PuckUpdate .: The Hockey Blog
Ovechkin Forces Game Seven: Obviously, Alex Ovechkin was having kind of a quiet series against the Flyers. Of course, when this guy finds an opportunity, he really finds an opportunity. He scored the game-winner off a turnover in the Caps end. The Flyers had...... , posted on April 22, 2008 more
Draft Busts: Ted Montgomery has a look at NHL draft busts. I'm not sure what the hook is for the story since we're right in the middle of the push for the playoffs, but I kind of don't care. I'm fascinated by...... , posted on March 27, 2008 more
Don't Speak on Any Given Sunday: Today, we have a tribute to assistant coaches, those unheralded heroes of the bench. Over in Detroit, please meet Paul MacLean and Todd McLellan, who work for Red Wings coach Mike Babcock. Sadly, Babcock takes a lesson from NFL coaches...... , posted on March 13, 2008 more
NHL Diversity: The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine had an interesting piece on former Bruin Willie O'Ree, aka the NHL's first black player. O'Ree works for the league, doing outreach on behalf of the NHL's diversity program. The article raises the idea that...... , posted on December 11, 2007 more
What Do You Do with a Sponge and a Rusty Spanner?: Ian Winwood of the The Guardian, an English paper/site takes a look at the NHL and concludes what a lot of North Americans already know: Gary Bettman runs the NHL like someone who hates the game. Nothing new, but it's...... , posted on December 07, 2007 more
Fun With Owners: There's some cool NHL management stuff floating around the Internet this week. Boston magazine had an interesting piece on Charlie Jacobs, the man who runs the Boston Bruins for his father. The article doesn't say anything crazy. Basically that Jacobs...... , posted on November 30, 2007 more
Sub Puck: Just a few quick things, since I just got back from a week in Seattle (a great sports town that really should have an NHL franchise, especially with the Sonics about to leave. Plus, you have to love the location,...... , posted on August 06, 2007 more
Panthers Go Back to the Future: The Bruins have new uniforms. Also, I love how psyched the Panthers are to have goalie Tomas Vokoun (login info.). After all, the missing piece of the Panthers' puzzle has been goaltending for quite a while now. They've just never...... , posted on June 26, 2007 more
Oh Yeah. There Was a Draft, Too: OK. Islanders Army has a great screen grab of ENTOURAGE's Kevin Connolly sporting his Isles pride. I didn't see last night's episode, so I can't confirm the rumor that Mike Bossy is going to join the cast as Vince's life...... , posted on June 25, 2007 more
Julien a Bruin: Wow. Claude Julien is the new coach of the Bruins. He's kind of a dull choice. I guess the Bruins will play a defensive system next season. The Bruins might have moved quickly, firing old coach Dave Lewis and hiring...... , posted on June 19, 2007 more
Muckler Stops Believing: Is it me or is every recent Sunday spent wondering if someone was whacked? Last week, I had no idea what the hell happened to Tony. Heart disease? Bullet? Retirement? Spinoff? This week, I have no idea what happend to...... , posted on June 18, 2007 more
Islanders Parked in the Playoffs: Congratulations to the Islanders for really fighting their way into the playoffs, finally making it in via a shootout in game 82. Coach Ted Nolan started the season asking for character players: guys like Mike Sillinger, Chris Simon, Brendan Witt,...... , posted on April 09, 2007 more
Thornton Trade Still Looking Awful: The most interesting part of Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau going to Calgary for Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew? Stuart and Primeau were both part of what San Jose sent over for Joe Thornton, making that deal look even worse...... , posted on February 12, 2007 more
NHL on NBC: The NHL on NBC kicked off this weekend. I checked in because, to be boorish, Hockey Day in Canada was killing me. We get it. All kinds of people play hockey. And save lives. And do both. NBC's national telecast...... , posted on January 16, 2007 more
If I Ran the NHL: Bigger nets? Nah. I'd get smaller goalies. That's right. If I ran the NHL, goalies could be no taller than 4' and could be no older than 10 years old. Bigger nets? What the heck is that? Fans don't want...... , posted on September 12, 2006 more
Bruins: 'The Cap is on Salaries, Not Tickets. Now Let's Trade Chara!': I love how teams always have a compelling reason to raise ticket prices. The Bruins are hardly the only team to do this, but I find their rationalization of increased tickets especially distasteful, mentioning an increased salary cap as a...... , posted on August 28, 2006 more
