Jacobs on board with USA Hockey

Youth hockey in the United States was not in a good place as the 20th Century expired, as a record number of children were quitting on the sport by age 10. They weren’t having fun. Long car rides just to be a member of some select team playing tournament games in far-away places, only toContinue reading “Jacobs on board with USA Hockey”

Wild at Bruins

Bill Guerin’s Minnesota Wild is in TD Garden tonight to battle the Bruins without its superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov, who will be out of the Minny lineup for a substantial absence to recover from a necessary surgery. Marc-Andre Fleury gets the start. The veteran netminder making his farewell tour of NHL cities was the subjectContinue reading “Wild at Bruins”

Rangers at Bruins

What would it have taken for the Boston Bruins to acquired J.T. Miller? It took the New York Rangers Filip Chytil, so now two of the Rangers’ primo young players of the last several years have been sent packing to other NHL cities in a matter of days. (Kaapo Kakko was traded to Seattle inContinue reading “Rangers at Bruins”

Bruins losing ground in NHL’s Itidarod

It’s tough sledding, and it’s not just the Boston Bruins. A quick visit with New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello in the hallway during intermission of last night’s 5-4 overtime win over the Bruins, where I catch him alone and politely ask how the heck his team has that record (14-18-7 at the time) whenContinue reading “Bruins losing ground in NHL’s Itidarod”

Islanders at Bruins

A recent nemesis team is suddenly the ray of hope that could snap the Boston Bruins out of their three-game losing streak encompassing last week’s road trip. The Bruins (20-17-4 at the halfway mark of the season) are back home, but they must take care of business tonight vs. the New York Islanders with theContinue reading “Islanders at Bruins”

Bruins cling to positivity

Jeremy Swayman was so adamantly confident that the Boston Bruins will break through and score some goals that one couldn’t help wonder if he was trying to convince himself after his team only buried one marker and fell for the second straight time (2-1 to the struggling New York Rangers) on this three-game road tripContinue reading “Bruins cling to positivity”

The Friends of Fr-eddy (&) Coyle Lurk

I’m frankly happy I got this question out of my way on September 30, and I don’t blame Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney or pending unrestricted free agent Trent Frederic one bit for being any less than eager while addressing it with trademark professionalism. Imagine how little conversation this matter can get now thatContinue reading “The Friends of Fr-eddy (&) Coyle Lurk”

Bruins Hit The Road to Reality

Having shaken out a troubling start via the National Hockey League’s first coaching change of the 2024-25 season and coincidental progress on the part of several returning players whose individual games had been in various states of disrepair – this extended far beyond Brad Marchand’s recovery from three summer surgeries and Jeremy Swayman’s contract negotiationsContinue reading “Bruins Hit The Road to Reality”

Interpreting Playoff Trajectories

It was suggested to me via a group chat earlier today that the Boston Bruins (12-11-3 through 26 games) need to play .634 hockey to reach 98 points, considered by my colleague to be a safe zone of sorts. But does it really take 98 points to make the playoffs? Since the current rules wentContinue reading “Interpreting Playoff Trajectories”

Bruins-Canadiens: Centennial Game

This is the culmination of the Boston-Montreal rivalry, today’s game commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Boston Bruins’ inaugural game, a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Maroons on Dec. 1, 1924, at Boston (Matthews) Arena. As I acknowledged in my column following yesterday’s festivities, this is most definitely the final public gathering of the Big,Continue reading “Bruins-Canadiens: Centennial Game”