2019 Stanley Cup Final 1000 Reasons Why the Bruins Will Win the Cup In 2019

[sooshii]

In 2011 the Bruins were massive underdogs going into the SCF v. the Canucks. The Canucks were Presidents Trophy winners. On home ice. In CANADA.

But the Bruins had already slayed some playoffs dragons to get to the Final. Coming back against Montreal with the vengeance of a Ference finger. Sweeping away the ghosts of epic collapse in Philly. Enduring and surviving a fast-moving, single-goal game 7 for the ages in Tampa.

In that wait time between Tampa and Vancouver, there was a small band of the ​

Lunatic Fringe ​

who came up with 1000 Reasons Why the Bruins Would Win the Cup. ​

Since we have roughly a fortnight before our beloved Bs take to the ice again against a yet-to-be-revealed opponent, I thought we could compile a 2019 list.

I’ll start...

1000 Reasons
Why the Bruins
Will Win the Cup In 2019​

1. Jaroslav Halak

In mid-November Tuukka Rask took a 3-day leave to deal with a personal issue.

Rask, on his return:
“First and foremost, I want to thank all the people who sent me messages and contacted me and supported me. Second of all, I want to thank the Boston Bruins for giving me the opportunity to take time off with my family. I've never been more proud to be a part of this family. We are a family and we take care of each other when times are tough. That being said, I have a job. My job is to be a hockey goalie for the Boston Bruins. And I also have another job title, and that's a family man. This was a time that, deep inside my heart, I felt like I needed to take time to be with my family and make things right, so I can be back here and focus on my job. That took three days. I'm back here, I'm back to work, and I'm ready to battle with these guys. At the end of the day, I realize that a hockey career is a very short career, but life is much longer than that. So I appreciate that I got the privacy and the time I needed. I'm ready to move on now."

To that point in the season, Tuukka was .901.

Jaro held down the fort while Tuukka was away. Overall he started 37 games for the Bruins this season, posting a 22-11-4 record with a 2.34 goals against average, .922 save percentage and 5 shutouts. A respectable body of work that took the load off Tuukka and offered some healthy competition.

Tuukka on Halak, last night:
“I'm happy he's my partner."

He may not play a minute in the playoffs, but if we win, he deserves some credit.

Click to read more...

 

[TCB]

2. Charlie Coyle


The third line center this team so badly needed for sometime, he appears to be that missing piece the bruins had been searching for, and the one to finally make this team complete.

He is a puck possession hound and with his addition the Bruins now have the best 4 lines in all of Hockey! He Creates match up problems for other teams who just can't counter the Bruins depth. Coyle has been a horse offensively and defensively and at times looks like a man playing against boys.

In 17 playoff games to date, the 27-year-old has six goals and six assists for 12 points to go with a a plus-9 rating.

Like they say sometimes the trades you don't make are your best ones. Count the supposed trade for Brayden Schenn that fell apart as being just that for the Bruins, because if it hadn't Charlie Coyle more than likely wouldn't be a Bruin.

“t was a weird moment where I didn’t know I was being traded and I wasn’t on a team,” Coyle told NBC last week. “I didn’t know what team I was on for a couple hours. When I found out it was Boston I was pretty happy.”

“The Charlie Coyle line, right now,” said coach Bruce Cassidy, “creates a big problem for the other team.”

 

[Alicat]

3. Next Man Up - Defense

“At the beginning of the year, it kind of started, ” Kampfer said. “We have a lot of depth on this team and a lot of guys who can play. At one point we used (12) defensemen so far this year. We have depth in that area, we have depth on the front in. You’re never trying to do anyone else’s job, you’re trying to do your job and make the team successful.”

Next man up the mentality for the Bruins defense – Boston Herald

The Bruins depth was tested tremendously this season, with 12 different defenseman seeing game action with the big club. Kampfer appeared in 35 contests, averaging 14:38 TOI and recording 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points. When Charlie McAvoy was suspended for a high hit to Josh Anderson in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, it was Kampfer who was tapped to fill in.

