Since 2009/10, Boston’s Playoff Successes and Failures Has ONE Commonality:

[Colt.45Orr]

And the answer is....


Is Lone Wolf, Adam McQuaid playing or not.


Think about it:

The last 2 times that McQuaid has played for the Bruins in the playoffs, the Bruins went to the Stanley Cup Finals (2011, 2013).


The last 2 times that McQuaid has been out for the playoffs, a powerhouse Bruins team was upset early by an inferior team (Washinton and Montreal in 2012, 2014). You’re telling me that is such tight, 7 game series having McQuaid in wouldn’t have made the difference? Bruins in 5 or 6 in both.


Here’s the kicker –McQuaid had one other NHL playoff experience with the Bruins, as a rookie in 2010, where he played 9 games. The first 6 games were when we beat a good Sabres team. The next 3 games he played, we went up 3-0 on Philly. He got hurt in that 3rd game and we went on to lose the next 4 games. I know a lot gets made about Krejci being the biggest factor (which I believe as I was driving that wagon) but McQuaid is a HUGE, HUGE factor behind the Bruins playoff success.


I’m not saying he is Orr or Bourque but he is criminally underrated by most Bruins fans. He doesn’t put up many points but he was the biggest factor in the famous Horton game 7 OT winner and had that fantastic 1-0 series winning goal against the Pens as well so he makes his points count.


(I’m sick to death of hearing “Kevan Miller makes 850k, I’d rather have him”). Miller is the perfect 7th Dman but he is not McQuaid. Miller was a scrambly hot mess in that Habs series (not nearly physical enough either) and hurt us more than he helped. McQuaid is a major PKing, physical, calming presence (our biggest problem on the back Vs. Montreal was blown coverage and bad plays under pressure by the D) that you want to go to war with. He would have hunted Weise all series and made him his *****.


I look at a Jarrod Boll and other 4th liners around the NHL making 1.6m and I see that McQuaid can throw down with them but also plays twice as much and is an elite Penalty Killer. If he wants a 3.5m+ deal (like Ference) then the Bruins should take that deal. Reilly Smith for 3.5m and people here are saying that McQuaid should re-up @ 1.5 again.

What a joke.

Click to read more...

 

[Era of Sanity]

He's a good #5 dman, but does not make or break playoff success.

A much stronger case can be made for Horton the 3 years he was here:
2011 - scores series winning goals, B's win cup.
2012 - out for playoffs, B's lose in first round.
2013 - back to cup finals.

 

[CanadianBruinsFan]

No one likes McQuaid more than me but he's not the reason for winning and losing. He's a bottom pair D man who fights people. Nice to have, but certainly not the motor behind playoff success.

 

[trudatman*]

great stuff. thanks for the thoughts.

 

[robert terwilliger]

sorry but by this logic, the bruins won a cup because of tomas kaberle.

there's a history on this board and within the fanbase of falling in love with foot soldiers and role players because we overlook their flaws and love them for playing hurt or playing beyond their pay grade.

secondary and tertiary guys tend to play hurt because if they're out for a substantial amount of time they'll come back to find that they don't have a role anymore. they play beyond their pay grade because guys like mcquaid are the guys you keep until they want their big payday, then you let another team sink big money into a secondary guy.

this same thing happened with mark stuart, pj axelsson...the list goes on. you love players like that until it's time to cut the cord. adam mcquaid being in the lineup has little realistic bearing on the team's success other than he's a better bottom pairing guy than they usually trot out there. that doesn't make him worth a lot of money, that means you have to get better, cheaper players when he wants his pay raise.

 

[EverettMike]

sorry but by this logic, the bruins won a cup because of tomas kaberle.

there's a history on this board and within the fanbase of falling in love with foot soldiers and role players because we overlook their flaws and love them for playing hurt or playing beyond their pay grade.

secondary and tertiary guys tend to play hurt because if they're out for a substantial amount of time they'll come back to find that they don't have a role anymore. they play beyond their pay grade because guys like mcquaid are the guys you keep until they want their big payday, then you let another team sink big money into a secondary guy.

this same thing happened with mark stuart, pj axelsson...the list goes on. you love players like that until it's time to cut the cord. adam mcquaid being in the lineup has little realistic bearing on the team's success other than he's a better bottom pairing guy than they usually trot out there. that doesn't make him worth a lot of money, that means you have to get better, cheaper players when he wants his pay raise.

"Hey coach, can you believe this ****?"

---Gregory Campbell

(Also, where you been?)

 

[robert terwilliger]

"Hey coach, can you believe this ****?"

---Gregory Campbell

(Also, where you been?)

i'm pretty turned off by negativity, if i'm honest.

i still follow the team but there's a pretty big black cloud here and it's not my bag at all.

