Category: NHL

Bruins Trade Adam McQuaid to the Rangers for Old Friend and Former Bruin Steven Kampfer

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NHL.com – Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, September 11, that the team has traded defenseman Adam McQuaid to the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Steven Kampfer, a 2019 fourth-round draft pick and a 2019 conditional seventh-round draft pick.

It’s sad to see Adam McQuaid go as he was always a guy ready to drop the gloves and do the dirty work for the Bruins. He was a brawler that I wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley. However, the Bruins have had a redundancy in the D-pairings for a couple of years now as Kevan Miller is essentially the same player.

So it looks like the B’s were trying to make their D-core a little more dynamic. Enter old friend and former Bruin Steven Kampfer. He actually played on Boston’s Stanley Cup winning team back in 2010-11 when he chipped in with 5 goals and 5 assists.

Kampfer is gonna need a new Bruins number as #47 obviously belongs to Torey Krug. Unless the Bruins trade him as well, which Tony Mazz has said on 98.5 he is convinced they will do this offseason.

Now obviously Kampfer isn’t exactly an elite offensive threat, having registered 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 166 career games. Maybe he’s a bit more skilled defensively than McQuad. Or maybe it’s just the draft picks the Bruins coveted. Perhaps they can dump Kampfer easier than they could McQuaid and make room for the young guys. The Bruins are stocked with young defensemen who are chomping at the bit.  Guys like Jakub Zboril (1st round, 2015), Urho Vaakanainen (1st round, 2017), and Jeremy Lauzon (2nd round, 2015). Some fans are more excited for than others.

Joe Haggerty broke down the top prospects of the B’s and here are a few excerpts on those three guys from Haggs.

“It may be that Zboril ends up being trade bait for the Black and Gold given his talent, his standing as a prospect and the questions they may still have about him as an eventual finished product at the NHL level. Still, the talent is undeniable with Zboril and that’s the most important thing with these prospects.”

“Vaakanainen has the kinds of defensive tools that could make him an NHL player for a long, long time. Vaakanainen is excellent in the defensive zone, solid on the penalty kill and shows a good stick and good instincts in breaking up plays, and combines excellent skating and smart, smooth first passes into good plays out of his own end. All of that adds up to a nice stay-at-home partner to younger puck-moving D-men like Torey Krug and Charlie McAvoy, and somebody that should be a solid contributor for a long time.”

“There is very clearly some raw elements to [Lauzon’s] game that need to be further developed at the AHL level. Lauzon posted five goals and 14 points in 13 games during the junior hockey playoffs to finish things off on a good note, and leave the Bruins with an idea of what they might see when he’s ready to go at the NHL level.”

Some of those guys have failed to live up to their draft billing thus far, but it’s probably time for the Bruins to find out one way or another if these young kids will sink or swim.  Whether they can play at the NHL level consistently remains to be seen, but if theres one thing we’ve seen in recent years with the Bruins is that they needed to even out their roster with younger (and cheaper) players as they’ve rebounded from a non-playoff team back into a Stanley Cup contender once again.

BREAKING: Islanders Hire Stanley Cup Champion Barry Trotz as Head Coach

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Look, I’m not going to pretend this is what puts the Islanders over the edge as far as chasing a cup goes. We have a lot of holes, namely a star free agent center we have to re-sign, but this is such a drastic step in the right direction. The way this organization has been run over the course of my lifetime is indefensible. We’ve been plagued by bad ownership (one of which, the poster boy for the phrase “Snake It Til You Make It”, John Spano, who bought a team with absolutely no money!), bad coaches, injuries, pretty much whatever you can think of that screams circus on ice. This offseason has now brought in a 3-time Stanley Cup GM in Lou Lamoriello and current Stanley Cup Champion coach Barry Trotz. Get John Tavares to sign on the dotted line and bring in a half way decent goalie and I will be on the phone with Isles ticket reps TONIGHT.

We’ll post more info as it becomes available.

The New York Islanders Just Fired Garth Snow and I FEEL ALIVE

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ESPN-  The New York Islanders have fired general manager Garth Snow and coach Doug Weight, the organization’s first major decision under Lou Lamoriello. The Islanders announced Tuesday that Lamoriello, who was hired last month as the team’s president of hockey operations, also would assume the role of GM and would oversee the hiring of New York’s new coach. Snow, who had been the Islanders’ GM since 2006, and Weight, the team’s coach since January 2017, will remain with the organization in unspecified roles.

