The deal with Stephan Drew: With Spring Training around the corner it is time for the Sox to cut ties with their shortstop

Between Will Middlebrooks' playing at 3rd base and the probability of Xander Bogaerts pressing for time at shortstop, there is no need for the services of Stephan Drew and yet here we are, just over a month before Spring Training and he is still here.

While opinions may vary on whether or not he should return to Boston the statistics, reports and direct quotations do not lie. Drew and his agent Scott Boras do not care which team they go to. They have their priorities laid out an they so carefully detail that with his career already firmly built up what Stephan Drew wants is a serious pay day that frankly, he may not be worth. While he did log his second best on base percentage since his rookie year in 2006 that OBP was still .040 less than fellow defense based infielder Dustin Pedroia and logged 80 fewer hits in a season where he came to the plate a rather whopping 442 times. As if his regular season offensive numbers were not bad enough, Stephan Drew was truly awful in October smacking a hit in just 11.1% of his at bats while getting on base at just a 14% clip. In 54 postseason at bats, Drew landed just 6 hits with 2 walks and a near constant at bat result of a simple, anticlimactic ground out. He was terrible and it seems that the only reason he is still here is what he does away from the plate. When it comes to defense, Stephan Drew is one of the best shortstops in baseball, committing just 8 errors in all of 2013 and repeatedly going up and getting towering line drives that very few other shortstops could even dream of getting.

Now for some the case could be made that a Red Sox team that scored 800+ runs in 2013 is not one in major need of the extra 40 RBI's the man who would come in to replace Drew should he leave really is special and must not be held out of the lineup any longer. Assertively hailed as baseball’s best prospect since Pedro Martinez, Xander Bogaerts is ready to take the MLB by storm. To state plainly, holding him out of the lineup would simply be an illogical decision on the part of the Boston Red Sox not only for the reason of Xander Bogaerts's need to play but also because of the station currently stewing over at 3rd base. As bad as he was at times this season, we must not forget that Will Middlebrooks is still the same human being who booted Kevin Youkilis from this town 2 seasons ago and frankly his omission from this lineup would be close to as heinous as an equal act committed against Xander Bogaerts. Like Xander, Middlebrooks is a small nimble base runner whose strong suit lies mainly with his quick reactionary snags of line drives drilled towards the "hot corner" he tends. Additionally, the loss Middlebrooks as would probably be the case if Drew stays in Boston would subtract a great young power threat from the middle of this Boston lineup that in a couple years will be greatly weakened via the possible retirement of David Ortiz.  

Yet through this all, through all this uncertainty the Red Sox are remaining professional, preparing to play for whatever team they land on next year. Earlier this week, Will Middlebrooks seemed to put to words this kind of preparation. 

"I haven’t talked to anyone about it,” he said. “I haven’t even talked to Stephen. I have to prepare like I’m the starting third baseman for the Red Sox. So I’m going to prepare, because regardless of what happens I’m going to be playing baseball somewhere. I’m hoping it’s in Boston because this is where I want to spend my career. I love it here. We’ll see, but, like I said, I’m going to be playing baseball so I have to be ready.”

You have to be ready, you have to be ready. That is pretty much it. Between the trio of Stephan Drew, Xander Bogaerts and Will Middlebrooks there is no shortage of talents and yet it is no secret that the Boston Red Sox must let one of those superstars go and in one simple opinion that someone has to be Stephan Drew. 

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Bruins 4-1 win over Winnipeg followed formula from the days of Orr: Krug scores twice, Rask rebounds with strong effort

Through 90 years of wins losses and thousands of fights, the Boston Bruins have been one of the most timeless teams in the NHL. No matter who is under contract, no matter how much skill they hold on their roster, no matter the situation to be a Boston Bruin you must be tough, and tough not only in the sense of dropping the gloves and fighting but also controlling your emotions and not fighting when the situation does not necessitate that. To be a Bruin you must put the teams needs ahead of your own and focus not on any personal statistic but entirely on the only one that counts. The score. 

