watched Koji Uehara become the most dominant closer in baseball while David Ortiz played his best baseball in his career. Between all this magic it would be tough to rank categorically the best of it all but nevertheless, we will try.

Below are the top 3 moments of the Red Sox season...

1) October 13th: David Ortiz ties Game 2 of the ALCS



It was Shane Victorino not David Ortiz who brought Red Sox fans to their feet singing Bob Marly's Three Little Birds this season and yet as Tori Hunter went head over heals into the Boston dugout the reaction of Boston area police officer Steve Horgan said it all. As David Ortiz's 2 out 2 strike Grand Slam eluded the glove of Hunter every little thing really was alright.

2 games into the ALCS, the Red Sox had been absolutely dormant smacking just 1 hit in Game 1 before being shut down once again in Game 2 by Cy Young winning, Max Schurzer. 4 outs away from going down a prohibitive 2-0 in the best of 7 series, the Red Sox sent David Ortiz to the plate with one mission and one mission only. Clear the bases and by extension, tie the game. 16 years into his illustrious career it was no secret that David Ortiz knew the story of the postseason long ball well and yet, as he strode to the plate the odds were still stacked against him. Even Papi, mighty old Papi had never before hit a grand slam in October while also never homering off pitcher Haquim Benouit all together. But even with all that stacked against him, you got the feeling that Ortiz would somehow make it happen. We believed he would hit it simply by rationalizing what was needed and while it really only boils down to just hitting a home run, when that ball eventually left the yard we were as shocked as humanly possible.

While it is debatable as to whether or not the Sox would have still won the ALCS without Ortiz's slam, those 4 runs turned the tide of the whole reminder of the Red Sox postseason reminding the team and their fans that this team was and will never be out of a game until the 27th out is recorded.

2) November 2nd: Red Sox Rolling Rally



One of the greatest moments of this Red Sox season was not a single event but the celebration that followed it. 3 days after Sox fans were treated to their first world championship since 2007, the team as well as millions of fans took to the streets of Boston to celebrate together, the absolute unity that this team had provided the city with. Close to 8 months after the Marathon attacks, the 2013 Red Sox Rolling Rally seemed to be one of the biggest steps the city took finally vanquishing the fear and horror brought out by the Marathon Bombings in one day of delirious cheering.

3) April 20th: "This is our F***** city"



On that day the Sox wore a jersey that instead of reading 'Red Sox' read the single word, 'BOSTON'. 5 days after the city was torn apart by the maliciousness of those 2 bombs, David Ortiz took to the mic prior to his first game of the season and screamed those words now forever immortalized as one of the most remembered quotes in the history of sport. 5 days after the attacks, David Ortiz's rally cry served as the sole culmination of the professional sports world's support of Boston and it's people. 

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2013 in 8 Days: Best Patriots moments of 2013 AND Patriots season in review

Christmas has come and gone and New Years Day is just around the corner. During the 8 days spanning from Christmas morning to New Years morning Go, Titletown will add daily updates to an 8 part series remembering the highs lows and all around heartwarming moments of 2013 in Boston Sports as well as a look ahead to what we might see in 2014. This is not a statistical analysis of these 298 professional sporting events that took place in Boston in 2013, this is a written rehashing and a reminder that we are the greatest sports town on the planet. 

Complete Schedule 

December 25th- A Year of Leaders

December 26th - Best Patriots Moments 

December 27th - Best Red Sox Moments

December 28th - Best Bruins Moments

December 29th - Top Plays 

December 30th - Top Games

December 31st - [To be determined] Is the Boston Athlete of 2013

January 1st - The Promise of 2014

2013 began on a low note for the Patriots and their fans. Just 20 days into the year, a greatly subdued Tom Brady threw just 1 TD and 2 interceptions as the Baltimore Ravens, exacted their revenge from a season ago winning the AFC Championships over the Patriots by a margin of 28-13. Unfortunately for Patriots fans, that loss would kick off a rather painful 8 months for the organization. Two weeks after the Ravens win in the AFC Title Game, the Patriots rivals won it all almost simultaneously beginning the transaction period of the NFL off-season.

