Up and down Bruins top Sabers in OT thriller, Brad Marchand gets back on track

October 31st, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

The Bruins moved back to 500 on the season with a 3-2 win over the Sabers in Buffalo.  The victory was their first sealed in the overtime period this season and, like so many other games, it seemed to reassure fans of the team’s integrity. 

After a painful late game collapse earlier this week in Minnesota, the Bruins entered this game suddenly lacking the services of not only Zdeno Chara but also Tory Krug. Furthermore, great worries were spawned during a Wednesday practice when reports began circulating that Brad Marchand had left practice with an apparent injury.

But when the team travelled to Buffalo, they filled the void left by Krug with AHL’er Joe Morrow and Marchand was revealed to be healthy enough to start the game.

In fact by night’s end, Marchand had, by virtue of his sheer actions, proved his health.

He scored two goals in the contest. The first came midway through the third period and ultimately tied the game while the second ended it in overtime. 

"Brad has been having a slow start to the season and, again, in the third period he just showed his true colors and what he can do when he decides to play the way he can," coach Claude Julien said. "He's got good speed and he can be pretty slippery, but he's been playing a lot on the outside with the puck and without it and it doesn't bode well for him. So it's nice to see him get rewarded with the things that he needs to do, so hopefully that encourages him to do a little bit more."

Marchand’s goals were just his second and third of the season. The winning goal, a cross bar down wrist shot from the hash marks was hailed by many of his teammates as one of the best of the year.

Marchand however digressed and heaped some of the praise on his teammates.

"It was a great play by Dougie [Hamilton] to get it over to [Reilly]," Marchand said. "[I] saw him coming off the bench and I just tried to pop open for [Smith] and he made a great pass and I was just lucky it went in."

Beyond Marchand, defender Adam McQuaid scored his first goal in over a calendar year while Niklas Svedberg stopped 13 of 15 shots and made several clutch saves late in regulation.

“This was a game that we really wanted to win,” Marchand said. “We didn’t want to go down two games below .500, especially with the way we finished last game. We wanted to make sure we had a big effort tonight, and we came out with a win.”

Read More

Sorrow after Mayor Menino's death reveals the ultimate love his city had for him

October 30th, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

As much as sports meant to his city, longtime Boston mayor Tom Menino meant the world to the teams that called his city home.

For over two decades he was the democratically appointed face of Boston. For over two decades, Menino brightened the lives of all within the range of his influential embrace. Furthermore, Menino’s sage like words, the Hyde Park accent that added fluctuation to them and his happy demeanor lifted him to a level of unanimous acceptance that is almost unheard of in modern politics. 

People going about their daily lives in Boston and beyond could be said to have regarded Menino as one of those friends they never met. As a result, when it was announced this morning that Menino had “slipped into eternal rest,” the ensuing outpouring of prayers and gracious well wishes for Menino’s legacy and family were genuine and plentiful.

Patriots owner and Boston cultural magnate in his own right, Robert Kraft, issued a statement just before 2pm on the topic of Menino.

“Today is a sad day for so many in Boston who are mourning the loss of  Mayor Menino. Personally, my three favorite memories were the phone calls that I received from the Mayor after each of our Super Bowl victories inviting the Patriots to celebrate with our fans in downtown Boston. I was so happy to accept his invitations. My thoughts and prayers are with Angela and the entire Menino family today,” read Kraft’s words.

Beyond that, many Boston athletes who were unable to produce formal statements took to Twitter to recognize Menino.

“Today I joined the mourning of all New Englanders, as we lost not only a great Mayor but one of my dearest friends. #MayorMenino may God,” wrote former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez.

“Sorry to learn of the passing of Mayor Menino. Prayers go out to his family. #BostonStrong,” tweeted catcher David Ross.

Soon after Ross, outfielder, Shane Victorino wrote very similarly, “Very sad to hear about the passing of Mayor Menino. Sending my thoughts and prayers to his family and our city. #BostonStrong”

Menino had a strong connection with many members of the Boston sports subculture. During his five consecutive terms as mayor, the city’s teams won eight world championships. Present at final games and or rolling rallies that followed was a steadfast Menino.

But perhaps his biggest showing of support for that sports subculture came when such a showing actually supported many more people than just sports fans. As shown by the lingering attachment of “#BostonStrong” to many tweets about Menino, his finest hour came at one of his cities darkest.

When the Boston Marathon Bombings took place in April of 2013, Menino, who was then nursing a broken leg, checked out of his hospital to be present at ensuing vigils and church ceremonies for his city.

Selflessly, Menino once even dragged himself out of his wheelchair to stand on his broken leg. He stood showing in touching insistence that neither he nor his city could be held down.

"[He’s] bold, big-hearted, and Boston strong,” said President Obama of Menino after the Marathon Bombing.  

Mayor Menino was a Bostonian in all respects. He stayed rooted to his town throughout his life and he led it right up until his final days were upon him. It was in those days, as Menino’s health began to rapidly decline, that his innocent love for his city most persistently permeated through all aspects of it. 

In reception of his love, leadership and selflessness, Bostonians loved him back.

Read More

Patriots offense dominates in 51-23 win over Bears

October 26th, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

The Patriots grabbed a 51-23 win over the Bears Sunday afternoon. The game featured stand out performances by a wide array of Patriots stars. They also extended their win streak to four games ahead of their game with Denver next Sunday.

As with many of the team’s recent wins, quarterback Tom Brady initiated and sustained the game long onslaught of scoring.  He threw for five touchdowns, and completed 30 passes for a total of 354 passing yards. His completion percentage of nearly 86% was not only his best of the year but actually, the second best single game completion percentage of his career.

Coach Bill Bilichick was gushing after the game when asked about the play of his quarterback.

"I love coaching Tom. I've been fortunate to have him the whole career since he's been here," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He does a great job of executing the team game plan."

Catching three of Brady’s five touchdown throws was a ferocious Rob Gronkowski.

The Patriots tight end snagged nine throws for a total of 149 yards. His longest play was a whopping 46 yard catch-and-run play in the second quarter that went for a touchdown. His two other touchdown catches were all made realities by fearsome blocks, stiff arms and victories in physical battles.

"He's a man amongst boys," said Darrelle Revis of a play on the 46 yard touchdown where Gronkowski threw aside multiple Bears in a matter of seconds. "I was watching it on the Jumbotron. I thought he was going to get tackled and he just threw the guy out the way and scored. He's a man amongst boys. He's a monster out there. I don't know what you want to call him. You can call him so many things. Megatron. I know Calvin Johnson has that name. But he does his job, and it's going well. He's doing what he's asked to do."

Gronkowski would leave the game in the third quarter with symptoms of “dehydration”. In his absence the Patriots new wide receiver Brandon LaFell staged his coming out party.

LaFell caught 11 passes for 124 total yards and a touchdown catch. His next best game in terms of yardage was the Week Four matchup against the Cheifs in which he hauled in six catches for 119 yards.