The Bruins have been this way for each and every season and yet in each and every one of their 2759 wins since season number one, that kind of grit and fearsome intimidation has been amplified to a whole new level but even that is not the limit to the Bruins levels of historic game play. They follow that formula and no matter the opponent refuse to be beaten at their own game. That was the case Saturday afternoon in Boston as a 3 fight, 4 goal thrashing of the Winnipeg Jets was one of the best showings of the Bruin's timeless grit we have seen this season.

Just over 20 seconds into the game, the Bruins kicked things off as an immediate fore-check pinned the Jets deep in their own zone. The Bruins would be penalized for a hit that occurred during that early game charge as a result of a supposed hit to the head by Zdeno Chara but in the end such a hit was of no malicious intent. Chara was going for the puck and in his attempt to make the legal bear hug hit his hand slipped up and made contact with the head of his target. While this was surely a penalty it was not one the Bruins could avoid without sacrificing on ice performance and frankly those are the kind of penalties you have to take. This game like very few nowadays was a perfect one per se when it came to penalties as while Boston did amass a rather gargantuan 21 penalty minutes, 15 of those were assessed as a result of a fight and so therefore did not amount to a manpower difference while 4 more were taken as a result of plays not deemed dirty but rather gritty and will driven.

First of course was that Chara penalty and then second was an even more questionable call made on Danial Pallie for his colliding with Ondrej Pavelech after crashing towards the paint to try to get a stick on a cross crease feed from Jarome Iginla. While the Bruins have always been a rough and tumble team they have never been an undisciplined one. In some of Boston's best games in this past decade, a minuscule amount of time spent playing a man down has been a constant theme throughout. Game Seven of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals for example, no penalties were called and yet the Bruins pounded 23 hits and won the game in thrilling fashion. Roughly a month after that, when Boston won the Stanley Cup, the Bruins were whistled for just 2 penalties in their 4-0 Game Seven win over Vancouver.

Serving as one last thought on the physical aspects of this game however is the prevalence of that physical play. In Thursday's game Boston hurled 22 hits and connected huge on 2 of them. Early in the 3rd period, defencemen, Johnny Boychuck seemed to snag Winnipeg forward Mark Schefile in his sights and as the charging puck carrier neared the Jets blue line, Boychuck did his best to make sure that his opponent did not make it any farther than that. Boychuck laid down a clean strong hit to the chest of Schifile there was nothing more to it than that and yet in a way, there was. In the days of Orr, the days where Boston captured 2 Championships in 3 seasons there were smashers like John Bucyk and Terry O'Reilly and yet there were no enforcers. On a team now devoid of Shawn Thornton, the same can be said about this team that routed the Jets Saturday afternoon.

Some of the best days in Bruins history were those that made up the years 1970-72 as the magic of Bobby Orr, Phill Espisito and Terry O'Reilly made Boston the best team in hockey. 40+ years later this team of Boston Bruins seems to be doing their best to emulate those heroes of the 70's and all of that was showcased Saturday. Following the age old formula of winning in Boston, the Bruins road the excellence of their goaltender, the energy of meaningful fights, the turnovers caused by hits and a scoring touch that was balanced equally between both defense and offence to victory and made things happen just as they always have.

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As Frozen Fenway begins we see that outdoor hockey is a game bent on making moments

"Life is about moments. You don't remember everything; you remember moments." Mike Babcock, Detroit Redwings Coach

Frozen Fenway was a competition born out of the heritage of hockey but more directly, the 2010, NHL Winter Classic.

That Winter Classic that took place in a season that ended with Boston's historic collapse in their semifinal series vs. the Philadelphia Flyers was the highlight of the season for Bruins fans as in one beautiful afternoon, the Bruins and Flyers combined to score 3 goals, log the first fight in Winter Classic history as well as the scoring of the first OT winner in Winter Classic history. But that 2010 Winter Classic gave Boston more than just 2 points in the standings and a night of celebration.

