Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Do The Boston Bruins Need More Toughness?

12/24/2019 at 8:26am EST

from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

Old time hockey, the game that was dotted with brawls and stick swinging and even the rare player foray into the stands to pound on the paying customers, ain’t never coming back.

The game, and the times in which we live, are all too smart, prim ‘n’ proper, and corporate mainstream for the clock to start running back toward Broad Street. It’s a kinder, gentler Original 31. Rarely is there a night that stretches the bounds of a PG rating.

Nonetheless , there were touches of that sweet ol’ thuggery that reappeared in the Bruins’ lopsided 7-3 win over the Caps Monday night at the Garden. Enough, in fact, to prompt Bruins management to think long and hard about adding some individual toughness to the lineup if they’re to make another legit run at Cup.

We give you Exhibit A: T.J. Oshie’s hit on Bruins blueline wunderkind Charlie McAvoy with 1:38 to go in the third. Nasty. Unnecessary. Cheaper than the last suit that sold off the rack at Filene’s Basement.

The game was over, the Bruins in the midst of nursing a 6-3 lead over the finish line. Oshie, with no interest in playing the puck, unloaded on the vulnerable prey that was McAvoy, the ex-BU blueliner who was already off-kilter as he sped toward the puck near the Caps bench. Nothing illegal about the smack, at least not by the standard set by the NHL Department of Player Safety, but it was a cheap and dangerous play that could have left McAvoy in a world of hurt.

continued

Below, watch the Oshie hit.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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