Gayle IF you are chosing to watch the Black N' Gold over the RedSox and did I mention its a RedSox playoff game then I appreciate and respect that you really must LOVE Hockey and the Bruins! Sorry Gayle I will be enjoying the RedSox beating up on the Angels.

Shappy, there is no IF about it; I will be watching the Bruins... in fact when I got home tonight the first thing I did was turn on Versus to watch Anahiem/Detroit and checked the Sox during TV timeouts and intermission.

As much as I love the Sox, I am a hockey fan first. I have said that from day one and that will never change.

I may be a dying breed, but I live for hockey

Gayle,
I certainly respect your opinion but honestly a grade of "A" for the Bruins' forwards? I see them as a B- at best and only if these guys play basically over their heads. None of these guys can even play a full season and if they falter there is no depth to back them up down in Providence. I just can't see the brittle likes of Bergeron, Murray, Kobasew, Axelsson, etc making it through the year.

I think anything above a C+ for the defense is too high too. Chara will be better but I don't honestly have any hope for the rest of those guys outside of maybe Ference. They need to build a defense of players other teams are worried to play against- I don't see that with anyone outside of Chara and only if Chara plays less minutes than last year so he can be more effective. I don't see how a change in philosophy will turn the swiss cheese defense they have been playing into something solid.

The B's just may fight for that #8 seed with the likes of Philadelphia, Montreal, the Islanders, etc. but all it will mean is that they get swept by the Rangers, Penguins, Senators or whoever finishes #1 in the East... Hopefully they do manage to improve and get this thing headed in the right direction but, honestly, the "new NHL" is built on speedy, highly-skilled players or which the Bruins maybe have about 2 - Bergeron and Savard with Kessel possibly joining them. When both of the Florida teams are almost guaranteed to be better tnan the B's I just can't get too excited about them. As an aside why couldn't the B's make a play for Vokoun and Kariya from the Preds when they had their fire sale? Those kind of guys would be actual upgrades.

As for picks for the season... I still think San Jose is a regular season team that folds like a house of cards come playoff time. Until they can win playoff series I just can't pick them to win anything. I think the Ducks, Red Wings, Avalanche, and possibly Flames will be the teams to beat out west (west is still much better than the east). In the East the top teams will be the Pens, Rangers, Senators, and possibly the Maple Leafs. Buffalo will take a fall without Briere and Drury while the Flyers took many more positive steps than the B's and will improve right past them (Biron, Hartnell, Briere, etc are much bigger upgrades than the B's made IMO).

Should be an interesting season.

Lady Bruins Fan sorry but you are a dying breed especially around these parts and these days. I would imagine the ratings for the Bruins and hockey in general around here will be Barely noticeable. Hockey is okay but the Pats are a GREAT team and there is no denying its REDSOX Nation here now!~

I think we need to perform an "intervention" with Gayle.

Next time you hockey krishnas see her at the rink, you need to kidnap her and bring her to us. We'll try tough love, counseling, hypnosis...whatever it takes. The poor woman is addicted. Bruins forwards an A-? Watching the B's instead of the Red Sox or Patriots?

Get her in Hockey detox now!!!!

LOL!

Maybe for you guys who don't like hockey, the sports you like are just addictions you could better live without. But there's no such thing as detox for a real hockey person. Taking away hockey is like taking away oxygen.

But Gayle, I'm not sure the Bumblebees deserve your devotion.

DB, thanks for respecting my opinion ... but

Do you really think Kessel wouldn't have played a full season if he hadn't gone through cancer? He played 70 games; Savard did play a full season - in fact he was the only Bruin to play all 82 games; Axy had a fracture in his foot and wrist - by all means that is not an average injury; Bergy only missed 5 games last season; Sturm only missed 6 games; Murray to me is the lone question mark as far as forwards go

I just think when the lines last year were clicking their offense was able to score goals; I see that happening again this year - only Julien is not going to take lines that are clicking and switch 'em up just because he can

As far as the defense - Julien has already said he is not going to have Chara play as much as he did last year- he knows that was not the most effective way to use the captain; the rest of the "D" well I believe the more you play together the better communication you have and you gel better - that is huge on the blue line

I agree the Flyers definitely improved this year and I think they will be fighting with the Pens and Sens for the overall top seed in the East... I just think the Bruins made the improvements they needed to make (and they didn't have much $$$ to do so).