That 2010 Winter Classic added a lasting tradition to the historic sports scene of Boston Massachusetts and a lasting tradition that already in its 4th year does not look to be going anywhere. Known by its literal name, Frozen Fenway is a 2 week-long festival of hockey and winter in New England the highlight of which being an assortment of college hockey games that this year includes 8 different Hockey East teams in 4 different games. The first of those 4 games kicked off Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park and reminded hockey fans why they love outdoor hockey.

Fact is very few sports feel as much of a connection to its roots when they return to those roots than hockey. Nearly every Canadian kid and most American hockey players in this part of the country have all played on an outdoor rink and frankly, the stories, the memories and the pure ways these games are played proves just that. 

Players play like 6 foot tall 200 pound children and truly enjoy every minute of these games as repeated time and time again, it is fun to remember your days on the pond as they are connected to this day surrounded by fans snow and chilling air and that thrill will, when experienced sincerely by every player present will undoubtedly race out into that uplifting crowd. Such was the case Wednesday afternoon in Ann Arbor meaning that that game truly did better the popularity of outdoor hockey. To simplify, the good people running Frozen Fenway no matter how disconnected from the Winter Classic should be quite proud of what their snowy, windy, freezing cold branch of hockey has become.

An outdoor game such as Frozen Fenway or the Winter Classic, when focused around the right aspect of the game is one bent on creating moments and through the first few years of Frozen Fenway that has happened. We have seen gritty games where choppy ice has forced players to spend the majority of the game with their heads aimed at the ground meaning that the prevalence of huge hits has been anything but minuscule. In 2010 we saw an unprecedented total of 16 games played on the ice surface stretched between 1st and 3rd base and a year after that we saw our first OT winner in Frozen Fenway history when the BC Eagles defeated the Huskies in thrilling late game fashion. 

However, as we near a rather strange edition of hockey in Boston, we will be staring down the barrel of a true Bostonian hockey game. Just 2 days after a herculean nor-easter dumped close to 15 inches of snow on-top of Fenway Park, a stinging cold descended on the city handing -15 degree wind chills to players and fans there for Fridays high school games and then 7 degree wind chills to the near full house of screaming present for Saturday's double header. This near historic cold not only tests the true will of hockey fans but ironically, the integrity of the ice surface. 

The latter of those tests might pluck a nerve with some. Frankly, there always seems to be something wrong with and outdoor surface and yet no one ever complains mainly because it never lives up to worry cast to it during a pre-game routine. In 2010 the game time air temperature eclipsed 40 degrees and even then we were given that thrilling Winter Classic and a skillful 5 goal college hockey game the next night. Even in the 2013 Winter Classic, the 4 inches of snow that fell during the game were handled professionally and many on a Redwings team that has already played in 3 outdoor games in the past decade labeled the game as sporting some of the best ice in any outdoor game they had ever been part of. 

One of the most important parts of keeping professional outdoor rinks professional grade is being willing to stay on your toes. NHL head of outdoor rink construction, Dan Craig can attest to that.

“I take care of the smaller details and I’m watching what they do to make sure they are doing it the way we want it to be prepared,” Craig said in a post Winter Classic interview. “If they see anything that has to be tweaked, they come to me and I tell the engineers what has to be tweaked and what doesn’t.”

While any other competitive hockey game is focused on the end product, the score, and the statistics produced, a professional outdoor showcase of competitive hockey is a whole different beast. Games like these are intended to produce moments from the first to final horns and no matter which such game you choose to evaluate it is a rare occasion when that is not the case.

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Shawn Thornton done fighting his suspension: Bruin forward is still the respectable Bruin we know him to be

For many Bruins fans the feelings we felt on December 7th in Pittsburgh were similar to those Harry Potter fans would feel if Ron Wesley suddenly killed Harry.

