The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks: two teams that began the year as completely unrelated clubs, separated by hundreds of miles, completely different cultures, and vastly separate conferences, yet in the end these two Original Six teams would end it all locked into one of the greatest Cup Finals in league history.
After 61 games for Boston and one more than that for the Blackhawks, these 2 teams literally picked their league up from the ashes and brought it back to the awe and splendor that it once maintained. The Bruins and Blackhawks are the saving grace of the NHL: and that’s a fact.
The NHL Lockout
On Monday June 11th, 2012, the LA Kings were Stanley Cup Champions. They had won it all, they had become the first 8th seed to win the cup yet as NHL commissioner Gary Bettmen gingerly walked onto the ice to present the Stanley Cup he crossed the thresh hold leaving his office of safety behind and stepping into a firestorm of controversy and unofficially signaling the end of the 2011-2012 NHL season and the beginning of the 2012-2013 NHL lockout.
For almost 4 months, America’s hockey league was a good a nonexistent as during that time players were forbidden to indulge in team practices and coaches would be penalized for making any comments in relation to the work stoppage.
Players left the continent, fleeing to Europe and well any other major hockey league on the face of the earth only in hope to maintain their scouring, defensive and hitting touch in the world of pro hockey.
Coaches laid low and owners duked it out over countless different CBA proposals, yet still the lockout went on. Standard games were cancelled and soon the Winter Classic and All Star weekend followed woeful suit yet still the lockout went on. Players and coaches fumed, businesses suffered and as time went on tempers ran thin.
Mike Babcock, coach of the Detroit Redwings was fined for comments he made on the mammoth duration of the lockout and at one point Alex Ovechcen even threatened to stay in the KHL if the lockout was not terminated immediately. (although that threat was later termed meaningless when it was pointed out that while he may have been able to get out of his contract with the Capitals, there is no way his pending agreement with Nike would permit him to be the MVP of the KHL rather than the most valuable player of the NHL.)
Nevertheless when the calendar flipped to January 6th 2013: after a marathon bargaining session, estimated to have lasted over 16 hours: a deal was reached. Many jumped for joy yet all was not at rest for the league as at that point in time the pending deal was only “tentative” meaning basically that: it was not set in stone.
Yet as hockey fans at least for a moment forgave their team’s owners and prayed for a season, their pleas were finally answered as on January 9th the final draft of a slew of big contracts and agreements was ratified and 10 days later, hockey had returned: the season was on.
The Season Begins: Streaks are formed
2 years after winning it all, in 2011, the Bruins were back in town looking for redemption after their disappointing loss in the first round of last year’s NHL playoffs. Still with nearly everything from their cup run firmly intact, it seemed the only hint of negativity hanging over the Bruins was their situation in net. After seeing their relationship with their 2 time Vesna winning goaltender Tim Thomas literally fall apart before their very eyes, up to the plate came Tuukka Rask as he and his Bruins fought to regain the approval of a questioning Bruins nation.
You see across the league, and even after the pain of the lockout was quenched, fans were mad and as the Twitter sphere blew up as people reacted to the conclusion of the suffocating lockout one major theme emerged. People weren’t just mad they were enveloped in a complete and total hatred of the NHL. Fans were done and threatening to “boycott” the NHL. After opening the season 5-0-1 with 4 wins on their home ice, the Bruins were playing great and were ranked by many as the number one team in the league.
Nevertheless, as quickly as the Bruins climbed to the top of the league, that acclaimed status was lost as even though the Bruins would go to the 3rdof March before they were served their 3rd loss of the year, a different streak of dominance would soon take control of the headline.
You see across the league, and even after the pain of the lockout was quenched, fans were mad and as the Twitter sphere blew up as people reacted to the conclusion of the suffocating lockout one major theme emerged. People weren’t just mad they were enveloped in a complete and total hatred of the NHL. Fans were done and threatening to “boycott” the NHL. After opening the season 5-0-1 with 4 wins on their home ice, the Bruins were playing great and were ranked by many as the number one team in the league.
Nevertheless, as quickly as the Bruins climbed to the top of the league, that acclaimed status was lost as even though the Bruins would go to the 3rdof March before they were served their 3rd loss of the year, a different streak of dominance would soon take control of the headline.
24 games into the year, exactly half of the season, the Blackhawks still had not lost a single game in regulation as they had literally launched themselves to the top of the rankings, and quickly became the runaway favorites to win the Cup come late June.
Bombs are detonated: a city rallies
On March 8ththe Blackhawks failed to either win or at least bring a loss to overtime, for the first time all year. 36 days later, a tragedy far more gut wrenching that a pathetic loss, struck. At exactly 2:49, just after 4 hours after the beginning of the 2013 edition of annual Boston Marathon, 2 pressure cooker bombs detonated mere seconds apart killing 3 and driving Boston into sheer panic.