Bruins Going Bear-less: Woo hoo! The Bruins are getting rid of that weird-ass third jersey with the bear on it (login info.). You know. This one. I don't know. I never liked that bear. He kind of freaked me out. I was always...... , posted on August 22, 2006 more
Neil Smith: 'It Ain't Easy Being Me': The New York Daily News had a very cool story looking at Neil Smith's post-Ranger career. It's interesting, because Smith speaks super candidly about his six years without a GM job. He talks about almost getting the GM gig in...... , posted on August 14, 2006 more
Sinden: 'Wait. There Are Other Teams in the League? Is That a New Thing?': OK. Not a ton of hockey news this week and still, I've been delinquent: Harry Sinden resigned as president of the Bruins, leaving a legacy of being a cost-conscious manager (login info.). Right. Which is why he gave then-rookie Joe...... , posted on August 11, 2006 more
Crime and Punishment: James Mirtle has an interesting post defending Billy Tibbetts, trying to get back into the NHL as part of a Bruins reality show. Some interesting notes on Tibbetts: From the April 1, 1994 Boston Herald: A Brockton Superior Court judge...... , posted on July 17, 2006 more
Bruins to Trump: 'Fire Us. On TV. Please': Oy. The Bruins signed a bunch of free agents this offseason (look for them to be traded a few weeks into the season), so of course, they have to undo any kind of goodwill by building a reality series around...... , posted on July 14, 2006 more
Bruins: 'Can We Just Have a Team of Nine, Like the Celtics?': I'm always interested in what the Bruins are up to because they almost get things right, but then they sort of fail miserably. Like last season, they made sure they had no one signed, with the thought that it would...... , posted on July 06, 2006 more
License to Thrill: Free agent season. I'm not into hunting, but if I were, I imagine I would be just as excited about the start of hunting season. Or maybe, if I were into fashion, I'd be this excited about fashion week. Although,...... , posted on July 03, 2006 more
Bruins and Ruins: Dave Lewis is stepping in as Boston's coach. Some in the Boston media say outgoing coach Mike Sullivan got a raw deal. You know. Because everyone above him was insane. It sucks for Sullivan, but he's probably better off out...... , posted on June 29, 2006 more
Draft Dodging: I'm not much of a draft person, but I love me some trades! Todd Bertuzzi for Roberto Luongo? The most shocking part of that trade was that Luongo was actually looking to sign a contract in Florida (login info.). Hasn't...... , posted on June 26, 2006 more
Life Goes On: I realize the Stanley Cup finals are on, but hockey goes on for clubs that aren't playing for the Cup. Like Boston. Did anyone else know they don't have access to their new GM until July? New GM Peter Chiarelli...... , posted on June 06, 2006 more
Shero a Penguin: OK. Quick update. Ray Shero won't be the next Bruins' GM. He's going to Pittsburgh. Apparently Shero wanted a dysfunctional franchise on the east coast. But he didn't care which one. The Bruins are now looking at Ottawa's Peter Chiarelli....... , posted on May 26, 2006 more
Bruins Like a Duck: Ray Shero is close to being the new Bruins' GM. The only reason I care is I'm a big fan of his dad, the enigmatic NHL coach Fred Shero. I have no idea if Ray will be like his dad,...... , posted on May 24, 2006 more
'Then We'll Use the Scoreboard on the Point of Our Power Play': I know this time of year is all about the playoffs, but I can't help but think about the 14 teams that didn't make it into the post-season. Like the Bruins. But don't worry. They have a plan to make...... , posted on April 28, 2006 more
Boston Media: 'Joe Who?': You know the interesting thing about Bruins GM Mike O'Connell getting fired (login info.)? The Boston media not really locking in on the Joe Thornton trade as the reason for O'Connell's going on the dole. Obviously, the reasons are a...... , posted on March 27, 2006 more
Devil of a Sell: The move of the season (so far) has been New Jersey locking in Martin Brodeur. This is a team that had a very bad season in terms of free-agent signings. I imagine a lot of players are a little bit...... , posted on January 30, 2006 more
Why I Like Honey Nut Cheerios: You know, say what you will about Joe Thornton, he's a very nice guy. I didn't see the Hal Gill hit that got him kicked out of the game, but the fact that he apologized and didn't make a big...... , posted on January 12, 2006 more