We did not want to believe that what Shawn Thornton did that day actually happened and yet as time has dragged on many Bruins fans, as well as Thornton himself has come to terms with it and realized the true victim in this all. Brooks Orpik was blindsided, attacked and frankly his assailant has felt the full wrath not of Brooks Orpik but Brenden Shannahan and his suit clad counterparts. 5 days shy of a month later, that assailant, that Bruin, Shawn Thornton knows that and in a candid interview this morning on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan radio show, he told us all that he is done fighting his punishment. He is contempt an understands fully what he did while also begging his fans to remember the 600+ games of fair play and team dedication that were played before his most recent one.

“I messed up. I know that,” Thornton said. “I talked about it the other day: I’m not going to let it define me. It’s a mistake I made after 600 games playing right on the line. To be completely honest, doing my job is not an easy one, as far as riding the line. It’s tough to talk about because I know I messed up, but I plan on playing a couple more years and playing within the rules. The outcome wasn’t what was expected, either. A very unfortunate set of circumstances, why I messed up, it can happen. Yeah, the money sucks, the games really suck. But I’m going to put it behind me now and move on.”

Prior to the Orpik incident, Thornton had fed his mighty fists to 71 different NHL players in 119 different fights and yet through all that punching, Thornton had lived his life by the code of hockey, never hitting a guy when he was down and never complaining about any sort of physical play that transpired during a game. Prior to the Orpik incident, Shawn had never even been warned by the Department of Player Safety about any part of his game. As we look back, the cynical in all of us can’t help but wonder. Was 15 games too much for a first time offender, no matter what he did? The stats sure dictate that fact pretty cleanly.

The Thornton suspension was the second longest ever handed out by Brenden Shannahan a head disciplinarian who has shown a strong focus on a players history when determining the length and necessity of a suspension while the first was dished out to a man in Raffi Torris who has been widely labeled as the dirtiest NHL player in years.

Thornton while finally knuckling under the grind of the money and games lost to this suspension has still made it clear that he does not agree with the length of the suspension.

"I’m still not happy with the amount of games I got, but I respect the decision and, like I said, I’d rather just move on mentally and just focus on getting ready for the 11th, instead of focusing on getting ready for another hearing."

But as said before he has given into that number of games and at this point is doing what he believes is best for his team. He did bring the suspension to Gary Bettmen for the appeal but after the NHL's commissioner denied any reduction in number of games Thornton decided to forgo the opportunity to seek further help via an independent arbitrator.

"I decided not to take it to the independent arbitrator," Thornton said on the 31st, speaking with reporters for the first time since December 7, as the process had still been ongoing. "It’s been a long process and to be quite honest…I’d rather not be a distraction around here and I’d rather just focus on getting ready for January 11 – it’s twelve days out now. So it wasn’t - I’m not going to lie to you - it wasn’t an easy decision, I had been thinking about it for probably the last 36 hours, not much sleep. But I feel, for the team, it’s probably the right thing to do at this point, not going through the whole process again for the third time."

Thornton has continued to express his lament of what he did especially through his friendship with Orpik while also attributing his coping with the guilt to Boston's long road trip to Canada which he stayed at home for.

"Probably being here for the first week by myself [while the team was in Canada], maybe helped out a little bit for the team. From top to bottom, I think we’ve done a good job of not letting it fester and this is just another step in that direction, I guess." He said about the Canada trip before turning towards his friendship with Orpik that has seemed to give both players a lot of support amidst this all.

"We’ve known each other a long time, I said that right after the fact that we’re friends and obviously the outcome was not what was intended and I felt awful about it and that hasn’t changed," said Thornton. "We’ve talked, we talked that night and we were still friends after the fact that night and that helped me through this a little bit for sure. There were a lot of guys, not just this locker room - especially in this locker room, my teammates have always supported me - but there were a lot of guys throughout the league that reached out to me that I didn’t know had my number or they figured out a way – I’ve never met them before – with a lot of kind texts and a lot of phone calls that were very very appreciated. Almost all of them were unnecessary; it speaks to the character of the guys that reached out and the guys who spoke out in the media supporting me a little bit, too. They didn’t have to do that and it helped me through the first little bit."