The Bruins cancelled their game scheduled for that night, yet over the next few hours the Bruins captivated the world as they fought hard to help their fellow Bostonians climb from the ashes of broken glass and exploded gun powder, perhaps the more heartwarming moment of the 2013 season was born. Right as Rene Rancort TD Garden anthem singer strode onto the carpet path set fourth for him, and as he sung the first few lines of America’s Star Spangled Banner, the 17,000 fans assembled before him, rose to their feet and did just what he intended to do only louder.
The Bruins cancelled their game scheduled for that night, yet over the next few hours the Bruins captivated the world as they fought hard to help their fellow Bostonians climb from the ashes of broken glass and exploded gun powder, perhaps the more heartwarming moment of the 2013 season was born. Right as Rene Rancort TD Garden anthem singer strode onto the carpet path set fourth for him, and as he sung the first few lines of America’s Star Spangled Banner, the 17,000 fans assembled before him, rose to their feet and did just what he intended to do only louder.
Like they did with their early season streak of success, the Bruins helped their city up when they really could care less about hockey. Like the Hawks did with their 24 game stretch of excellence, over the next few days, the Bruins allowed their city to rally around them as over the next 2 weeks, a series of heartwarming tributes by the Bruins seemed to ease the pain of that brutal tragedy.
Playoffs begin: Bruins make history
With their city still reeling from the tragedy of the Marathon Bombing, many Bostonians, even ones who previously had no knowledge or interest in hockey used the Bruins and a rallying point. And for the Bruins, they used their flood of devoted fans to quickly ride to a decisive 3-1 lead in their first round series against Toronto.
Yet as quickly as they had developed that lead, it evaporated as after 3 consecutive wins for the leafs forced a decisive game seven in Boston. Yet as we will now be reminded time and time again, while the Bruins did win that game it wasn't so easy, it was historic in fact.
After falling behind 4-1 off a Phil Kessel goal, the Bruins finally found the feet in the third, as a Nathan Horton goal still with over 10 minutes to go would bring the Bruins within 2 goal. Yet even with their season on the line the still found themselves down by 2 with mere minutes to go in the game, thus forcing perhaps the most exciting coaching move in hockey: the empty net.
With Rask pulled it didn't take long for Milan Lucic to score his second goal with the goalie pulled in as many games. 4-3 now for the Leafs.
We all know what happened next. When many counted them out, when many said they couldn't do it, Patrice Bergeron scored and the game was tied. We were in for one crazy OT.
Nevertheless as crazy as it may have been when Bergeron sent the Garden into pandemonium just 7 minutes after tying the game, you got this simple feeling in the back of your mind: no matter how mad fans may have been at the beginning of the year, the Bruins had made it impossible to not watch hockey in Boston. To paraphrase Jack Edwards’ famous call of the Bruins semifinal win in 2011, “New England had Stanley Cup fever again!”
Amazing conference finals: Even better cup final
June 7th: the Bruins win game 4 over the Penguins to sweep the regular season conference champions out of the playoffs.
June 8th: Patrick Kane scores in double OT to win Game 5 over the defending cup champion Kings.
2 amazing victories by two amazing teams to set up ONE amazing final. For the first time since the late 1970’s, the last 2 teams competing for Lord Stanley’s hardware were both original six teams. So: long story short, we were in for one crazy cup finals and well, things did not disappoint.
After 3 overtime games, it took a miracle for the cup to be won. It took a triple OT win in game 1, a 6-5 OT contest in game 4 for the two teams in this 6 game cup to clench the win. Yet perhaps the most amazing moment of the years and really, the last moment of the year occurred over a 17 second span in the final minute and a half of game six.
The Season over: Bruins and Blackhawks, the saving grace of the NHL
On January 19th, the few fans who stuck around through the anger of the lockout, were thrilled. Yet for the countless others that took to social media, screaming profanity and words of rage at the league the NHL knew very well that it would take a miracle to bring the fans back.
Long story short, in the Bruin and Blackhawk organizations, that’s happened time and time again.
There is no arguing, without the intriguing comebacks, the thrilling checks and unexpected performers, of this 2013 NHL season, hockey would be stuck in a really tough place. Without the 24 game points streak, the game seven comeback or the original 6 cup final, the thrill of watching pro hockey would not be enough to outweigh the anger induced by 4 months of men in suits arguing over stuff that for many didn't make since at all.
The Bruins and Blackhawks made it fun to watch hockey again. They made you forget 4 of the worst months in NHL history. In 61 short games, these two teams became the saving grace of the NHL. End of story.