Leave Lou Alone!: I've never been the biggest Lou Lamoriello fan. The Devils GM is a smart guy, but he can be downright cruel to his players, and he's often placed winning ahead of the greater good of hockey. But he doesn't seem...... , posted on January 09, 2006 more
PuckUpdate Hearts Al Strachan: Al Strachan has a butt-kicking New Year's Day column with a ton of great things. Like how Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is only behind the bench (Larry Robinson quit as his coach a week or two ago) to find out...... , posted on January 02, 2006 more
Joe Fallout: Yesterday's papers had some interesting Joe Thornton fallout/insights. Larry Brooks says any players screwed by the Bruins deserve whatever they get since owner Jeremy Jacobs made no secret of his contempt for players during the lockout (login info.). I don't...... , posted on December 05, 2005 more
Boston: 'We Get to Buy the Whole Bridge? That's Wicked Awesome!': OK. It's official. I really don't understand the new NHL. The Bruins trading Joe Thornton to San Jose for Wayne Primeau, Marco Sturm and Brad Stuart? That's just shocking. Is Boston worried about being too successful? Did they not want...... , posted on December 01, 2005 more
Cam Muscles: It's funny how people are using Cam Neely's Hockey Hall of Fame induction to point out how a tough guy like Neely would never make it in the current NHL. I think it's because so much of the NHL braintrust...... , posted on November 08, 2005 more
The Number One Club: I never really thought about this, but Joe Thornton from the Bruins says he can kind of relate to the whole Sidney Crosby phenomenon. Thornton, you'll recall, came to Boston with crazy-high expectations of him. Pat Burns, his coach, negated...... , posted on October 11, 2005 more
Cablevision Blacks Out Again: Here in New York City, OLN is making the October 5 NHL opener, featuring Flyers-Rangers, available to any cable system that wants it. How come? Great question. Cablevision, which owns the Rangers, doesn't think OLN has an exclusive right to...... , posted on September 28, 2005 more
NHL Players: 'Oh Dip. We Have to Play Now?': Wow. I'm thinking the NHL's transition into new rules is going to be rough. Veteran Brett Hull sure had trouble with it. He forgot you can no longer change lines during icing in a 7-0 loss to the Wild. Say...... , posted on September 19, 2005 more
A Three Asterisk Kind of Morning...: Interesting. Larry Brooks says there's a rumor the Thrashers might be low-balling Ilya Kovalchuk at the suggestion of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman (login info.). I really do love the idea of a sport where the commissioner chases his best players...... , posted on September 12, 2005 more
Around the Rink: OK. This time I double-checked. The Penguins have actually landed a goalie. They traded for Chicago's Jocelyn Thibault. It's a nice pickup. Thibault was out most of the 2003-04 season with a pretty nasty concussion. But assuming he's healthy now,...... , posted on August 11, 2005 more
Bertuzzi's Back: Todd Bertuzzi is back in the NHL. I'm not surprised. He's one of the league's more interesting players, a great mix of selfless fury and actual offensive talent. The NHL needs him almost as much as he needs hockey. It's...... , posted on August 09, 2005 more
Too Many Numbers: Sure the lockout is over, but now with the salary cap in place, we're still force to wade through numbers. Painful numbers. Kevin Paul Dupont looks at the Bruins and how the unexpected free agency of Joe Thornton and Sergei...... , posted on August 08, 2005 more
Trading Everyone!: Too. Much. Hockey. News. Every time I click over to a hockey news site, I'm gasping. It's a rollercoaster. Brian Leetch is a Bruin. Why? Because that's where he wanted to play. I firmly believe Leetch was only looking for...... , posted on August 04, 2005 more
Role of Roles: You have to love the return of hockey season if for no other reason than it means the return of hockey rumors. Larry Brooks has a couple of good ones (login info.). Like the Red Wings are very interested in...... , posted on August 01, 2005 more
Carnival of the NHL #3: Welcome Carnival of the NHL #3. I'm Steve Ovadia. You might remember me from blogs like PuckUpdate and PopUpdate Daily. Today, I'll be your host as I take you around the hockey blogosphere, from its beautiful hair, to its seamy...... , posted on July 29, 2005 more
Stars For Sale: Are the Bruins trying to get rid of Joe Thornton? I'm not sure. But they sure seem to be low-balling him. I've always had the feeling the Boston organization was never completely enamored with Thornton for whatever reasons. Thornton's leverage...... , posted on July 28, 2005 more
