from Joe MacDonald of ESPNBoston,

The environment in Boston hasn't been this tepid in years. Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs called this season "unacceptable", and saud if the team misses the playoffs for the first time in eight years it would be an "utter failure."

Then he said everyone in the organization is under evaluation, including management and the coaching staff. During Tuesday's practice, Brad Marchand and Torey Krug were involved in a scrum and needed to be separated by teammates. Earlier in the week, players were talking about the team's lack of passion and confidence. Coach Claude Julien has been on the defensive of late, even before Jacobs made those comments on Tuesday.

I would be surprised if Julien was fired during the season, but Jacobs has never been so forceful in any comments he's made about the team. It's a mess in Boston, and if it isn't fixed soon there could be a major mixup.

more from the ESPN hockey writers including Burside of Tampa/Montreal, Lebrun on the Blues and Strang on the Flyers...