As much as it pains me to say it, I'm done with the Boston Bruins. It's a decision that's been a long time coming, and one that goes against my very pedigree, because I grew up in the ultimate hockey household with two parents from Brookline who were rabid Bruins fans. By the time I was able to walk I was on the ice, and not too long after that was on the way to Boston to take in my first Bruins game.
I've watched countless games since, and invested a lot of emotion in that team, but I'm done, because I have no use for a franchise team that seems to have no commitment to winning a championship.
The tipping point for me came at this year's trading deadline. Most sports leagues have a minor flurry of last-minute trades, but in the NHL, it seems like half the league winds up shifting from one team to another as they gear up for the stretch drive toward Lord Stanley's Cup.
Would you care to guess how many deals the Bruins made this year? How about none, which, ironically enough, is the same number of cups they've won in the last 35 years.
By their standing pat, I'm guessing we can assume that streak will be broken this year. Guess again. Because, while they may have some good young talent and a coach with a system the players are buying into, the Bruins have the same look they always do at this time of the year—that of a team that will be out in the first round of the playoffs, assuming they make it at all.
The lack of trade activity is just one reason I'm washing my hands of these guys. Some other reasons:
No Personality
One of the things that has always made Boston hockey entertaining was the personalities. From the big bad Bruins of the 1970s through the Cam Neely-Ray Bourque era, Boston always had a bankable star or two who gave the team a sense of character and toughness. There was an identity associated with the Black-and-Gold of yesteryear that made you want to tune in every Thursday and Saturday night. And now what do we have? Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas? Please.
Bad Ownership
Jeremy Jacobs may be a smart businessman, but he doesn't know jack about what it takes to put a championship team on the ice. But then again, winning's not really the point here, at least from where the owner sits. Jacobs couldn't care a whit if Boston never brings a Stanley Cup home, just as long as there is an ass every 18 inches whenever the Bruins play a home game. And he's only going to spend just enough money to make that happen.
Just like the Red Sox weren't going to get to the next level as long as Haywood Sullivan was in charge, I predict the Bruins will never have a victory parade as long as Jacobs is calling the shots.
Garden? What Garden?
Bruins hockey just hasn't been the same since the original Boston Garden went down to the wrecking ball. The minute the Shawmut/Fleet Center/TD BankNorth Garden went up, it seemed like the quality of hockey in Boston took a nose dive, not just in the quality of play but in overall game experience.
I realize the former Garden was something of a toilet compared to other venues, but there was something special about that old barn. No matter where you were, you were right on top of the action. It was simply a much more intimate environment, which became apparent the first time I went to the "Fleece" Center for a game.
I know the players like the new building, and so do the yuppies who like the skyboxes and the club seating, but not this fan. For me, the real Garden is gone forever, and that's not going to change, no matter how many signs to the contrary the corporate flacks at TD BankNorth nail up.
I'm not saying I'll never watch Bruins hockey again. I'll be happy to tune in for the first five minutes as long as they've got Rene Rancourt singing the anthems. But as soon as he's done, I'll be headed down the dial in search of a sports franchise which is actually committed to winning, rather than one at the mercy of an owner more interested in fleecing his fans than he is in stockpiling championships.?
