Champions on the move

After winning the Stanley Cup and having most of their team return this season, the Bruins were expected to do well again this season and perhaps repeat as the Stanley Cup champions. The Bruins haven't been playing their best hockey over the last month, going 4-6-0 in the last 10 games. But it doesn't mean the Bruins need to panic and start trading their players, heck they're still in second place in the east and have Tim Thomas backing them up between the pipes so there is no need to panic.

So who would the Bruins be willing to trade;
Joe Corvo
Despite Corvo being a long serving veteran his play in his own end has been horrible this season. He also has not been able to get any real chemistry going on Defence as he doesn't mix well with the Bruins defence system. But if the Bruins are unable to get anything decent for Corvo they will likely let him walk in June.

Tukka Rask

Rask is one of the players you include on the list, but with an asterisk. I strongly believe that the Bruins will NOT trade Rask. He is the future of their club and ready to be a number one goaltender, when Thomas i gone. The only way the Bruins would even think of parting with their future tender, is if they get a superstar player in return; Rick Nash. But the Bruins are likely keeping Rask who could find himself as the starting goalie as early as next season.

Tim Thomas
Like it or not Thomas screwed up the Bruins chemistry when he skipped out on the White House visit. After the incident, the Bruins went 3-5 and I believe the dressing room got messed up. There is no question Thomas is a great goalie; a two time Vezina winner and a Conn Smythe trophy winner, but the Bruins don't necessarily need him. Rask is more than ready to take the starting job and run with it. Thomas won't be gone before the February 27th deadline, but if the Bruins don't make it to the Eastern Conference championships this postseason, they will likely look for other options for Thomas; a trade, a buy out or make him the backup.

But in all seriousness, there really aren't many players that the Bruins are willing to trade at the moment.
Horton and Peverly are hurt, Seguin is too valuable, you don't want to start trading star prospects like Dougie Hamilton without seeing them. So it's a catch 22 for the Bruins, they need some help with scoring and perhaps a little extra help on the back end but making a trade and messing with chemistry is risky.

Milan Lucic and David Krejci are a couple of names being thrown around for some minor deals, but it's looking like the Bruins won't rely on any trades to jump start their roster and make a push for a second championship.

Some players the Bruins are looking to acquire.

They are looking for a veteran forward and have three players they are looking at; Ray Whitney, Mike Knuble and Tuomo Ruutu. The Bruins who have been scoring in bunches this season, have seen that scoring power dry up. They need some help with the offence and a seasoned veteran to help calm the young rookies. The best fit for the Bruins is Ray Whitney, he is a veteran that can score and play on the top line. He can also add some much needed leadership to this young Bruins team.
Whitney is a free agent at the end of the season, and could net the Coyotee's a solid return player or some prospects.
Mike Knuble would also help add a veteran presence for the Bruins. He has also been a member of the Bruins in the past, and is on the outs in Washington.

Rick Nash
The Bruins have shown some interest in acquire Rick Nash, heck who hasn't?
But what the Blue Jackets want in a goaltender, the Bruins got one in Rask but it is unlikely they are willing to part with him. Let's say the Bruins somehow got around the goalie thing, they'd still have to give up some combo of players including; Tyler Seguin, Dougie Hamilton, Milan Lucic or Adam McQuaid players the Bruins would prefer to keep.

The Bruins need a veteran presence preferably a forward, as all their top 6 forwards are under the age of 26. They are a fantastic hockey team no doubt, but they need the older guy in the room to help calm down the young kids. When things go bad they really go bad which is where teams with veterans benefit as the veterans calm everyone down. With the injuries to Horton and Peverly the Bruins need to make a move, but it is uncertain who the Bruins are heavily pursuing.

A Chance For Revenge

Hey folks, by now all of the Sabres and Bruins fans know, our two teams faced off against each other, last night. It was quite a spirited and fun to game to watch. Now normally I don't blog about a single game, just big news. But since I kicked my parents out of the house so that I could watch this game, I thought I should make a blog about this game. So Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends, readers and family.

