Crosby Still Having Symptoms

"Crosby has still had symptoms as a result of the concussion that prematurely ended his 2010-11 season, but nothing that's forced him to shut down his offseason workouts. He also pointed out that he's yet to have a situation this offseason where he's needed to be cleared to play (CBS Sports)."



That's terrible that he is still having symptoms. We read a similar report about Savard a couple weeks back and it proves just how bad these concussions can be. I hope Crosby is back for the start of the season, because he is really so important tot he NHL, that being said I have to admit I wouldn't be surprised if he misses more time. They have to be really careful because if he gets hit again it could be that much worse next time.

Bruins Should Sign Owen Nolan

Owen Nolan wants to play in the NHL again, and he know what role he wants to play. The Vancouver Province writes, "At 39 years old, he's convinced he can still have an impact in the NHL. He said watching Mark Recchi, another elder statesman, hoist the Stanley Cup at 43-years-old, only further fueled him (ESPN)."



He is trying out for the Canucks, but no one seems to think he will make the team. If he has something left I think the Bruins should sign him. He could fill that Recchi role, and plus I have always liked Owen Nolan. Plus, he will take any role...



"They can play me five minutes a game, I don't care. I'll stand in front of the net on the power play. I'll kill penalties. Whatever they want me to do, I will do it."



Maybe it is just wanting someone on the Bruins from my childhood, but I also think there is something to be said to having that older vet on the team. The Bruins are so young, and even though they won it all last year maybe a guy like this keeps them grounded and focused on doing it again, because it would obviously be a one and done type of year for Owen Nolan.

Savard Is Still A Mess

We haven't heard about Marc Savard in a while, and from the sound of interview we know why. There seems like there has been very little improvement...

"It's obviously been a long road for me. I'm still suffering with a lot of daily issues, right now it's been a tough go," Savard told reporters. "I'm just trying to get through and not worry about hockey right now, just worry about my health because I have three young kids and they're important to me."

"Mornings have been tough. When I get up in the morning I'm a little foggy sometimes," Savard continued. "But as the day wears on I'm pretty good. Hot sun is tough. I try to stay in the shade and stuff like that and pop the odd Advil and it seems to be okay (TSN)."

I feel so bad for this guy, but he has made a good amount of money and like I have said 1,000 times before just needs to sit back and announce his retirement. There is no reason for him to go out there again and risking another head shot. We have so much evidence now that these concussion can really mess your life up long term, so he should take every precaution to be there for his kids.

The Bruins did put a petition in to get him on the Cup, and I hope it works out. The guy has been through enough. I couldn't imagine waking up every day and still dealing with these problems. Blank spots in memory, dizziness, I mean we get those from hangover, but at least that's only on weekends.

It's crazy to think the NHL season starts again in about 6 weeks.

Shocking News: Players From Philly Are A Bunch Of Drunks

Since the Flyers traded away captain Mike Richards and Jeff Carter this offseason we have wondered why. Of course they needed a goalie, but to trade away two of their best offensive players seemed a bit much. Then news started to come out that these two refused to write their uniform numbers on a board in the locker room under a pledge to abstain from alcohol, as the coach requested. There are also rumors that these two had some serious drinking/partying problems.

Well, I guess that would explain it, and I guess we shouldn't be all that shocked that a hockey player has a drinking problem, and even less shocked when that player is from Philly. There have been some rumors that Marchand is kind of a party animal and the Bruins have asked him to cut back, but at least he has something to celebrate.

Bruins About To Resign Marchand?

"According to the Boston Globe, the general manager of the Boston Bruins feels there has been progress in the quest to sign Brad Marchand. Peter Chiarelli wouldn't say much else about ongoing contract talks with the 23-year-old winger's agent."

The gist of the article was that the Bruins would eventually resign their only restricted free agent. The question is how much. Most people think it will be in the 2-3 million range. The Bruins are close to the cap, so they have to be careful here. Marchand is an interesting guy, because as good as he was in the playoffs his 41 regular season points put him in the $1.5-$2 million range, but the way he played in the playoffs will get him somewhere over two. My best guess is a 2 year deal for about $5 million.

No matter what the Bruins can't afford to lose this guy, and I hope a deal gets done soon.