If you are thinking Thornton is sounding like a victim with his words than you are correct but not completely. Thornton is not so sad and broken down by the suspension but more so the pure guilt that coincides with his breaking of the code. He feels genuine sadness at what he did and as he admitted immediately after the incident felt physically sick after being ejected from the Penguins game. That fact more than any other reminds the world that unlike Raffi Torres or Matt Cooke, Shawn Thornton is not a thug and that that is the very reason Bruins fans felt such heartbreak on December 7th.

We will forgive Shawn Thornton and at this point that is all he wants.

"I’m not going to let this define me," he said, when asked by a reporter if he felt he had to rebuild his reputation around the league. "I obviously made a mistake. One mistake. I think doing the job that I’ve done for 600-something games, including playoffs - it’s a tough question to answer because I know I made a mistake but like I said, this won’t define me - I’m going to move on and continue to play and put this in the past. There are a bunch of circumstances that led up to that mistake I made and I don’t think you could duplicate that in any other situation. So, no, it won’t affect the way I do my job," he added, when asked if this would alter the way he approaches his game. My job is still to protect my teammates, my job is still to play productive minutes when I’m out there, play hard, play the game within the lines, and that’s what I’ll try and continue to do, even though I stepped outside of it once."

And already Bruins fans have obliged with Thornton's wish to not let the attack define him as a player they will still cheer when he drops the gloves and in situations of a little less malicious nature than this, they will stand by him because he is Shawn Thornton, because he is a Bruin and above all because he will still live by the code.

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Niklas Svedberg will make NHL debut vs Predators: The AHL's best goalie looks to make the jump to the big club...and stay there

Even after the Tim Thomas debacle of 2012 and the departure of respectable goaltender, Anton Khudobin a year later, the Boston Bruins are a deep goal tending team whose list of prized possessions ranges past just the name of Tuukka Rask. However if one were to rank categorically the skill sets of the Bruins 5 major goaltenders currently under contract second only to Tuukka Rask would be a man named Niklas Svedberg. 

The 24 year old Swedish goaltender will make his NHL debut for the Bruins Thursday against the Predators and will undoubtedly take to the ice knowing the magnitude of this game as it pertains to his longevity as a professional hockey player. Niklas was originally signed to the Bruins AHL team in Providence as an undrafted free agent back in May of 2012 and was expected to possibly march into the backup role behind Tuukka Rask for this current 2013-2014 NHL season. Svedberg sure made a strong case for such recognition as he won the AHL's award for best goaltender in 2012-2013 posting a league best 37-8-4 record, a GAA of 2.17 and 4 regular season shutouts. The case was made and even then, the Bruins front offence decided to forgo Svedberg electing to instead go with the backstopping talents of extremely inexperienced goaltender, Chad Johnson.  

Midway through the season, that decision has been looking stranger and stranger by the minute before finally it was announced that Svedberg's time to shine has come. Now while this will be Svedberg's first NHL action, it will not be the first time his name has been penciled into a lineup card as less than a week ago, he was called up to serve as Tuukka's backup for Boston's home and home set with Ottowa. However prior to his making the start in the final game of that series, injuries to Zdeno Chara and Carl Soderberg made it so that Svedberg must be returned to Providence in order to make room for Zach Trotman and others to serve as skaters in the game. 

To make matters worse, Svedberg's mother was in attendance for that second game expecting to see her son start.  

That's how it works and you just move on," Svedberg said brushing off the pain of the demotion. "I went back to Providence, played there and you wait to get another chance. Fortunately, I get that pretty soon here with this game."

Tuukka Rask however was in full apologetic mode when asked about his thoughts. 

"I felt so bad for him," Rask said. "His mom was there and everything, but he's been patient and now his time has come. He's a laid back guy, so I don't think he's going to get too nervous. He'll be fine."

As Svedberg starts this evening, he will be going up against a team many would deem to be easy game for goaltenders. The Nashville Predators have scored the second fewest goals in the league this season putting up on average just 2.4 goals per game. 

