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There's no way that I should be writing this blog. Thinking back on it, there's not a chance in hell that this blog should be happening. Not because of the nature of the content discussed in the blog, or because of who I am, but rather because it all seemed so unlikely. It still does. Living in Boston, with almost no interest in any of the local teams that don't play on ice, I had become accustomed to losing. Now, when I say that I don't mean losing in the sense that 'Hey, this team blows and they'll be a last place club forever' sort of way, but rather a "Hey, we're going to watch this team come really close to doing something special and then we're going to see it literally implode before our very eyes." Typically in a Game 7, or maybe overtime if you were lucky enough.
Boston, for all intents and purposes, was not a town where the hockey fans marched with their heads held high. The noticeable swagger that you saw Celtics, Patriots, and even the new-age Red Sox fan walk with? It didn't even exist in the body of a Bruins fan. Losers. The ugly redheaded stepchild. Never-will-be's. That's just how it was. And such was life. So it was no surprise when I figured the same fate would ultimately play out for the 2010-11 Boston Bruins. Especially when they were down 0-2 to Montreal.
I found myself walking outside the TD Garden moments after Game 2's deflated and Chara-less loss to the Habs. Heads were down, a pin-drop could be heard, and all hope was lost. But heroes were born, fingers were raised, and the Bruins somehow found their mojo in a Game 7 overtime win on home-ice. It was unbelievable. Little did we know that 'unbelievable' would be an understatement as the team progressed towards an unforgettable run to glory.
Executing a four-game sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers in round two -- closing the book on a haunted chapter of Boston's past that was written just one year ago -- and then taking out the upstart Tampa Bay Lightning in (another) Game 7 on home-ice? As Boston secured their spot in a Stanley Cup final for the first time in 21 years, it simply started to feel like destiny.
But as hopes for a Cup parade began to develop, it seemed over..again. Raffi Torres' goal in Game 1 with 20 seconds left? And then Alex Burrows' overtime goal just barely ten seconds in? My god, this was just another joke that the hockey gods were playing on Boston's long-tortured fan-base. Yet, unlike every Bruins team before them, they didn't quit. They battled. Taking 3 and 4 on home-ice, dropping Game 5 in Vancouver, but then stealing two elimination games, the Bruins earned their first skate around the ice with Stanley since 1972.
It didn't feel real. It was a numbing experience for a fan-base that felt the polar opposite numbness just one year earlier in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Finally, the wait was over. Now? The defense begins.
Recharged Bruins get first taste of new-look Flyers in banner raising night
In 2011, Boston did what Philadelphia couldn't do. They rose to the challenge of a 3-2 Stanley Cup deficit, and battled back with the heart of a champion. Now that's not a knock to Philly, who were by all means not going down without a fight against Chicago back in 2010, but it was clear that something had to change in that dressing room. And it did, big-time.
With the trading of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, previously known as the heart and soul of the Flyers, Philadelphia's new-look Flyers take to the ice of the TD Garden in what should be a year full of surprises and emerging careers. Adding Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, and Jakub Voracek to the mix, complementing the Flyers' youthful forward core of Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk, Philly's experiment goes up against a Boston team that didn't do much off-season tinkering.
Sure, the B's lost Mark Recchi and Michael Ryder over the off-season, but the focus for Boston rests on their ability to keep a solid core intact, hoping to aid from 'band-aids' such as Joe Corvo and Benoit Pouliot.
Goaltending Breakdown
While Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas went off the ice at essentially the same time, it seems unofficially official that the start will go to the 37-year-old Thomas. Given the circumstances of tonight -- especially after Thomas' 2010-11 -- the veteran net-minder should get the nod due largely to his absurd success against the Flyers. With a 10-2-2 record against Philly in 14 career starts, Thomas boasts a 2.19 goals-against-average and .936 save-percentage against the Broad Street Bullies.
Meanwhile, the Flyers will turn to Ilya Bryzgalov to kick off a career with the Flyers slated to last another nine years. The 31-year-old Russian, who has played in the Western Conference his entire career, comes into tonight's game with equally impressive numbers, albeit on a smaller sample. Winning four of six career starts against Boston, 'Bryz' has stonewalled the Bruins in 159 of their 171 shots on him throughout his career.
Stats of Note
- B's winger Rich Peverley has four goals in eight career contests against the Flyers.
- Defensemen Andrew Ference had a plus-19 rating at home in 2010-11, compared to a plus-3 rating on the road.
- Philadelphia's Danny Briere, who turned 34 today, has 13 goals and 38 points in 41 career games against Boston.
- Claude Giroux had the game-winning goal in last year's season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It's his only point in two season-openers.
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