Articles in Boston Bruins

from Damien Cox at the Toronto Star,

Of course, Toronto’s ugly playoff drought against the Bruins also could have ended in Game 7 in 2018, but it didn’t. It could have ended with the Leafs holding a 3-2 series lead in 2019, but then Toronto’s finest could only score three goals in the final two games and went down to defeat again.

Which brings us to 2024, and another meeting between the two clubs. This time, someone of a conspiratorial mindset might think that this matchup was deliberately orchestrated by the Bruins, another chance to pummel the Leafs.

All Boston had to do, after all, was beat hapless Ottawa at home on Tuesday night to win the Atlantic Division. Instead, the Bruins made Anton Forsberg look like Vladimir Dzurilla and mailed in a 3-1 loss. That allowed the Florida Panthers, who beat the Leafs that night, to win the division and allowed the Bruins to draw the Leafs in the first round.

Was that Boston’s preference all along? If you had Boston’s record against Toronto, wouldn’t you have done the same? The Leafs haven’t bested the Bruins in a playoff series since 1959, and currently are on a seven-game regular-season losing streak against their Atlantic Division “rival.”

Just this season, it’s been all Boston. Four games, four wins. The Bruins held the powerful Toronto offence to nine goals and the vaunted Leafs power play to nine per cent efficiency. Boston goes right at the strengths of the Leafs and takes them away.

If teams were permitted to choose their first-round playoff opponent, we can agree the Leafs would have been Boston’s No. 1 pick. And maybe that’s exactly the preference the Bruins expressed in losing to the Senators.

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from Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald,

As Friday’s trade deadline quickly approaches, the groans from the Eeyore section of Bruin fandom are becoming louder. Everything is awful, the professional pessimists say. The team should just dump all the good players on expiring contracts for draft picks and play for next year, they say, as if anything could came of packing it in.

And, sure, performances like the one the B’s turned in on Saturday night on Long Island in the 5-1 no-show loss do feed that narrative.

But becoming a straight seller when you’ve been at or near the top of the NHL for the entire season? Silly doesn’t begin to describe that thinking.

Yet what GM Don Sweeney can actually accomplish by Friday with the B’s paucity of draft capital (zero picks in the first three rounds of June’s draft) and salary cap space (current cap space of less than $70,000, according to capfriendly.com) is anyone’s guess. He’ll have to be creative, and it will require moving a roster player or two out. He won’t be able to make the kind of impact moves – or what he and everyone else thought were impact moves – like he did last season.

But they need a big thumper in the lineup and, considering the way they’ve been allowing goals lately (11 straight games of three goals or more), they could use some nasty on the blue line the most.

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from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

Bobby Orr played his last great hockey in the 1976 Canada Cup tournament and it’s far too easy to forget, looking back, that it happened 48 years ago.

Orr won his first NHL scoring title in 1970 — as the first, then later the second, defenceman in hockey history to win an Art Ross Trophy. The first came 54 years ago.

At the height of his brilliance, in an unmatched six-year period, Orr scored 734 points, finished first in NHL scoring twice, second three times, third once. Most of that coming more than 50 years ago.

Why does of any of that matter now? Because at all-star weekend in Toronto, when the subject of Sidney Crosby’s place in hockey history was being discussed and debated by younger chroniclers of the sport in the media room, it was remarkable to me how many influencers in the game had little idea of everything Orr had accomplished in hockey.

So many never saw him play. Unless you’re 60 or above in age, there’s a chance you didn’t see enough of him. And those of us who witnessed history sometimes take for granted that we did.

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Below, dedicate 45 minutes to watching the ESPN SportsCentury feature on Orr.

NEW YORK (Feb. 14, 2024) – Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for high-sticking Tampa Bay Lightning forward Michael Eyssimont during NHL Game No. 823 in Boston on Tuesday, Feb. 13, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 5:21 of the third period.

The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Watch below.

NEW YORK (Feb. 11, 2024) – Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for spearing Washington Capitals forward Max Pacioretty during NHL Game No. 808 in Boston on Saturday, Feb. 10, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 18:08 of the first period. Grzelcyk was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for spearing.

The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Watch below.

NEW YORK (Oct. 31, 2023) – Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy has been suspended for four games, without pay, for an illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson during NHL Game No. 130 in Boston on Monday, Oct. 30, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 9:24 of the third period. McAvoy was assessed a match penalty.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, McAvoy will forfeit $197,916.68. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

For a full explanation of the decision, complete with video, please click on the following link: https://www.nhl.com/video/topic/player-safety/mcavoy-suspended-four-games-6340250624112

via the NHL's YouTube page,

The four-time All-Star played 1,714 regular season games, recording 1,109 assists and 430 goals.

from Eric Russo of BostonBruins.com.

