BostonBob
4 Ever The Greatest
Must have been a slow week in Leafland because there's finally a bit of Bruins news in this week's column.
18. Hours before Boston’s 4-2 loss in Toronto on Monday, Bruins GM Don Sweeney confirmed he’s looking for help. “Up front, certainly.” he said.
19. Sweeney’s club has been decimated by injuries. Kevan Miller spent the night in a Toronto hospital after being hit in the throat by a puck. It was his fifth game back after being out 13. Torey Krug and John Moore also are back after missing time. Cornerstones Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara remain sidelined — joining Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Urho Vaakanainen.
“We don’t know what our team really looks like,” Sweeney said. “If there’s good news, it’s that some other guys have had to drive the bus…given us an idea of what they can do. (Coaches) Bruce Cassidy and Kevin Dean were part of our development plan, so they knew what we had.”
Who has impressed you? “(Jeremy) Lauzon. Small sample size, but he’s done well. Matt Grzelcyk. He’s come a long way…earned a higher profile, played almost 25 minutes (last Friday against Pittsburgh). Joakim Nordstrom, he’s our Swiss Army Knife up front.”
20. One of the things I asked Sweeney is if he ever worries that Bergeron’s body will give out. He’s going right to the Hall of Fame, but you wonder if it’s sooner rather than later because the 33-year-old’s been through some traumatic injuries.
“I don’t want to make it sound like I’m downplaying anything, but I don’t worry as much because it’s not concussion-related,” the GM answered. “If anything, sometimes we have to make him wait, because Patrice tries so hard to get back. He’s wired differently…all about winning, everything he does, you name it. It’s all about winning.”
21. Boston does one thing differently than any other visitor to Toronto. When Chara is playing, he gets a goaltender-sized stall; a little honour for him. Tuukka Rask gets the second, while his backup combines two regular-sized ones. With the captain out of action, Rask was in his regular spot (although not the evening’s starter) and Jaroslav Halak got the double. I was surprised they didn’t go the regular route, but the Bruins stayed consistent, awarding the unique perk to 877-game veteran David Backes. Neat detail.
Full column here: 31 Thoughts: Senators' Melnyk scrambling to save arena deal - Sportsnet.ca
18. Hours before Boston’s 4-2 loss in Toronto on Monday, Bruins GM Don Sweeney confirmed he’s looking for help. “Up front, certainly.” he said.
19. Sweeney’s club has been decimated by injuries. Kevan Miller spent the night in a Toronto hospital after being hit in the throat by a puck. It was his fifth game back after being out 13. Torey Krug and John Moore also are back after missing time. Cornerstones Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara remain sidelined — joining Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Urho Vaakanainen.
“We don’t know what our team really looks like,” Sweeney said. “If there’s good news, it’s that some other guys have had to drive the bus…given us an idea of what they can do. (Coaches) Bruce Cassidy and Kevin Dean were part of our development plan, so they knew what we had.”
Who has impressed you? “(Jeremy) Lauzon. Small sample size, but he’s done well. Matt Grzelcyk. He’s come a long way…earned a higher profile, played almost 25 minutes (last Friday against Pittsburgh). Joakim Nordstrom, he’s our Swiss Army Knife up front.”
20. One of the things I asked Sweeney is if he ever worries that Bergeron’s body will give out. He’s going right to the Hall of Fame, but you wonder if it’s sooner rather than later because the 33-year-old’s been through some traumatic injuries.
“I don’t want to make it sound like I’m downplaying anything, but I don’t worry as much because it’s not concussion-related,” the GM answered. “If anything, sometimes we have to make him wait, because Patrice tries so hard to get back. He’s wired differently…all about winning, everything he does, you name it. It’s all about winning.”
21. Boston does one thing differently than any other visitor to Toronto. When Chara is playing, he gets a goaltender-sized stall; a little honour for him. Tuukka Rask gets the second, while his backup combines two regular-sized ones. With the captain out of action, Rask was in his regular spot (although not the evening’s starter) and Jaroslav Halak got the double. I was surprised they didn’t go the regular route, but the Bruins stayed consistent, awarding the unique perk to 877-game veteran David Backes. Neat detail.
Full column here: 31 Thoughts: Senators' Melnyk scrambling to save arena deal - Sportsnet.ca