Something to PuckUpdate About: Wow. I go on vacation for a week and the whole lockout gets solved. I should have done that months ago. I was really happy to see the NHL didn't get any smarter while I was basking in the beauty...... , posted on July 18, 2005 more
Owners: 'Save Us from Ourselves': A reader sent me a link to Tim Panaccio's Sunday NHL column, which I missed this week (login info.). It's a pretty interesting one, where he talks about the refusal of the big market NHL owners to step up and...... , posted on February 09, 2005 more
Game On Unless It's Off: I don't know, man. I hear the meeting between NHLPA Union President Trevor Linden and NHL Board of Directors Chairman Harley Hotchkiss (and their lawyers) went well and I'm all like 'Maybe the NHL will start things up again this...... , posted on January 20, 2005 more
NHL: 'The Season is Over Unless It Isn't': So not much has changed in the world of hockey since my brief vacation. I mean, I moved into a new apartment, but I'm not sure that's really considered the world of hockey. Larry Brooks of the New York Post...... , posted on December 27, 2004 more
Arbitrary Arbitration and Brodeur Writes Tough on Hockey: David Naylor at the Globe and Mail takes down the NHL's arbitration process. Basically, he argues that it allows bad (and extreme) economic moves to dictate salary for players. And he's right. But teams have options. They can try to...... , posted on August 09, 2004 more
Bruins Prepare for All Kinds of Caps: Stephen Harris over at the Boston Herald is very kind to the Bruins. He gives their current "rebuilding" plan the benefit of the doubt, something very few other people are willing to do. Harris argues that GM Mike O'Connell might...... , posted on July 26, 2004 more
Joe Thornton: Swiss Mister: The most overblown news of the offseason so far? Boston Bruin Joe Thornton signing a deal with the Swiss team Davos. The deal is a contingency plan in case there's a strike. But Thornton can also opt to play in...... , posted on July 09, 2004 more
Bruins: 'Joe Heart Boston': I don't know if it's because the New York Post broke the story over the holiday weekend or if it's because it just sounds so crazy, but the whole "Joe Thornton wants out of Boston" rumor hasn't picked up a...... , posted on July 08, 2004 more
Thornton Going South for Next Season?: Larry Brooks from the New York Post (and reading today's entries, the Post is fast becoming my only source of hockey information) says Joe Thornton wants out of Boston. Brooks says Thornton is pissed that Boston didn't protect him from...... , posted on July 06, 2004 more
Boo-in the Bruins: In honor of Boston's loss to the Canadiens, ESPN's Page Two has a nice list of some of the Stanley Cup playoffs' other notable choke jobs. Michael Holley at the Boston Globe says GM Mike O'Connell walks the plank for...... , posted on April 21, 2004 more
Lucky Langdon: I've been saying there's something to Montreal keeping the gritty Darren Langdon in the line-up. There's just something he's bringing, mostly in terms of luck or energy, that really propels the Canadiens. Saturday night, he even scored a goal, helping...... , posted on April 19, 2004 more
Cracking the Hab Code: OK. I've cracked the Canadiens' code. They're not great with Darren Langdon OR Yanic Perreault. But get both in the line-up and lookout! They'll whip Boston 5-1. Perreault had his first goal of the playoffs. Langdon had almost six minutes...... , posted on April 16, 2004 more
Foregiveness. Even If, Even If, You Don't Love Kovalev Anymore: I'm sorry. I need to keep obsessing over the Canadiens. After last night's loss, everyone was pissed at Alex Kovalev for dropping out of the play that led to Boston's overtime game winner. Fair enough. Kovalev was looking for a...... , posted on April 15, 2004 more
Mojo Update: So will the mystery of Mike Ribeiro ever be solved? He mysteriously went down Sunday. The Bruins said he was faking. The Habs said he was maybe hurt or maybe resting. Now he's saying it was a pinched nerve. It...... , posted on April 14, 2004 more
Kovalev Awakens: As someone who sat through a season and a half of watching Alex Kovalev rot in New York, I'm both surprised and disappointed by his two goal outburst in game three of the Montreal-Boston series. Surprised that he may have...... , posted on April 12, 2004 more
Jumping the Gun; Caps Worse as a Whole: We're going to jump the gun and give this postseason's JUMPING THE GUN award to ESPN's Bill Clement and Gary Thorn. Nashville was up 1-0 on Detroit in the second when the two, discussing Predator goalie Tomas Vokoun, both started...... , posted on April 08, 2004 more
