News Article: DJ Bean: Why December 23 is a meaningful day for the Bruins

[Rubber Biscuit]

Maybe there's a better place for this but I thought this was an interesting article about the Atlanta game right before Christmas during the 2010/11 season and how it turned that team's season around.

http://bigbadblog.weei.com/sports/b...cember-23-is-a-meaningful-day-for-the-bruins/

The Bruins can only hope that amidst all their turmoil this season, they can find a way to turn it around, but they’d be kidding themselves if they were to think they could do it the same way as they did back then.

Thornton is in Florida and Adam McQuaid is hurt. It’s less likely the Bruins will run over a team simply by beating them up the way they did with Atlanta, but they could†and just spitballing here — have more than two lines show up. Campbell's line, which owned that Atlanta game, could do something for the third or fourth time all season.

The point is they can be better, and doing so now could pay big dividends.

Click to read more...

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

All this is to me is "lets cross our fingers and hope history repeats itself".

 

[LouJersey]

Was thinking of this game today...team got a huge boost...

Too bad Ference, Nasty and Savard aren't still here.

 

[LouJersey]

All this is to me is "lets cross our fingers and hope history repeats itself".

No worries, it won't.

 

[Bmessy]

This team is missing alot of it's emotional backbone.

Ferrence, Boychuk, Thornton. Those guys were huge in the room and equally as important on the ice. Those are guys you want to go to war with. You will stick your neck out because you know you have your boys to back you up

Now we have Gagne, Cunningham, Trotman. They scare no one.

Too many changes at once for this team

 

[acr*]

Honestly, I can't see this team doing anything like that. Lot of vanilla on this team and guys that just don't have "it."

 

[Baddkarma]

This team is slow, soft, and lacks skill. There will be no miracles this year...

 

[Minny Shinny]

Was thinking of this game today...team got a huge boost...

Too bad Ference, Nasty and Savard aren't still here.

I did too. I remember being pretty ambivalent about this team from the Flyers collapse and going into the 2010-2011 season...then being at this game and honestly, the tenor of the team changed, the way the fans looked at the team changed. It might seem quite dramatic to say it....but everything about that season changed that night. It was one of the reasons Andrew Ference was (and still is, in many ways) my favorite Bruin.

Anytime someone talks about the physical nature of hockey not being as important anymore in the "new NHL" I think about this game. No, the full on line brawl may not fit in the makeup of some teams, but it has for years been part of the makeup of the Boston Bruins.

I felt more excited re-watching that brawl than I have in 90% of games this year.

I've purposely chosen to stay away from this board, but once I read this piece this morning I wanted to come and see if anyone was talking about it. Good on you for posting it, RB.

 

[Bi Coastal Bawse*]

Who would actually get in a brawl on this team? I can only see a few getting into a Atlanta/Carolina type brawl. Lucic, Chara, Seidenberg and Bergeron. That's really it. Maybe DK.

Team doesn't have the heart and muscle anymore

 

[jgatie]

I had a 1/4 season ticket for that year. I saw this game, and the next game I went to was the 2/9/14 Habs line brawl game. I took 1 of my 2 "never been to a hockey game before" nieces to each game, they became fans for life.

 

[hubey]

Thanks for posting this RB. Loved watching that brawl again. Ference could always be counted on to have his teammates back. He and Thornton may not be top players, but they provided that mentality that if you fight one of us you fight all of us. They are really missed on this team.

SoM, missed you around here. Always enjoy your posts.

 

[remer]

This team is slow, soft, and lacks skill. There will be no miracles this year...

Very accurate. They have not addressed speed. Gagne and Campbell don't help.

Soft - Not much for toughness except Lucic

Skill - pretty well everyone is struggling. No player with 10 goals yet this year.

Seguin has 25 goals.

 

[Arthur*]

You know what though, for a short period after the Bartkowski hit and the penalty kill, they were playing at another gear and starting to look like they had that swagger again, but it faded away. Maybe continued borderline play and a brawl could light the pilot light on the team.

 

[Kate08]

Wearing my Ference jersey to the game tonight to commemorate the occasion.

 

[LouJersey]

I did too. I remember being pretty ambivalent about this team from the Flyers collapse and going into the 2010-2011 season...then being at this game and honestly, the tenor of the team changed, the way the fans looked at the team changed. It might seem quite dramatic to say it....but everything about that season changed that night. It was one of the reasons Andrew Ference was (and still is, in many ways) my favorite Bruin.

Anytime someone talks about the physical nature of hockey not being as important anymore in the "new NHL" I think about this game. No, the full on line brawl may not fit in the makeup of some teams, but it has for years been part of the makeup of the Boston Bruins.

I felt more excited re-watching that brawl than I have in 90% of games this year.

I've purposely chosen to stay away from this board, but once I read this piece this morning I wanted to come and see if anyone was talking about it. Good on you for posting it, RB.

All the more reason it's been sucking more and more...come back more please.

 

[Shaun]

that team had balls and heart.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

that team had balls and heart.

Before that game we didn't think so.

 

[LouJersey]

Wearing my Ference jersey to the game tonight to commemorate the occasion.

Talk about a glue guy, fearless teammate...This was one of my favorites...laying the smack down twice...



Fighting bigger players?

 

[Gee Wally]

Wearing my Ference jersey to the game tonight to commemorate the occasion.

Good on you Kate.

 

[sooshii]

Told ya they had extra jam on my birthday.

 

[kytem2]

that team had balls and heart.

And talent, don't forget talent.

Lucic Krejci Horton
Marchand Bergeron Recchi
Seguin Savard Wheeler
Ryder

 

[Danton Heineken]

And talent, don't forget talent.

Lucic Krejci Horton
Marchand Bergeron Recchi
Seguin Savard Wheeler
Ryder

All the rhetoric is how the Bruins haven't replaced Horton or Iginla, when really they haven't come anywhere close to replacing Marc Savard. Marner might be that guy, and the Bruins are shaping up to be able to draft him.