2013 in 8 days: The Promise of 2014

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

They told us we would run again and so we will.

They told us our city would pick itself up and it already has and yet through this all, the conclusion of 2013 in Boston sports can be fairly described by just 1 word and 1 word only: merciful.

While 2013 sure gave us moments of joy and relent the horrors it brought about via the Marathon Bombing and the greatly lesser but still saddening Game Six collapse in the Stanley Cup Finals seemed to punctuate this year and the 298 major Boston sports games that took place during it. Mercifully, it has all ended giving way to the promise and list of possibilities for greatness that 2014 holds for our Boston sports teams.

First and foremost we might already know when the emotional high water mark of 2014 will occur, 1 year after the low point of 2013 did. 1 year later, the 2014 edition of the Boston Marathon will be more important than any other in the cities history. There will be more people running this time around as the BAA has amplified its resources so that it will be possible to not only allow for the normal field of 27,000 runners but also allow all who did not finish last year to join as well as adding 3,200 spots for those who have been inspired by the attacks and want to take part in this inspiring renewal of Boston's greatest athletic tradition. 117 years after it began the Boston Marathon has always been a city wide event fixating not only on the elites but on the thousands of armatures just like us. Every year the sight of tens of thousands of tee shirted weekend warriors is an uplifting one that makes even those who are not running feel strong. But 2014 will be different. By that point strength will have been a quality repeated and re-proven for 365 days in Boston and yet there will be emotion and there will be remembrance of those we lost the year before. The 2014 Boston Marathon will be special and a must see for not only Bostonians but all Americans as the pure bravery of our returning to the scene of such horror will surely be powerful but it will not be the only great story that 2014 might produce.

When we try to predict next season what we must first do is look to what has happened of late. One of the most impending stories we might see is the NFL postseason. In an AFC playoff bracket that is weak to say the least it is not much of a stretch to say that a Patriots trip to NY this February could become a reality. Between the Bengals and their terrible-in-the-playoffs QB in Andy Dalton, the so so Colts and the running game oriented Chargers, it seems that the only threat to a New England win in the AFC Title Game would be the Broncos. And yet even that obstacle is weak when you take into account that while they are evenly matched statistically, Tom Brady is one of the greatest postseason QB's in NFL history while Peyton Manning has gone one and done 8 times in his NFL career. As we look forwards Boston fans could get and early treat this February as their team's resiliency and late game refusal to quit might likely be cause for a serious postseason run.

But as the year drags on, it might not be championships but rather individual performance that dominates the Boston sports headlines. 

As the NHL season’s draws to a close Tuukka Rask once again will be a huge part of the Bruins competitiveness in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Bruins regular season seeding in them. Additionally, Rask in coalition with many of his teammates will likely be named to their respective Olympic teams in the coming days possibly intensifying the calls of overuse of these players in games this time out of the jurisdiction of the Bruins coaching staff. On the other hand, a great run in the Olympic Mens Ice Hockey Tournament cold possibly spark an offensive landslide especially in the cases of guys like Milan Lucic or Patrice Bergeron. There is excitement regarding the Olympics and frankly while more playing time might logically hinder some of Boston's best players, some decent Olympic play by Rask in particular might actually help him rebound from some recent struggles and give Boston that Vesna goaltender that they need to win a Cup.

Tuukka Rask's brilliance is no secret or unspoken truth however by the end of 2014 he might be joined in that state of recognition by Boston Red Sox rookie, Xander Bogaerts. At age 22, Bogaerts has been ranked by many as one of baseball’s best prospect right now and the best Red Sox prospect since Nomar Garciapara. He will likely log some considerable time with the Sox this season possibly playing shortstop for the club while hitting in the core of the lineup and using his considerable speed combined with his precise batting to possibly become an RBI threat of near all-star qualities.

Alas, the 2013 that seemed bent to destroy the longevity of our fingernails, the 2013 that saw Boston's sports teams give new meaning to the word comeback has come to a close only to be replaced by a new year full of talent, possibility and hopefully some more conventional severing of our fingernails. All we know for sure is that while 2013 and 2014 will both be punctuated by events that transpire on April 15th, the 2014 edition of this all will be of a different emotion.

They told us we would run again and so, we will. We will heal and in 2014 we will prove once again that we are Boston Strong.

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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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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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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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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. 



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