The defense would add a score in the second quarter when Rob NIncovich picked up a Jay Cutler fumble and ran it in for a touchdown. Beyond that play the secondary and safeties played decent games with Darrelle Revis holding Bears star Brandon Marshall to two catches for 24 yards.

“They had a great game plan and they executed it well,” said Marshall curtly.

The Patriots will be in action next week in Denver as they delve deeper into a section of their schedule deemed by many to be their toughest. Needless to say, the Patriots felt good after Sunday’s win and will move onto Denver with innumerable confidence.

"We're a team on a mission," said Revis of the game plan moving from the Bears to the Broncos. "This is going to be two great teams going out there."

Read More

Getting to know Tim Wrght: TE has quietly become a huge part of Patriots red zone offence

October 26th, 2014

Dakota Antelman

Patriots tight end Tim Wright has quietly become one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets in the red zone.

The second year Rutgers alumni came to New England in August in the then controversial Logan Mankins trade. He came after playing an impressive rookie season in Tampa in which he caught five touchdown passes and 571 yards worth of catches.

Though Patriots fans were largely disappointed with the loss of their all-star offensive linemen, they could have seen the bright side of the trade right off the bat; that bright side being that Wright already had a decent reputation in Tampa. His skill was there and yet very few looked at how much better he could be catching passes from Tom Brady.

Now however, he seems to have played his way into a place where he must be recognized.

He has caught 14 of 15 passes thrown to him for a total of 142 yards receiving. Though those numbers are not stunning compared to those of say Julian Edelman or Rob Gronkowski, the few statistics that measure a player’s clutch play are.

7 of Wright’s 14 receptions have gone for first downs. He has averaged over 12 yards per play and has twice caught passes that went for 20 yards or more. Furthermore, in the red zone, Wright has been surprisingly impressive.

Standing at 6 foot 4 inches, Wright towers over many corners who are assigned to cover him. Furthermore, though he weighs 220 pounds, Wright has a towering vertical leap ability that allows him to get even higher above his defenders.

As a result it is Wright that currently stands in a tie for second place on the Patriots touchdown reception chart with three scores caught in the first eight games of this season.

Tim Wright, as a very young player may not be getting the recognition he deserves quite yet. But if the Patriots can hold onto him in the coming years he could become a force to be reckoned with as the second best tight end on the team. 

Read More

Bruins survive without Chara, Hamilton ties career high in points

October 26th, 2014

By Dakota Antelman

One day after learning that their captain Zdeno Chara had suffered a torn PCL and would be missing the next 4-6 weeks of games, the Bruins took to the ice in Toronto with a lot to prove.

Present Saturday night were new call-ups, Joe Morrow and Zach Trotman as well as several incumbent Bruins blue liners who were looking to make an impression in Chara’s absence. The Bruins were well aware of their need for those players to preform but prior to the puck drop there was certain fear that they simply would not be able to.

Needless to say, those Bruin defenders silenced the doubters against Toronto and proved that the sky was not yet falling.

"I think it's just a lot of focus and everybody knew without him, everyone had to step up,” said a cool headed Dougie Hamilton after the game. “So I don't think it's one guy - it's everyone as a team and our D corps and everything, and I thought we did well. Probably our best defensive game this year."

While the rest of the team may have played their best game of the year, Hamilton played one of his best games of his career Saturday.

He tied his career high in points with three. His assists on goals by Carl Soderberg and David Krejci helped put the game out of reach early while his stunning break-away goal in the 3^rd period earned the deserved praise of the Bruins fan base.

Such was a common theme Saturday as beyond Hamilton; the defense would fire off eight shots on goal sustaining the offensive minded presence that Chara would always bring to a game.

"I was just playing, and things happened, and wasn't really thinking about it. I just knew that we were facing a good line with Kessel and me and Seids had to play good defense and play solid,” said Hamilton. "And I think it's just a bonus that you get the offense."

Partially due to a stand out game by Rask but also due to a strong performance in the neutral zone, the Bruins allowed just one goal which was scored with only five minutes to go in the game.

"I thought defensively, we kept most of the shots to the outside. They did get some great chances, but Tuukka was up to the task,” said coach Claude Jullian.

All and all, the Bruins stood tall in a game that they could very well have lost. They silenced many who were in states of crazed panic after the Chara injury and played an all-out, leave-it-all-on-the-ice type of game.

"It should be that all the time, but when you lose a guy like Zdeno, you have to rely on it a lot more and it's got to be a total team effort,” Jullian said.

Read More

Bostonians watch Ottawa Shooting tribute and recognize their new unity in acknowledgment

October 25th, 2014
Dakota Antelman

There exists a bond between those who whiteness terror. It is not a happy bond; but it is a necessary, human one.

Late Wednesday morning in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, a man named Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed a Canadian soldier. The soldier, Nathan Cirillo, was serving as an honor guard at the National War Memorial and was shot multiple times without even seeing Bibeau.

Following the murder of Cirillo, Bibeau then raced to the Canadian Parliament Building. There he proceeded to fire tens of shots into the lobby and hallway of the building. He raced down the hall, shooting one man in the foot and sending representatives into a terrified lockdown. All this happened before Bibeau was shot dead by Sergeant at Arms, Kevin Vikers.

Nevertheless, much of Ottawa remained in tense lockdown for the next 10 hours as the city tried to cope with those sounds of gunshots ringing through their calm Canadian streets.

Such an event is an act of evil that is painful to recognize. We do not understand why or how people could possibly become so enraged and/or mentally ill that they rampage through a city shooting people. There is no way to understand. And so, as Canada recognized following Wednesday’s tragedy, acknowledging is something that comes much easier than understanding.

They did so in a touching tri-city ceremony that was broadcast across Canada and the United States Saturday night. In that ceremony, a wide array of Canadian armed forces and law enforcement members took to the ice in Ottawa as the Canadian national anthem was sung. After one verse, the voice of the appointed vocalist faded away and was replaced with the thundering sound of each of the 62,057 fans present in The Bell Centre, The Air Canada Centre and The Canadian Tire Centre singing at once.

Their voices reverberated off the walls of those three buildings and beyond. Their voices shook through the hearts of all Canadians and soared out through the airwaves that broadcast them to the entire world.

But then they came back, those sound waves, those voices settling back into the hearts of those who saw the attack, heard the gunshots or felt the pain of their nation being attacked; and anyone who lived in Boston exactly 557 days before the Ottawa ceremony.

For Bostonians, seeing Ottawa locked down, grieving and eventually standing as one to sing their hymn of patriotism was painfully reminiscent of when they themselves were locked down, grieving and eventually standing to sing their song as one.

It brought back those memories of the day that smoke, blood and crowd control barricades were tossed across the streets of Copley Square. Seeing the aftermath of the Ottawa attack reminded us of the days and weeks in which we learned the names and stories of the four young people killed in those dreadful Marathon Attacks and Watertown shootout. And lastly, seeing those Canadian hockey fans Saturday night showed us what we looked like when we stood to sing 557 days before.