YES! YES! YES! Oh my god I can barely contain my excitement. Jesus Christ himself has returned in the form of Lou Lamoriello to save the Islanders from the GM/back-up goalie from hell, Garth Snow. Snow has been in charge of the team since I was in high school, and the damage he’s done to a once storied franchise can finally come to an end. Snow was ripped straight from the bench (I’m not kidding) and thrust into the GM position under previous ownership and ever since then has been the punch line of every hockey joke this side of Manhattan. Also fired was head coach Doug Weight, who I kind of feel bad for, but he had his fair share of chances to step up last season and proved to be a mediocre coach at best.

If anything, this move proves my boy Lou does not mess around. He was brought in to save this franchise and so far he’s made the most important move we could make for this franchise’s future. With John Tavares being an UFA July 1st, we needed to prove to the soon to be $10 million dollar man that this organization isn’t just the little brother of the big bad Rangers (or bastard step-child, depending on your preference.) Lamoriello has brought myself and the rest of Isles Nation hope that our All-Star captain will stick around on the island for the long haul, something I would never have dreamed of only a month ago. There’s almost too much to be positive about around the Islanders these days. Don’t forget, a new arena is on the horizon slated to open at Belmont Racetrack within the next 2 years. If the Isles can somehow convince Tavares to stay, well then it is officially on in the Eastern Conference (we still need a goalie, I am well aware.)

P.S. Previous Islanders head coach Jack Capuano (who I will not tombstone on this happiest of hockey days) once lived in the basement of GM Garth Snow’s house. There were rumors circulating forever that the reason Snow didn’t let go of Capuano sooner was because of the living situation.  This is the kind of nonsense i’ve had to deal with for the past 12 years. Thank god it’s finally over. The circus has finally left town.

BU’s David Quinn Expected to Be Named Rangers Head Coach

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Boston University held its 145th commencement ceremony on Sunday and in addition to its 7,072 graduates it appears that its men’s hockey coach David Quinn will also be leaving campus. Quinn is reportedly set to become the next head coach of the New York Rangers, with a five-year deal worth $12 million.

Quinn, 51, has deep ties to Boston University. The Rhode Island native played at BU under Jack Parker from 1984-1988, served as Parker’s associate head coach at BU from 2004-2009, and took over as head coach at BU after Parker retired in 2013. Quinn likely could have coached at BU for as long as he wanted to. He reportedly rejected an offer from the Rangers earlier this month, but a five-year deal worth $12 million proved to be an offer he couldn’t refuse.

While Parker coached at BU for 40 years, Quinn’s situation is different. In 1997, Parker turned down the Bruins for a second time. At age 52, he had been head coach at BU for nearly 25 years and couldn’t be wrested from that position. Quinn has only been head coach at BU for five years, and at 51 might wonder if he’ll ever get an opportunity like this again. In addition to the money, this is an opportunity for him to coach an Original Six franchise in the largest media market in the country.

Quinn did a superb job as head coach at BU. In his five years as head coach, the Terriers went 105-68-21, won two regular season league championships, won two league tournaments, made four trips to the NCAA tournament, and made one trip to the NCAA National Championship game. The Terriers fell to Providence College in the 2015 National Championship game, but that loss can’t be pinned on Quinn.

When Parker retired in 2013, Quinn was the clear choice to take the helm. It doesn’t feel like there is a clear choice to take over the program this time around.

It’s a bittersweet moment for Terriers fans, but the Rangers are sure to gain some new fans in the heart of Red Sox Nation. No easy feat. Terriers fans will certainly be rooting for Quinn in his new endeavor.

Image result for david quinn

Ryan Donato Will Play for the Bruins Tonight. Finally.

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The baby faced assassin will finally be let out of the luxury box as Bruce Cassidy confirmed Ryan Donato will play tonight. After a blistering start to his career in the regular season with 9 points and 5 goals in 12 games, Donato was tasked with riding the pine for the majority of the playoffs.