Alright, so the game between the Bruins and the Sabres last night was a chance at redemption for the Sabres. In the last meeting between these two teams, Milan Lucic, took a good run at Ryan Miller, and sent him flying, the result; Miller out with a concussion, and Lucic smiling about it while talking to the media. But even worse than Lucic not getting suspended, was the lack of response, from the Sabres after Lucic had run their number one goaltender. The Sabres did nothing no fights, no hits, no goals. It was a sad moment for the Sabres team and their fans, many fans said they had never been more disappointed or ashamed to be a Sabres fan. Yes I agree it was sad, and not the right response, but after Lindy Ruff chewed out his players the next day, and every single one of them apologized to Miller, the players and fans turned their attention to the next game between the Bruins and Sabres. It was the rematch, an opportunity for the Sabres to send a message, that they are not a "soft" team, and that you can't just run over our star players. The game could have gotten ugly, it could have gotten out of hand, and there could have been multiple suspensions and fines handed down from NHL disciplinarian Branden Shanahan, who warned both teams before the game. But in my humble opinion, it was a good hard fought game, although I didn't always agree with some of the calls, who does!

Now I know all Bruins fans were laughing at the Sabres for waiting a week to respond to the hit; but how long did it take the Bruins to respond to Matt Cooke's hit, that may have ultimately ended Marc Savard's career? There are times, in a game, where teams or players don't respond to dirty hits, both these two teams have screwed up in that regard, but most importantly to me, is how you rebound from the initial game. Yes I know the Sabres lost all the fights, that they were in Last night, but that's not the important thing, we stood up for ourselves and sent a message, that were not a pushover team. There was a lot of drama drummed up over this rematch game, most stirred up by the media, but the Sabres made sure not to disappoint a sell-out crowd at the First Niagara Center. Just 83 seconds into the game Paul Gaustad challenged Milan Lucic to a fight, "It was straight to the point," Lucic said. "You don't really know what to expect. You go into every game prepared for anything. It was actually probably good on both ends just to get it out of the way right off the start." The fight lasted for 21 punches and ended with Gaustad on the ice, but that didn't matter to the crowd, they were just happy their team was back from playing with barbie dolls. "It was a hard-fought game, and it's unfortunate about the outcome," Gaustad said. "Everybody stuck together. It was something we talked about in the locker room after the Boston game. I'm proud of the way the guys played." But the fights didn't stop with the Gaustad-Lucic melee, 11.5 minutes through the first period Brad Marchand threw a punishing check, that sent Nathan Gerbe flying into the boards, moments later Marchand and Gerbe were joined by the rest of their teammates in a full on Battle Royal. All 10 of the skaters on the ice were throwing wild punches, the only thing that could have made it better, would have been a goalie fight between Enroth and Thomas. A few minutes later, after two separate cross checks from both teams, another scrum broke lose; McQuaid and Marchand started up with Gaustad as the three players were all throwing punches, but then Zdeno Chara and Robyn Regehr veered off for the main event. Although Chara easily won that fight as well, the crowd still didn't care, they were on their feet loud and proud for their team and the fights that were taking place. Toughness and fearlessness replaced the embarrassment from last week's affair; but lost in all the fights and hits and punches, was the fact that a hockey game still had to be played and one team would come away victorious. "We're not going to turn this into a street fight," Gerbe said. "We want to win a game. That's our goal. Goose stepped up and did a good job, went toe-to-toe with their tough guy and did really well. Robyn, same thing." From that moment on, cooler heads prevailed and it turned into a hockey game; a physical hockey game, that featured lots of special teams, and some horrible officiating, but a hockey game non the less. By the end of the first period Sabres fans were feeling pretty good about their team, as they left the ice up 2-0 on goals by Vanek and Ehrhoff.

But in the second period every time a Sabres player touched a Bruin, a penalty was called, many of the calls were weak, but you can't fight the men in the stripes. The Sabres were penalized 7 times in the final 40 minutes, compared to the Bruins 2, both Bruins penalties resulted in 4 on 4 play though. With the horrible officiating the door was open for the Bruins to climb right back into the game, and that they did; Tyler Seguin scored the first Bruin goal that cut the lead to 2-1, then a special moment as T.J. Brennan scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game, to give the Sabres a 3-1 lead, but with more penalty trouble on the horizon, it was all for naught; Goals by Marchand and Chara, tied the game up. Thus the game went to overtime and then a shootout. But in the Shootout it was a battle of the goalies, Thomas maked a save, only to see Enroth top it with a save of his own. It went back and forth till the 5th round, when Enroth got sniped top corner. And that was all she wrote. "I was happy with how we played," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "There were a lot of good things. You play like that, you're going to win a lot of games."