Events like these, events that instill fear and uncertainty in the minds of those near, unify all who have ever been affected by like events.

And so it is clear how nobody is ever left unaffected by something as terrible as a human killing another. Humanity has been cursed with that weight for a long time now but as media blossoms around us, our connections with people around the world are solidified and we are shown the omnipresence of a few people enacting stories of humanity at its worst.

This globalization allowed the world to pause and feel some of Boston’s pain in 2013. It allowed Boston to do the same for Ottawa some time later. 

Read More

Joe Maddon out as Rays manager: A fit for Boston?

October 24th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

Joe Maddon announced Friday that he would be exercising the “opt-out” clause of his contract. That means that for the first time in nine years, he is a free agent manager.

Maddon walks away from Tampa with a large trophy shelf of manager of the year victories, playoff appearances and local recognition from the Rays fan base. He was without a doubt the greatest manager in a Rays history and he walks away with two “manager of the year” awards under his belt.

"As I said last week, Joe and I enjoyed a tremendous relationship working together in Tampa Bay and I wish him nothing but the best wherever his next stop will be," Rays vice president of baseball operations, Andrew Freidmen said after the deal.

As a free agent, Maddon has already become one of the most sought after names on the market this offseason. As a result of that, the list of possible landing spots for him is long. In fact, it basically lists every team in the MLB.

But which team is number one? Where would Maddon most like to go? Which team would most like to sign him?

In theory, there is not a team in baseball who would not want to sign him. Maddon has a reputation of developing young talent into all-star, hall of fame caliber excellence as well as a long track record of manipulating batting lineups and pitching rotations to get the best out of established players. In a perfect world teams like the Chicago Cubs or Houston Astros who have lineups made mostly of rookies or second or third year players would look at Maddon and see all that he could do to mold them into the playoff contenders they have pretty much never been.

But in actuality, those teams, by virtue of their perpetual failure simply do not have the money to sign Maddon. In fact even the Rays who have made the postseason in three of the last five seasons could not reach a deal despite their desperate attempts and utter willingness to pay huge money to bring back their king.

"We tried diligently and aggressively to sign Joe to a third contract extension prior to his decision. As of yesterday afternoon, Joe enabled himself to explore opportunities throughout major league baseball. He will not be managing the Rays in 2015,” Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said.

While the details of those proposed extensions that the Rays handed to Maddon are not currently known, they could reasonably involve numbers in excess of three to four million dollars a season. As a reference point his last contract went for three years at a total payment of six million dollars.

Maddon wants a big contract; that much is clear. He wants to be paid like the Joe Giradis and Mike Sicocias of baseball. In all truth, it would be only logical that the “best” manager would get the biggest salary.

Thinking along those lines, the teams that would have the optimal balance of need for Maddon’s services and ability to pay for them, are limited to big markets like New York, LA and Boston.

New York and LA however are already paying hall of fame managers big contracts and would likely not want to go through the awkward period of firing those managers and watching as their players transition to the Maddon rule.  

Therefore, we are left with Boston. While at first the idea of replacing incumbent manager John Farrell seems misguided and risky, his place behind the wheel of the Red Sox may not be as unquestioned as previously perceived.

It is true that Farrell led the Sox on a stunning turnaround season that culminated with a World Series win just as it is true that it was Farrell who unearthed the incendiary talent of Koji Uehara at the closer position. But lest we forget that it was Farrell who, after winning the World Series, led his team into a face plant of a season the very next year.

Farrell is, like so many members of the 2013 Red Sox, a clubhouse character guy. He took a team ravenged by infighting and made them great. He did wonderful things for Boston but in their title defense this season, Farrell blatantly mismanaged several aspects of the game.

The trio of Xander Bogaerts, Will Middlebrooks and Stephan Drew were juggled through the third base and shortstop positions relentlessly. As a result, Middlebooks lost much of his power while Bogarts began to make glaring fielding errors .

Farrell, a former pitching coach, has no difficulty managing pitchers. Hitters however are not Farrell’s strong suit and he apparently forgot the need for maintaining a hitter’s confidence in 2014.

Now those are not reasons to fire Farrell immediately. He remains a very good manager with the ability to foster young pitching talent.

Maddon however remains a very good manager with the ability to work the best performances out of pitchers and develop the talent of young hitters.

Tell me how that would not be appealing to Red Sox fans. 

Read More

Patriots vs Bears preview: Jay Cutler comes to town after weak performance in Week 7

October 25th, 2014
Dakota Antelman

Coming off their third straight win since their Week Four loss to the Chiefs, the Patriots will conclude the first half of their season Sunday against the Bears.  

At 5-2, the Patriots sit in first place in the AFC East, two weeks after moving past the Bills with a pivotal win. New England has seemingly, rescued at least part of a season that was looking increasingly worrisome as the first four games played out. They have done so mainly as a result of the play of Brady.

The Patriots quarterback struggled to start the season but has turned his year around since week four. He has thrown for 9 touchdowns and 914 yards in the past three games possibly regaining the respect of Patriots fans who only a few weeks ago were calling for his head. 

Still, despite his work of late, Brady remains a mediocre quarterback in the eyes of NFL experts this season. That is shown by the fact that this week’s quarterback matchup between Brady and Chicago Bear Jay Cutler which tells of a statistical inferiority on the part of Brady.

Firing back against that numerical favoring of Cutler however, former NFL’er and current analyst Brian Urlacher, said, "You look at the guys ... the Bradys, the Mannings, the Rodgerses, the Breeses ... those guys win every year. Even with no one around them. (Aaron) Rodgers has no offensive line, he wins. (Tom) Brady has no receivers, he wins. You look at Jay, he's got Brandon (Marshall), Alshon (Jeffery), Matt (Forte) and a great offensive line ... Martellus Bennett ... and they can't seem to put it together for some reason."

Last week, Cutler threw an interception and fumbled the ball twice.

Going into this week’s matchup, major speculation has been made in regards to how the Patriots defense will work to deal with Cutler and the Bears offence. Earlier this week, Bill BIlichick spoke on how the team will need to play and aggressive game at the line of scrimmage while also throwing Revis into tight coverage against either Brandon Marshall or Alshon Jeffery.

In the past, Revis has exercised a superiority over Marshall in particular. In four games against the heralded receiver, Revis has allowed just 120 yards in receptions intercepting at least one pass thrown at Marshall.

The Patriots recognize the threat he poses.

“Great receiver, man. This week, we got our hands full with two big wide receivers, with him and (Alshon) Jeffery, and we’re looking forward to it,”

Marshall and Jeffery have combined for 853 yards. Their danger is appreciated by the Patriots. But their teammate, Matt Forte is, logically, even more dangerous. Sitting as the third best running back in the league this year Forte has rushed for 448 yards and a trifecta of touchdowns. He will likely draw the attention of middle D-linemen, Vince Wilfork.

"He [Forte] does an excellent job of burst and explosion through the line of scrimmage," Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said. "He has incredibly quick feet and some good quickness to get to the edge.”