For a guy with just a dozen NHL games under his belt it wasn’t really a surprise. For such a clearly gifted scorer to be unavailable while the Bruins struggled offensively was tough to watch though. Now with the B’s facing a 2-1 deficit in what amounts to a must win game they’re shaking things up after a sloppy past 2 games. Not to mention ineffective (3 goals in the last 2 games).

What better way to shake things up than to have an absolute sniper floating around on the ice? We saw glimpses of it earlier this year; Donato has an absolute ROCKET of a shot. So while he may not be as polished defensively as they’d like, its time to try something new before this series really gets away from them. This isn’t Claude’s team anymore, we don’t need 12 fourth line forwards who grind and always stay home. This is a faster, more talented, flashier team with young studs like Pastrnak, McAvoy, DeBrusk and “older” guys like Krug and Marchand wheeling and dealing out there in the offensive zone. Lets build on that and we can all reminisce about the Big Bad Bruins later, OK?

1st World Problems: I Have to Watch TWO of My Teams’ Playoff Games Tonight

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Do you want to know the definition of first world problems? I legitimately am upset, vexed even, that the Bruins and Celtics have playoff games on at the same time tonight.

Our embarrassment of riches collide as the Bruins play Game 2 of the semi-finals and the Celtics kick off Game 1 of their respective semi-finals as both teams are playing for a shot at the Conference Finals. What a time to be a sports fan in Boston. Combine that with the Red Sox being arguably the best team in baseball and the Patriots being the talk of the NFL with their draft decisions over the weekend. No time to dilly dally.

Is it a chore to go picture in picture so I can watch BOTH of my teams playoff games? Sure. Is it hard work to flip back and forth in between intermissions? Absolutely. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. I now have my entire 6 pm-11 pm blocked off tonight. No time to watch The Office unfortunately.

Its time like these I almost envy the complete lack of passion from fans in cities like LA or Tampa. Just go about your day partaking in all sorts of activities. Me? I’ll be in front of the TV with garbage food that I 100% GrubHub’d and a 6 pack of moderately priced IPAs. Thats the cross I bear.

Tuukka Rask and the Bruins Avoid Near Disaster to Pull Out Game 7 Win

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Holy hell what a game. As many of my buddies that are not Bruins fans texted me last night; that was an incredible game, probably the best game of the entire first round of the playoffs. As a Bruins fan though? That shit was beyond stressful. From puck drop that game was a sprint and luckily, despite some massive miscues, the Bruins pulled out Game 7 in exciting fashion.

I’ve never been a TRADE TUUKKA guy. I think he’s fine. He can flash the mitt sometimes, but he’s not a top 3 goalie. He’s just not. Among goalies with at least 30 Games Played this year, Tuukka Rask ranked 15th in Save Percentage at .917, 17th in Shutouts with 3, and 15th in Quality Starts with 30. Its not like he was a workhorse either, he was 18th in Games Played with 54, which are the fewest games he’s played since the lockout shortened 2012-2013 season.

He’s also not a complete bum. He was 6th in GAA at 2.36, but holy shit does this guy have a scary tendency to disappear in big moments. Going into last night Tuukka was 1-2 with a .849 Save Percentage in Game 7s, which is cringe inducing. Still, thats a small sample size and anything can happen in a Game 7.

So what happens 2 minutes into the game? Tuukka gives up a goal. Ok, ok it was a powerplay goal so its hard to get on him too much, but this is a bad sign.

Bruins tie it 3 minutes later on a goal from Jake DeBrusk!

Less than 2 minutes later, Tuukka gives it right back.

Tuukka, buddy, you have got to be shitting me. Are you trying to get run out of town? I’m still waiting for Ol’ Milk Crates to make an appearance.

If you’re not familiar with that reference, back in 2009 when he was still playing for the Baby B’s in Providence, a young Rask gave up a goal to lose a game in a shootout and he went berserk. He goes after the ref, throws his stick, skates off the ice, walks down the tunnel, and then reemerges to chuck milk crates onto the ice like an absolute psycho. Thats the guy I wanna see. A crazy asshole.

Not to mention the short handed goal Rask gave up to Kasperi Kapanen in the 2nd period. It was a disaster of a play from the Bruins in the offensive zone ON THE POWER PLAY, and Marchand got bodied trying to get back in coverage. But still, Tuukka got deked out of his goddamn shorts.