"I'm looking forward to seeing him in net tonight," coach, Claude Jullian said at Thursday's morning skate. "He's going to be fine," Julien said. "You saw him in the preseason games, and I know preseason may not be exactly like a regular-season game, but he seemed calm and his demeanor is very calm. He's got to go out there and just play his game. I don't think he's going to be an overly excited goaltender that's going to be thrown off his game. He's going to play with confidence and if anything, he's going to want to prove himself."

Jullian eluded to Svedberg's preseason play several times in his remarks about the goaltender as it seemed that his 26 save performance in the Bruins 2nd to last preseason game of 2013 made a huge mark on the Bruin skipper. As for that cool headed, calm style of pre-game activity highlighted by both Rask and Jullian Svedberg did not deny any of it. He seems legit and even more so, fiercely focused on his lone goal of stopping as many shots as his body will allow him to. 

"It's a good feeling," Svedberg said. "Right now I'm just trying to stay calm and focus on the game and what I'm going to do out there. That's my only focus right now." 

Halfway through this Bruins season the questions surrounding the situation regarding who will play backup goalie as the season goes on as quietly turned into a raging controversy sparking silent discontent among Bruins fans every time Chad Johnson allows a weak goal. As Bruins fans continue to ask these questions, they must understand that this impending game vs the Predators may be their answer. 

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US Olympic Hockey team announced after Winter Classic: A brief history of USA mens hockey AND complete analysis of the USA roster

In the wake of a Winter Classic that included 6 inches of snow, a shootout, stunning saves by a goalie 1 year ago was unknown to the world and two controversial goals, the Big House in Michigan remained jam packed as they awaited the revealing of a team that only comes together every 4 years.

Fact is, there is something special about the history that this branch of the US Olympic committee holds. Amidst years of games, countless wins and political statements made via the indescribable power of hockey, the US team has reminded hockey fans that not all the great hockey players come from Europe and Canada. Since its first cast was selected back in 1920, the team has gone through both good times and bad winning their first international game by a margin of 29-0 before slumping in the coming years and failing to even make the Olympics until after World War II.

All of that changed in 1980. In what has since been dubbed The Miracle on Ice, the United States, a team that then consisted of no NHL players as a result of the season not being suspended for the games butted heads with the highly superior Russian team and won, not only punching their ticket to the gold medal game (which they won) but also taking part in one of the rare but powerful occasions when sport and politics collide as frankly, that game took place at a time when the two nations involved were one command away from nuclear war.

That miracle, that day in particular, changed things for the US Men boosting interest in the team and soliciting the participation of some of the NHL's best American talent. By the next incarnation of the team the roster included household names like Mike Richter,  Chris Chelios, Brett Hull, Pat LaFontaine replacing those of 1980 medalists like Jim Craig, Mike Ramsey and so on. Sadly though, the United States would not even get close to reliving the goal medal celebration of 1980 any time in the next 30 years as disappointing exits in 1994, 2002 and 2006 seemed to signal the team sinking back into its initial trend of losing. But then 2010 happened.

Once again drawing from the NHL's star studded poll of Americans, the United States built its team to send to Vancouver from the back end up. They stacked the net with guys like Tim Thomas, Ryan Miller and Jimmy Howard then grabbed defencemen Dustin Brown, and Jack Johnson to serve as leaders on the defensive end. The offensive core, like those in net was also what brought the US so much success in the tournament as guys like Patrick Kane, Zach Parise and Phil Kessel finally gave USA the guys that allowed them to get into shootouts with their offensively minded Canadian rivals. In the end it was USA and those Canadians that ended up battling into overtime for the gold medal all before with one crushing blow, Sidney Crosby won the game.

The Americans were close and unlike the 1990's, they come into the 2014 Olympics, as good if not even better than they were the last time around. There are many similarities in this roster, some of the largest being Miller's return in goal and Kane and Kessel's returns on offence, however, as highlighted by Patrick Kane there is a newcomer to this team. Expectation.

