Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

What exactly was that last night because it certainly didn't look like two NHL teams in Washington, it looked more like the old women's Beanpot games when Boston University had just a club team and they had to face BC, NU or Harvard. The worst part is, I couldn't even bring myself to change the channel because I kept hoping my team could stage a great comeback and at least salvage a point. Talk about being delusional.

The Bruins did not look like a team riding a six game winning streak when they faced off against Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals last night, they looked more like a bunch of misfits that couldn't do anything right. Alex the great recorded a five point night with a hat trick and two assists leading the Caps to the 10-2 destroying of the Black and Gold. The way the Capitals undressed the Bs last night was more embarrassing then BC and NU's games against the Red Sox last week.

The question is now, which team will show up to face the Florida Panthers tonight at the TD Banknorth Garden? We already know that Alex Auld will start the game instead of Tim Thomas. But will the power play units show up tonight? How about the defense? Captain Zdeno Chara is having a career year in goals and points and is a leading candidate for the Norris Trophy, but which "Big Z" will show up tonight? The one that had fans cursing his signing last year or the one that had eight goals in 12 games?

Last year around this time, the Bruins spiraled themselves right out of the playoffs, are we about to see a repeat of that? I don't think so. I think this team definitely has the resiliency to not allow that to happen two seasons in a row. One thing is for sure, the Eastern Conference is so tight right now that losing a handful of games can cause even the mightiest of teams to be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

So, why do I keep holding on? Do I truly believe in this team? The answer is simple - yes, I do. I think this team has a lot more to offer than what transpired last night in the Nation's capital. What's your take? Are the Bruins doomed to repeat last season's woes or are are they strong enough to bounce back? Am I completely delusional?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Wow, I miss talking about hockey! Did you guys miss me?

My focus has been completely on the Bruins, who returned home from their best February road trip (4-0-1) since 1996 to shut out the Division leading Ottawa Senators 4-0 on trade deadline day.

The Bruins stood "pat" and did not make a move on the final day trades were allowed in the NHL - but for me, I'm okay with that. I like what this team has to offer. While I don't think they are perfect and still have small holes, I just don't think giving up a lot of the youth and future would have been worth it. From what I understand Atlanta was asking way too much for the rental of Marian Hossa and let's be honest did anyone think that Brad Richards would waive his no-trade clause to come to Beantown? Nope, didn't think so.

I like the core, youth and coaching staff of this team. Youngsters Milan Lucic, David Krecji, Vladimir Sobotka and Mark Stuart have all chipped in during the team's many injuries and continue to make their presence known on the ice. Whether they were winning face offs, scoring goals, blocking shots, laying out some big hits and even clinching victories with shoot out goals, each one of them has contributed in some way.

How about Glen Metropolit? Was there anyone in Boston that thought the center would be contributing as much as he has with 11 goals and 16 assists? But more importantly it's been the penalty kill of Metropolit and PJ Axelsson that helps put the duo on the map. You want proof? Just look at the highlights from the Tampa Bay game on Feb. 23. On the penalty kill, Metropolit intercepted the puck at his own blue line and broke into the offensive zone while being hooked all the way to the net and not only did he have the presence of mind to drop the puck back, but Axelsson picked up the puck and slapped a goal past Johan Holmqvist to secure Boston's 5-3 win to end the road trip.

From Marc Savard, Zdeno Chara and Marco Sturm to Chuck Kobasew, Aaron Ward and Phil Kessel the Bruins have shown they can battle back from tough losses. In fact the longest losing streak was 6 games dating back to Dec. 18 - 29, which during that time it wasn't until the games on Dec. 22 and 23 that the Black and Gold suffered their first back-to-back regulation losses on the season. At that time in the season the Bruins were the only team to yet lose back-to-back games in regulation. Boston is currently riding a four game winning streak and look to extend it to five when they host the "new look" Penguins on Saturday for the matinee match up.

I may have blinders on when I look at this team, but the way the Bruins completed the road trip and dismantled the Senators Tuesday night, I have faith in this team. The defensemen were throwing their bodies in front of the net trying to capture the loose pucks and prevent Ottawa's powerhouse offense from getting good looks on second attempts - that's playoff hockey, not regular season hockey.

With 20 games left to play, I think this team knows what's at stake and they are not ready to collapse like they did last year. I honestly think this team has too much pride, desire and chemistry to allow that to happen.

Adding to the excitement of the recent successful road trip, good news came out of the Bruins practice facility - Patrice Bergeron had started skating on Sunday. Granted it was only for 10 minutes, but seeing the center on the ice for the first time since he suffered a Grade 3 concussion on Oct. 27, just the tenth game of the season, was such a great sight for this Bruins fan. Bergeron has upped his ice time to 20 minutes and looks forward to making it to 30 in the near future.

While no timeline has been given for Bergeron or even Andrew Alberts, also out with a concussion, to return to the team; both players have been on the ice recently and are making strides. As a fan, I want Bergeron and Alberts to take their time and not rush their rehabilitation. The team needs Bergeron no doubt, but they have been holding their own and sticking around in the playoff hunt. But honestly, what a big boost it would be for this team to have Bergeron return in time for the playoffs.

Told you I missed talking about hockey! What do you guys think? Should the Bruins have made a move at the trade deadline? Do they have what it takes to make the playoffs? If they do, how far will they go? Com'on I know you missed me ... let's talk some hockey!

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Okay, first I have to ask ... is Capitals GM George McPhee drinking the same thing as Islanders GM Garth Snow? I mean I love Alexander Ovechkin and all, but a 13-year contract for $124-million? Ovechkin is 22-years-old now and will be 35 when his contract expires. This is the second longest contract behind Rick DiPietro's 15-year deal. I don't think any player deserves more than a five to seven year deal. Why sign then for life all at once? I don't care how good you are - 13 and 15 years are too much in my book.

The starters for the NHL All-Star game were announced Tuesday and Bruin blueliner Zdeno Chara was named to the Eastern Conference squad. Friday the rest of the Eastern team will be announced. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas and center Marc Savard are the only two other members of the team that might have the chance to join their captain for the festivities.

Sunday was the 18th Annual Bruins Wives Carnival and my parents were nice enough to get me a VIP Ticket for Christmas and I have to say - BEST Christmas present I have received in a long time! Thanks mom and dad!

When I arrived at the TD Banknorth Garden and made my way up to Legends the first thing I saw was the Stanley Cup - yes the Bruins were given permission by the league to have the Cup on site for the day.

After the tears welled up in my eyes as I read the names of the 1971-72 Stanley Cup Champion Bruins I was simply in awe of being that close to the most coveted trophy in all sports. And yes, I am as superstitious as the player which means NO I did not touch it. I did however have my picture taken with not once but three times including once with Johnny "Chief" Bucyk and Ray Bourque.

It was a great day to be a hockey fan, unfortunately Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Alberts were not there because of injuries, Alex Auld was with his wife after the birth of his son Sam, and Shane Hnidy was also abset from his first Carnival because he was looking for a place to live after being traded from Anaheim for a sixth round 2008 draft pick and Brandon Bochenski Along with Bucyk and Bourque, Cam Neely was also on hand for the "retired numbers" portion of the Carnival.

The Bruins Foundation also gave each of the VIP ticket holders a pair of complimentary club seats to Tuesday night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, which I gave the other ticket to my dad. The Black and Gold may have lost the game 1-0, but for this hockey fan it sure was great watching Chelmsford native Keith Aucoin play on the Causeway Street ice.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Wow, now that was a hockey game!

