Player Profile...Zdeno Chara

Chara swatting flies

It's only appropriate to write a Player Profile in honor of the Boston Bruins.  And who better to cover than the CAPTAIN of your 2011 Stanley Cup Champions: Zdeno Chara.

This man is a literally a monster in the NHL.  At 6' 9" he is the tallest player to ever grace NHL ice.  The Godzilla of the Bruins. 

Chara's gargantuan stature does more than just intimidate any threatening forwards (wink, wink, Sedin twins), it comes equipped with the ability to produce the fastest slap shot ever recorded.  At the 2008-2009 Skills Competition, Chara set a record with a blistering 105.4 mph slapshot.  I'm not sure what defender would even dare throw himself in front of that puck to try to block it.

Chara is from Slovakia, and was drafted by the New York Islanders in the 1996 Draft.  He spent time with the Islanders and the Ottawa Senators before making his way to Boston in 2006.  And boy are we glad to have him.  About the time that Chara showed up, this Bruins team started to play with a bit more swagger and confidence.  And it finally paid off.

Boston United

One of the biggest attractions of team sports is the sense of unity that is formed within a particular roster.  It is evident to all fans when a group of players come together and become not only good teammates, but also good friends.

Clearest example: the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox.  This group of players had fun together.  They had their ultimate goal always in mind, but seemed to stay light-hearted about the ordeal.  It helps when you have the likes of Kevin Millar, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez showing up to play everyday.  In the end, this unity was entirely necessary.  This Red Sox team had to win four straight against the Yankees, a feat that was nearly unheard of at the time.

But they did it.  They "cowboyed up" and did it.  Together.  

Seeing the newly-crowned Boston Bruins ride the duckboats around Fenway this weekend, many clad in Boston Red Sox hats, pushed this sense of unity to a whole new level.  The Boston Bruins didn't just unite together to win this trophy.  They united the entire city.  They united all of the sports teams in the area.  Big Papi lifting the Stanley Cup high above his head in the locker room says it all.  This was a victory for every player in Boston, as the Bruins finally fulfilled an era of Boston sports dominance. 

During the duckboat parade on Saturday, Claude Julien made a brief speech.  He thanked Terry Francona, Doc Rivers, and Bill Belichick for helping him in his journey to a championship.  He said he never quite felt that he belonged in the prestigious club of Boston coaches.  Well, Claude, you certainly should feel welcome now. 

It's that statement by Julien that sums up Boston sports.  There is no in between for a Boston sports fan.  If you love one team, you love them all.  No questions asked.  It is one unit, one well-oiled Boston sports machine that we have here in Massachusetts.  It is rare, and only a few other cities can boast such an entourage of succesful teams.  So don't be greedy, and root for them all. 

Go Revs. 

We Are The Champions, My Friends

I’m speechless.  We’ve all seen those “There are no words” commercials for the NHL, where they show clip after clip of hockey players choking back tears after a reporter asks them about winning the Stanley Cup.  I always thought it was a bit over-dramatic. But I was dead wrong. 

Every player on the Boston Bruins poured his heart into last night’s game.  And when the time finally ran out, and we saw Tim Thomas tap the posts of the goal with his stick for the last time this season in a triumphant and assertive manner, it was clear to every Bruin fan watching that there truly are no words for such a moment.  The emotion is overwhelming. 

This team is a conglomeration of varied players.  There is the very-seasoned veteran in 43 year-old Mark Recchi.  There are the young, confident rookies in Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin.  There are players from the U.S. and players from abroad.  Despite all this variation, they became united as a group and were determined to achieve the ultimate goal of every NHL player.

We can thank the Boston Bruins for completing the cycle.  To repeat a statistic that you have already heard and will hear hundreds of times again in the next week, professional Boston sports teams have won championships seven times in the last ten years.  That is remarkable.  We are all blessed to have witnessed each major sports team attain its goal of a championship.  Some fans will go their entire life without seeing one of their teams win a championship.  Gotta love that dirty water*.

Enjoy the parade on Saturday, and keep in mind that you just witnessed something very special.  You witnessed triumph against all odds.  You witnessed another underdog team fight hard and win another title for Bean Town.