By mid-march, Wes Welker had fallen victim to a deteriorating relationship with the Patriots coaching staff as SI writer, Chris Ballard cited the fact that Welker felt that "[Belichick] got on him in a way he never had before, admonishing him in front of the team." On March 12th, he signed a 2 year 12 million dollar deal with the Denver Broncos and their beloved Peyton Manning.

It seemed that that loss stung the most for Tom Brady and although he respected the authority in personal decisions that the Patriots front office possessed it was clear in the wake of the signing that he would miss his 5 time Pro Bowl preforming wide receiver.

“Of course I have feelings. But those feelings are very personal to me,” he said. “I used to get caught up in anger and frustration and disappointment. But I don’t make the decisions. These things aren’t up to me. At some point you’ve got to realize the things that are out of your control. You’ve just got to let go and focus on my job and what I need to do. Because the game moves on, the team moves on. There’s only so long you can dwell on the past. At some point you’ve got to move forward. Like I said, my job for my team is to be the best quarterback, and not the general manager and not the coach and not the owner.” 

There was hope for Welker's replacement, Danny Ammendola but as Brady's list of prime targets took yet another hit, things began to look bleak at the very best. On June 26th, Aaron Hernandez was arrested and charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd. He was released by the Patriots just 90 minutes after the early morning arrest.  

By the end of the summer, the Patriots were a team of question marks resting their entire offensive fate on a cast of young receivers and an injury prone veteran whom Brady had never thrown to in his life. As was constantly true in Foxborough throughout the off-season there was fear and uncertainty as the franchise began to appear to be drifting farther and farther from the talent based rosters of the early 2000's Super Bowl wins.  

There were questions and in Week One they were at least temporarily answered as Julian Edelman dominated the Bills defense and Shane Vereen cemented his role as the Patriots all-star utility man gaining yards through both rushing and airborne plays. However, that game came at a cost knocking Vereen out of action with a wrist injury while hindering Danny Ammendola via a groin strain. These injuries have remained prevalent for the entire season to this point and yet the Patriots are a dominant 10-3 gunning for the 2nd seed and a 1st round bye. In the absence of so many clear cut stars, it cannot be stressed how much the emergence of young talent has played a part in getting the team this far. 

In 2013 we have gotten to know names like LeGarret Blount and Michael (Hoo-Man) Hoomanwanui while reaffirming our relationship with star kicker, Stephan Gostkowski who leads the NFL in nearly every kicking category this season. It is players like these, and then Tom Brady, that had combined to produce some of the Patriots best moments in this roller-coaster of a season.

These are the top 5 of those moments...

1) November 24th: Patriots overcome terrible first half to beat Broncos in OT



Approximately half an hour into November 25th, Stephan Goskowski rammed a 31 yard field goal through the uprights to complete for the Patriots, the largest comeback in franchise history. After fumbling 3 times in the first quarter, the Patriots came out of halftime trailing 21-0 but ignored the scoreboard simply chipping away drive after drive en route to actually taking the lead as a result of 28 unanswered points. After the Broncos tied the game late however, overtime was inconclusive as to who would win the game meaning that with mere minutes left before the end of the period, the possibility of a tie was imminent...until a muffed punt by the Broncos gave the ball back to the Patriots with time to spare. 31 yards away from the game winner, Stephan Goskowski came onto the field and drilled this one into the history books.

Only one word seemed fit to describe this 3 hour span of football magic. The anatomy of a true miracle.

2) December 8th: Patriots score 14 points in final 61 seconds to beat Browns



Even after pulling within a touchdown of winning the game, there were just 61 seconds left on the clock and the Patriots were forced to kick off knowing that if they did not recover the hardly-ever-works onside kick they would be losers to a Cleveland Browns team that to that point had won just 4 games. They had not recovered an onside kick in over a decade and yet like so many other moments in this season the Patriots did not care. They booted the ball 10 yards off the tee and  watched as it bounced off a Brown and fell mercifully into the arms of Kyle Arrington. Tom Brady returned to the field and with fire in his eyes won the game.