I honestly didn't think the game was going to end in the fashion that it did and I think the fans at the Tsongas (attendance announced was 985, but I would've guessed under 500) expected to go home having seen Lowell get shut out for the second straight game.

But midway through the third not only did Ivan Khomutov score his sixth of the year to avoid the shut out, but with in six minutes Lowell had battled back to tie the game and Frank Doyle made the saves to earn his club at least the point.

"I saw so hard they were working and knew I had to come up with the next big save to give us a chance," Doyle said.

Doyle did just that stopping the eight shots he faced in the third period and over time.

In the shootout, things got a bit confusing.

If you have never seen a shootout in the AHL, the first thing you need to realize is the rules are different than they are in the NHL. First, there are five rounds, not three and secondly, you don't use your whole bench if the shooutout goes to extra rounds, you use the same five players who took shots in the first five rounds. Make sense? Good.

Ryan Murphy scored on his first shootout attemp giving Lowell the 1-0 lead and Frank Doyle made saves on the first four shooters he faced.

Then it happened. Referee Terry Koharski signaled "NO GOAL" on Springfield's fifth and final attempt, only to have him change his mind less than 30 seconds later - the goal was allowed and the Devils had to be called back to the ice from their locker room... confused again?
I certainly was!

It wasn't until after the game that I found out Koharski called it a "no goal" because he thought the puck crossed the goal line on a second shot - meaning a rebound. Koharski was informed by one of the linesman that the puck crossed the goal line because of Doyle's momentum, a fact Doyle agreed with.

“It’s kind of a tricky call but in the end it’s probably the right call,” Doyle said. “I made the save but my own momentum ended up kicking the puck back, I think he made the right call.”

Kleinendorst called the game an emotional rollercoaster but was happy to at least get a point.

“We’re happy with the point,” Kleinendorst said. “I’m not thrilled to be down three to nothing in the third period, at home, in a game that we felt we should have won, not happy about that. But we battled back and worked hard to tie the game, yeah that makes me happy. It’s a little bit of an emotional rollercoaster really, but all in all a good point. ”

It was a great hockey game, unfortunatley Lowell didn't get the two points.

The Devils next game is Friday night in Philadelphia, when they take on the Phantoms at 7:05 p.m.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

The Falcons added to their lead scoring two second periond goals from Jean-Francois Jacques and McDonald. Rob Schremp has played outstanding for Springfield assisting on all three Falcon goals.

Jeff Deslauriers continued to shutout the Devils stopping all 13 shots in the middle frame.

By Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Springfield took the early lead less than five minutes into the opening period as Colin McDonald beat Frank Doyle for his seventh goal of the season.

The goal came just over a minute after Ryan Flinn clanked one off the post when he caught Doyle out of position.

Nicklas Bergfors almost tied it up for the Devils when he stole the puck behind the Springfield net as Jeff Deslauriers misplayed the puck and left his net wide open. Deslauriers made it back just in time to get a stick on the puck, preventing the goal.

Overall the Devils are playing decent hockey despite being outshot in the period 10-8.

By Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Hey hockey fans! Out at the Tsongas for the first time this hockey season covering the Devils(12-18-3-2) as they take on the Springfield Falcons (16-14-3-3)

The Devils had a four game winning streak snapped on New Year's Eve when they were blanked 3-0 by Portland.

Springfield is also coming off a loss on Dec. 31 when they fell to the Porvidence Bruins 3-2 in OT.

This is the sixth game out of the 10 game series between the two clubs with the Falcons leading the series with 4-1.

Starting in net for Lowell is Frank Doyle (9-11-1). Jeff Deslauriers (11-10-3) gets the start for Springfield.

Be back during the first intermission with an update.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff
Unfortunately, I have been so busy at the paper, that I have not had a chance to make it to a Devils game or practice yet this season, but I figured I chime in on the Bruins. The Black and Gold currently sit in 4th place in the Eastern Conference even though they are tied for points with New Jersey and Carolina.
If the Devils and Hurricanes weren't leading their own division they would actually be sitting behind the Bruins because the Black and Gold have the same amount of
points in less games. All three teams have 35 points, just four points behind Conference leading Ottawa. The Bs are also the only team in the NHL, yes the entire
league, that has not lost back-to-back games in regulation. While the Patriots continue to win every weekend and the Celtics only having lost just two games
so far, the Bruins are quietly putting together a nice start to their season without having one of their more offensive powers - Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron is still
sidelined with a Grade 3 concussion and it's uncertain when he will make his way back to the ice.
Center Marc Savard is leading the league in assists with 29 and of course is leading the team with 35 points, while Chuck Kobasew leads the team with 12 goals. Ironically,
injuries have not affected the Bruins as much as some would have thought. Along with Bergeron being sidelined, Shawn Thornton and Andrew Ference have both been
out 16 games with injuries. Goaltender Manny Fernandez has only played four games and Tim Thomas just went down with groin injury last week causing GM Peter Chiarelli
to trade for Alex Auld. Auld won his debut with the Bruins and has now won the first game for the four teams (Canucks, Panthers, Coyotes and Bruins) he has played
for. Ever so quietly, the Bruins are putting together quite a successful season and this hockey fan couldn't be happier. So, did you guys miss me - your favorite Hockey Krishna? Have you taken the time to watch some of the games this year? Did you think the Bruins would be anywhere near the top of the standings and how long can they stay?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

First I would like to disclose that I was at the Bruins game the night of Game 5 in the ALCS and I was at the Bruins game on the night the Sox hosted the Rockies for Game 2 of the World Series and I was at the Garden today for the Bruins game against Philly. (Teddy - do you still want to kidnap me and force me into counseling?)

Anyway, the first two games proved to be excellent games all around - both resulted in wins for the Black and Gold and the second had Zdeno Chara dropping the gloves for the first time in a Bruins uniform.

The third game started off great, but with 3:53 left to play in the opening stanza - the game dramatically changed for this Bruins fan.

Patrice Bergeron was hit from behind into the boards by Flyers D-man Randy Jones.

Bergeron simply crumbled to the ice and did not move as Jones continued to pursue the puck. It took a few moments for the refs and players to realize Bergeron was not moving. I think I was as motionless as Bergeron was. Sitting in the stands directly above where the hit took place all I could see was Bergeron's skates - and they were not moving.

Play was stopped for 15-minutes as medical personnel worked on the 22-year-old center; cutting away his jersey and shoulder pads before strapping him to a backboard and lifting him on a gurny.

With his legs taped together and his arms folded across his chest; Bergeron was led across the ice with his teammates showing support by skating along side him and tapping their sticks. Both Bruins and Flyers fans showed their support by standing and cheering for the young center. Jones was given the gate with a 5-minute boarding major and a game misconduct.

That was it for me, I could barely get excited for the penalty shot Phil Kessel was awarded in the second period - which he did not score on.
All I could was scroll my Blackberry looking for updates on Bergeron, in between phone calls from friends and family asking if it was a clean hit or not. For the record, I personally think it was a dirty hit. Bergeron was clearly facing the boards and Jones left his feet.

The Bruins fell to the Flyers 2-1; but honestly I could have cared less - all I wanted was updates on Bergeron.

My spirits finally started to lift after reading the statement from Dr. Bertram Zarins:

“After initially losing consciousness on the ice, Patrice has regained consciousness and has been taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he is undergoing a series of tests.

We will continue to monitor Patrice and await the final results of his medical studies."

No doubt about it, Bergeron was very lucky the concussion and broken nose was all he suffered for injuries and no doubt his family, teammates and fans will rejoice in knowing the young center is going to be Okay.