And DB, the Sharks have won a playoff series

Teddy - you will never get me into "Hockey detox" - you can try anything; but I will never give up on hockey; I am a true die hard hockey fan.

Terri, I agree when the lockout was going on it was a very boring Fall, winter and spring for me - I couldn't take it ... as far as my devotion to the Bs, what can I say, I'm not a fairweather fan - I stick by my boys.

On the contrary Terri, I used to LOVE hockey.

My first sports memories are of Bobby Orr and the Bruins...of going to the BP gas station on the corner of Fletcher and Broadway and forcing my dad to fill 'er up so I could get my free hockey stick...of my dad waking me up in the final five mintues of Game-6 in 1972 just so I could watch the Bruins skate around with the Cup (thank God he did, too, cause that's the last time that vision occured).

I was devastated when Bobby Orr left the Bruins and cried like a baby the night they raised his number to the rafters. I've stood face to face with every star athtlete in this region and not given it a second thought, yet have only gotten tongue-twisted when in the presence of Larry Bird and the great #4. I almost dropped the dish when asked to serve him a plate of food during an autograph signing in downtown Lowell right next to my family's restaurant.

As I've said before, I used to pay $100 a seat to get scalped tickets to regular season games in the 80's. While I feel nowhere near that passion for the Black and Gold nowadays, I would go back to them in a heartbeat should they ever show the same commitment to winning that their fans showed them through the years. Notice, I never gave up on the Celtics because at least they TRIED.

That said, if you live in this region and would still choose to watch a TOTALLY meaningless Bruins game, or any hockey game for that matter, instead of Red Sox playoffs or a Patriots team that might very well be historic, it's your loss. You are missing true drama and greatness. That is not addiction. It's the essence of what being a sports fan is all about. Even if Bobby Orr were still skaTing around in the spoked B, I'd Tivo it and watch later.

That is why I'm only left to conclude you have an unhealthy addiction to hockey and need immediate help! Stand up and repeat after me: "I'm (fill in your name here) and I'm addicted to hockey..."

Teddy - I have no problem saying,

"I'm Gayle and I'm addicted to hockey."

And no offense Teddy- but to me there was no drama in last night's Sox/Angles game. Beckett was showing exactly why he is the ace of the team.

There was however drama in the Colorado/San Diego tie-breaker game - which I watched to the very end.

And there was drama in the Detroit/Anahiem hockey game last night which went to the shootout.

Will I DVR other games? Sure, but not the Bruins - to me none of their games are meaningless - especially their season opener; as far as the Patriots; I've never pretended to be a Pats fan, why start now?

I know you read The Sun, did you happen to check out Lynn and I sparring? I know what the Red Sox are and I am a fan; but I just can't not watch the sport I love most in this world.

"There was however drama in the Colorado/San Diego tie-breaker game - which I watched to the very end."

That's exactly what I'm saying! Thank God there wasn't a meaningless hockey game on, or you would have missed it! That would be like watching a Mariners-Indians game the first week of April instead of a Game-7 hockey playoff game. You'd think someone was nuts Gayle, wouldn't you? Even Beckett's performance was one for the ages...a masterpiece by someone at the top of his game on the biggest stage in his sport, and you're talking about a hockey game where both teams will play another 80-games plus qualify for the playoffs regardless of the outcome.

I'm gathering Worthy, Scanlon, Whitten, Pevear, Chaz, Carmine...the entire bunch and we're locking you in a room until you submit to counseling!

LMFAO!!!!!

Teddy,

I don't think anyone is nuts for watching the sport they love the most.