Bruins Lose Kaberle To Carolina Then Sign Joe Corvo

The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to a three-year, $12.75 million deal with Tomas Kaberle, but the Bruins quickly turned around and signed Joe Corvo to a 1 year deal worth $2.25 million. I really like what the Bruins did here. There is no way Kaberle is worth $4.25 million a year. He was a bust here, and even though the Bruins won the Cup with him, I feel they won in spite of him rather then because of him.

Corvo is a very solid pickup, and I like the short money deal. The Bruins do not need to get locked down in a long term contract for a "puck moving defenseman". Corvo will fit in nicely as he can take Kaberle's spot right away, and can be a nice addition to the power play. He is coming off a career year in which scored 11 goals and had 29 assists for a career-high 40 points. He just can't wear #77 anymore.

The Bruins Are Doomed, My Short Lived Bruins Fanhood Is Over

(One thing I have learned over the years, you don't let ESPN front page players go)

Michael Ryder signed with the Dallas Stars for a reported $7 million over two years on the first day of NHL free agency. The 31-year-old forward had 41 points in the regular season and was fourth on the team in playoff scoring, including three goals and three assists in the Stanley Cup finals against the Canucks. ESPN

I know I'm not really a hockey fan, but I became a Michael Ryder fan about 3 years ago and the Bruins just made the biggest mistake of their franchise by letting this stud go. Michael Ryder single handedly won them the Stanley Cup. He was great in the playoffs and the Bruins wouldn't have even made it there if it wasn't for him. He made Tyler Seguins career, he made that 3rd line as dangerous as the 1st (Him and Seguin were like Jordan and Pippen out there), and he made a game winning save even Tim Thomas couldn't get. Actually, he probably should have won the Vezina trophy based on that alone. He was the 2nd most important Bruin in this whole postseason behind Tim Thomas. Michael Ryder was the heart and soul of this team and they were fucking dumb to let him go on the 1st day of free agency. I hope when the Dallas Stars come back he makes them pay for this crucial mistake and disrespect they showed him.

Go Stars!

Penguins To Sign Jagr

There have been rumors for weeks that Jaromir Jagr is finally going to make his comeback to the NHL. There had been a bunch of teams rumored (Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, ect), but it's the Penguins that have seemed to have won the race. Jagr is now 38 years old and hasn't played in the NHL since 2008. He has been playing well overseas, and I do expect him to be able to put up 20-25 goals, so as long as your expectations are in the right place I don't this he will disappoint. I have never liked Jagr, maybe it's his hair, or maybe it's just my hatred for the Peguins, but I hope this woks out terrible.

Meet The Newest Bruin

The Bruins drafted Dougie Hamilton with their first pick in the NHL draft. Yea, I have no idea who is either, but I did do some reading up on him, and what the Bruins were thinking. Basically they like this kid because he is a huge (6-4) physical defenseman. If groomed right he could be another great defenseman for the Bruins. We saw in the finals what big defenseman can do for you. They can wear stars down, and if this kid is the real deal it would be nice to have him and Chara on the same team. The one knock on him right now is inconsistency, he can go out and play great then make some bad plays within the same game. To me that sounds like any 18 year old, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.

Why Not?

Hilarious.

You Are Not Going To Like The Bruins Parade

Hate to rain the Bruins parade, but it's going to disappoint a lot of you. It's not just because I'm bitter that I can't go, but the way they planned it, and the bumbling mayor's rules.

1) It is ending in Copley. I work in Copley and trust me it is not a good place to have that many people. They just won't fit.

2) There is no rally point. No speeches, nothing. You are going to see the duck boats, some players for about 2 mins, and then nothing. What made the Patriots rally great is that it ended in Government Center, and there was speeches, music, dancing, awesomeness. They aren't allowing any of that. It will literally be duck boats, clapping, and watch them go by. Sweet.

3) Last, and least important it might rain. That sucks, but it only sucks, because you are getting very little out of it. If it was a rally, and players were out there with you doing speeches, then it's worth it. To watch them drive by in a duck boat, no thanks.

The only reason to go is to see the Cup. I can understand that, but what a disappointment. I mean when Bourque won the Cup they let him make a speech, and he didn't even win it in Boston. This is just fucking stupid, and I am disappointed in Boston.

For those of you going here is the route:

The route will begin at TD Garden at 11 a.m. and work its way through the city, beginning on Causeway Street. The team will travel on duck boats past City Hall Plaza and the Common before ending at Copley Plaza on Boylston Street.