Jillson Jilted: SoVeryObsessed, the really neat Bruins blog, has a cool story from some Bruins fans who followed the team to Nashville on trade day. They were in the elevator with Jeff Jillson as he left the team to join the Sharks....... , posted on March 16, 2004 more
Slegr a Bruin: Interesting move in Boston. They grabbed Jiri Slegr from the Canucks. The move is interesting becuase Boston is really in need of an offensive defenseman. Slegr doesn't really fit that mold. Boston also needs some kind of powerplay specialist. Either...... , posted on January 19, 2004 more
Fighting For Scoring: I missed an interesting article from Cam Neely night. Kevin Paul Dupont had an interesting piece on how the league's crackdown on fighting contributed to the lack of offense. He makes the case that Neely was able to score because...... , posted on January 16, 2004 more
Cam Neely Night: Last night was Cam Neely night in Boston. I've been trying to figure out what it is that makes Neely so special to Boston. Not that he wasn't a great player. His numbers speak for themself. The love Boston has...... , posted on January 13, 2004 more
Streaky Bruins: I love the Bruins. From November 6 to November 20, they didn't lose in regulation. From November 22 to December 11, they won once in regulation. They're just an extreme team. They find something to do and then they do...... , posted on December 15, 2003 more
Dupont: 'Play Raycoft Until He Collapses': Kevin Paul Dupont lobbies for rookieish goalie Andrew Raycroft to get more starts. I'm not sure why. Number one goalie Felix Potvin is playing fine. Why put the kid under the pressure of carrying a team? Especially a pretty hot...... , posted on December 08, 2003 more
The Fine Blue Line: Interesting Boston Globe piece on how the Bruins really need some offensive defensemen. That's something I've noticed this season — the importance of defenemen jumping into the play. With all the grinders on the ice nowadays, all the forwards end...... , posted on December 03, 2003 more
Achilles' Heels in Boston: So two of the Eastern Conference's best teams met. There could be only one winner. Unless overtime ended in a tie. But there was no tie. There was no overtime. The Flyers beat Boston 3-2. Interestingly, Flyers coach Ken Hitchock...... , posted on November 24, 2003 more
Thornton: 'I Will Run Companies and Cure Disease': I swear. I really do sympathize with the abuse elite NHL players suffer at the hands of lesser players. And I do agree that for whatever reason, the league looks past these abuses. But for Boston Bruin Joe Thornton to...... , posted on November 12, 2003 more
It's Official: Thornton an On-Ice Victim: Wow. The Bruins are making a tape of what other teams do to Joe Thornton on the ice — all the hooking and cheap shots that don't get called. And they're sending the tape into the league. It's not a...... , posted on November 10, 2003 more
THN Beefcake: Am I the only one who saw this week's issue of The Hockey News and thought he had accidentally subscribed to Teen Beat or something? What's with that picture of Joe Thornton in the 1930s suit? Isn't he a hockey...... , posted on November 10, 2003 more
Checking In On McLaren: Poor Kyle McLaren. He held out in Boston and ended up in San Jose, almost to the second the team imploded and shed all of its talent. Now he's a defenseman and a teacher for San Jose's young defensive corps....... , posted on November 07, 2003 more
Stock Plummets: Things just keep getting worse for P.J. Stock, the loveable Bruin sent down to the minors. Now he's been loaned to the Philadelphia Phantoms. Kevin Paul Dupont has a couple of suggestions for the gritty forward who captured hockey's heart...... , posted on November 03, 2003 more
Berard: 'Hire Me!': Defenseman Bryan Berard's agent is still trying to find him a team. Right now his agent is chasing ambulances. If your team loses a defensemen, you're probably going to get a call from Tom Laidlaw, Berard's agent. In fact, he...... , posted on October 21, 2003 more
Stock's Stock Plummets: How much does this suck? The Bruins sent the mighty P.J. Stock down to their AHL team. Stock's a fighter who can score, once in a blue moon. But more importantly, he had a great online diary last season. He...... , posted on October 16, 2003 more
Jesus Saves; Espo Writes: So nobody told me that Blackhawks/Bruin/Ranger great Phil Esposito wrote an autobiography. He's plugging it right now. Probably as you read this. The book is called THUNDER AND LIGHTNING: A NO B.S. HOCKEY MEMOIR. There might be some good anecdotes...... , posted on October 08, 2003 more