The Bruins will be aiming to match the best start in franchise history on Tuesday night when they close out their first road trip of the season with a meeting against the Blackhawks at United Center. With a victory, Boston would improve to 6-0-0 and match the 1937-38 Bruins for the club record.

“The big thing is to keep our energy up,” said Bruins captain Brad Marchand. “It's always tough with the travel, different time zones, last game of a long road trip…stay focused on the little details. That’s usually when we thrive is when we take care of those little details.”

Marchand added that he’s been impressed with the way the Bruins have been able to find ways to win so far on the road trip, which has included victories in San Jose, Los Angeles, and Anaheim.

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The Bruins are celebrating their centennial year in the NHL.

from Brad Marchand at The Players' Tribune,

If you like me, you’ll like this story.

If you hate me, you’ll love it.

It’s kind of a famous story in my family, and it’s probably the first thing I can remember. I was like three years old, and my dad had bought me this sick electric four-wheeler truck for my birthday. I’d always ride it around the cul-de-sac outside our house in Halifax like a maniac. It was yellow with blue seats, and it even had a horn and everything. It was unreal.

So one day I was hanging out with one of my little neighbor buddies, and I guess I got distracted or something, because the next thing I know, I turn around, and he’s in the truck, honking the horn, just lovin’ it.

So, of course, I go nuts.

I’m like, “No! That’s mine!”

And he’s like, “No! My turn!”

He takes off. He’s driving around our garage, laughing. I’m fuming, man. This little rat is driving around my truck, in my driveway, honking my horn, you know? After about 30 seconds, I couldn’t take it anymore. I jumped right in front of the truck and put my hand out, like, “You’ll have to run me over.”

He stopped, and I shoved the kid right out of the front seat. Yoink.

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BOSTON – The Boston Bruins announced today, September 20, that Brad Marchand has been named the 27th captain of the Boston Bruins.

“I am extremely proud of Brad and the hockey player he has become,” said Boston Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs. “Brad has been a Bruin for over 15 years and had the opportunity to learn from great leaders in Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. He is ready for this opportunity and our whole team will learn from his competitive nature and tenacity. I am confident he will represent our organization with heart and grit.”

Marchand joins the ranks of past Bruins captains, including seven Hall of Famers and seven former Bruins whose numbers have been retired.

from Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald,

The Bruins are without a captain after the retirement of Patrice Bergeron. But if you took in Boston’s first “captain’s practice” on Tuesday and listened to him speak afterward, it was hard to miss the vibe that Brad Marchand just might be the captain-in-waiting.

Not that Marchand, now the longest serving Bruin, was about to publicly lobby for the job.

“It’s not something I really think about too much. Obviously it’s a really big honor to be in the leadership group in this organization when you look at the guys who have been there before. But we’ve always done it collectively as a group,” said Marchand after an hour-plus session at Warrior Ice Arena. “So regardless of who wears it, it’s a collective thing. Even guys guys without a letters have stepped up through the years. When you lose Bergy and (David Krejci) and that leadership, it’s got to come from the group, and not one certain guy or a couple of guys. It’s got to be from a big group. So that’s what we’re going to rely on this year.”

That sounds like something a captain would say.

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from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

NHL training camps are getting ready to open, the new season is only some six weeks away, and that means Alex Chiasson is betting again, with both hands and both feet. No one in the NHL beats the house odds as consistently as this guy when it comes to wagering on himself.

Chiasson, 32, agreed to report to Bruins camp Sept. 20 on a professional tryout agreement, promised nothing but some space to pull on his skates at the club’s Brighton workout facility and a chance to catch the eye of coach Jim Montgomery.

Chiasson knows the auditioning drill better than anyone. A veteran of 651 NHL games, this will be the fifth time Chiasson has reported to an NHL training camp on a PTO. He landed a job the first three times, first with Washington (2017), then Edmonton (’18), and next in Vancouver (’21). Last September, after not securing a job with the Coyotes, he ultimately landed a late-season spot on Detroit’s NHL roster after a protracted tuneup with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids, Mich.

“I took my hockey bag, a backpack and suitcase,” said Chiasson, recalling his job-seeking journey last season that finally brought him to Detroit, where he cobbled together a respectable 6-3—9 line in 20 games, “and I lived out of a hotel room in Grand Rapids for almost three months. It was a good end of the year there, and I was hopeful things would work out, but the business end of things … it can be a tough business.”