Kampfer And B's Proving 'Next Man Up' Is More Than Just An Expression

 

[Alicat]

4. Marcus Johansson

“There’s versatility there,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. “Marcus represents a lot of versatility and production in a top nine role. It’s something we felt, coming down the stretch, we still could use that.”

Bruins add Marcus Johansson at deadline – Boston Herald

 

[Alicat]

5. The Bubble Helmet

Noel Acciari took a puck to the mouth in the Bruins’ win over the San Jose Sharks, and the fourth-line center lost two teeth as a result of the incident and needed to get stitches on both lips.

Acciari never doubted his chances of playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning, however. And with Boston clinging to a 1-0 lead just under 12 minutes into the third period, the 27-year-old — donning a protective caged facemask — doubled his team’s advantage with a gritty goal. The home team rode the momentum from there, extending their point streak to 15 games

“A handful of Bruins players have found success while wearing the protective “bubble.” As such, Sean Kuraly, one of the more recent beneficiaries of the cage, knew his linemate was in store for a big night.

“Sean’s was like ‘It’s a lucky helmet. It’s a lucky bubble. Good things will come,'” Acciari said. “He was right.”

Given the circumstances, Kuraly wasn’t sure which higher power to thank for his clutch tally. “

“It was the hockey gods or the bubble gods,” Kuraly said.”

Noel Acciari Becomes Latest Bruin To Benefit From ‘Lucky Bubble’ Helmet

 

[TCB]

6. Sean Kuraly

Another Great trade by Don Sweeney with San Jose in 2015,that has helped the Bruins solidify their bottom six. That man Sean Kuraly has become the Straw that stirs the drink on many nights.

After suffering a broken hand on March 21st, Sean Kuraly returned during the Bruins’ first-round win over Toronto, just in time to score the back breaker goal in Game 7.

He is relentless on the forecheck, and can be a one man cycling machine in hemming the opposition in their own zone and he's like an extra defenseman in the d-zone being able to retrieve pucks and skate it out of his own zone with his elite speed.

 

[Mainehockey33]

7. David Krejci

Back in prime form this year, Krejci is a vital piece to a successful playoff run. Coming off his best season offensively, Krejci is 3rd in playoff scoring while playing with Debrusk and Backes. There were times during the Toronto series where Krejci was the only guy on the team that could carry the puck deep into the offensive zone to bleed time off the clock.

Krejci is now top three all-time in Bruins playoff scoring and is only a point away from tying Espo for second. An amazing feat on an original 6 franchise that’s been around for almost a century.

 

[Bruinaura]

8. Cookies.

Duh.

.... Or, Patrice Bergeron.

 

[sooshii]

9. The “Perfection” Line
There were times during the season when I thought, Geez these guys are amazing, and I hope someone else gets a chance to score sometime. Cause we’re going to be in the shit if they ever run cold.

Cause perfection doesn’t come easy.

From Fluto:

In Game 3, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak submitted a stinker. In 7:13 of 5-on-5 play, according to Natural Stat Trick, the top trio allowed 10 attempts while recording only four of their own. The outcome: a ghastly 28.57 Corsi For rating.
The next day, the three huddled with assistants Joe Sacco and Jay Pandolfo to review their shifts. The video was not pretty. But it reminded them of how they have to play: swarming, overwhelming, anticipatory offense in the attacking zone.

 

[sooshii]

10. CONVICTION



(apologies for taping off my TV and not knowing how to turn off captions on ESPN. I’m older than Chara. And Bourque.)

 

[Bruinaura]

11. Bruce "Butch" Cassidy

"We needed to win the first 10 minutes," Cassidy told reporters. "I hear people saying they come into another team's building and 'We've got to weather the storm.' Well, we want to create the storm. We're not interested in weathering any storm."