The Bears and Patriots will hit the field a 1PM Sunday for a key midseason matchup. The 3-4 Bears need a win to save their season while the 5-2 Patriots need a win to keep on the track they are on.

Read More

Zdeno Chara to miss 4-6 weeks with PCL tear

October 24th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

The Boston Bruins will be without their captain Zdeno Chara for the next four to six weeks. The veteran blue liner suffered an “isolated” tear to his Posterior Cruciate Ligament Thursday against the Islanders.

The injury was suffered when Chara laid a hard but clean hit on Islanders star John Tavares. At the time, Chara showed no signs of distress and played out the remainder of his late first period shift. However, immediately after getting to the bench, he was escorted back to the locker room from which he would not emerge for the rest of the game.

Late Friday morning, Peter Chiarelli announced that Chara had suffered an injury to his PCL, a ligament located in the back of the knee, opposite the ACL.

"Good news is it's isolated to that ligament. Bad news is he's out four to six weeks," Chiarelli said. "It might be a little bit earlier than four weeks, but a conservative time frame would be four to six weeks."

The 37 year old Chara will be sorely missed on the Bruins blue line. His high ice time and league renowned slap shot are appreciated by the Bruins meaning that their absence will be painfully felt.

As a result the Bruins are well aware of the fact that they will need to up their game to fill the void left by Chara. The play of defenders like veteran, Dennis Sidenberg as well as young blue liners like Zach Trotman, Tory Krug and Dougie Hamilton will be crucial in the coming weeks.

Furthermore, the Bruins front office, one that takes pride in the depth it creates at each position insists that the many players remaining will be able to make things work for the next month or so.

"There's no discouragement in that room. There's no issues there at all, to be honest," coach Claude Julien said. "It's more about it's opportunities for players, and if we become that bad of a team because of one player, it's not a real good sign for our hockey club. ... You've got to hope that your team is strong enough as a whole to overcome these things. Did we lose a good player? We did. Is he a big part of our team? Yes, he is. But I'd like to think we're better than that, than feeling sorry for ourselves, or be discouraged. That's not the case in our dressing room right now."

Chara’s injury comes as a big blow to a Bruins team that had just this week gotten back to a .500 winning percentage. But the Bruins believe that they can fill his role until he returns and are appreciative of the quick diagnosis.

Speaking in regards to his personal logic regarding time missed, Chiarelli said, "He's one of the premier defensemen in the league, but I'd rather have it four to six weeks than four to six months."

Read More

Seth Griffith goal big step down the long road to good team chemestry

October 22nd, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

Midway through the 3^rd period of Tuesday night’s Bruins and Sharks game, rookie winger Seth Griffith charged in between the hash marks towards a large crowd of opponents and teammates. As the puck eventually trickled out of said crowd, Griffith swooped in to launch an off balance wrist shot on net. Sharks goalie Antti Niemi was already down on the ice at the time of the shot and could not get up in time to put a glove on the puck. As a result, Griffith scored.

The goal, scored just a few seconds after the five minute mark of the third period, was the first in a very young career for Griffith. His elated yell and open armed call of attention signified the importance of the moment.

“It was great,” Griffith said after the game. “I’ve had a couple of chances the past few games, so it’s great to get the first one out of the way.”

But beyond giving him a personal milestone, Griffith’s goal represented a much better effort by his entire line.

Since the departure of Jarome Iginla last season, the Bruins first line including David Krejci and Milan Lucic has lacked internal trust. There was loud talk this offseason about who would replace Iginla on Boston’s most crucial line and for a long time the answer was not known. Furthermore, even when it was, Bruins fans did not like it very much.

Nevertheless, due to a decent preseason, Seth Griffith ended up partnered with Lucic and Krejci on opening night. Bruins fans hoped that he could somehow bring that line together.

Though Tuesday showed that that did eventually happen, it has taken longer than expected.

But who is to complain?

“We’re starting to get a little chemistry going, so it’s good to see,” Griffith said of his line mates. “But it’s not too hard playing with two great players like that.”

The Bruins first line starters are good players but they are also at times painstakingly inconsistent. After failing to contribute earlier this month, Lucic broke out on Tuesday assisting on three of Boston’s five goals. Furthermore, Krejci who took some time to get his timing back after a shoulder injury in preseason, stretched his point streak into its 4^thgame with an assist and a goal.

Speaking to reporters about Griffith’s confidence in particular, Lucic talked about the joy and confidence getting a first goal gives a player.

“When you get that first one, the confidence starts coming and you can start feeling a little bit more loose. When you’re in those positions, they seem to go in once you get that first one. He’s done a good job so far playing on our line and hopefully he can pop in a few more if he gets a few more chances,” he said.

As the Bruins top line has since became more of a unified group, Lucic’s statement about confidence could be said not only for Griffith but for the entire line. Griffith getting his goal makes his achievements in the NHL more real and in a way it makes him seem like more of a solid player.

As Griffith’s reputation improves his teammates’ trust in him improves and thus the team’s communication follows suit. As the unit communicates more, passes are made. As passes are made, shots are taken; and as the entire first line begins firing off shots, an all-star attack in born.

Such is the evolution of this thing we refer to in sports as “team chemistry.” Team chemistry is something the Bruins have worked to foster for much of the past decade.  However, team chemistry is no easy thing to build. Though its process can be summarized in a few sentences, it takes hours of ice time to learn another player’s habits with and without the puck. In all truth, it is the willingness to spend that time that separates the good lines from the bad lines and by extension, the good teams from the bad teams.

The Bruins are a good team and that comes as a direct result of the emphasis they put on their players playing as a team.

We have seen that emphasis come through time and time again in the historic saga of trust building that Claude Julian has brought to this team. This recent evolution of trust between Griffith, Lucic and Krejci is only the newest example of that in action. 

Read More

Bruins get back on track with 4-0 win in Buffalo

October 19th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

The Bruins who currently sit in last place in their division nabbed a reassuring win Saturday night in Buffalo.

Just a few days after getting humiliated in Montreal, the Bruins downed the Sabers by a score of four to zero with goals coming from Bruin’s youngsters like Tory Krug, Dougie Hamilton and Carl Soderberg. Their defense played better than they had all season and their goalie Niklas Svedberg atoned for a shaky performance in his debut with a 32 save shutout.

Svedberg, who allowed 2 goals vs Colorado last week, replaced Rask late in Thursday’s loss to Montreal. After attracting the attention of the coaching staff, he was given the start Sunday.

"He came in [against Montreal on Friday] cold and had to make some saves,” Said coach Claude Jullian, “I'm pretty happy with the way he's handled himself. In that first game that he lost, he was really good as well. It was tough to give up that goal with half a second left, and we know it wasn't his fault, so been pretty happy. We've been fortunate that we've got a good goaltender in Tuukka, and everybody that seems to come in continues to do the job, so that's great."

Svedberg made 32 stops Saturday. In doing so, he logged his first NHL shutout and also gained considerable support from fans who roasted him after the Avalanche game in which he allowed a goal in the final second.