Boynton Signed. Finally.: Boston finally signed defenseman Nick Boynton. He got a two-year contract. Why the defense-starved Bruins couldn't do this before camp, I'm not sure. The Bruins have money, unlike a lot of other NHL teams. They just choose not to spend...... , posted on October 01, 2003 more
Quick Cuts: Havlat, Daigle, and the Kings: Just so you all know (and because I'm in a list-y mood): * Martin Havlat is returning to Canada. He's been playing in a Czech league. Presumably, this means he and the Senators are close to a deal, since he's...... , posted on September 29, 2003 more
Potvin Falls; Hatcher Hits; Cujo's Awkward: I know it's the preseason, but should Boston goalie Felix Potvin be giving up seven goals in two periods? That just seems like a lot to me. Even counting that Boston gave up 49 shots to the Detroit Red Wings....... , posted on September 26, 2003 more
Boston: 'More Goalies! No! MORE!': It's official. Boston GM Mike O'Connell is crazy. He says Boston is still looking for a goalie. You know. Even though they just signed Felix Potvin. And even though before that, he seemed ready to go with rookie Andrew Raycroft....... , posted on September 22, 2003 more
Mean Old Boston: Wow. A lot's going on in Boston, isn't it? Joe Thornton had an infected cut. Don't worry, though. He's doing better. His elbow was messed up by an infection last season. This guy might want to think about vitamins. Or...... , posted on September 19, 2003 more
Roy's Number To Be Retired: The Avs are going to retire Patrick Roy's number 33. I think they should have Roy hold his jersey in front of him like he used to do with pucks. Just freeze it in midair like he's daring it to...... , posted on September 12, 2003 more
Goalie Day: OK. Today is a theme post. Go in the crease with PuckUpdate as today we look at goalies. (Pause for applause) First, the weird. And the late. The Sun-Times had an interesting piece on goalie Jocelyn Thibault last week. Apparently,...... , posted on September 04, 2003 more
Curse of the Cheap-ino: Someone has to explain Boston logic to me. Owner Jeremy Jacobs says he likes the Devils because their payroll is similar to Boston's. That's fine. That's admirable. But then, in almost the same breath, we hear the rumor that their...... , posted on August 25, 2003 more
CuJo to Bean Town?: So apparently Curtis Joseph is willing to be traded to Boston (second item). Not that he really has any choice. The Wings can put him on waivers and let a team grab him. Then the other team can put a...... , posted on August 18, 2003 more
Berard Walks;McCarthy Hits; Thornton Apologizes: As expected, the Bruins let defenseman Bryan Berard become an unrestricted free agent rather than giving him his arbitration salary. Not neccessarily a bad decision depending on who the Bruins get to replace Berard on the blue line. The Bruins...... , posted on August 13, 2003 more
Bruins: 'Hey! Let's Not Sign Anyone': Wow. So the Bruins are really bucking the tradition of signing players after their arbitration hearings. First they blow off Dmitri Khristich in 1998, deciding he was too expensive, and now they're expected to pass on defenseman Bryan Berard, who...... , posted on August 11, 2003 more
Bruins Not Ready to Pick a Goalie: The Bruins, like the Flyers, don't seem to put much stock in goaltenders. They still haven't really picked a number one to replace the mediocre Jeff Hackett, who bounced over to the aforementioned Philadelphia. Or if they have, they haven't...... , posted on August 04, 2003 more
Number 8 Hangs; Oates Beantown Bound?: Shocking! The Bruins are retiring Cam Neely's number 8. Why shocking? I assumed they did it seconds after he retired in 1996. The man was (and is) the Bruins. And the number has sort of been retired anyway. No one...... , posted on July 30, 2003 more
CoachUpdate: Shockingly, ESPN's Barry Melrose says Mike Sullivan is a good hire for the Bruins. Does this mean Melrose has finally realized he'll never be hired as an NHL head coach? Does this mean he'll stop lobbying for coaching jobs both...... , posted on June 25, 2003 more
Sullivan Named Bruins Coach: This won't shock anyone. The Bruins named Mike Sullivan their new head coach. They were going to name him last Wednesday, but then kind of oddly put the announcement off. No one seems to know why. Sullivan has got a...... , posted on June 24, 2003 more
Bruins Search For a Goalie: The Bruins don't have a coach, but they're not worried. They're going crazy trying to find a goalie. According to the Boston Globe they almost ended up with goalie Roman Cechmanek. Luckily for Boston, they came to their senses and...... , posted on June 16, 2003 more