And ironically I think you just made my point for me - I don't recall calling anyone nuts for watching the first Red Sox/Yankees series in April - the first month of a very long baseball season, while I was watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

You can threaten me with the entire sports staff and counseling -but you'll never get me to not watch the Bruins over baseball - like I said I may DVR some of the other hockey games and watch them later - but not the Bruins, they come first - the ONLY time I will not watch a Bs game live because the Red Sox are on - is if it were Game 7 of the World Series - that is it and even then I know I would have time to change the channel and check out some of the action in between every single pitch; let alone inning.

Point taken on the Sharks but I guess I define "winning something" as advancing in the playoffs to the potential of the players. Right now they are the team that does the biggest nosedive from regular season to playoffs that I've ever seen. On talent alone they are a great team but they are consistently beaten by "inferior" teams in the playoffs. Until they prove they can win when it matters they're not worth following- cool logo and former Bruins captain notwithstanding.

I think Kessel would have "hit the wall" regardless of his cancer- it's a big jump in games from a college season right to the pros so, no, I don't think he'd have played more than the 70 he did and probably less had he not had essentially an all-star break in the middle of his season. Yes he was fighting a disease but his body also avoided wear and tear induced by hockey. He's still a remarkable story and someone to root for but I wouldn't pencil him (or any forward on the Bruins or any team) for 80+ games.

If anything I think the forwards will be more brittle this year as I assume Julien will give them more checking responsibilities both in their own end and in the opponents' upping the chance of injuries. Bergeron may not miss games but always seems to have nagging injuries so while he may be in the lineup I think he loses a lot of his effectiveness.

It doesn't help them that this opening road trip is as killer as it has ever been. I just can't seem them competing with many of those teams and to get home a few games under .500 will be a hole that a team with limited amounts of talent will not be able to overcome.

Lady Bruins Fan NO Drama in game one of the ALDS are you kidding me? To see if Josh Beckett would Finish off the Angels with a shutout Complete performance. I mean What A Game! I suppose it takes a true Baseball Fan to Appreciate a Complete Game Shutout, not to mention in the post season. Youuuukilis who is supposedly Not 100% healthy getting two hits including jacking a Homerun for his first playoff hit. Of course Mr. October coming through with his ninth post season homerun. With the RedSox every game seems to have its own drama.

Sorry, I'll have to fall on LBF on this one. Baseball is baseball. Slow moving proding calculating..ho hum. Hockey is up and down, offense to defense action..not to mention a better sport to watch in person. I'll actually be watching 95% B's tonight..Flipping to the sox for an occasional score.

Up and Down, offense to defense action? What sport are you talking about? Can't be hockey. You get maybe a handful of those games a year. The rest of them are a clutch and grab fest. Then, if you are lucky enough to break free, you're faced with a goalie in more armor than a U.S. military tank division.

Seriously folks...how can you enjoy watching a sport where you have sudden death after a shootout because they can't even score once in three clean breakaways? At least Soccer's shootouts feature some scoring.

They've ruined the sport...turned it into Soccer on skates.

Sorry Teddy, I'd agree with you if you were right that is..but you're not so I won't.
Clutching and grabbing is more 5 years ago than it is in today's game. I know you stopped watching hockey circa 1998 but its changed. The biggest bandwagon hopping is an anti-NHL settiment from those people who haven't been watching in the past couple years.

They want today's NHL to be high flying end to end action

My only complaint about the way its played today is they don't let the boys play more. I'd rather have them go back to an era of "crime & Punishment", refs only calling penalty's under extreme circumstances. Too many stoppages in play result in less action for the casual fan and it does hurt the game.

MLF, I watch plenty of NHL hockey. Too much to be honest, considering the quality of play.

I go by what my eyes tell me. Scoring in the NHL is RIDICULOUSLY low, almost at Soccer levels, despite several rules changes to make it otherwise and non-stop power play action which I'm sure keeps the low scoring totals from being even lower.

Scoring is down. It was the case 5-years ago, and it's still the case today. But just so you believe me, here are some numbers for you. (I'm using the B's as an example, but I'm sure the general trend is indicative of the league as a whole)

In 2006-07, Boston scored 219 goals as a team. That's 2.67 per game. PER GAME!!!!