In his postgame interviews Svedberg was assuredly happy with his play.

"It's a great feeling," he said. "Most of all, to get the win for us was huge today, and of course, I'm happy with the shutout, too."

Zdeno Chara, an observer of countless all-star Bruins goalies commented on Svedberg’s improvement in the past week alone.

"He's working really hard. He's making great steps forward, and everybody was really happy for him.” He said. “…If you look back, he made some really big saves in the game. Buffalo had some chances and actually could have made it a tighter game than it was."

Chara himself was decent in the game. He became one of three Bruins defenders who scored in this game when he put in a dribbling snap shot late in the first period. Among the other Bruins blue liners who scored were Tory Krug and Dougie Hamilton.

Hamilton’s 60 foot wrist shot early in the game served at the eventual game winning goal while Krug’s first of the year which came midway through the second period effectively put the game out of reach for Buffalo.

All of the shots came from positions far from the net and were only squeezed past goalie Jonus Enroth because of intense screen plays and thick clogging of the front of the net by the Bruins forwards.

"It's something that you don't see very often," Chara said. "When you have good traffic and guys are driving to the net and staying in front of the net, it makes it hard on the goalies to see the puck. It creates a lot of good things, offensively."

Carl Soderberg added his second goal of the season in the dying minutes of the game contributing to a two point night for his line.

The Bruins got back on track Saturday. Their win was convincing and answered several questions regarding the Bruins defense, their involvement of said defense in the attack and the strength of their trusted backup Niklas Svedberg.

Needless to say however, the Bruins still sit in last place and will have to do more than win one game to get where they want to be. Confidence is a good thing though, its importance being something that cannot be understated.

“It made a big difference, and it gives you an opportunity to go home feeling much better about yourself as a team, knowing you got four out of six points [on a 3 game road trip] and our game is starting to come around,” Jullian said. 

Read More

Discussing the place that profanity has in sports

I am not even talking about racism or homophobia. I am talking about simple, common profanity in sports and how it offends and turns away potential fans and makes light of a part of American vocabulary that should only be used in very select situations. Throughout the wide array professional and recreational sporting leagues set forth in our country, there are words said “in the heat of the moment,” that would otherwise be frowned upon. Those words are at once tabooed and widely used aspects of Americanized English, the line between where they can be used and where they are most offensive is hard to draw. But regardless the field in which such profanity is used the most publically is that that takes place on the field. Whether it be hockey, football, basketball or baseball, trash talking and curse words are thrown around nearly as much as the ball or puck. Their constant repetition makes them seem like crucial parts of the games. But after all, what would sports be without profanity? Would they really be that much worse? Would they be at all worse in fact?

Recently, a local street hockey league set up in Hudson Massachusetts set forth new rules regarding the use of profanity in its games. The league, which divides its 100+ players up into four age categories had seen an uptick in profane language in its top two age groups in the past few years. The uptick was shocking enough to solicit anger from parents and an eventual amendment to the rule book that set forth a “three strike system” for discipline regarding profanity. The first time the referee spoke to a player about swearing, they would be given a 1 minute minor penalty. The second time, the player would be ejected from the game and suspended for the ensuing one as well. On the third offence, the player would be expelled from the current season and forbidden from competing in the next one. This league was not kidding around.

Making rules like these are important because unfortunately, many members of society make it seem like it is “cool” to swear. For many, the only thing that keeps them in check is parental bans on swearing. But how effective are those bans when a child is allowed to swear so angrily in a sporting event? When referees let 14, 13 and even 12 year olds curse at each other or themselves when they miss a pass, a shot or a catch; they devalue self-control that keeps someone from swearing to a teacher, a parent, a boss, etc. Furthermore for student athletes that treat sports as one of the biggest parts of their lives, being allowed to swear by a referee or coach makes those parental and teacher mandated bans on profanity seem like afterthoughts.

But why is this a problem? Why are 12 year olds swearing so much that a tiny street hockey league has to institute these groundbreaking rules? Those facts are strange and hard to comprehend but not impossible to understand. Obviously due to movies, television and social media, swearing has been slowly glorified and made mainstream even for toddlers and elementary students. You see Facebook memes of a new born accidently extending his middle finger or laugh when America’s Funniest Home Videos shows a bleeped out version of some adorable voiced 2 year old cursing at something. People laugh at these things and share them. Sometimes they slip letting younger and younger people hear words that they should not know. And thus you are given a youth population who know what an a** is before they know what a verb is.

But beyond the multimedia distribution of profane vocabulary to all, the sports loving children are taught curse words by the sports figures they idolize and the sports stories and videos they read and watch. When those sports figures swear they are celebrated and showered in phrases like “oh my god, I can’t believe he/she just said that, he/she’s so cool.” Younger children see that and take that as a license to do the same in their own games. After all, they just want to be like their idol, right?

So it is shown how, while it is generally more okay for adults to swear, but still, when those adults are role models to 7 year olds the words they say have only that much more impact due to their importance to the fan. 

As a result the debate is open regarding whether or not spots players should have to eliminate swearing from their vocabularies just because some 1^stgraders are going to hear? The answer to that one is simple. These players are paid 10 million dollars per year to do what they love. They ought to simply just embrace the idea that the title “role model” goes hand in hand with the title “professional athlete.” But at the same time, there remain moments where, though detrimental to the youth population’s innocence, sparkly placed profanity memorializes a moment worth remembering.

One of the strongest, most controversial examples of that occurring took place in the first Red Sox home game following the Boston Marathon Bombings. David Ortiz took the microphone during a pregame ceremony and, at the conclusion of his speech about local pride and resilience belted out the words “this is our f*****g city! And nobody is going to take away our freedom!” The moment was highly controversial. It was defended by people saying that he spoke of a hard time using dramatic words that called attention to his closing statement. At the same time though it was attacked and slandered by those who pointed to the fact that he swore on live television. They said that no matter the situation profanity is not okay.

 After all is it? Again I am not talking about slurs. I am simply looking at the use of profane, exclamatory words in the run of play or on the bench. I am talking about words whose usage is defended by the claim that they were “said in the moment”. I am talking about words that stick in the minds of 7 year olds and suddenly flood out when they miss a pass in a 12 year old’s divisional game. 

These words are bad, they sound wrong and strange coming out of a 6^th grader’s mouth.

So how do we keep rules like the ones made in the recreational street hockey league from being needed? We get sports players to stop swearing in press conferences, we get them to stop swearing in speeches but we compromise and let them keep the foul mouthed speech on the ice. Honestly, these players must find a happy medium in which they recognize their freedom to get caught up in a physical game and express anger while also understanding that children are watching and they will hear the words they scream into a microphone. 

Read More

The post Iginla, inaccurately played trials of 2014 Milan Lucic

October 18th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

One year ago Milan Lucic played 80 games, scoring 24 goals and assisting on 35 others. He was a hitting machine, fore-checking teams into oblivion and mashing pucks loose in unthinkable ways. One year ago, Lucic was an all-star hockey player.