As for Jones, he issued this statement while the game was still ongoing:

“Words really can't express the way that I feel right now,” Jones said. “I am very apologetic for the hit and what I did. It was not intentional. It is something that I have never done before and it is not part of my character. I am extremely sorry. I hope he does OK and everything works out for him. I wish him nothing but the best in his recovery.”

Best wishes to Bergeron and his family for a speedy recovery from this Bruins fan.

Now that this Bruins fan can breathe a sigh of relief, I'd like to get back to Chara's fight against Chicago's David Koci.

Chara took exception to Koci poking at Tim Thomas after the Bruins netminder covered the puck in front of the crease.

Koci had his nose broken last week when he exchanged punches with Toronto's Wade Belak. Chara not only reshattered Koci's nose; the 6-foot, 9-inch defenseman split open Koci's forhead as well. The Garden ice crew literally had to scrape the blood off the ice before play could be resumed.

As for the rest of the game, Phil Kessel undressed Chicago's defense twice with beautiful moves before beating Blackhawk goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for his fourth and fifth goals in the young hockey season.

It may still only be the first month of the hockey season but the Bruins are off to a good start with a record of 6-4-0 and sitting in second place behind Ottawa in the Eastern Division.
The Black and Gold are 3-1 at home and 3-3 on the road. Next up - Buffalo, who is struggling this year after losing Chris Drury and Daniel Briere to free agency, comes to town Thursday night. The Sabres are 4-5-0 thus far and are in last place in the Eastern Division.

Have the Bruins intrigued your interest enough to watch a few games, once the World Series is over? I can say after watching every game and being at three of the first four home games - this is not the same team that was on the ice last year. This team is harder to play against and fun to watch.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

When the Bruins headed out West for their season opening five-game roadtrip; not too many people thought they would come home with a winning record - but guess what ... they did.

The Black and Gold will open up at home on the 18th with a 3-2-0 record.

Opening up with a 4-1 loss against Dallas on Oct. 5 had some thinking the Bruins were not going to fair well on the rest of the trip - but that's probably because no one (besides me and a few other die hard hockey fans) actually watched the game.

Dallas got extremely lucky on the first two goals and Marty Turco played outstanding in net for the Stars. The other two goals for Dallas were complete defensive breakdowns and can not be blamed completely on Manny Fernandez.

It wasn't a bad game persay; the Bruins just happened to run into some bad luck and a very solid goaltender.

From Dallas, the Bs took on Phoenix the very next night with Tim Thomas getting the start in net; Boston prevailed 3-1 for their first win of the young season- next stop Anaheim for a date with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Ducks.

Thomas was again in net and the Black and Gold struck first with a Chuck Kobasew goal just 1:05 into the game.

Unfortunately, the Bruins couldn't hold the lead and ended up losing 2-1. Still, not too shabby for the young Bruins team. One factor to keep in mind is Marc Savard missed his first game since the 2003-04 season due to a groin strain.

The next game was extremely entertaining if you like to see a lot of scoring (14 goals) with the Bruins coming out on top of the 8-6 tilt against Los Angeles.

Phil Kessel in his sophomore campaign notched his first NHL hat trick; rookie Milan Lucic got his first career NHL goal; Savard returned to the ice after missing one game and had 5 points (goal, 4 assists) to show just how important he is to Boston's offense.

Unfortunately, with all of the offense, the Black and Gold apparently forgot they had to play on both sides of the ice and completely left Fernandez to tend to the Kings himself- resulting in him giving up 6 goals.

The Bs final stop on the roadtrip took the team to San Jose where they met Joe Thorton and the Sharks.

Marco Sturm returned to the HP Pavillion for the first time since the November trade that brought him to Boston two-years ago. He made good work of being back with two assists.

Patrice Bergeron put the Bs on the board first and showed exactly why he plays with a soccer ball- he kicked the puck to himself before lifting it up over a sprawling Evgeni Nabokov.

The 1-0 lead would stand until just over 38 seconds left in the game when Milan Michalek took a pass from Joe Thornton to tie the game.

The tie did not last long, 26 seconds to be exact. Aaron Ward beat Nabokov for the game winner as he caught a jumping Sturm in his arms before they fell to the ice.

Thomas made 26 saves to earn his second win of the season.

Some observations of the Bs first five games of the season:

***Both power play units for Boston showed to be successful recording six goals. Savard showed how important he in quarterbacking the first unit earning four power play assists and one goal.

***Julien has stuck with his lines early in the season showing he has faith in his decisions and his teams. With the exception of moving Lucic up to the third line with Kessel and David Krejci and PJ Axelsson being moved to foruth-line duty with Shawn Thornton and Glen Metropolit. Consistency - so far, so good.

***The offense the team wants from Bergeron and Savard seems to be moving along so far. Bergy has three goals and two assists for five points in the clubs first five games; while Savvy has a goal and six assists for seven points in only four games played. The club as a whole recorded 14 goals in the five game trip.

***The youngsters are making some noise as well. Along with his first career hat trick, Kessel has five points in five games; Lucic has two points but more importantly has shown his strength on the ice by getting into two fights.

***The team showed up to play every single game and for 60 minutes. The defense - as long as they don't forget to play it - seems to be more solid than some of the skeptics thought.

***Thomas is fighting for the right to say he is the No. 1 netminder on this team going 2-1 in his three games played with a 1.34 GAA and .957 SV percentage. Manny on the other hand in his two starts comes home to Boston with 1-1-0 record; 5.00 GAA and .796 SV percentage. Again the numbers to me although accurate, do not portray the type of goalie Manny is - he did play the Kings game when the defensive side of the Bruins never showed up. Manny gave up 10 goals in his first two starts; while Thomas gave up four.

My guess is Thomas will get the start for the home opener this Thursday night when the Black and Gold take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Starting Manny in front of an already shakey fan base may not be the best decision for Claude Julien.

I still think this team is going to suprise a lot of opponents and fans. Did anyone think (besides me) that the Bruins would return from the five-game roadtrip with a winning record? Has your view of the team changed?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

I am truly excited to see the Bruins hit the ice Friday night and yes, I will be watching the Black and Gold; not the Red Sox.

Before I get to my thoughts on this year's Bruins team I figured I'd recap from the last preseason game the Bs played against the Islanders.

Wow, now that was a long third period... just kidding.

The Black and Gold looked solid for the first two periods and honestly they looked pretty solid in the third, but mistakes are what cost them the game. One thing is for sure I could hear the guys on the ice from the 9th floor and the communication out there seems pretty good this far.

Unfortunately communication and play broke down as the Bs lost 4-2.

Marc Savard said it best after the game, "I think the boys are ready to go on a mission and that's how we have to look at it. We gotta be on a mission one game at a time."

Here's how I see the Bruins season unfolding this year....

GOALTENDING:
Last year Tim Thomas got the bulk of the starts and desperately needed help; this year he has the help when the team traded Petr Kalus and a 2009 fourth round draft pick for Manny Fernandez.

Last year's stats:

THOMAS: 66 Games played; 30-29-4; 3.13 GAA; NHL Career: 108 Games played; 45-43-14; 2.99 GAA
FERNANDEZ: 44 games played; 22-16-1; 2.55 GAA; NHL Career: 293 Games played; 125-113-32; 2.47 GAA

GRADE: C +
The goaltending has defintely been up graded from last season and knowing what Thomas did for the Bs last year and now the addition of another Manny in Boston.

DEFENSE:
The boys on the blue line weren't necessarily up graded; they didn't need to be. What they needed was a coach to let them play their game.
Look for Zdeno Chara to play a more physical game this year. Considering Andrew Ference, Aaron Ward and Dennis Wideman didn't start playing with the team until February - look for them to gel better with their teammates and be a lot more productive. Andrew Alberts grew a lot last year playing along side Chara, look for him to keep it rolling this season.