Despite the loss I was very happy with the game and the way we stood up for ourselves and fought back, we didn't do anything stupid, we played good hard hockey, we banged with the big tough Bruins, that's a hard task in itself. We got a point, and a point in this very tight Eastern conference is something to be happy with. Through the 20 game mark we have 25 points and are in the playoff picture in 7th, plus were only 1 point behind the Leafs and Bruins and 3 points behind the Flyers for top spot. I don't know about you but I'll take that compared to our start last season. To be honest Tim Thomas stole the game for the Bruins like he so often has in the past, we had 8 or 9 great chances, that would have been in the net if we were up against any other tender. Thomas bounced back from a shaky start and won the game, it happens. But I like the toughness we showed, standing up for ourselves after being absolutely embarrassed. It's a good way to draw the team together, players show that they care and want to fight hard for their teammates, it's great for team unity. I think the Sabres are going to be a stronger, tougher and a better team all around after this game, and it is a learning point for our team. Right now the Sabres are in a tough spot, we're missing 7 players who were available for the opening win in Europe. I hate to say it, but I believe Enroth is showing he can't handle the pressure of being the pure number one goaltender right now. Anyways, I'm glad we stood up for ourselves out there and showed people were not pushovers, it's good for out team and our reputation around the league. We got another game to play on Friday so hopefully we can build from our tough play and come out on top with 2 points and jump ahead of the big bad Bruins again.

So I learned two things from this game; 1, we are the worst team ever at keeping two goal leads. We were up 2-0, then 3-1, yet we still lose 4-3. So we need to learn how to finish a hockey game. 2, we need Miller back, I don't care what anyone says or thinks about him, we need him back. If this team wants to go deep in the playoffs and perhaps take it all, we need him in net stealing games for us, like he has done season after season. I'm not jumping ship on Miller after what 6 bad games? I say once he's healthy (and if Enroth keeps playing like this) we throw Miller back in and ride him till he starts to lose. I think with Miller around it helps Enroth, it gives him confidence, and keeps some attention away from him. Oh yeah, I also learned that I still hate shootouts; like I said on twitter "there is a reason, we don't use shootouts in the playoffs". I think they're stupid, they may be exciting, but it comes down to pure luck and fluke. So thank you Sabres for playing some good hard hockey for once, and thank you Bruins, for bringing the Sabres out of their shells, and allowing them to have their best first period all season.

Goalie protection

When it comes to head shots, concussions and the game of hockey, the NHL is desperately trying to rid the game of both, but it seems there is a double standard when it comes to goalies and concussions.
If you are a fan of the Boston Bruins, I suggest, you stop reading right now! I don't have too many nice things to say about your team (or your city for that matter) so it would be best if you guys left this blog, before it gets ugly!

Now I, like many other hockey fans, jumped on the Bruins bandwagon, during the Stanley Cup final as I did not want to see the Canucks win a cup, but on Saturday night, I was reminded just how much I have always disliked the Bruins! When a dirty cheap shot artist like Milan Lucic hits someone, you know he generally, accidentally, on purpose meant to do it, as was the case with his open ice hit on Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller!
His hit was dirty and uncalled for, Lucic had tons of time and space available to avoid the hit with Miller, but chose to go full out and deliver and elbow to the head of Miller. Watch the video, he explodes his arms through the hit. Lucic broke an unwritten code and a long-standing rule in which players do not purposely target a goalie out of their crease. Unwritten, what am I talking about, it is written! In the NHL rule book it clearly states a goalie is not fair game just because he is outside the crease. NHL rule 61.2 Penalty – In all cases in which an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, whether or not the goalkeeper is inside or outside the goal crease, and whether or not a goal is scored, the attacking player will receive a penalty (minor or major, as the Referee deems appropriate). In all cases where the infraction being imposed is to the attacking player for hindering the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely in his goal crease, the penalty to be assessed is for goalkeeper interference. I was quite upset that Lucic was allowed to continue playing in the game, he should have been kicked out, for intentional contact to the head! Goalies have never and likely will never be fair game to hit, no matter where they are on the ice; Lucic claimed he had his head down and never saw Miller, but again -  look at the video, Lucic was looking at the puck, and had to have seen Miller going for the puck, even the fat slow dim witted Lucic would have been able to slow down or avoid contact with Miller, but instead the 220 pound moron decided he would run over the 175 unsuspecting Ryan Miller! There was no question the hit was deliberate and in no way incidental, look at the replay he put his elbow up to hit Miller, there is absolutely no doubt that Lucic went into that play with an intent to injure Miller! Miller had already played the puck, so additionally, the hit was a little late. In my opinion, a player that needs to wipe out a goalie to prove their toughness needs to grow a pair and shouldn't be playing in the NHL! The Sabres and Miller were in complete control of the game, before the hit, and after the hit the Bruins took control; as someone tweeted me the other night "nothing inspires a dirty team, like a cheap hit" Lucic is having a suspension hearing with Brendon Shannahan, and I highly doubt the league will do anything with Lucic, because he plays for the Bruins, the NHL's favorite team (remember the Chara hit). But what they should take into account is Lucic history of cheap shots; he sucker punched Victor Hedman, at the end of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, then again sucker punched Freddy Myer, and had an incident with the police where he played the "do you know who I am card?" Anyways I'm not trying to to focus on Lucic, this blog is for goalies. The sad thing is the Bruins team is filled of cheap shot artists much like Lucic, it's disgusting! Ryan Miller sustained a concussion due to the hit, the NHL needs to do something to protect and stand up for goalies, or we are going to see more and more goalies, being knocked out of games with concussion. "If this hit and other types of hits like this are not suspended, we are opening up the possibility of losing goaltenders to injury. And not just injury, but concussion," Regier said. "... When I look at the position of goaltending, in a lot of ways it’s not unlike quarterback in football. I feel very strongly the protection has to be provided and players committing these types of action should be punished." Not to mention this is Miller's 2nd concussion in the last 8 months. Many Bruins fans were wondering why Miller continued playing even though he was concussed, here's your answer "What happened was that he gradually got worse until he was removed from the game and diagnosed by the Boston doctors," Regier said. "I’m not in position to disagree with the doctors or the league protocol. He’s better (Sunday) but still, hopefully it is not severe and hopefully it is not long-term." Now, Miller's comments on Lucic post game were a little drastic, but I don't completely blame him, anyone that just got smoked like Miller  by a cheap shot artist like Milan Lucic.
So in my opinion Lucic should be suspended! “I just stuck around because I wanted to say what a piece of (crap) I think Lucic is,” said Miller. “Fifty pounds on me, and he runs me like that? It’s unbelievable. Everyone in this city sees him as a big, tough, solid player. I respected him for how hard he plays. That was gutless. Gutless piece of (crap).”