 

[Bruinaura]

12. The Peaky Bruins

 

[Rubber Biscuit]

13. David Backes

Backes’ journey through the 2018-19 season was an up-and-down one. He saw his minutes decline throughout the season, and morphed his game to be more of a physical presence for Boston to remain in the lineup. Given the speed of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Backes was a healthy scratch when the playoffs began last month.

But he was reinserted in the lineup for Game 4 against the Leafs, and has made the most of his limited opportunities since. Averaging just under 10 minutes of ice time, Backes has notched a pair of goals and three assists, all while bringing that physical presence the Bruins have needed on their second line. (Heading To First Stanley Cup Final, Bruins Veteran David Backes Feeling Full Gamut Of Emotions)

“You’ve thought about this moment for a long time — of playing for that ultimate prize that you dream of when you’re a kid,’’ Backes said. “Now, it’s reality. It’s us against one other team, and one of us is going home with that Stanley Cup. It’s what you dream about.’’ (David Backes ran gamut of emotions in realizing his dream to play for the Stanley Cup | Boston.com)

 

[Bruinaura]

14. The Equipment Guys

On the Bruins bench, a master works his craft, making...

You’ll never see Matt Falconer’s name on the score sheet, but there is no doubting the impact he has on the Boston Bruins.
By the unofficial numbers, he has at least four assists, and all have come at crucial times. The reason: Falconer is the assistant equipment manager, and one of his duties is to make sure that when a player breaks a stick, he is there immediately for the stick exchange.
Every team has someone assigned to the task, but Bruins players swear he is second to none in his ability to make sure a player has the proper tool for the job at a split-second’s notice.
“He’s the quickest,” backup goalie Jaroslav Halak said. “Matty’s up there. He’s on top of it. He’s watching and the next thing you know he’s learning over the boards and handing out the stick. It reminds me of Formula 1 when they go to pit stop; you have to be fast and he’s kind of like that.”

*with special appearance by a person or two we all may know

 

[Alicat]

15. Danton Heinen

On the wing, Heinen relentlessly harasses puck carriers and uses his speed and agility to his advantage. He often forces opposing puck carriers into dead angles in the neutral zone to produce turnovers. He’s also instrumental in sequences where the Bruins are transitioning the puck, both as a carrier trying to gain the line and as a forechecker in dump-and-chase situations.

What Heinen may lack in shooting talent right now he makes up for with smart positional hockey and situational awareness. When he is on the ice, the Bruins are consistently driving play into the heart of the opponent’s defence.

https://www.tsn.ca/heinen-delivering-for-bruins-this-postseason-1.1298098

 

[PB37]

16. It's In Our Blood

 

[Alicat]

17 Brad Marchand

Brad Marchand should make as serious a run as ever at the Hart Trophy this season. Because the Bruins' superstar (yes, put "super" in front there) winger just dominated the NHL like he never has before, and he did it for essentially a full season.
Marchand topped the 100-point mark for the first time in his career last week, finishing with 36 goals and 64 assists in 79 games. He played at a 100-point pace last season, but this time he stayed on the ice long enough to actually get there. Marchand finally paired his hockey dynamism with durability and discipline.
The last one is the most striking of them all. Marchand turned the discipline inward this season, resulting in a less volatile but just-as-productive version of the "Little Ball of Hate". In an achievement few would've expected, Marchand managed to maintain an excellent scoring pace while continuing to agitate opponents without ever fully crossing the line.

Brad Marchand puts it all together with career-best regular season

 

[Alicat]

I love this thread

 

[Dr Hook]

18 Matt Grzelcyk

No fancy pictures, but 'nuff said

 

[Bruinaura]

18 Matt Grzelcyk

No fancy pictures, but 'nuff said

Everybody loves Gryz

 

[member 96824]

19. Because they are the best team ever assembled in the history of sports or teams.

 

[HHHH]

# 20. Providence

This might seem a bit strange, but hear me out...