3) October 13th: Kenbrell's catch: 18 yard TD with seconds left beats Saints



Kenbrell Thompkins' 18 yard, game winning touchdown reception with 6 seconds left in Week 4's match-up with the Saints was really the first 'never day die' moment of the 2013 Patriots season. In comparison to the Broncos or Browns comebacks, this lone touchdown drive seemed petty and yet at the time it was one of those exhilarating moments that football fans only dream of. 

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2013 in 8 Days: A year of Leaders

Christmas has come and gone and New Years Day is just around the corner. As inspired by my 9 year old brother, during the 8 days spanning from Christmas morning to New Years morning "Go, Titletown" will add daily updates to an 8 part series remembering the highs, lows and all around heartwarming moments of 2013 in Boston Sports as well as a look ahead to what we might see in 2014. This is not a statistical analysis of these 298 professional sporting events that took place in Boston in 2013, this is a written rehashing and a reminder that we are the greatest sports town on the planet. 

Complete Schedule 

December 25th- A Year of Leaders

December 26th - Best Patriots Moments 

December 27th - Best Red Sox Moments

December 28th - Best Bruins Moments

December 29th - Top Plays 

December 30th - Top Games

December 31st - [To be determined] Is the Boston Athlete of 2013

January 1st - The Promise of 2014

- The Attacks

I stand 3 rows back from the curb of Boylston Avenue reveling in the contrast of mood that this piece of real-estate holds between the present moment and one lasting 12 seconds that occurred nearly 7 months earlier. 7 months ago, 3 lives ended while thousands were changed forever as the sounds, the shrapnel, and the gut wrenching sight of the human blood that stained those Boston sidewalks that afternoon broadcast to the world managed to bring tears to the eyes of the large majority of many an American. Within hours, the possibility of the twin explosions being accidental has been ruled out and as we stood in shock that evening we knew that terrorism had returned to this nation.

The Bruins game scheduled for that evening was cancelled as a result of the panic and "police activity" enveloping nearly the entire city and yet as the days went on and the thirst for justice harbored by many Bostonians, for the first time in years, sport was meaningless. Why, because just 4 days after the initial attacks, tragedy struck again. Late on the night of April 18th it was reported that men claiming to be the Marathon Bombers had carjacked Mercedes and then robbed its owner of 800$ via a withdrawal from a bank in nearby Watertown. Upon allowing the man to escape without suffering any physical harm he preceded to alert police officers of his recent ordeal all while the still on the loose bombers raced towards the borders of Boston. By then they had already gunned down a police officer at MIT and were soon confronted in a Watertown neighborhood by what was immediately identified as a full scale swat team.

Within minutes residents of the Laurel Avenue portion of Watertown were awakened to the sound of gunfire as within a span of just under 10 minutes the Tsarnaev brothers unloaded additional explosive devices and hundreds of rounds on the police officers who were making their attempts to bring them down.

To restate the words of any and all who heard or even saw the firefight that night, these men had one intent in mind: to kill anyone they came in contact with, and by extension terrorize as many human beings as possible. Once again, Boston was put into lock-down as governor Deval Patrick enacted a "shelter in place" order that encompassed 10 communities and effectively shut down all of Boston for the entire day. For all of 18 hours the entire nation stood still waiting for the hourly updates made by the Boston Police department and the eventual capture of the one brother who had escaped the shootout (Tamerlan Tsarnaev was suspected to have been run over by his brother and killed during the escape). Police enveloped Watertown in an unprecedented manhunt and yet we went on without any more information than the footage of the shootout, the names of the brothers and the desperate pleas of Tsarnaev family members.

"Give up. Give up." Djokhar's uncle said and yet, within hours of that plea being made public police finally found their man surrounding a blood stained boat in which the bomber was supposedly hiding. For the third time in less than a week, America stood tense as television broadcasts picked up the sounds of gunfire and sights of flash grenades being detonated in an attempt to stun Djokhar. They knew that taking their suspect alive was optimal but at the same time understood the imminent possibility that this man was armed and ready to go down with one final massacre. Luckily things would not have to come to that and at 8:42PM, the drama and fear turned to celebration. 