Tim Thomas' Trophy Case

Two nights ago, Tim Thomas added two impressive pieces of hardware to an already diverse collection of trophies and awards. And while the Conn Smythe, the Stanley Cup, and his inevitable second Vezina are the feature pieces of his trophy case, the rest of what's in there tells the story of his career.

He's got some college hockey honors. He was two time All-ECAC and two time All NCAA East All-American. He also has some less traditional, and more difficult to spell awards under his belt.

In 1998, he won the Urpo Ylönen trophy, given to the best goalie in Finland's SM-liiga. He's the only American who has one of those bad boys. His team also won the very large Kanada-malja ("Canada Cup"), Finland's championship trophy.

In 2005 he won the Kultainen kypärä ("Golden Helmet") in Finland, awarded to the best player as voted by his fellow players. He won another 'best player' award that year: the Lasse Oksanen trophy.

The variety of awards he has in that trophy case don't just testify to his quality as a player. They're not just achievements. They're milestones on a career that took one of the most unique paths from obscurity to greatness. Nobody in the world has an Urpo Ylönen, a Vezina, and a Conn Smythe.

-The Commodore

BMack's Bruins Thoughts

The Boston Bruins are Stanley Cup Champions.

I keep saying it, yet I find it hard to believe.

When I was a little kid it was the only team I followed. They were the first team to break my heart, and they seemed to love doing it, because it happened again and again. One of my first memories is Wesley hitting the post, I was 6. I remember very little other else from that time in my life other then the my Ghostbusters toy gun that put images of ghosts on the wall (fucking best toy ever).

For so long the Bruins were so close. They had the talent (Bourque, Neely, Moog, Janney, Oates, Sweeney, ect), but in the end it always ended the same... Heartbreak. Sure, I got to enjoy watching Bourque go to Colorado and winning the Cup, and trust me I enjoyed every minute. The Bruins wouldn't spend the money to be good. They didn't care. I didn't care, and much like Bourque I walked out the door.

Then the NHL did the best thing they ever did for the league. They made a salary cap.

Slowly I came back. They had to spend the money, so it was just about finding the talent. They didn't do it at first, and it was reliving the 90's all over again. Always a step behind, always the joke of Boston. The hype got bigger and bigger, then... Heartbreak. The Flyers knock the Bruins out after being up 3-0. The noise from Boston was the same as it had been my whole like. "Same old Bruins, same old joke".

Then Thomas came back.

Before this year Moog was by far the best goalie I had ever seen in a Bruins uniform. Sure, there were flash in the pan guys (John Blue, Andrew Raycroft, Jim Carey , ect), but nothing like this. I never got to see Gerry Cheevers, but I doubt he was this good. Actually, I can back that up. Thomas made the most saves of anyone is postseason histroy. He won 3 game 7's, also never been done. Thomas finished the playoffs with a 16-9 record, 1.98 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. Not bad for a guy who was a backup last year.

The closest I can think of is Patrick Roy. I have always said he is the best goalie I have ever seen, and for his career I'll stand by that, but this run Thomas went on was better then anything he has ever done. Let's be honest for a second. The Bruins are GOOD, but they are not GREAT. They aren't as good as the Champions in the past (Penguins, Blackhawks, so on). The Bruins had 1 thing going for them. Tim Thomas is better then anyone else's goalie, and the best part is he did it HIS WAY. He came out of his net, he was wreckless, he fucking HIT PEOPLE, and it all worked.

To make it even more amazing is the way he got here. He got no respect for much of his career. Didn't even make it to the NHL till he was in the 30's. Didn't really lock down a starting job till recently. Now, he will go down as the goalie who had the greatest run of anyone EVER.

Moving on from Thomas, could there be a more likeable team? No real superstars (other then maybe Chara). Just a bunch of "blue collar" guys that wouldn't go down without smacking you in the mouth. That ended up being the difference. The Canucks were a way better team. Not even close, but they didn't have the fight. They didn't want to get in the trenches. The Bruins loved the trenches, they had been in them for 3 years. They had seen the worst losses (Flyers), they had seen worst injuries (Horton, Savard, Bergeron), they had seen every other team in Boston win. There just wasn't anything any team could do to them that they hadn't already seen. THAT ended up being the difference. They were the warriors that had seen it all. They were all "JACK BAUER".

It's been an incredible run. So, enjoy Bruins fans, the heartbreak is over, and for everyone else...

WELCOME TO TITLE TOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!