The Boston Bruins dressed 39 players this season, and of those 39 an amazing 31 played at least one game during their career in Providence. For some like Pasta or McAvoy it was only a few games and for Bergeron is was during the 04-05 lockout, but look at the number of core guys who played a significant number of games with the organization in the AHL

Marchand had 114 games with the PB's
Krejci had 94
Tuukka played 104
DeBrusk had 74
Heinen 80 games

And, a lot of the younger guys have spent a lot of games at the Dunk, and some may spend more time there in the future, but they have looked when they arrived with the big club:

Clifton 107 games
Lauzon 81
Kuhlman 60

It is good to see the organization allowing younger guys time to develop and to find their games in the AHL, rather than rushing them into the NHL. While not every guy from Providence has set the world on fire when they were called up to Boston, I think this shows a great organizational philosophy and the AHL guys can see that there is a path to the NHL, and it is not always all about instant gratification.

 

[Alicat]

Could we maybe pin this thread?

 

[McGarnagle]

21. Victor Hedman's concussion

 

[sooshii]

22. Local Heroes - it’s in their blood

You won’t find any Maple Leafs jammies in these kids’ closets.

Chris Wagner, Charlie Coyle, Noel Acciari, Matt Grzelcyk

“Matt Grzelcyk was doing his best to keep a lid on the understandable emotion bubbling inside of him Sunday evening, channeling his most stoic self in an attempt to contain a Mother’s Day hockey narrative taking direct aim at his breakout game, unleashing any cliché he could conjure to direct the story away from himself.

But once teammate Torey Krug let go with a “Mayor of Charlestown” crack from the seat beside him at TD Garden’s postgame interview, Grzelcyk couldn’t help it. He stifled a laugh, dropped his chin to his chest, and rode out Krug’s glowing comments in uncomfortable silence, nodding not at the nice things Krug was saying about him, but about the pride all of the similarly Boston-bred Bruins like Grzelcyk bleed into the home locker room.”
—
Weymouth school rallies for alumnus, Bruins forward Charlie Coyle
WEYMOUTH — While the Boston Bruins hockey team was some 30,000 feet in the air en route to the third game of the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday, nearly 200 students waved rally towels, donned Bruins headbands and screamed their support from the cafeteria of Pingree elementary.

The students were decked out head-to-toe in black and gold as they chanted “Let’s Go Bruins” and competed in a shoot-off with teachers Monday in the same cafeteria where Charlie Coyle, a forward with the Bruins, sat 20 years ago.

“Charlie has been such a role model for so many of our students,” Jennifer Curtis-Whipple, Weymouth superintendent, said. “He has always taken the time to give back to us, so this is our way of giving back to him and telling him how much we appreciate everything he’s done.”
—
“I think Noel is one of those guys that kind of plays though a lot of things and a lot of injuries and battles. He is always on the ice and doing the little things,” said Bruins Patrice Bergeron.

“He’s a hard-nosed guy that shows up to play every night -- does a lot of the dirty work. Starts in our end almost every shift, kills penalties, plays against top lines, expecting to lead us energy and physicality wise,” said Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy.
—
Lastly, 7th Player Award Winner Chris Wagner’s playoffs ended with a blocked shot, but he remains an inspiration to the team.

“That’s a testament to him and what he’s willing to give for this team,” said longtime buddy Charlie Coyle. “To block a shot like that, that gets us fired up. It’s the little things. They add up. That’s a big loss for us. He’s been such a great player. He brings so much on that fourth line. He can play up and down the lineup. He’s been playing on the fourth line, and they create such good energy for us. They’ve gotten us right into games and had some big shifts. He’s been a huge part of that. Blocking shots, that is a big part. We’re definitely playing for him and the other guys who are injured and can’t be out there with us. But that’s how Wags is in a nutshell. He does whatever for the team.”