It was an all around ugly play. If you want to be the man on a Stanley Cup winning team you need to pull some saves out of your ass every now and again, which Tuukka hasn’t done a ton of this series. He had a huge night in Game 4 for 31 saves, but he followed that up by getting yanked in Game 5. To make matters worse, Freddy Anderson was making Superman saves all night at the other end of the rink. Hell even Joey Hags was calling for the B’s to yank Tuukka.

Imagine that? Imagine your $8 Million/year goalie getting yanked in a Game 7? That would have been disastrous.

It wasn’t just Rask though as Boston was sloppy all night long. Whether it was fatigue or injuries piling up, they just could not clear the puck out of their own zone and they were turning it over in the offensive zone constantly.

Luckily the Bruins were shot out of a rocket in the third period scoring FOUR unanswered goals (including an empty netter) all but removing the necessity for great goaltending.

We also got this laugh out loud interview with Matt Grzelyck after the game. Keep in mind that NESN cut to this on-ice interview like 20 mins after the game ended so its not like it was live.

One more thing, how about DirecTv pulling a Newman and refusing to work in the rain?

Its 2018. I can talk, text, tweet, and stream the Bruins on my iPhone, but DirecTv can’t figure out how to not completely crumble every time the doppler radar gets a little spotty.

Now we move onto the second round where the Bruins will take on an even tougher opponent in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Awesome. If the Bruins play the way they played in Games 3-7, they’re going to get their teeth kicked in. If they play more like they did in Games 1-2 then they’re in business. Tampa finished as the No. 1 seed in the East with 113 points, winning 54 games, and they have an absolutely stacked roster. BUT the Bruins need to remember they went 3-1 against that team this year. As good as Tampa has been, the Bruins have had their number in the regular season. Now they just have to translate that to the postseason. See ya Saturday for Game 1.

Bruins Do Just What You Thought They’d Do and Blow It to Force Game 7

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This is starting to have a very 2010 feel to it when the Bruins blew a 3-0 series lead to the Flyers and then a 3-0 lead in Game 7 to lose that series. That was one of the most stunning collapses I’ve ever seen. Granted it spurned the B’s on to winning a Stanley Cup the following year, but I’d rather not repeat that type of implosion here.

After dominating the first 2 games it looked like the B’s might actually sweep Toronto. Seriously, they dominated the Maple Leafs beating them 5-1 and 7-3 before splitting the next two. Throw in an incredible 31 save night from Tuukka in Game 4 (did you know you need your goalie to steal a game in the playoffs?), which he immediately followed up with getting pulled in Game 5.

If he has a bad game tomorrow night I fully expect ol’ Milk Crates to come out.

Now the Bruins, who were challenging for the No. 1 seed in the East until the final day of the season, and seemed set to cruise through the first round, are suddenly faced with playing a Game 7 they want no part of. Thank god its at home, but quotes like this from Toronto are what worry me the most:

Thats the problem. The Bruins have allowed Toronto to get comfortable.

Ridiculous plays like this from Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen did not help either, especially with half the fans ready to bench Rask.

The longer this series goes on the worse I feel and last night I started to feel that creeping sense of doubt. These guys might actually blow this thing.

There has also been some questionable officiating, which actually went both ways for the B’s last night. They dodged a bullet when the refs called a goal back after replay showed the Leafs player basically punting Tuukka’s blocker out of the crease. But then they got hosed late in the game after they’d already pulled the goalie to get the extra man and the refs swallowed their whistles on a clear interference. I still don’t understand that.

For a team thats been so good all year long it would be a huge disappointment to bow out in the first round, especially in this fashion. The Bruins are clearly built for the long term as Don Sweeney somehow rebuilt this team on the fly infusing the veteran core with young studs like Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk, Brandon Carlo, and Ryan Donato. But this could be the last serious playoff run with guys like Chara, Krejci, Bergeron, Marchand, and Tuukka all playing together at a high level. Don’t waste that.

Speaking of young studs, I think its time to make some changes Bruce…unleash the baby faced assassin.

Welp for better or for worse we have the most exciting night in sports coming to Boston on Thursday: Game 7.