Now, 6 games into his 2014 season, Lucic is yet to score a goal. He has -2 rating and has mustered just 10 shots on goal. Now, Lucic is lost, more reminiscent of a 2012 season in which he would go weeks without a goal and less reminiscent of last year’s wonderful anomaly.  

What changed? The answer is simple; Jarome Iginla left Boston.

Iginla’s time in Boston was short but wonderful. He netted 30 goals, elevating his line mates (Lucic and Krejci) to a higher level of scoring consistency. Despite his success, due to painful cap issues, the Bruins were unable to keep him.

“I had one of the best [years] of my career, one of the most exciting years last year, one of favorite years, the whole experience coming to this,” Iginla said. “I made some good friends that are on their side playing with the team, and we had a very good team. So it was a little different, for sure. It hasn’t been too long, it feels almost like you’ve just been gone for a long vacation, but it’s part of the game.”

The loss of Iginla was painful for the Bruins who definitely recognized the consistency that Iginla played with.

"It was tough from the perspective of losing a player like that who can shoot, a right shot, and is obviously very experienced, a very good player, a Hall of Fame player,” said GM Peter Chiarelli.

At the same time though, Chiarelli felt that his team could fill the void left by Iginla.

“The year before we had a Hall of Fame player in [Jaromir] Jagr, a few years before we had a Hall of Fame player in [Mark] Recchi, so my point is we usually manage to rebound,” he said.

But so far, that has not happened.

The absence of Iginla on the Krejci/Lucic line is glaring and the Bruins are paying the price for not paying the price Iginla demanded in last summer’s market. David Krejci is the only member of the 1^stline who has scored this season as wingers, Milan Lucic and Seth Griffith has been nearly non factors.

What was worse was due to an injury to Krejci in the preseason, the line was missing its center for the first week of the year.

When they played the Avalanche, Iginla discussed how he still had faith in his former line and supported them specially when Krejci returned.

“Oh, I think it’s early,” Iginla said. “I think everything is so magnified at the beginning of the season. I do follow, looking at the scores at night. I’ve got a lot of friends over on the other side, so I follow how they’re doing and stuff, and they’re close games. To get Krech back will be a big boost. He’s a big part of the offense, big part of the team over there. And they’ve had some guys out, so I don’€™t doubt that they’ll be just fine and hard to play against as ever.”

But they are not! The Bruins first line is not fine. Milan Lucic is no longer consistent, Milan Lucic has simply been playing unintelligently this season, making bad decisions and inaccurate plays with the puck.

However the low point came Thursday in Montreal. After a minor penalty for tripping, Milan Lucic flashed an obscene gesture at Canadians fans while skating to the penalty box. He was swiftly fined $5,000 by the league garnering some bad publicity about his professionalism and discipline.

In a scathing column published on ESPN Friday afternoon, reporter, Joe McDonald wrote “…when it comes to pro athletes gesturing toward the fans in the manner in which Lucic did Thursday night? That’s not acceptable.”

AP writer Stephan Harris said in his article in the Boston Herald , “And as much as passion and emotion are key elements in his play, he should be long past the point where he is in need of an anger management course.”

Hockey players are professionals but so far this season, Lucic’s play has begged otherwise. Being so dependent on the presence of another player, as Lucic is with Iginla, is something that is far from appealing. Furthermore, his continually offending fans through lewd gestured and arrant postgame comments has shown that Milan Lucic is no first line rock. 

Read More

Dr. Brady lives in football lore and present gore, Mr. Brady rises to defeat: Exploring the Jekell and Hyde tenancies of late career Tom Brady

October 26th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

Robert Louis Stevenson begins his famed novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, with a thick description in dense literary prose of a man named Mr. Utterson. Mr. Utterson is a lawyer bearing a strong, get-it-done personality and a polished, all but professional presentation.

As Stevenson’s piece draws on, the titular characters are introduced. Dr. Jekyll is a well-rounded man with a name accosted with medicinal proficiency. The villain of the piece, Mr. Hyde is a demonic wrongdoer who brings shame and emotional trauma down upon the inhabitants of the town he shares with Dr. Jekyll. The two are accosted closely with said association being labeled as the emotional and physical conflict of the piece. Such conflict is so vividly painful for Dr. Jekyll in particular. This is because he and the terrible Mr. Hyde are inhabitants of not only the same town but the same body.

At different times, Dr. Jekyll is both the wonderful, kind, actual Dr. Henry Jekyll and at others he is the terrible Edward Hyde who hurts the community he loves.

As a result of that book in particular, the phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” has become a recognized part of the English language. It refers to a person or incident that over a short period of time is both wonderfully happy and terribly painful and/or detrimental to its surroundings.

Though Patriot quarterback, Tom Brady, is no psychopathic murderer, he embodies the latter, more commonplace definition of being a person who is at times both good and bad. Especially in the past 3 to 4 years, Brady has been painfully Jekyll and Hyde like.

** Dr. Brady **

A young Brady rears back to throw a pass. 

The story of a young Tom Brady is one of glory and success. After garnering very little recognition and as a result, playing time in college, Brady barely snuck into the NFL as the 199^th pick in the 2000 NFL draft.

In the ensuing season, he managed to climb onto the Patriots roster as Drew Bledsoe’s backup. From that position, Brady crawled into a midseason game at the end of which he managed to toss 3 attempts as well as one nondescript 6 yard toss over the middle.

One year after that however, he was anything but nondescript. Drew Bledsoe was injured in the second week of the 2001 season opening the door for Brady to jump in as a starter. In 2001, Brady flourished, playing so well that when Bledsoe returned, Brady remained under center as the Patriots 1^st string QB. He threw 18 touchdowns and managed to lead the Patriots to only their second Super Bowl berth in history.

We all know what happened next.

For those who saw that Super Bowl, for those who saw the moment in which Brady pumped the Lombardi Trophy above his head as confetti fell around him, it was blatantly, wonderfully evident how unusually good Brady was. That kid, this tiny, unmuscular 7^th string quarterback out of Michigan State had just done what no Patriots QB before him had; win a Super Bowl.

But that is not where Brady’s record setting stampede stopped. Two years later, the Patriots won the NFL title again, one year after that they added the third Super Bowl triumph to the Patriots history books.

By week one of his 5^th NFL season, Brady had long since eclipsed 10,000 passing yards and was just 3 scores short of his 100^th career touchdown pass. Two seasons later, with the 2005 and 2006 NFL campaigns in the books, he had increased his career passing yards totals to a whopping 21,558 yards. His proficiency in the red zone had only gotten better with age and experience as Brady became more and more accurate with his throws under pressure.

As he developed a vast library of NFL football knowledge and experience driven lists of options, Brady’s on field presence of mind and ridiculous work ethic began to become evident. Brady started working QB sneaks and unpredictable read option running plays into his offensive repertoire baffling defenses and saving countless drives that appeared lost. 