GRADE: B -
As long as everyone stays healthy, the Bs defense will be much stronger under Claude Julien's reign.

FORWARDS: These are the lines as I'd like to see them come Friday night.

Peter Schaefer-Savard-Glen Murray
Marco Sturm-Patrice Bergeron-Chuck Kobasew (Milan Lucic)
PJ Axelsson-Phil Kessel-David Krejci (Brandon Bochenski)
Jeremy Reich-Glen Metropolit-Shaen Thornton

If Murray stays healthy and Schaefer continues what he did in Ottawa, look for Savard to reach the 100 point plateau this season.

Bergy and Sturm played well together from the night Sturm first laced up the skates for the Black and Gold when he arrived via the trade, which I'd still like to forget. Kobasew came to the team in February, again via the trade but only played 10 games with the Bs due to an elbow injury.

Axy, Kessel and Krecji played phenomenal together in the last preseason game. Kessel and Krejci bring speed and finess to a third line while Axy brings leadership, experience and a strong sense of checking.

The addition of Thorton to this team automatically gives the Bs something they were lacking last year - toughness.

GRADE: A
I know some of you think the Bruins still have holes, but I disagree. Look for the top two lines to be a lot more consistent this year.

COACHING:
Where do I start? Many people think Claude Julien is the next coach to be fired by the Bruins, but I see him much differently.

He is a coach that knows how to deal with veterans as well as the young players.

In 238 NHL games coached, Julien posts a 119-86-10-23 record. Let's not forget he led the Montreal Canadiens to their best record in ten years in 2003-04. Julien was the coach behind the bench in 2004 when the Canadiens upset the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs.

Julien has been preaching, along with General Manager Peter Chiarelli, that the team needs to be "harder to play against."

GRADE: A
Look for Julien to secure not only his job but also Chiarelli's as he leads the Bruins to the post season after a two-year absence (I am not counting the year of the lockout).

OVERALL: B -
The Bruins will be fighting with Buffalo for the second and third spot in their own division - Ottawa takes the division easily this year. The Bs will finish the season with nearly 90 points and be seeded somewhere between 6-8 for the post season.

Do I think they will win the Stanley Cup, nope. That pick goes to Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks this year.

There you have it. My thoughts on the "current" Bruins team that open their season with a five game roadtrip spanning over the first two weeks of the season. Do y'all think I have blinders on or have I changed your mind?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Vs.

Glenn Murray gave the Bruins the 2-1 lead just 1:14 into the second period on a beautiful feed from Marc Savard.

Mike Comrie tied the game just about five minutes later.

Mark Stuart is not only fighting for a spot on the big club; he took on Bill Guerin for the second fight of the game.

Fernandez is back in net for the Bruins for the third period along with DiPietro for the Islanders.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Vs.

David Krejci struck first giving the Bruins the early 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the period.

PJ Axelsson and Andrew Ference each recorded an assist on the goal.

Miroslav Satan beat Manny Fernandez to tie the game at one with just under three minutes to play in the opening frame.

Andrew Alberts took off the gloves and took on Brenden Witt after a clipping penalty was called; Alberts received a 10-minute misconduct for instigating and did not return until the second period.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Vs.

Unfortunately, Zdeno Chara is not in the line-up as the Bruins take the ice against the New York Islanders today at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Line-ups based on warm-ups are:

ISLANDERS

Goaltenders

39 Rick DiPietro

34 Wade Dubielewicz

Defensemen

32 Brendan Witt – 24 Radek Martinek

25 Andy Sutton – 47 Marc-Andre Bergeron

4 Bryan Berard – 8 Bruno Gervais

Forwards

26 Ruslan Fedotenko – 89 Mike Comrie – 13 Bill Guerin

16 Jon Sim – 18 Mike Sillinger – 7 Trent Hunter

11 Andy Hilbert – 63 Josef Vasicek – 81 Miroslav Satan

15 Jeff Tambellini – 10 Richard Park – 27 Darryl Bootland

BOSTON

Goaltenders

35 Manny Fernandez

30 Tim Thomas

Defensemen

41 Andrew Alberts – 21 Andrew Ference

45 Mark Stuart – 44 Aaron Ward

48 Matt Hunwick – 38 Bobby Allen

Forwards

16 Marco Sturm – 91 Marc Savard – 27 Glen Murray

72 Peter Schaefer - 37 Patrice Bergeron – 12 Chuck Kobasew

11 P.J Axelsson - 46 David Krejci – 81 Phil Kessel

53 Jeremy Reich – 13 Glen Metropolit – 22 Shawn Thornton

Will be checking in as the game goes on....

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

After stopping all 11 shots he faced in the third period against the New York Islanders in the preseason match-up Wednesday night, goaltender Frank Doyle has been placed on waivers by the New Jersey Devils.

The former Maine University goalie had a 20-24-4 record in 49 games last season for Lowell.

Also placed on waivers are defensemen Ian Moran and Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre; forwards Grant Marshall, Noah Clarke and Ryan Murphy. If any of the players clear waivers they will be assigned to Lowell.

Some familiar faces are returning to Lowell for the upcoming AHL season: goaltender Jordan Parise, Mark Fraser, Olli Malmivaara, Jason Ryznar, Barry Tallackson, Stephen Gionta and Petr Vrana.

Andy Greene, Niklas Bergfors, David Clarkson, Rod Pelley and Mike Mottau are all fighting for spots with the parent club.

Lowell is action tonight at the Tsongas for their preseason opener against Bridgeport.

The regular season for the AHL club gets underway on on Oct. 6 when the team travels to Portland to face off against the Pirates.

The Devils host Bridgeport in their home opener on Oct. 13.

Are you happy to see some familiar players returning to Lowell? What are your thoughts on Doyle? Did his play last season warrant him being placed on waivers?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Not only did the fans at the Tsongas get to see future Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur in net for the Devils, they welcomed back Hockey East and Boston College stand out Brian Gionta.

Gionta led the Devils to a 6-1 routing of the New York Islanders via the hat trick, two of which came on the power play.

John Madden (2 goals) and Travis Zajac added the other three goals.

Those in attendance were also treated to some old time, black and blue hockey as they saw four different Devils drop the gloves.

David Clarkson, Matthew Corrente, Arron Asham and Mike Rupp stepped up to the challenge as they threw down the gloves and took on Darryl Bootland, Tim Jackman and Gordie Dwyer

Jackman had a rough night considering he faced off against Corrente and Ashman.

Brodeur made 14 saves on 15 shots before giving way to Frank Doyle at the start of the third period.

Doyle was perfect in net stopping all 11 shots he faced.

Dwyer scored the lone goal for the Isles.

The Lowell Devils hit the ice tomorrow for their first practice before hosting the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Saturday night for their first preseason tilt at the arena; face off is 6:05 p.m.

Assistant Sports Editor Barry Scanlon will make his way to the rink for the Devils first practice on Thursday. Be sure to pick up The Sun or read his words on the Lowell Sun website and stay here throughout the season for all the Lowell Devils news.See you at the rink; until then keep reading here for Lowell Devil up dates.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

David Clarkson and Matthew Corrente both dropped the gloves for New Jersey in the second period as they faced off against Darryl Bootland and Tim Jackman respectively.

Brian Gionta scored his second goal of the night on the power play just 52 seconds into the period.

The Islanders finally got one past Martin Brodeur when Gordie Dwyer beat him in front of the crease.