"After being one goal away from a gold medal I think the expectations now are gold or bust" Patrick Kane told NBC prior to the Olympic roster being announced Wednesday afternoon.

Gold or bust sounds pretty much like it. Below is a flat list an ensuing analysis of USA's first step towards bringing this nation their first gold in over 30 years...

USA Mens Olympic Hockey Team Roster

Player Name - Position - Team

David Backus - Defense - St Louis Blues

Dustin Brown - Defense - LA Kings

Ryan Callahan - Right wing - New York Rangers

John Carlson - Defense - Washington Capitals

Justin Falk - Defense - New York Rangers

Cam Fowler - Defense - Anaheim Ducks

Patrick Kane - Center/Right wing - Chicago Blackhawks

Ryan Kesler - Center/Right wing - Vancouver Chanucks

Paul Martin - Defense - Pittsburgh Penguins

Ryan McDonagh - Defence - New York Rangers

Ryan Miller - Goalie - Buffalo Sabers

Brooks Orpik - Defense - Pittsburgh Penguins

TJ Oshie - Center/Right wing - St Louis Blues

Max Pacoretty - Left wing - Montreal Canadians

Zach Parise - Left wing - Minnesota Wild

Joe Pavelski - Center - San Jose Sharks

Johnathan Quick - Goalie - LA Kings

Kevin Shattenkirk - Defense - St Louis Blues

Paul Stastny - Center - Colorado Avalanche

Derek Stepan - Center - New York Rangers

Ryan Suter - Defence - Minnesota Wild

Blake Wheeler - Right wing - Winnipeg Jets

Phil Kessel - Right wing - Toronto Maple Leafs

James Van Reimsdyk - Left wing - Toronto Maple Leafs

Jimmy Howard - Goalie - Detroit Redwings

Distribution of USA roster on NHL teams

Number of USA players on team - Team - Players Names

(3) St Louis Blues - Kevin Shattenkirk, David Backes, TJ Oshie

(3) New York Rangers - Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh

(2) Toronto Maple Leafs - Phil Kessel, James Van Riemsdyk

(2)  Pittsburgh Penguins - Brooks Orpik, Paul Martin

(2) Los Angeles Kings - Dustin Brown, Johnathan Quick

(2) Minnesota Wild - Zach Parise, Ryan Suter

(1) Vancouver Canucks - Ryan Kesler

(1) Washington Capitals - John Carlson

(1) Winnipeg Jets - Blake Wheeler

(1) San Jose Sharks - Joe Pavelski

(1) Montreal Canadiens - Max Pacioretty

(1) Chicago Blackhawks - Patrick Kane

(1) Colorado Avalanche - Paul Stastny

(1)  Buffalo Sabres - Ryan Miller

(1) Anaheim Ducks - Cam Fowler

(0) Boston Bruins

(0) Calgary Flames

(0) Carolina Hurricanes

(0) Columbus Blue Jackets

(0) Dallas Stars

(0) Edmonton OIlers

(0) Florida Panthers

(0) Nashville Predators

(0) New Jersey Devils

(0) New York Islanders

(0) Ottawa Senators

(0) Philadelphia Flyers

(0) Phoenix Coyotes

(0) Tampa Bay Lightning 

To say the least, there were people snubbed from the US Olympic roster this year. First and foremost you have Bobby Ryan a skillfully right wing for the Senators that was left off the roster for reasons that seem nearly moronic. However, those reasons do have merit and however bizarre, those merits are truly as meaningful as some make them sound. Even at the professional level, players play better with players whom they have a relationship with. We have been shown that for years with the insane chemistry of either the Sedin Twins, the Stall Brothers or even Shawn and Joe Thornton and yet for such a chemistry to develop blood relation does not even necessarily need to be present as simply a familiarity with one's game that is earned over years not weeks can often seed many a goal in the tic tack tow passing kind of league that is the NHL.