2005-06? 230-goals

5-years ago in 2001-02? 236 Goals
2000-01? 227 goals
1999-2000? 210
1998-99? 214
1997-98? 221
1996-97? 234
1995-96? 282

As you can see, there isn't a heck of a lot of difference between the pre-lockout and post-lockout era. These are FACTS. The game has NOT changed for the better, and scoring is NOT up. Here are some more numbers to back up my point:

(The reason I broke up the statistics at this point is because an NHL tragedy occured in the 1995 Cup Finals, something that destroyed the game forever...the Devils won the Stanley Cup! The rest of the league, realizing you can win by playing defensive hockey with a low payorll, copied them.)

The Bruins goal scoring prior to the Devils Apocalypse:

94-95: 150 (strike year, throw it out)
93-94: 289
92-93 332
91-92 270
90-91 299

As you can see, that's almost a goal per game difference that scoring dropped post-Devils "clutch and grab/neutral zone trap" hockey infested the sport. Now THIS is what hockey is SUPPOSED to be:

1970-71: 399
71-72: 330
72-73: 330
73-74: 349
74-75: 345

80-81: 316
81-82: 323
82-83: 327
83-84: 336

Sorry to bore people with stats, but if you're going to make an argument, you'd better have some numbers to back you up.

The game has changed for the worse, just like basketball. The numbers bear it out. You can tell me you like it more than other sports, but please don't tell me NHL hockey is something it isn't.

I know what I see, and the numbers tell me I'm seeing things correctly.

The prosecutiong rests...LOL!

Well, teddy good arguement I must say however I think you've got the wrong statistic here.

You've confused goal scoring with excitement. So Teddy why don't we increase the size of the nets or better yet do away with the goalies all together? I don't know about you but I've seen some VERY exciting games that were also low scoring. Why don't you take up lacrosse then? High scoring 13-12 games? You'd like that.

No, the rules are what the problem here is folks. Rules that allow bunching up (okay trap)and "safe" hockey are my beefs with the game.
By safe I mean "playing it safe" to preserve a win..

Too many stoppages in play..players looking for the ref instead of their teamates to dole out some justice ...start doing away with the "wussification" rules of this game will bring the fans back.

True, low scoring games can be exciting. One of the best I remember was a 2-1 Canadiens victory at the Garden when Ken Dryden was just immense. If they had allowed Dryden to wear the equipment these guys wear, I swear his GAA would be under 1.

I agree, the key is offense/skill, not scoring. Unfortunately, today's game has neither. Those low scoring games of yesteryear had plenty of offense because the guys were allowed to skate. So you had tons of hard checking, too, because that was the only way to slow down a speedster. Impeding the skater with a stick or a hold wasn't considered "defense" like it is today. On that, I think we're in agreement.

However, I think the basic premise here is the game is lousy. Can you honestly tell me that NHL hockey is a quality product right now? Honestly? Try to be impartial for a second.

I don't want to see Lacrosse. I want to see ice hockey. Good ice hockey. Just like in the Olympics. The exact same players that bore the crap out of us 82-times a year in the NHL play a great brand of hockey every four years for their country. Why is that? And please dont' tell me it's because of the lack of fighting, because you don't have that in international competition either.

Easy one. Olympic Hockey is a better product for sure. Why? Let's start and finnish (get it finnish) with ice size. Olympic hockey rinks are designed bigger and that eliminates a lot of the ability to trap, it emphasizes speed and passing lanes are huge. Give and go.
The defense is also a little suspect (not quite nba all-star game suspect) but pretty suspect.

The NHL does have a task force looking into the possibility of expanding rinks whether they'll do it..eh?

I like the NHL as its played today. Hockey is not a sexy game. Its knives on your feet and clubs in your hands..I just wish they would stop trying to sell me streamlined jerseys and blowing a whistle every 45 seconds so someone can sell me cheesburgers and chevy's.