Flatlining

I am a long time lurker on this newsgroup and a lifelong Bruins fan. I
knew the B's had fallen off the map, but I was so shocked to see the
lack of activity on this forum that I need to find out if I am the
only person who is even midly interested in the season. Even though
the team has been in a shambles since Harry lost his fast ball after
the Neely/Oates/Bourque era, I at try to start every season with an
open/optimistic perspective. The bigger issue is that the game itself
lost it's its way with all of the rule changes.

It can't be this bad, the Duck's example will help the momentum to
swing back towards old time hockey. I also feel that the team should
at least be interesting this year. It starts with the coach who will
instill a much more aggressive approach. Who can forget Pat Burn's
flexing his biceps at Julian for acting like a tough guy during that
playoff series against the Canadiens? Last year, under the previous
regime, Chara was specifically told not to fight. How are you going to
play with an edge if you can't finish the job after someone takes
exception to a big hit? I am sure it didn't help that he was so tired
that he probably couldn't even lift his arms above his waist from
playing so many minutes. Bergeron (sp?) will definately bounce
back. The new role players and the late additions from last year will
help fill the gaps and take some of the pressure and minutes from the
bigger names. They should also offer some protection against cheap
shots, etc.. The D is a bit suspect and who knows about our goalies.

In the end, hockey is second only to football where success is more a
function of the sum of the parts rather than the individual players
themselves. If the team plays together and plays with an attitude,
they will at least be worth watching. At least in hockey it is ok to
film the other teams bench.

Go B's.

On Sep 15, 10:58 pm, Stu Pidassle <masse... DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote:
> I am a long time lurker on this newsgroup and a lifelong Bruins fan. I
> knew the B's had fallen off the map, but I was so shocked to see the
> lack of activity on this forum that I need to find out if I am the
> only person who is even midly interested in the season. Even though
> the team has been in a shambles since Harry lost his fast ball after
> the Neely/Oates/Bourque era, I at try to start every season with an
> open/optimistic perspective. The bigger issue is that the game itself
> lost it's its way with all of the rule changes.
>
> It can't be this bad, the Duck's example will help the momentum to
> swing back towards old time hockey. I also feel that the team should
> at least be interesting this year. It starts with the coach who will
> instill a much more aggressive approach. Who can forget Pat Burn's
> flexing his biceps at Julian for acting like a tough guy during that
> playoff series against the Canadiens? Last year, under the previous
> regime, Chara was specifically told not to fight. How are you going to
> play with an edge if you can't finish the job after someone takes
> exception to a big hit? I am sure it didn't help that he was so tired
> that he probably couldn't even lift his arms above his waist from
> playing so many minutes. Bergeron (sp?) will definately bounce
> back. The new role players and the late additions from last year will
> help fill the gaps and take some of the pressure and minutes from the
> bigger names. They should also offer some protection against cheap
> shots, etc.. The D is a bit suspect and who knows about our goalies.
>
> In the end, hockey is second only to football where success is more a
> function of the sum of the parts rather than the individual players
> themselves. If the team plays together and plays with an attitude,
> they will at least be worth watching. At least in hockey it is ok to
> film the other teams bench.
>
> Go B's.

Nice post. Especially paragraph II. This is exactly what gives me some
hope
for this season. I feel that some of last season's deals and the
trading of Kalus
really hurt the team in the long run. But the subtraction of Lewis is
a definite
addition. The only question is how much of a an addition.

Hey Stu, stop lurking and join in the fray. You sound too sharp to
rest on this
post. See if you can throw in some clunkers like the rest of us.