Jackman is having a rough night for the Isles as he dropped the gloves against Aaron Ashman as time expired in the period.

Goaltending changes to start the third:
Joey MacDonald took over in net for the Isles to start the third and Frank Doyle made his way into the Jersey crease in relief of Brodeur.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

After 20 minutes of hockey, the Devils scored three goals on their first four shots of the game; the first coming off Brian Gionta's stick 35 seconds into the game.

New Jersey's other two goals came from John Madden and Travis Zajac.

Martin Brodeur faced 11 shots and stopped all of them, the only threat being a breakaway from Richard Park after he picked up a loose puck inside his own blueline.

Brodeur showed just how strong he is in net sliding post to post, sprawling on his back to make the leg save.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Just a quick update from the Tsongas before the New Jersey Devils host the New York Islanders ...

Martin Brodeur led his team onto the ice indicating he would be playing at least one period.

Other notable New Jersey players on the ice for warm-ups are Zach Parise, Brian Gionta, John Madden and Sergie Brylin.

Some of last year's Lowell squad on the ice for warm-ups include: Frank Doyle, Mike Mottau, Barry Tallackson, Andy Greene, Nicklas Bergfors and Rod Pelley.

I will make updates throughout the game for those of you not in attendance.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Media day was anything but ordinary for the Bruins when Executive Vice President Charlie Jacobs introduced NHL Hall of Famer Cam Neely as Vice President of the club.

He may not be wearing a Bruin sweater this season or lacing up the skates, but having Neely in a front office points the franchise in the right direction.

"I understand what the fans are looking for as far as what they want from their team," Neely said. "I'd like to feel I can help in any way that they ask and get that back in this organization."

General Manager Peter Chiarelli said one of the things he likes most about Neely is his bluntness when he talks about the Bruins and hockey in general, the bluntness was apparent as Neely spoke to the media.

"Quite frankly, I'm not really happy with what's gone on," Neely said of the franchise.

Neely's role as Vice President will be mainly in hockey operations working closely with Chiarelli giving his advice and thoughts on personnel as well as assisting the Jacobs in different areas of the franchise as a whole.

Neely said he is ready to accept the challenge his new role with his former club will entail after spending a year as one of the Bruins' Ambassadors.

"When I accepted the role as the ambassador of the Bruins, Charlie was hoping I would be more involved then," Neely said. "But, unfortunately the timing wasn't right for me. Being an ambassador it allwowed me the opportunity to get involved in some what of a limited basis and I really got excited about being involved with the Bruins again.

"I feel at this particular time in my life I can commit more time to working with the organization. [...] I'd like to be able to try and help and get things back on track."
Neely echoed Chiarelli's words of the Black and Gold needing to be harder to fight against.

"One of the things (Chiarelli) has been stressing is the team needs to be harder to play against and I felt that for a long time," Neely explained. "I think the people that are fans of the Bruins expect that. They expect their team to play that way and it hasn't happened so much in the past. I think it's a big step in the right direction for the players to understand what it means to be a Bruin and understanding the type of work ethic that you have to have to play on this team."

Neely went back to his playing days when he said, "You may not play well every night, but you can work hard every night."

When asked if he thought the fans were disappointed, mad or taking a wait and see approach, Neely said it's "all of the above."

"I think for the most part (the fans) are dying to support the team," Neely said. "I think that's part of the process we're in right now. We need to take the time to show them that we understand what we have to do to get the team back to where we'd like. It's not going to happen over night but I think we're all heading in the rigth direction."

Neely said he knows the game has changed since he was a player, but the approach as a player should not.

"I think if you have the opportunity to take the body, you have to take the body," Neely said. "You can still hit in this league. [...] With what Peter's mantra has been, I think that's a great direction for the team to go in and as far as I'm concerned that's the direction we need to go in here. Right from your top player down to the guy that's on the fourth line. You got to take the body when you have the opportunity. You can't be afraid to take a hit to make a play; everybody's got to be accountable for those situations that are on the ice."

Is this simply another PR move by the owners of the Bruins, or is Neely the right person to help get this team back on track? Regardless, Neely will be welcomed by the fans, media and everyone in between.

By Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

First of all, yes I am alive and secondly... is it hockey season yet?

While most of you are still following the Red Sox/Yankees race in the East or have already moved onto the Patriots; I am not so patiently waiting for opening night of the upcoming NHL season - I know most of you are probably thinking right now "I thought we got rid of this girl talking about hockey all the time" - sorry to disappoint, but that will never happen.

Wednesday night will be the first live hockey game for me when I attend the Devils/Islanders game at the Tsongas. I'm looking forward to seeing which players from New Jersey will play and also hoping to get a glimpse of this year's Lowell roster.

Selfishly, I am hoping to see Jordan Parise in net with his brother Zach playing in front of him since I have not had the opportunity to see the brothers play on the ice together.

Hope to see some of the regulars here at the game.

Even though we have hockey right here in Lowell, I am very much excited about the upcoming Bruins season, yes I think the Black and Gold will be fighting the other team on Causeway to be the number one Boston team this winter - to put it frankly, neither winter team is no longer irrelavant.

The Bruins made some good moves during the off season and even though they have not faired well in preseason play. Keep in mind the players taking the ice in preseason may or may not be on the ice come Oct. 5 when the team opens on the road in Dallas.

To put it in perspective, Marc Savard, Glen Murray, Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara and others have yet to play in the same game.

Either way, I am psyched hockey officially starts next week!

On a side note, I will be in the Sun Talk Live studio with Teddy tonight as we welcome Kevin Bartl of the Lowell Devils. So let's have some hockey fans out there call in and ask questions or listen to the show.

With that said, I look forward to discussing hockey with all of you again and hope to see a few of you at Wednesday's game. See you at the rink.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Chris Drury and Scott Gomez will join Jaromir Jagr on Broadway this up coming season.
Drury signed a five-year deal with the Rangers worth $35.25 mil; while Gomez inked a deal worth $51.5 mil over seven-years.

The Maple Leafs signed Jason Blake to a five-year deal worth $20 mil and The Avalanche picked up defenseman Scott Hannan with an $18 mil, four-year deal.

The Flyers also made another move when they landed Jason Smith and Joffery Lupul via a trade from Edmonton. The Oilers acquired Joni Pitkanen, Geoff Sanderson and a third-round draft pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

The Bruins made a "whatever" move and signed Shawn Thornton to a multi-year deal. I wonder if Chiarelli knows this Thornton is not nearly as good as the one MOC traded away during the '05-'06 campaign.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

July 1 is not only my mother's birthday, but for a die hard hockey fan, it's also Christmas in July. So, Happy Birthday Mom and Happy Canada/UFA Day to all the hockey fans out there.

I was already glued to my computer by 11 a.m. even though the market didn't open until noon - NHL.com had the live TSN feed so I got in three hours of live "Free Agent Frenzy" before they cut to NASCAR and killed the feed.

Not too worry though, TSN.ca has been running a Real Time UFA Singing Tracker. There were no, "STOP THE PRESSES" signings until 3:48 EST.

The Philadelphia Flyers signed Daniel Briere to a eight-year $52 mil contract - with the first year paying him $10 mil, the other seven years will be $6.5. Oh and there's a "no movement" clause in the contract. That's right, so even if he tanks after three seasons they still have to pay him $29 mil to buy him out. And to add to it, the Flyers were at $42.163 of the $50.3 salary cap before the deal - so they are done... no more signings for them. Unless of course, they dump some big time salaries via trades for prospects and picks. The 29-year-old center led Buffalo last season with 95 points and a team-leading 15 points in the playoffs.