As crazy as it is, that fact may be the reason for Bobby Ryan's exclusion from the USA team as while it it is true that he is better than TJ Oshie or Derek Stepan individually , the USA front office likely believes that the on ice output gained by the combination of Oshie or Stepan and their respective teammates outweighs what Ryan could give.

Goals analysis of current attacking roster members and notable snubs

Player name - Goals scored - Games played - Average goal per game

Zach Parise - 15 - 37 - .405

Ryan Kesler - 15 - 41 - .366

Patrick Kane - 23 - 42 - .547

James Van Reimsdyk - 14 - 39 - .359

Joe Pavelski - 16 - 40 - .400

Phil Kessel - 20 - 41 - .488

Dustin Brown - 7 - 40 - .175

David Backus - 16 - 35 - .457

Ryan Callahan - 7 - 24 - .292

Max Paccoretty - 17 - 32 - .531

Paul Stastny - 11 - 37 - .297

TJ Oshie - 6 - 39 - .154

Derek Stepan - 7 - 41 - .171

Blake Wheeler - 15 - 42 - .357


Notable Snubs:

Bobby Ryan - 18 - 42 - .429

Dustin Byfuglien - 7 - 42 - .167

*Torey Krug - 8 - 40 - .200

Kyle Okposo - 15 - 41 - .366

Keith Yandle - 6 - 39 - .154

*Torey Krug unlike the rest of those on this list is a defenceman but it included because of his offensive capabilities

As the goals analysis is read, a strong discrepancy and screaming lack of talent at one position in particular evident. 26 year old right winger Bobby Ryan was left off the team this year and frankly there is no logical reason why. The United States has 6 players with the capabilities of playing right wing at this Olympics and after calculating their goals per game average just 2 of them boast goals per game averages higher than that of Bobby Ryan. TJ Oshie in particular seems like he might be of little use to the team compared to the talent Ryan could bring to it. As they deal with the much larger rinks that are used in Europe and Russia, crisp passing and precise skating will be crucial if the team hopes to win a single game in Sochi. Even on Oshie's 4th line that is projected to fill the role of possession winning, momentum sustaining trio, the capabilities Ryan has on the breakout would be anything but detrimental to USA. Furthermore, the placement of Ryan alongside sweet passing center Paul Stastny who will already be quarterbacking the line Oshie is currently on would not only set up the possibility of clutch goals when needed but also make it oh so harder for opponents to pick which line they need to send their best defenders out to counteract. With all this pointing in favor of Ryan being selected for the team it seemed that the only possible reason for Oshie's being selected is that familiarity with teammates cited earlier. 

In the end though, Bobby Ryan's exclusion from the US Mens Olympic team however finite it may seem now may be one of the biggest mistakes USA will make in this 2014 Olympic run.

Holdover and newcomers in relation to 2010 team

Holdovers (6)

David Backes, Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Ryan Miller

Newcomers (8)

Jimmy Howard, TJ Oshie, Max Pacioretty, John Carlson, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk

Played in 2010 but will not in 2014 (10)

Tim Thomas, Tim Gleason, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Brian Ravelski, Ray Whitney, Chris Drury, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Malone, Bobby Ryan

Projected lines and defensive pairings

Forwards:

Zach Parise/Ryan Kesler/Patrick Kane

James Van Reimsdyk/Joe Pavelski/Phil Kessel

Dustin Brown/David Backus/Ryan Callahan

Max Paccoretty/Paul Stastny/TJ Oshie


Utility forwards:

Derek Stepan/Blake Wheeler


Defense:

Ryan Suter/John Carlson

Ryan McDonagh/Kevin Shattenkirk

Paul Martin/Justin Faulk


Utility defense:

Cam Fowler/Brooks Orpik

GM David Poole's statement regarding Olympic team

"It's been an honor to be chosen to be GM of the 2014 US Olympic Team, I have had a fabulous job assembling this team. As we look back we came within 1 goal of winning in the 2010 Olympics and we worked to find guys who could give us that one extra goal. Also we have melded in North America twice in Salt Lake City and Vancouver so we needed to make some changes to win gold here."

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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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