The PTO path can be especially cruel. It worked out ideally here in the fall of ‘07 for journeyman forward Glen Metropolit, invited by then-Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli. Metro played all 82 games, the No. 3 center behind Marc Savard and Marco Sturm, and had 33 points.

continued plus more topics including Elias Lindholm would be a good fit in Boston...

from Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet,

There is, however, another unique situation in the league right now Boston might be able to exploit in that two very, very good centres could be had via trade. Both Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jet Mark Scheifele are one year away from unrestricted free agency with more than a little summer-long speculation their time with their current clubs could end before July 1 of 2024.

Scheifele, in particular, would seem like a dream fit for Boston.

Nobody is going to replicate Bergeron in terms of being a two-way presence, to say nothing of the calm, sturdy leadership he brought to the club. But if you’re forced into replacing a right-shot centre at the top of your lineup, you could sure do worse than slotting in another righty who comes in a six-foot-three package and just set a career high with 42 goals in the same season he turned 30.

There’s no denying a Scheifele move would be tricky for Boston on a couple of fronts. First off, the B’s have a bottom-five farm system and have already spent significant draft capital at recent trade deadlines trying, in vain, to bring the second title in careers of Bergeron and Krejci to Massachusetts. The futures Boston can offer just might not tantalize the Jets all that much.

Also, there’s that pesky salary cap that won’t be increasing for another year. The Bruins are already up against it, so squeezing in Scheifele’s hit of $6.1 million for 2023-24 would take some work.

Still, GM Don Sweeney could find a way.

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Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic answers questions on the Bruins,

With the obvious need to replenish draft picks and prospects for at least a minor rebuild, why keep two starting goalies? Even if Linus Ullmark could have only garnered a late first- or second-round pick, wouldn’t that have been worth it? Also, with Brad Marchand having a list of 15 teams he could be traded to this season, does it make sense to explore trading him this year? What would his potential return be? — Brendan N.

The Bruins’ perspective is that having the best goaltending rotation in the league will be their position of strength for 2023-24. That should keep them competitive. Fair point in terms of using Ullmark to accumulate futures. But would a Jeremy Swayman-Brandon Bussi tandem give them a chance to win this season? Their odds would certainly not be as good. The organization still believes the roster, with Ullmark and Swayman, can make the playoffs.

Trading Marchand would bring about a similar scenario. They would not be as good in 2023-24. As for his return, I think it would be a first-round pick and a mid-level prospect.

So the Bruins knew Bergeron was retiring in May and this was still Don Sweeney’s plan for July 1? — Louis S.

He didn’t have many alternatives. Not enough free cash to be a major player in UFA.

more ($) Q & A

via the Boston Bruins,

When I was around 12 years old a teacher asked everyone in my class to write about our dreams. For me, my dream was already clear: to become a professional hockey player.

I was probably a little naive growing up, because in my mind this dream was never a question of if, but when it would happen. The path to making my dreams come true was not easy. I faced adversity and made so many sacrifices, but throughout it all my love for the game only grew and my determination to achieve my goals always remained strong.

For the last 20 years I have been able to live my dream every day. I have had the honor of playing in front of the best fans in the world wearing the Bruins uniform and representing my country at the highest levels of international play. I have given the game everything that I have physically and emotionally, and the game has given me back more than I could have ever imagined.

It is with a full heart and a lot of gratitude that today I am announcing my retirement as a professional hockey player.

from Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now,

Is Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk part of the team’s roster plans past this upcoming season?

If he is, and they haven’t already, they may want to start up talks on a contract extension for DeBrusk, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2024.

“Everyone is going to be watching DeBrusk,” an NHL pro scout told Boston Hockey Now on Wednesday. “The Bruins need to know where they stand with him soon if they don’t already. If they’re going to enter the season without an extension, there needs to be some sort of mutual understanding because I think teams will line up for him next July.”

Jake DeBrusk, 26, is coming off two straight seasons of hitting the 25-goal plateau with 25 lamplighters in 77 games of the 2021-22 regular season, and then 27 in 64 games this past season. That’s the second time DeBrusk has scored 27 goals in a season, with the first coming in 2018-19 when he played a key role in the Boston Bruins reaching Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

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The team needs and deserves a definitive answer on whether it can plug its captain and No. 1 center into the lineup or whether it has a giant hole in its heart and soul. Ideally, that answer would’ve been delivered before the July 1 start of NHL free agency. It’s not unfair or unreasonable to ask Bergeron to render a decision about tugging on a Bruins sweater for a 20th season in a time frame that gives the team its best chance to respond accordingly.

Instead, the Bruins remain in pucks purgatory. Are they reloading or rebooting? Are they Cup contenders again or a top-heavy team that will gladly park in a playoff spot and call that success?

-Christopher L. Gasper of the Boston Globe on Patrice Bergeron. Read more on this at the Boston Globe.

The folks at the NHL Network discuss his role with the Bruins.