 

[bruins repeat time]

I love Mcquaid because he does most the answering for his teammates these days but I don't think he is a huge difference in the playoffs. Kind of off topic but man what a terrible call today. I hate when they reward guys for pretending they want to fight. And in this case even if the ref wanted to award that crap Rinaldo deserved an interference penalty to even it up. I keep the whistle in my pocket today and let Adam pick his gloves up, we had him backed up play wise.

 

[wetcamelfood]

Whatever the case, glad to see some realize the '10 collapse was more a case of straws breaking the camel's back instead of it just being the kool aid fable of "we were leading 3-0 then the apparent magician Krejci got injured (again) because someone breathed on him and if he was there we were going to win every game the rest of the playoffs easily to win the cup but because he was gone, that was, it no more wins, they were so lost without him". Seids, Sturm, Savard (for all intents), McQuaid, maybe not gods, but all added up...

 

[Iceage]

He's a good #5 dman, but does not make or break playoff success.

Like Boychuck

 

[Arthur*]

I like McQuaid, but this screams coincidence more than correlation. Or perhaps a better way to frame it is that a team will go further when it has a full complement of 6 healthy defensemen than when they're forced to ice replacement defenders, since the third pair is often the weak link that is the difference in a series that's decided by one goal in game 7.

 

[JAD]

Call it superstition coincidence or whatever you want - the fact is the team has had better playoff success with him in the lineup. It may be chemistry or just the fact that other players know he has their back so therefore they play with more confidence.
No he is not a super star so his playing shouldn't make a huge difference but the results say otherwise.
Interesting.

 

[DominicT]

In two years Bruins went to the finals Bergeron had a plus/minus under +25
In the other two years they were beaten by inferior teams, his plus/minus was over +35

Obviously the key to the Bruins success is keeping Bergeron's plus/minus under +25

 

[dup7]

Agree with the criminally underrated part...solid defender...love the way he handled rinaldo today....

 

[Blitzkrug]

Or, or, it's the fact they had no offense to speak of in the Washington and Montreal series.

 

[bbfan1972]

Or, or he makes forwards keep their heads up.

He's a mean SOB, and a lot of players know that.

 

[robert terwilliger]

also in the two bruins cup finals teams, a veteran on the team played with mario lemieux.

so, ryan malone is a free agent...

 

[Fenway]

Odd and frustrating factoid about the Bruins.

Starting with the 2007-8 season, every Bruins season has ended in a Game 7 except 2013.

2008 - Lose Game 7 at Montreal
2009 - Lose Game 7 to Carolina at TD
2010 - Lose Game 7 to Philadelphia at TD
2011 - Win Game 7 at Vancouver - WIN CUP
2012 - Lose Game 7 to Washington at TD
2013 - Lose Game 6 to Chicago at TD
2014 - Lose Game 7 to Montreal at TD

That said - IF this 2014-15 Bruins team gets into the tournament they will win at least one round.

 

[BigBadBruin8]

I wholeheartedly agree with the general tenor of the post, which is that McQuaid is an overlooked part of the club sometimes and we should try and keep him.

Colt's heart is in the right place

 

[Caper Bruins fan]

And the answer is....


Is Lone Wolf, Adam McQuaid playing or not.


Think about it:

The last 2 times that McQuaid has played for the Bruins in the playoffs, the Bruins went to the Stanley Cup Finals (2011, 2013).


The last 2 times that McQuaid has been out for the playoffs, a powerhouse Bruins team was upset early by an inferior team (Washinton and Montreal in 2012, 2014). You’re telling me that is such tight, 7 game series having McQuaid in wouldn’t have made the difference? Bruins in 5 or 6 in both.


Here’s the kicker –McQuaid had one other NHL playoff experience with the Bruins, as a rookie in 2010, where he played 9 games. The first 6 games were when we beat a good Sabres team. The next 3 games he played, we went up 3-0 on Philly. He got hurt in that 3rd game and we went on to lose the next 4 games. I know a lot gets made about Krejci being the biggest factor (which I believe as I was driving that wagon) but McQuaid is a HUGE, HUGE factor behind the Bruins playoff success.


I’m not saying he is Orr or Bourque but he is criminally underrated by most Bruins fans. He doesn’t put up many points but he was the biggest factor in the famous Horton game 7 OT winner and had that fantastic 1-0 series winning goal against the Pens as well so he makes his points count.


(I’m sick to death of hearing “Kevan Miller makes 850k, I’d rather have himâ€). Miller is the perfect 7th Dman but he is not McQuaid. Miller was a scrambly hot mess in that Habs series (not nearly physical enough either) and hurt us more than he helped. McQuaid is a major PKing, physical, calming presence (our biggest problem on the back Vs. Montreal was blown coverage and bad plays under pressure by the D) that you want to go to war with. He would have hunted Weise all series and made him his *****.