Other notable signings during the first five hours were Brian Rafalski signing a five-year, $30 mil contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Rafalski scored a career-high 55 points last year in New Jersey. Rafalski had spent his entire career with the Devils, until now.

Former Bruin center Joe Thornton signed a three-year $21.6 mil extension with the San Jose Sharks locking up the 2006 MVP through the 2011 season. Thornton, set to become a UFA at the conclusion of the 2007-08 season, said "Life is good out there. California Rocks." during a phone interview during the TSN live feed.

Mathieu Schnieder lands in Anaheim for two seasons after playing the last four years in Detroit. It's rumored that blueliner Scott Niedermayer is leaning towards retirement.

Still no news on highly sought after UFAs Chris Drury, Ryan Smyth and Scott Gomez - although rumors have Drury going to Colorado or to a team in the west; Smyth going to Colorado and Gomez ending up with the Rangers. Will New Jersey be in trouble next year without Gomez and Rafalski? What about Buffalo? They lost Briere already and they didn't even tender an offer to Drury.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

According to www.twincities.com, the Bruins have acquired goaltender Manny Fernandez from the Minnesota Wild for AHLer Petr Kalus and a future fourth-round draft pick. -According to Pioneer Press, the Wild/Bruins are waiting for league approval before making the announcement.

Fernandez posted a 22-16-1 record last year for the Wild with a .911 Save Percentage and 2.55 GAA. Manny missed the last 10 games of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs because of a knee injury. Fernandez shared goaltending duties with Niklas Backstrom for the past two seasons as one of the best one-two tandems in the league.

Fernandez's $4.33 mil salary is sure to stop the Bruins from making any big free agent signings when the market opens tomorrow.

Kalus played nine games for Boston last season where he registered four goals and one assist. In 43 games in Providence the Czech forward had 30 points (13 goals, 17 helpers).

Fernandez may just be the number one netminder the Bruins have been lacking for the past several years - he and Tim Thomas should make a decent tandem and give the club the chance it needs to make a run at the playoffs. Think this is a good move by the Bs? Is Manny good enough to give the Spoked-Bs a shot at the playoffs?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

You think you were shocked when you found out Bruins General Manager fired Dave Lewis, how do you think the players of the team felt? I had the opportunity to chat with goalie Tim Thomas and forward Mark Mowers about Claude Julien and other things Bruins.

"It was a surprise when Coach Lewis was fired, I don't think too many people knew that was going to happen," netmider Thomas said. "I got to see Claude Julien (Thursday) night and he seemed like a nice, genuine guy. Noone is happy when a coach gets fired but having said that, reality is we have another coach and hopefully we're successful under him."

Mowers was equally as shocked.

"Yeah, you could say that. I think because of the timing of the whole thing and I don't think I was the only one who felt that it was a shock," Mowers said. "It was disappointing because I know Dave and I know he means well. He was trying everything he could to turn things around last year. With that being said, it's part of the business, so we have to move on."

Mowers was the only player on the team last year to play previously for Lewis in Detroit and Mowers explained some of the differences.

"I know it's different, it's a completely different situation than what we had in Detroit," Mowers said. "You know a lot of veteran guys that have been there a while - he had a pretty good core there that he could coach. Here it was 12 or 13 new faces, it was new coaches, everything was new to him. Also, I'm sure it was pretty difficult for him trying to get things together, bringing the chemistry together. I think that was part of the reason we weren't successful."

Mowers also added, the team itself was dealing with trying to build the chemistry on and off the ice.

"That was one of the reasons we just couldn't get it together for long stretches last year," Mowers explained. "It's just tough. You don't know what guys bring to the table; we weren't consistent in what we were doing out there as individuals and definitely knowing each person's personality and how you get along with guys whether it's short periods of time or throughout the duration of the season."

With that said, Mowers thinks training camp this year and the season itself will be more affective because the guys know each other better.

"It's going to be huge for us," Mowers said. "I think Axelsson and Murray were the main veteran guys who came back (last year) and (Bergeron) had two years, but was a young kid so I think you'll see a difference. I think we'll see it as a team in the locker room more than people on the outside.

"It will be a little sense of relief (heading into camp this year) because you do know guys and you won't be walking on your toes and looking over your shoulder. You do have a new coach and a new staff and obviously things didn't go well last year so you are starting over and it's going to be a fresh start for all of us because we don't want to repeat what happened last season."

Mowers like Thomas had the chance to meet and talk with Julien and sees similarities between his new coach and Lewis.

"To be honest with you, talking with him he seems, his overall big picture seems similar to Dave some differences ou know, but he's not a guy that's going to slap you across your face if you're not doing your job," Mowers said. "I do think he brings some accountability to it. He's a laid back guy. He wants to have fun. He wants to bring an upbeat atmosphere in the locker room and during practices and guys not being stressed and worrying all the time. We'll see how it goes. I think it's just us coming together as a team and hopefully he can find a way to bring us together as a strong group."

Considered an adopted native because he played his four years of college hockey at UNH, Mowers said one of the things he was most excited about signing in Boston was having the opportunity to make hockey and the Bruins relative in the Hub again.

"The bottom line in sports, I think, is you have to win to attract the fans," Mowers said. "It's tougher these days than I think in the 70s and even in the 80s, when the ticket prices weren't as expensive. So I understand as a family and a hockey fan, why would I want to go and see a bunch of guys lose game? I think it's up to us as players to go out there and put out a good product, whether it be to be a much grittier team that's harder to play against or a team that's free wheeling, making pretty plays, putting more pucks in the back of the net.

"It was one of the things I was most excited about when I had the chance to sign in Boston was bringing it back, bringing that feeling back because I know there are so many hockey fans in this city. And for me, I'm getting older, I'm in my 30s now, to be a part of rejuvenating hockey in Boston would be an unbelievable feeling. Like I said it's up to us. Hopefully it can happen because I think it would be pretty exciting in this town if we even actually get into the playoffs and getting that feeling back again."

Thomas also puts it on the team to bring the fans back to the Garden.

"Wins is the biggest thing, play exciting hockey," Thomas said. "Play in your face hockey. Be aggressive all over the ice and don't back down to anybody."

Thomas said he knew of the rumors circulating that GM Peter Chiarelli was looking to trade for a top tier goalie and the current netminder said whether or not they are successful in trading for Manny Fernandez or Ilya Bryzgalov it doesn't change his mindset.

"I've never really competed against the other goalie on my team," Thomas said. "I've always kind of thought about it in the way is the team needs to win the most games no matter who's playing. Obviously, I'd be going into camp trying to do the best that I can to help the team out the best that I could when I get to play or even if the coach decides that I'm not playing that night. So it doesn't really change how I feel going into camp. My job is to show up in shape and be the best goalie that I can."

When asked if he were the GM of the Bruins, Mowers picked the fellow former Hockey East skater among the list of Scott Gomez, Daniel Briere and Chris Drury.

"If I was the GM, they're all great players, either one you're going to be alright, but I would probably take Drury," Mowers said. "I played against him four years in college and I've played against him in the pros now. He's a winner, he knows how to get it done and he does everything for the game. He's rugged, he gets his nose dirty and obviously he can score some goals, that's who'd I go for. I don't know if it's possible for us this year, but it would be nice."

I have to say I agree with Mowers, I would love for Chris Drury to sign in Boston when the free agency market opens on July,1. Who would you sign if you were Peter Chiarelli?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Days after TSN-Canada and other media outlets were announcing Claude Julien would be named as the 28th head coach of the Boston Bruins, the club held a press conference at TD Banknorth Garden to make it official.