Now for all the people freaking out because Miller was so far out of his crease; how about the elbow to the head of James Reimer from a couple weeks ago against the Habs? Reimer was in his crease and totally unsuspecting of Gionta elbowing him. It would appear that even when goalies are in their crease they are still not safe. It is in all likely hood that James Reimer suffered a concussion from the elbow delivered by Brian Gionta of the Montreal Canadians, now it was deemed accidental contact, but Gionta did slightly stick his elbow out, so it was kind of incidental accidental contact on the part of Gionta. Reimer was clearly injured on the play, as he was seen grimacing in pain, and took several minutes to put his helmet on and get back to his feet. Now Gionta did receive a minor penalty, but no more supplemental discipline was given! Reimer has missed the last 18 days due to his injury and has been suffering from concussion-like symptoms. Goalies are not nearly protected as well as they should be. Players, are allowed to freely hit goalies and injure them, while only receiving a minor penalty. Who know's how long it will be before we see Reimer and Miller back in between the pipes for their respective teams.

Goalie's are a vital part of the game of hockey, perhaps the most important part to a team; General Managers, start with the goalies, and work their way out when building a team. Even the best offensive teams need a solid netminder, or their offensive power is all for not (just ask the Capitals or Flyers last couple seasons).
I don't care that goalies have the most equipment on the ice, nothing can help stop concussions, unless stupid players like Lucic smarten up and play the game of hockey properly. Besides, the goalie equipment is not designed for taking hits, it's designed for stopping pucks! This is not old time hockey, and the way the Bruins play is disgusting and a disgrace, and we wonder why there are so many dirty hits and concussions in all levels of hockey! If this was old time hockey, Lucic would be in the hospital right now unable to move for his stupidity!  So all you haters, saying goalies deserve to be hit and are proud of the way Lucic and other players like Matt Cooke play, I'd like to invite you to put on some goalie equipment and get run over like Miller was, then see how you feel about the hits! The NHL needs to do something to protect goalies, it's not funny, it's not cool, its horrible when goalies, just get run into and nothing happens! The NHL needs to get serious about protecting goalie's, more so even than any of the other players on the ice. Even though they are, in fact, tougher, would you stand there while a 90 mph slap shot is coming your way? I didn't think so. So when goalies, are hurt, you know something is wrong! They need to show that it is unacceptable, to run goalies.
anyway's we will see how the Lucic issue is handled, but I hope he has to sit at least 2 games, I would never wish injury upon any player, but maybe if someone sucker punched Lucic, the person hitting him would get a good laugh on the way to the box!