ADDRESSING THE QUESTION ON EVERYONE’S MIND: Did Brad Marchand Lick Leo Komarov?

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Boston.com – Brad Marchand is never afraid to get under an opponent’s skin….The 29-year-old utilized what can best be described as an unorthodox method of trying to take Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov out of his game. In the midst of some standard pushing and shoving, Marchand drew close to Komarov and even appeared to lick him.

Not since “Who shot J.R?” or “Is Tony Soprano dead?” has the world (Boston) been gripped by a question to this extent. Did Brad Marchand, aka Noseface Killah, the NHL’s greatest agitator, indeed lick an opponent in order to get in his head?

Now this is not only “unorthodox” but it is also extremely unsanitary. The last thing the B’s need is for Marchand to have to sit out with some sort of bacterial infection that stemmed from gland on gland contact. Lots of sweat in saliva in this equation folks and I’m sure there are alllll sorts of germs swimmin around in the sweat of a Toronto-livin, Russian hockey player.

To answer the question, there is only one alternative explanation which is that Marchand was shit-talking Komarov Green-Durant style and that the camera angle made him appear closer and much more licky. That’s really it. If I was Marchand’s Charlie Kelly and I had a background in opponent licking law, that would be my only out.

In reality however, let’s be honest, yes, 63 licked his opponent. And yes he did it to psych him the fuck the out. But he didn’t do it for himself. He didn’t do it for the team. He did it for us, the city of Boston, and for the chance to bring us home a 7th Stanley Cup. That is why our guy licked another grown man.

Playoff hockey man, there’s nothing like it.

Nazem Kadri Needs to Be Suspended for This Scumbag Hit in Game 1 of Bruins, Maple Leafs Series

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So last night Tommy Wingels was on the wrong end of a completely unnecessary cheap shot from Toronto’s Nazem Kadri. Wingels was chasing a puck and boxing out a Maple Leafs player before he lost his balance and ended up on his knees. Nazem Kadri apparently saw this as a ripe opportunity to tee off on Wingels’ cranium.

Thats not even the worst angle either. The video above makes it look like a cheapshot, which is bad enough. The full view though shows Kadri literally sprinting across the ice to really lay into this hit.

Unbelievable. Granted he received a 5 minute major and was ejected from the game, but come on man that hit goes beyond dangerous. Wingels looked like he was on another planet too once he actually picked himself up off the ice.

Well at least Kadri expressed a little remorse after the game right?

“I was committed to the hit and ended up falling,” Kadri said after the game.

Hey look, man, tell me you don’t like my firm, tell me you don’t like my idea, tell me you don’t like my fuckin neck tie, but don’t tell me you brained Tommy Wingels because you were “falling.”

Now he’s clearly going to get suspended, but this shouldn’t just be a one game slap on the wrist. If Marchand gets suspended 5 games for table topping a guy, Kadri needs to get at least that for targeting a defenseless player’s head while also charging across the ice and leaving his feet. Thats a trifecta of unnecessary.

NHL Player Safety‘s list of what’s taken into account when deciding on discipline (literally the first two) pretty accurately describe the hit on Wingels.

“… In deciding on Supplementary Discipline for On-Ice Conduct, the following factors will be taken into account:
(a) The type of conduct involved: conduct in violation of League Playing Rules, and whether the conduct is intentional or reckless, and involves the use of excessive and unnecessary force. Players are responsible for the consequences of their actions.
(b) Injury to the opposing Player(s) involved in the incident.”

Since I don’t really follow Toronto hockey all that closely outside of Auston Matthews goal totals, I’m not super familiar with Kadri’s suspension history. Turns out he’s a habitual line stepper.

  • On November 13, 2013, Kadri delivered an elbow to the head of Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Bäckström. As a result, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety handed Kadri a three-game suspension
  • He received four games for illegally checking Edmonton Oilers forward Matt Fraser in the head
  • On April 4, 2016, Kadri was again suspended by the NHL after he delivered a cross-check to the head of Detroit Red Wings centre Luke Glendening. Kadri received a four-game suspension for the incident, effectively ending his season, and as a repeat offender under the collective bargaining agreement he was also fined $200,000.

Throw the book at this dickhead.