"First of all I’d like to thank the Jacobs family, Peter and the organization for giving me the opportunity to be part of a team that has obviously a great history and rich tradition," Julien said. "I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing this team to the level of expectation that the organization, the players and most importantly the fans want."

Julien, 47, was quick to respond when he was asked what his impression of his new team was.

"This team has a lot of potential and has a lot of great players. We all know what this team has and some great leadership as well," Julien said."And basically I want to come in here, as I’ve done with many of my teams in the past, and be a team that’s well structured and be a team that’s going to work together as a group pulling in the same direction."

Julien added he wants his team to be a harder team to play against.

"Obviously, defensively we want to certainly cut down on the goals against and limit the scoring chances," Julien explained. "Also harder to play against can be the physical part of it and offensively we want to be able to go at them by finishing our checks and driving hard to the net and doing the things that it takes to score goals. You want to be gritty in all areas and I think that’s what we want to establish here and we established that now with just a few players but with the whole group."

When asked if the Bruins would play the "trap defense" the New Jersey Devils made famous, Julien explained what "trap defense" really means.

"When you look back at the game tapes, everyone plays what every calls the 'trap', obviously some are more aggressive but I think the bottom line is we want to be a team, as I mentioned earlier, that’s going to be hard to play against and you want to be aggressive you want to recover the puck as quick as you can its always important that your first forechecker goes in there hard and finishes his checks and I think people want to see physical part of the game which we want to implement but at the same time we have to realize the rules in this game have changed. You have to have some adjustments made because of the rule changes," Julien said. "Nonetheless I think we want to be aggressive we want to be a physical type of team as physical as we can be within the rules but nonetheless the bottom line is we’re going to have a structure that’s going to have everybody playing the same way and if we do that I think we’re going to be a harder team to play against."

Julien touched on the fact that he has coached Patrice Bergeron and being from Ottawa has seen Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara play on numerous occassions and that was another reason he chose to coach here, besides the rich history.

Julien said the club is not looking to reinvent the game.

"We’re going to establish a system here that is comfortable for everyone, its going to be simple, I don’t think we’re looking to complicate the game, we’re not looking to reinvent it," Julien said. " All it is, is good execution and I think if you can get that stability and making sure the players understand and they don’t have to think too much, it becomes automatic and that’s when your team becomes successful."

What exactly does Julien think of his captain Zdeno Chara?

"Well I think first of all the Boston Bruins should be so excited to have a player of his nature on (their) hockey team," Julien said. "He’s such a great competitor; he's such a great player and obviously when maybe things don’t go as well as you’d like them to go as a team a lot of times the pressure is put on the leaders and I think if you look at his game last year you can never criticize his work ethic and I think part of it is if everyone around him plays better we know that he’s also going to be an even bigger impact and a bigger asset.

"I have no worries that Z will be a big part of this hockey club and be a great leader and no doubt, I’m telling you right now, he will have a great season."

Julien has posted an NHL coaching record of 119-95-24 during three seasons with Montreal and one with the Devils. His playoff record is four wins and seven losses - the four wins came against the Bruins when the Candiens came back from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the Bs in the opening round of the 2004 playoffs.

General Manger Peter Chiarelli said Julien has always "had the ability integrate youth into the line-up."

"He has the ability to elevate their level of play and that was one of the factors in deciding on him," Chiarelli said. "In short, Claude is a very task driven and determined individual who displays a passion for discipline and I’d like to welcome him to the organization."

Chiarelli aslo noted that Julien's record in his first year in Montreal (2003-2004) was the best record the Canadiens had had in 10-years. Chiarelli did not comment on the lenght of the Julien's contract. He did say both himself and Julien would work together in naming an assistant coach.

Julien is the seventh coach for the Bruins since 2000 (Mike Keenan, Robbie Ftorek, Mike O'Connell, Mike Sullivan and Dave Lewis) - will he have what it takes to lead the Bruins to the level of play that brings success? With a new coach in place, what else do the Bruins need to do? New York Post hockey writer Larry Brooks gave his take on WEEI this morning.

"I don't think they're a playoff team," Brooks said on the Dale and Holley Show. "They still have holes from the back all the way up."

Do you think this is a good move by Chiarelli and the Bruins? What does Julien truly bring to the rink? Will he have more success with this team than Lewis?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

Boston Bruins General Manager confirmed former Bs head coach Mike Milbury has been interviewed for the vacant position behind the bench.

"I talked to three or four candidates and Mike is one of them," Chiarelli told Greg Dickerson and Sean McAdam during an WEEI interview earlier today.

When he was asked what he likes about Milbury, Chiarelli responded with:

"He is very confident in his ability to judge and deal with a player, on a player to player basis; whether it be motivating or controlling and that's one of his fortes."

The GM may have confirmed one candidate, but that was it.

"I'm not confirming anyone else," Chiarelli said with a tone that told his interviewers and the listeners he would not budge.

He also wouldn't comment on whether or not he was going to be conducting more interviews this coming week.

When it was implied the Bruins needed to make "a big splash" in order to make the fans happy, Chiarelli was quick to nip that in the bud so to speak.

"I didn't make this decision to make 'a big splash'," Chiarelli said. "I made this decision to improve our coaching staff."

Guess some of the rumors are actually true - Chiarelli has already confirmed Milbury; could Taz be next? They were the last two Bs coaches to lead the team to the Stanley Cup Finals. How great would it be to have one of those two behind the bench again leading the Black and Gold?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

The night after rookie Phil Kessel received the Masterton at the NHL Awards ceremony; Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has relieved head coach Dave Lewis and associate coach Marc Habscheid of their coaching duties and will reassign them with in the organization.

Chiarelli said, in a 20-minute conference call, one of the things he evaluated during the process of coming to this decision was the inconsistant play of the 2006-07 team.

"We'd go through long stretches of good play, then we'd have long stretches of poor play," Chiarelli said. "I know the hockey season is full of ups and downs, but it showed me a level of play we could attain. I don't expect to be at that top level, but pretty darn close. That signaled it was time to make a change."

Chiarelli touched on the fact that he went through a review process of the team that included the coaching staff and players and "came to the conclusion that change needed to happen."

Nearly three months ago Chiarelli had said Lewis would be back as coach - but obviously he changed his mind.

"I did say they'd be back, but in fairness, I wanted to assess it myself," Chiarelli said. "I thought it would be unfair to make any decision at that time. I went through the process and came up with this result."

Chiarelli said Lewis and Habscheid were not completely to blame for the team's lack if success last season.

"These two individuals are not completely to blame," Chiarelli said. "The players have to shoulder some of this."

Lewis was the 27th coach in Bruins history and finished the season with a 35-41-6 record.

Chiarelli said he already has a list of candidates to take over behind the bench but would not disclose who was on that list, but did say he would like to have the new coach in place by July 1 - the first day of free agency.

"Any free agent that is going to consider a place to play, especially in this new system…they want to know who the coach is and what the coaching staff consists of," Chiarelli said.

Chiarelli added how important the coach's role is to the success of a team.

"Coaching is so important," Chiarelli said. "And you have to get it right."

Chiarelli did say he is looking for a coach that will be more aggressive on the forecheck and will hold the players more accountable than Lewis did.

"The players have to respond too," Chiarelli said. "And in fairness to Dave he came over from a team that had a lot of success ... Dave had his way of doing things and I made the assessment he wasn't compatible with our guys."

Chiarelli would not comment on whether or not Providence coach Scott Gordon was a candidate to fill the position with the big club, but did say he saw "A lot of good things in Scott. He's an impressive coach."