I look at a Jarrod Boll and other 4th liners around the NHL making 1.6m and I see that McQuaid can throw down with them but also plays twice as much and is an elite Penalty Killer. If he wants a 3.5m+ deal (like Ference) then the Bruins should take that deal. Reilly Smith for 3.5m and people here are saying that McQuaid should re-up @ 1.5 again.

What a joke.

McQuaid was certainly missed last year in the Montreal series.

 

[Lucic and Chong]

And the answer is....


Is Lone Wolf, Adam McQuaid playing or not.


Think about it:

The last 2 times that McQuaid has played for the Bruins in the playoffs, the Bruins went to the Stanley Cup Finals (2011, 2013).


The last 2 times that McQuaid has been out for the playoffs, a powerhouse Bruins team was upset early by an inferior team (Washinton and Montreal in 2012, 2014). You’re telling me that is such tight, 7 game series having McQuaid in wouldn’t have made the difference? Bruins in 5 or 6 in both.


Here’s the kicker –McQuaid had one other NHL playoff experience with the Bruins, as a rookie in 2010, where he played 9 games. The first 6 games were when we beat a good Sabres team. The next 3 games he played, we went up 3-0 on Philly. He got hurt in that 3rd game and we went on to lose the next 4 games. I know a lot gets made about Krejci being the biggest factor (which I believe as I was driving that wagon) but McQuaid is a HUGE, HUGE factor behind the Bruins playoff success.


I’m not saying he is Orr or Bourque but he is criminally underrated by most Bruins fans. He doesn’t put up many points but he was the biggest factor in the famous Horton game 7 OT winner and had that fantastic 1-0 series winning goal against the Pens as well so he makes his points count.


(I’m sick to death of hearing “Kevan Miller makes 850k, I’d rather have himâ€). Miller is the perfect 7th Dman but he is not McQuaid. Miller was a scrambly hot mess in that Habs series (not nearly physical enough either) and hurt us more than he helped. McQuaid is a major PKing, physical, calming presence (our biggest problem on the back Vs. Montreal was blown coverage and bad plays under pressure by the D) that you want to go to war with. He would have hunted Weise all series and made him his *****.


I look at a Jarrod Boll and other 4th liners around the NHL making 1.6m and I see that McQuaid can throw down with them but also plays twice as much and is an elite Penalty Killer. If he wants a 3.5m+ deal (like Ference) then the Bruins should take that deal. Reilly Smith for 3.5m and people here are saying that McQuaid should re-up @ 1.5 again.

What a joke.

Great post Colt! He's not the only factor but having McQuaid in the playoffs is a boon. He is steady and defensive minded, and as you mentioned, mean. He's a **** disturber. A rallying point.

I thought Miller was really good against the Wings and piss poor against the Habs. I'll miss having him in the playoffs but if McQuaid were to go down the B's would have no chance this year.

 

[Thrive]

I don't think he's the lynchpin to the Bruins success, however I feel much more confident in the Bruins with a healthy McQuaid in the lineup as the #5 than I do with him out - especially in a playoff series. He makes forwards pay a physical price in the dirty areas which builds up over the course of a series, and likely changes the decision making of said forwards. This was one of the reasons why the team was able to win the Cup in 2011 - the defensemen were absolute warriors in the Vancouver series.

I don't agree that if he asks for 3.5 you sign him - with the current cap situation going forward, and with several key players to sign / replace, McQuaid at 3.5 doesn't make sense.

 

[Colt.45Orr]

I'm curious who this big, cheap, young mean Dman is that we have to replace McQuaid? A few of you have alluded to "him" but the only big guy I see in the system (Trotman) is much, much softer and isn't a viable option.

I agree with the theory (McQuaid replaces Stuart, Miller replaces McQuaid) and I really do like Miller and want him with the Bruins next year but there is no McQuaid replacement within the system as a result of our drafting.

EDIT: On an unrelated note (youtube-ing around)... is this the most entertaining (goals + hate + fights) regular season Bruins game of recent Bruins history?

 

[RedBruin]

Close. The 8-5 game vs the Habs takes it for me probably due to the opponent. I still remember the drama "but but but you can't do that Habs are not fighters you classless goons"
I loved that team.

 

[Dellstrom]

I don't think it's Quaider (I know you're not serious in suggesting this and it is a very interesting statistic that we're 7-1 with him in since 2011) but he is very underrated.

He's a really solid bottom pairing guy. When you lose a guy like him, a guy with less experience comes in. A guy like Quaider is very used to 3rd pairing play and matches up well with his competition... losing him creates a liability for someone else, and having that secondary depth be a liability is a death sentence.

You could have an absolutely amazing top 6, but if your bottom 6 is a liability, you won't go far. Primary is more important but you can't win without a great whole team. Look at 2012, because he was out, we had Corvo AND Zanon AND Mottau playing. We didn't miss Mcquaid as much as we wanted them gone...