Samsonov Goalie Bait?: Hmmm. This is interesting. According to the May 23 Hockey News, Boston offered Sergei Samsonov to the Panthers for their first round draft pick. The News says Boston wants the pick to get goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. I haven't seen that...... , posted on May 21, 2003 more
Thornton Finally Ready for Playoffs: Joe Thornton arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer? What gives? He didn't want to fight (or score) in the playoffs. Why now? One thing is for sure. The cop probably didn't look like Devils checker John Madden. Otherwise Thornton...... , posted on May 19, 2003 more
Hackett Stays; Robinson To Beantown?: Speaking of goalies, Jeff Hackett will be the number one goalie in Boston next season. Hackett never played as well as when he was Jose Theodore's back-up in Montreal, making the Vezina-winning goalie look like a cross between Dan Cloutier...... , posted on May 12, 2003 more
Stock Takes Stock: Bruin P.J. Stock has some great stuff in his current online journal. He touches on a lot of things, from how it sucks to be out of the playoffs, to how it sucks not getting played by your coach, to...... , posted on May 05, 2003 more
Lou Leaving?: The Devils are as sharp as any team in the East. Maybe a little sharper since they're the only team that's been playing consistently. Behind the scenes, though? Maybe not so consistent. Larry Brooks is reporting that Devils GM Lou...... , posted on April 21, 2003 more
Boston Lives: Martin Brodeur is an interesting guy. It seems that media attention just doesn't sit well with him. Leading up to last night's game against Boston, everyone (including me) was going on and on about how great Brodeur is. It got...... , posted on April 16, 2003 more
Boston Heart Brodeur: It always shocks me that Martin Brodeur isn't a household name. He's just such an amazing goalie. He's not as Zen as Patrick Roy (have you ever seen Roy move? He just stands still and the puck comes to him)....... , posted on April 15, 2003 more
Boston Beaned: Boston upgraded their goalie from Steven Shields, who probably shouldn't have been playing in the playoffs anyway, to Jeff Hackett, who was coming off of a broken finger. Boston still lost to New Jersey, 3-0. Boston is three games in...... , posted on April 14, 2003 more
Dr. Cam: Boston legend Cam Neely is getting an honorary doctorate from the University of Massachusetts at Boston (scroll down). Dr. Neely can now teach college-level classes on kicking ass and pouring in tons of goals. I'm actually going for my master's...... , posted on April 11, 2003 more
Bruins Clinch: So the Bruins finally clinched. Boston doesn't seem too excited. How come? Well here's a hint. Boston finally clinched on a tie. They couldn't even win their way into the playoffs. Boston is 2-3-2 since firing coach Robbie Ftorek. That...... , posted on April 02, 2003 more
Which Rangers?: I love the Rangers. Their inconsistency makes them like three or four different teams in one. They have so many personalities, they're almost a league unto themselves. Saturday, against Boston, the hard-working, grinding Rangers showed up and they beat Boston...... , posted on March 31, 2003 more
Ftorek Fired: "Yeah, Robbie's weathered the storm. It looks like we righted the ship a little bit. It's constant evaluation: watching the team and seeing how it goes, but I think that he's got the team in the right direction and I'm...... , posted on March 20, 2003 more
Boston Eats Badly; Roenick Feels Special: Feel free to congratulate me. I figured out what's going on with the struggling Bruins (solid, but not secure, in the East's number eight postion). According to Bruin P.J. Stock's online journal, he got food poisoning right before Boston lost...... , posted on March 03, 2003 more
B.G. Go Home: Bill Guerin returned to Boston last night. The Boston native and current Dallas Star played in Boston for less than two years. While Guerin has been having a bit of trouble scoring lately, things are way worse for his old...... , posted on February 26, 2003 more
Yo Quiero Cinco Goals: Every time a bell rings, an angel gets it wings. Every time the Nashville Predators ring in five goals at home, a rink full of hockey fans get free Taco Bell. Welcome to Southern hockey. The Predators racked up five...... , posted on February 19, 2003 more