In all truth, Brady was king. He was playing high quality football unrivalled by pretty much everyone but Peyton Manning. He came out of nowhere.

Then 2007 happened.

** Mr. Brady **

Tom Brady walks off the field in a sad daze after loosing the 2007 Super Bowl. The game was all but lost on the stunning David Ty Ree "helmet catch".

One of the greatest single season performances by a team in the history of professional sports began and ended with Brady. The Patriots were the first NFL team since the institution of the new 16 game schedule to go undefeated. They claimed the first seed in the AFC East and proceeded to romp through their divisional and conference final opponents.

Brady played to a passer rating of 117 that season, throwing for over 4,000 yards and setting an NFL record with his 50 touchdown throws in the regular season.

In those initial playoff games, he boosted his reputation as one of the greatest postseason quarterbacks of all time with back to back 300 yard games.

Following those wins in the divisional and AFC Championship games, The Patriots were one win away from doing the unthinkable; going undefeated in football. One win was all they needed to make history. One win was all Brady needed to tie Joe Montana as the quarterback with the most Super Bowl wins.

All they had to do was beat the then lowly New York Giants, a team that had snuck into the playoffs eventually making it to the Super Bowl by a similar margin. Due to the decisiveness with which the Patriots were winning and the shakiness with which the Giants were playing, the Patriots were unanimous favorites in that game.

But just as the Pats did to the Rams (albeit to a lesser extent) in 2001, the Giants proved that the statisticians in Las Vegas do not actually play the games. And just as they did in 2001 against the Rams, Pats fans witnessed yet another memorable image take shape in 2007.

There was one minute and 15 seconds remaining in the game when Eli Manning burst out of a scrum of Patriots on 3^rd down and chucked a 30 yard pass in the direction of receiver David Ty Ree. The name does enough to conger up painful memories for Patriots fans.

Ty Ree leapt up for the catch and, fighting through the defense of Rodney Harrison managed to pin the ball against the top of his helmet and somehow hold on.

As Patriots fans knew, the pain born out of the one in the 2007 Patriots record of 18-1 was unimaginable. It was one of those moments that fades into lore as the day part of the die-hard football fan dies.

But the hypothetical “piece of the fan” was not the only thing that took a huge hit that day. 7 years into his career, Brady’s first Super Bowl loss kicked off a string of years of minor statistical decline that conquered up whispers of doubt from Patriots fans of the man they had quickly come to idolize.

As fans know very well, Brady tore his ACL mere minutes into the 2008 season and missed the entire year rehabbing.

A year later, when he finally did return, Brady was wonderful in the regular season but flopped in the playoffs when he and the Patriots lost to the Ravens in the wild card playoffs. Brady turned the ball over 3 times in the first quarter of that game. It was one of his earliest playoff exits in his career. One year later, things were not much better.

Despite a good start to the season, the Patriots again crumpled in the playoffs falling to the Jets in the divisional round. Despite the additions of Rob Gronkowski to the Patriots passing target arsenal and the continued presence of Wes Welker on the wide receiver receiving yards leaderboard, quite a bit about the Patriots fell apart that day against the Jets.

That loss only furthered the trend of falling levels of Brady’s reliability. Of course, then came 2010 when Brady threw in an outlier of a season. He threw for 5,000 passing yards for the first time in his career and led the Patriots to their 7^thSuper Bowl berth.

Of course it took a miracle in an AFC Championship where Brady was flat at best to get them to the big game, at which they would be decisively beaten by same Giants team that crushed their dreams years before.

Since then, Brady has dealt with two of his worst seasons of his career. Without as many targets to throw to, Brady managed fewer yards and fewer touchdowns. His QBR fell 13 points and his team collapsed miserably in the AFC Championship game.

Thus the Mr. Hyde aspect of Brady’s persona was made evident. At first he was a dominant, unquestioned king, but as his career dragged on Mr. Hyde began to drop hints of his presence in Brady’s game.

** To name the right name **

So what, happened why have we suddenly started questioning Brady? Why has he given us reason to question him?

In all truth, it really does go back to 2007. More precisely, it all changed the singular moment in time in which David Ty Ree pinned that 30 yard pass against his helmet.

Since 2007, Brady has seemed skittish in the pocket taking an uptick in sacks and more and more contested passes. His throws that were once consistently bulleted spirals that were guided with near military precision to the hands he was trying to hit have been slowly mixed in with loose passes that have been tipped, intercepted or brutally fumbled due to bobbled receptions.

Brady is running less, becoming slowly less comfortable with throwing to a wide array of targets and overall simply losing a small step throughout his game.

These big slashes against the Patriot legend’s place atop the pedestal of quarterbacking greatness have been done overtime. They were initiated by the disappointment of the 2007 Super Bowl loss but reinforced by questionable decisions by the Patriots staff.

In 2012, mismanagement of contracts resulted in the loss of Brandon Lloyd while “unsolvable rifts” between Bill Bilichick and fan favorite Wes Welker resulted in the longtime wide receiver being moved to Denver.

The Patriots struggled to compensate, filling the majority of their empty receiving spots with young, inexperienced, fundamentally weak rookies.  

Also, as time has gone on, this Patriots organization that would originally stand by its cornerstone without question has allowed media and various anonymous sources within the clubhouse and the league attack Brady.

Though that is partially the reality of professional football, one cannot expect a player to perform at a high level when he is under the scrutiny and stress that the team has allowed Brady to be under of late. However at the same time it is Brady’s resiliency and unrelenting work ethic that once and still will make him great.

Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He is likely the greatest Patriot of all time and has done things in the NFL that nobody thought could be done.

Brady has smashed records, revived a team that was once a joke and guided said team to one of the strongest, most dynastic runs in recent sports history. But as with the wonderful, community loving, Dr. Jekyll, Tom Terrific has a dark side that, as he has aged, has begun to show.

Brady remains a good player and remains a future hall of famer. But his career is ending, and as a fan of Brady, as fans of one of the greatest quarterbacks in history, we should hope that when he retires that his career will be remembers for the good he did as Dr. Brady and not the mistakes that crept into his game as Mr. Brady.

Read More

Patriots at Bills preview: Pats look to capture division lead against Bills

October 11th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

2014 has not gone as planned for the Patriots. But amidst all that has fallen off the rails, all that has been scrutinized and all that has been booed by New England fans, the team got back on track last week and now is looking ahead to a huge game in Buffalo this weekend.

As has been heavily profiled, the Patriots and Bills are currently locked in a tie for the number 1 seed in the AFC East. Buffalo, despite early struggles by QB EJ Manuel, has salvaged wins against the Bears, Dolphins and Lions respectively. In those games, they have averaged just about 19 points per game. Thus it is clear that the Bills offence has lived and died in the hands of highly touted rookie, Sammy Watkins.

Watkins has caught 2 touchdowns and hauled in 284 receiving yards so far. Beyond him more solidified Bills stars like running back CJ Spiller have also played parts in the offence. Spiller has already rushed for 215 yards but is yet to actually score a touchdown.