Assistant coach Doug Houda is being retained, but is not being considered to take the helm according to Chiarelli. Goaltending coach Bob Essensa is also staying on with the team.

So who could be on the short list of candidates?

Rumors are already flying (on the internet and various radio stations) that among the candidates could be Pat Quinn (who reportedly told a radio station in Toronto today he regretted not taking the job last year when he had the chance), Claude Julien (who was fired from New Jersey earlier this season) and former Bruins coach Mike Milbury.

I have to say that I was disappointed with Lewis and I'm glad he's gone. He never gave the lines a chance to gel before breaking them apart and never pushed the guys to their potential - JMO.
Chiarelli added he would not stand in the way of Lewis or Habscheid to pursue other options if they wanted. He also said he has "great respect" for both of them.

What do you think? Was Lewis made the fall guy or was Chiarelli's decision warranted after the poor season the Bruins had? Who would your choice be? I still wish some how, some way Chiarelli could convince Scotty Bowman to come out of retirement. What about Terry O'Reilly? Think he would ever consider coming back?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

The team that was originally named after a Disney movie 14-years ago, when they became an NHL expansion team in 1993, lived up to their former name and showed just how "Mighty" they can be when the Anaheim Ducks clinched the most coveted trophy in all of sports - THE STANLEY CUP.

Led by the net minding of Jean-Sebastian Giguere, the offensive prowess of Andy McDonanld and Ryan Getzlaf, the defensive play of Scott Niedermayer (who won the Conn Smythe), Sean O'Donnell and Chris Pronger and all around team discipline; Anaheim became the first champions from the West Coast when they defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-2 in Game 5 of the finals in front of their home crowd.

I had predicted a five-game series but unfortunately I picked the wrong team. Truth be told it was one of the better, most entertaining Cup Finals I had seen in a long time and I didn't want it to end at five - I wanted seven. I was hoping and praying the Sens could force a game six and even game seven because the series was that good.

One of the best moments of the playoffs however was when NHL Commish Gary Bettman walked down the red carpet, after the Ducks and Sens had the traditional end of series handshakes - and was greeted by boos of the Ducks' fans.

"It's OK, I'm bringing a gift," Bettman told the hostile crowd (good to know the discontent for Bettman goes across the country LOL).

What bothered me about this series was the fact Pronger was allowed to play Game 5 after being suspended for Game 4 after his hit to Dean McAmmond's head (a cheap hit). Did the powers that be forget the fact that he had been suspended for a cheap, dirty hit to Detroit's Tomas Holstrom during the Western Conference Finals????

The other thing that bothered me was Neidermayer winning the Conn Smythe - did the league forget that McDonald was the leading goal scorer of the series or the fact that Giggy was by far the better goaltender??? Sorry, but I don't think Niedermayer deserved the MVP simply because he logged the most ice time (which was the reason Bettman gave).

Now that the season is officially over many questions come to mind. Starting with .... Does Anaheim reward Giggy with a new deal or do they let him walk as a free agent this summer? How good would he look in a Bruins sweater? How about other free agents and teammates Daniel Briere and Chris Drury - where do they fit in? Buffalo or with a new team? Can the Sabres afford both? If you could have Giggy or Drury ... which would you pick? The NHL Draft is around the corner (June 22 and 23) ... What do the Bruins need the most? Oh, and by the way - who deserved the Conn Smythe in your eyes?

By the way - I'm technically on vacation which is the reason for the short blog (and lack there of)... but I will be checking for feedback - com'on hockey fans I know you're out there! Let me know what you really think.

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

If you haven't figured it out yet, I am a die hard hockey fan. You should also know by now that I'd rather watch hockey every day of the week and twice on Sunday than any other sport; in fact I'm watching Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals as I write this. But what you may not know is I am one of the biggest Michael Jordan fans ever!

Yes, I just wrote that. I do watch other sports besides hockey (even NASCAR and Formula 1 Racing)- I love all sports; I just prefer hockey over the others.

Although, I grew up a Celtics fan (because of my dad) I loved Jordan from the moment he hit the game-winning shot for UNC in the 1982 NCAA Championship game over Georgetown. I followed his entire career and have nearly every single article, magazine, book - basically anything and everything ever written about him. One of my all-time favorite presents I received is a framed black and white pic of Jordan guarding Larry Bird at the old Boston Garden (courtesy of my brother; thank you Ralph). I still think he is the best basketball player to lace up the sneakers (sorry to all the Bird fans out there).

The reason why I'm writing a blog about Jordan is because I recently found out my father's best friend Frank is attending Michael Jordan Flight School this August in Las Vegas - it was either a Christmas or birthday present from his wife Beth, I can't remember which one.

What I do know is that as a youngster I used to sit between my father, Frank and the rest of their friends watching basketball on most Saturdays and Sundays (which was my favorite sport at the time). I remember we were at Frank's old house in Methuen when Jordan scored 63-points in the double-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics in the 1986 NBA Playoffs, among many other games.

When Frank confirmed that he was going to attend Flight School, I told him "That's even better than me being in the Bruins locker room for the first time." Needless to say he didn't believe me, but he did however remember how much I love Jordan and the smile on his face showed how much he was looking forward to playing one-on-one against Jordan on the last day of the "camp."

I asked him and Beth to make sure they sent me pictures of Frank's experience. Beth said she'd do better - she's going to make sure I get a copy of the DVD!

I wish I had the opportunity to attend Flight School myself. Would you if you could? Is there another athlete out there you wish would do something similar, or does do something similar you wish you could attend? Did I shock any of you with the knowledge that at one point in my life I actually lived for the NBA?

Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

The Stanley Cup Finals are finally set and allow me to get this out of the way right off the bat - dboisver you were right - Ottawa not only beat the Sabres but they man handled them. I really didn't expect the Sabres to go out like that - but hey, it takes a real woman to admit she was wrong and boy was I ever.

The Ottawa Senators will represent the Eastern Conference after defeating Buffalo 4 games to 1 in the Conference Finals.
The trio of Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza were simply phenomenal in the series as was goaltender Ray Emery to send the Senators to their first ever Stanley Cup appearance.

The Anaheim Ducks will represent the Western Conference after defeating Detroit 4 games to 2 in their Conference Finals.
The Ducks owe must of it to goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere who has posted a 1.78 GAA through the playoffs along with top point getters Chris Prongers, Temmu Selanne and Ryan Getzalf.
The Ducks went to the finals in 2003 (when they were still the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) and lost to the New Jersey Devils by a score of 3-0 in the seventh game.

Both teams will be seeking their first Cup when the series opens Monday night in Anaheim. Each team had to win 12 games thus far and have four more to go to capture the most coveted trophy in all of sports. The question is which of the two teams will come out victorious?

The Senators will win if the amazing trio of Alfredsson, Heatley and Spezza stays healthy and continues to score at will; they have combined for 58 points (23 goals, 35 assists) throughout the playoffs and Emery has posted a 1.95 GAA.

The Ducks will win if Pronger, Selanne and Getzlaf (35 points; 12 goals, 23 assists) get more offensive help from the rest of their team, especially Scott Niedermayer and Andy McDonald who only had 2 assists each against the Wings. Their defense also has to figure out how to stop the Senators who have scored 10 more goals than the Ducks in their run to the finals.

My prediction Ottawa in 5. I underestimated this team in the Eastern Conference Finals, I won't make that mistake again.

Either way I can not wait until Monday night. The latest date Lord Stanley can be hoisted is June 11 and that's only if the series goes the full seven games.

What do you think? Will Ottawa or Anaheim win? How many games will the series go? Will you tune in to watch some of the games?