Montreal Backups Better Back Up: I love Montreal. Whoever's playing backup for them always thrives. First Jeff Hackett and now Mathieu Garon, Hackett's replacement as Montreal's back-up. Garon held off Boston, Hackett's new team, 3-1. If there's one thing you can say about Boston, it's...... , posted on February 13, 2003 more
Too Many Meetings: Sorry! I've been really busy the past two days. Nothing too interesting. Just work, school, and some product training. Here's the abbreviated PuckUpdate for today: * Players like to bother Boston Bruin Joe Thornton. Wow. Huge news. I'm waiting for...... , posted on February 07, 2003 more
McLaren Moves; Hackett Promoted: Our national nightmare is over. The Bruins finally unloaded holdout Kyle McLaren. McLaren is going to the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks sent forward Nik Sundstrom to the Canadiens. And the Canadiens sent goalie Jeff Hackett to Boston. The Sharks...... , posted on January 24, 2003 more
Somebody Take McLaren Already!: I'll admit it. Kyle McLaren has moved from being an interest of mine to an obsession. I just have to know where he'll wind up. As I write this, Boston has not been able to move their holdout defenseman. But...... , posted on January 16, 2003 more
Too Hard to Explain: SportsLine.com's Wes Goldstein has some good scoop on the John Grahame to Tampa trade. One scenario has Grahame, left wing Fredrik Modin and/or Pavel Kubina going to the Isles for Roman Hamrlik. The Isles would move their goalie, Chris Osgood,...... , posted on January 15, 2003 more
Trade Pyramid: Imagine if you will, you're staring across at me as I say the following: Molasses...Turtles...Traffic... You don't get it. Donny Osmond looks over at us and he's looking pretty smug. I plow on: The Bruins dealing Kyle McLaren. It clicks....... , posted on January 14, 2003 more
McLaren Trade Nonsense: Who else is tired of this Brad Isbister for Kyle McLaren rumor business? This has been going on for what seems like months already. In fact, Islander Isbister has been trade bait for practically the whole season. Tampa is also...... , posted on January 13, 2003 more
Boston Boo-Hoo-Ins: The Bruins just depress me. They've only won twice in the past 12 games after an amazing first two months — two months without many of their best players. It seems like the role players have forgotten their roles. Boston's...... , posted on January 10, 2003 more
StockUpdate?: I know a lot of players (or some anyway) are keeping online journals. I just read Bruin P.J. Stock's journal and it's pretty freaking funny. Take this entry: What is it with people who get upset and punch things? What...... , posted on December 31, 2002 more
Buffalo Tells Boston 'Meep Meep': It was supposed to good news for Boston: Sergei Samsonov returning to the line-up. It was supposed to stop Boston's three-game losing skid. It didn't. Boston lost to Buffalo, 4-2. Buffalo is still trying to crack double-digits in the win...... , posted on December 19, 2002 more
Thornton: 'Don't Burn Pat Over Me': NHL Man of the Hour Joe Thornton seems like a real class act. Pat Burns takes a lot of crap for "mishandling" Thornton when he coached him in Boston (for Boston fans, mishandling=not giving him 35 minutes a game). Burns...... , posted on December 16, 2002 more
Boston Signs Someone!: Big week for Boston Bruin Joe Thornton. He's the NHL Player of the Week and he got a one-year contract extension from Boston. The one year isn't very surprising. Boston is obsessed with not signing anyone past 2004, when the...... , posted on December 03, 2002 more
What's Lapointe of it All?: Poor Marty Lapointe. He can't catch a break. He's got a fractured foot and he's desperately trying to rejoin a Bruins team that is seriously depleted from injuries. And all this while trade rumors have him landing all over the...... , posted on November 26, 2002 more
Utility Forwards: I kind of like Boston's philosophy while they wait for their stars to heal — utility forwards. Mike Knuble and Rob Zamuner have been the beneficiaries of the Bruins' lack of depth. They're checking, they're scoring. Heck. I bet they...... , posted on November 12, 2002 more
Case Study: The Bruins are retiring Terry O'Reilly's number 24. I know a lot of people love him, and I realize he's kind of a folk hero to Boston, but to me he just kind of represents the reason Boston never won...... , posted on October 25, 2002 more
Hometown Boy Makes Good: Guess how many Colorado natives have made it to the NHL. Go ahead. Guess. Give up? Two. The unfortunately named Parris Dufus and Boston Bruin John Grahame. Grahame backstopped the Bruins last-second win over Colorado earlier in the week in...... , posted on October 17, 2002 more
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