Spiller however, a player who has witnessed a long period of football incompetence in Buffalo first hand, understands the magnitude of this game.

“We've got to be really focused in on the little things and the details to give ourselves a chance to win at home," Spiller said.

A win for Buffalo would put them two games ahead of the Patriots in the AFC East. On the flip side, a win for New England would put them two games ahead of Buffalo, something that many fans say must happen.

Especially after last week, the Patriots are a team in a place where they could win back some of the support they lost in the first 4 weeks of the year. They looked much better against the Bengals a week ago and sported a stronger team mentality than had been apparent earlier in the season.

"When you had the result that we had (against the Chiefs) as a team, I think everybody rallied around each other," coach Bill Belichick said. "I mean, who else is there to rally around? That's all we have: guys that can go out there and play and make a difference.”

A win in a game like this, a win that would reassert the Patriots’ place as a top team would further distance the memories of 2014 from the word “failure” and further associate it with the word “success”.

Complicating the chances of making that goal a reality however are the words on the recently announced Patriots injury report. Tom Brady was listed as questionable due to an ankle injury. While

Brady has often graced the injury report and almost always played through whatever ailment landed him there. But still it is worrisome that this is the second time this season his name has dropped to the far more serious “questionable” category. If his ankle is truly hurting him it could understandably diminish the power with which he can plant and throw the ball downfield.

Against a Bills secondary that has allowed the second fewest passing yards in the NFL this season, any shortcomings in high pressure plays would quickly wreak havoc within the Patriots attack.  

All and all, the Bills are a new team this season, one capable of doing some serious damage on the scoreboard and one truly capable of competing with the Patriots in the AFC East.

With a new owner they seem to be ready to make a run. What better way to start that than to down a team that over the past decade and a half has been the model for statistical consistency? The Bills are truly a danger to New England.

But on the flip-side, now is not yet the time to say that the Patriots dynasty has been ousted. Tom Brady still stands under center and Rob Gronkowski still sets up just a few feet to his side. The Patriots still matter, the Patriots can still win; and though their window is closing, though they are understanding that all good things must end, 2014 is not lost.

If they are going to use all that they have, they will just have to work a little bit harder.

Read More

Bruins roster taking shape ahead of season opener

October 7th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

In the past week or so, the Boston hockey universe has been abuzz with talk of trades, demotions and contested promotions. 

On Friday, Johnny Boychuk was traded to the Islanders. Just a few hours after the Boychuk trade was finalized, the remaining Bruins took the ice in Detroit as they provided their final auditions for parts on this year’s starting roster. Guys like Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak were tested hard and often in the game that culminated in a shootout in which the two were Boston’s only shooters.

Members of the Providence blue line made their case to be picked to fill the role of Dennis Sidenberg’s defensive pairing left by Boychuk while many other players who had since been cut watched from afar.

By Tuesday night, just under 24 hours before the regular season kicked off, the roster had begun to take shape.

Perhaps the most talked about young prospect in this year’s preseason, David Pastrnak, was informed of his destination for the 2014 season Tuesday afternoon. In short, he has none; at least not now.

“We’ll have a little more time to watch and assess him,” Bruins GM, Peter Chiarelli said.

Pastrnak missed much of the preseason with a shoulder injury making the Bruins indecisiveness understandable.

“We'd like to see him down there and play some games. It’s a good opportunity to have him on our soil and close by to watch him,” Chiarelli said. “In two or three weeks we’ll look at it and make a decision as to what the next step is.”

Thanks to a team friendly rookie contract, the Bruins have the freedom to have Pastrnak play in the AHL, send him back to the Swedish Elite League where he spent last season or call him up to Boston. Furthermore they could foreseeably toss Pastrnak into an awkward back and forth transit between Providence and Boston. Basically they have very little that they need to commit to in regards to Pastrnak.

Beyond him however, the Bruins shook things up in much more unexpected way Tuesday when they announced that 33 year old Bobby Robins had earned himself a roster spot.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Robins said. “It definitely proves that sticking to the game plan and the program of just working hard every day, and getting a little bit better every day and over the course of a long time -- nine years actually -- so over the course of that long time you can improve and get better and accomplish your dream.”

Robins’ is a long story. 9 years in the AHL have spawned 81 fights and a painful list of concussions and upper body injuries for him. His massive 220 pound frame is a mix of the hard skating power of Milan Luchic and the fists-flying ferocity of Shawn Thornton. The latter of those two established NHL’ers just so happens to, by no instance of coincidence, be the sole reason Robins made the cut this year.

In the wake of Thornton’s signing with Florida, the Bruins needed an enforcer. 9 years in the violent street fight league that the AHL can sometimes periodically become have made it so that Robins can be that.

“In Providence he was a great forechecker. As Claude said, he finished all his checks, he’s a hard player,” Chiarelli said. “Right through this camp he’s shown that he’s belonged, and it’s a great story.”

Robins does not deny that his place on this roster was not earned through skill but rather through physical power. He literally fought his way to where he is now.

“When you’re playing that style of hockey, fights are going to happen,” Robins said. “I’m going to be playing that style. I’m looking to hit guys and get on the forecheck. Then when somebody challenges you, that’s when you fight. All the stage fights are getting weeded out of the game, but when you’re playing with passion and fury, fights are going to happen and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Between the decision to not do anything drastic with Pastrnak and the impressive leap of faith to bump Robins up to Boston, the Bruins were praised by fans. Though they had not yet erased the confused pain solicited by the loss of Boychuk, the front office proved that they were doing what was best for the team.

But not everything was so fun in Boston Tuesday.

Former Edmonton Oiler, Simon Gange lost his battle with Ryan Spooner for the title of 3^rd line right winger. Also, highly touted goaltending prospect Malcom Subban lost a close race with Niklas Svedberg for the backup goalie spot late last week. He will start 2014 in Providence.

Lastly, the Bruins were dished a major blow when it was deemed that 2^nd line center, David Krejci would be unable to make Wednesday’s start.

Krejci missed Tuesday’s practice following an injury suffered when he collided with the boards in last weekend’s preseason finale. He was placed on IR Tuesday afternoon meaning that he would have to sit out at least 7 calendar days following the injury.

After the missed practice, Krejci was non-descript in regards to the actual injury and how it was suffered.

 “I don’t really want to talk about exactly what happened. It didn’t feel good enough to finish the game, so I was just being cautious,” Krejci said. “Obviously, I wasn’t on the ice today. It didn’t heal as fast as I would like to, so I would say it’s kind of day-to-day. We’ll see when I wake up tomorrow and how it feels tomorrow.”

His veteran presence on the back half of the Bruins 1-2 offensive punch will be sorely missed verses Philadelphia. However at the same time, if the injury is to his upper body, starting a game like this, against a team as physical at the Flyers could be greatly detrimental to his long-term health.

After an offseason of roster turnover, there are many questions being asked of the Bruins ahead of their opener. Those questions cannot be answered with words, rather, they must be and they will be answered by actions in Wednesday’s game. 

Read More