One bomber was dead and as for the other, he will likely be behind bars for the rest of his time on this planet. 

- This is our city

The imminent danger of death had passed as there was no longer a violent duo of psychopaths rampaging through our 90 square mile metropolis and yet while the sight of Djokhar being carted away from that blood stained boat caused us a brief time of relief as the stories, pictures and memories flooded back we began to grasp what had truly happened. 

Perhaps the strongest maytr like figure that came out of this all was deceased 8 year old boy, Martin Richards. He was just 8 years old and yet in the blink of an eye, he and his family who were standing just a few feet away from the second bomb blast were mutilated as his sister Jane lost a leg, his mother lost sight in her eye via the damage of a ball bearing while his father has lost most of his hearing. However to this day, the family is grieving not for their lost limbs or human senses but for their family member. Martin loved the Bruins to an obsession and frequently attended games with his father mainly for the reason that he loved sports altogether. 

In the wake of his death, those sports teams that he loved, loved him back grieving as much as anyone else while also speaking in their mind and reminding Bostonians of the true unifying power that sport can have on a people no matter how devastated they may be. That fandom was combined with yet another strong form of modern culture in the first major sporting event after the bombing. On April 17th the Watertown shootout had not even occurred but nevertheless, when legendary anthem singer, Rene Rancourt came onto the ice to sing the Star Spangled banner prior to the Bruins game against the Buffalo Sabers the 17,565 fans present that night cut him off. For 3 minutes they sang the long, drawling words of the United States' signature song and for all present and all watching the game on TV, it was beautiful. The aucapella anthem was a tradition that was carried on for 3 more home games before on the last day of the year, Rancourt took over again. But regardless of that, the magic had already sunk in and those few days in April were the beginning of the healing process for Bostonians.   

However, the Bruins were not the only team to save their city in the wake of the attacks. 

What the Boston Red Sox did this season was in a way far more magical than anything the Bruins did. When you watched games at Fenway there was this inherent feeling of will to succeed that radiated from every corner of the age old stadium. There was the 617 jersey that hung in the Boston dugout for the entire duration of the season after the bombing and yet that was not the most lasting aspect of the Red Sox leadership in tragedy.  

"This jersey that we're wearing today it doesn't say 'Red Sox.' It says, 'Boston.' We want to thank you for you, Mayor Menino, Governor Patrick, the whole police department, for the great job that they did this past week," Ortiz said during his now fabled pregame speech prior to the Sox first game after the Watertown Shootout "This is our f******city. And nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong" 

Less than 2 hours after that cry that I point out was responded to by the FCC as "a speech that was said from the heard" and "what all Bostoinans are thinking today", NESN play by play man, Don Orsillo made one of the signature calls of this 2013 season. As Stephan Drew belted a long home run into the Sox bullpen, the lovable voice echoed across the airwaves screaming "Boston! This one's for YOU!" 

-Triumph 

The World Series was fitting. 

A long, 6 game series that had both it's ups and downs resembled greatly 2013 as a whole as game 3's terrible ending on terms of an obstruction call seemed to be a low while the very next game involved the greatest hit of Johnny Gomes' career and ended with a bizarre, walk off pick off play at first base. Koji Uehara condensed a season of success into one final pitch that won it all while David Ortiz put up one of the greatest performances ever by a DH batting .760 in 16 World Series at bats.  

As Koji hurled that final pitch of that final out in that final game of this year's World Series, the celebration was for more than the trophy they had won. They were relieved, and genuinely proud of what they had brought their city. As captured by a home video in the Red Sox commemorative video "Band of Bearded Brothers," there was excitement in the air as people appreciated what the Red Sox had done. 

As David Ortiz grabbed his teammate, Koji Uehara and held him above his head he was raising not just 1 person but an entire city. David Ortiz eased the pain of what happened on April 15th and while we will never forget what happened that day the same can be said for the leadership that Boston sports have exhibited in this year of sports. 



Visual Accompaniment click here

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