Now we just have to wait on those slacking football players in Foxboro to come through.  Jeez Tom, it’s been a little while. 

*I hope everyone saw Nathan Horton pouring some of that dirty water he had brought from Boston onto the ice before pre-game warm-ups.  Great moment.   

Adding Insult to Injury

Well that's embarrassing...

In case you hadn't heard, The Miami Herald included this Macy's ad in the newspaper on Monday, congratulating the Miami Heat on winning the NBA Finals.

Really?  How does something like this happen?  There was no way Miami could have won it all on Sunday night anyways.  The earliest this ad could have gone up was on Wednesday (had the Heat actually eventually won in seven games).

This is just another example to add to the long list of reasons why Miami and its fans are sub par.  I often wonder whether some of the people who showed up to the Heat games were more interested in buying an expensive white-collared shirt that would accentuate their spray tans than actually appreciating the action on the court.  As much as  Mark Cuban annoys me at times, one can tell from his over-worn navy t-shirt that he is a true fan at heart and goes to the games to root passionately.

So my departing message is directed toward the Boston Globe and The Boston Herald: Do Not Make The Same Mistake.  We are better than that here in Boston.  Let's not give anyone a chance to think otherwise.  We are knowledgable fans who show up to games in classy gear, and we know what's happening on the ice.

Unsolicited Prediction for Game 7 Tonight:  The stadium in Vancouver is eerily silent by the middle of the second period as the Bruins put up another quick early four goals, the Green Men can be seen sitting still in their seats for the first since they started their shenanigans, the Spoked-B's bring home the Stanley Cup for the first time since '72 with a dominating win over the Canucks, proving to the entire country that the more deserving team won.

It All Comes Down To This: Game 7

Boston fans are very accustomed to Game 7’s.  The Bruins themselves have already endured a pair of Game 7’s this postseason.

But the Game 7 of a Championship series is different.  The stakes are never higher than the moment the players step onto the ice, grass, or parquet floor, knowing that if their team wins, they are the best in the world; But if their team losses, they go home with nothing.  Second place means zilch in the world of professional sports. 

Just ask the 2009-2010 Boston Celtics.  Last year’s NBA Finals went seven games.  The Celtics, after holding a 3-2 lead going back to L.A., needed just one more win.  Just one.  But after the demoralizing loss of Kendrick Perkins to injury in Game 6, the boys in green couldn’t pull it off.  That Game 7 was heartbreaking just as a fan, and I can’t fathom how the players must have felt. 

Emotions run highest in Game 7’s.  This Bruins-Canucks series has already had its fill of intensity and it will inevitably come to a point tomorrow night.  All of the biting, all of the talking, and all of the blind-side hitting that has occurred over the series will boil over into this final game. 

Looch and his crew will hit hard.  Thornton will assume his role as the Enforcer.  The sparkplug, Brad Marchand, will continue to play at a level light years ahead of his rookie status.  Timmy will be Timmy: an unforgiving brick wall.  And Chara will dominate the Sedin Sisters one more time.  Neither Thelma nor Louise will know what hit her. 

So prepare for this Game 7, Bruins fans, because it’s going to be one hell of a ride.  No other team deserves it more. 

It’s the Bruins turn to take a spin on the Duckboats. 

Dirk and Company Saving the NBA

The Dallas Mavericks just saved the NBA. 

It’s not an exaggeration or an overstatement by any means.  Last summer, an evil entity was born in Miami, creating universal sentiments of detestation and loathing across the league from fans and players alike. 

The creation of this good vs. evil motif strengthened the NBA and its following, surely.  People tuned in all over the country hoping to see the Heat lose.  The city of Cleveland has never been more jubilant than when the Celtics defeated the Heat on opening day, temporarily stunting the Heat’s unearned confidence. 

But, just like any good super hero film, the movie can’t end with the bad guy on top.  It goes against basic instinct.

That’s why Dirk and company had to win last night.  They had to set the world straight.  They had to prove to NBA fans all over the country that justice does exist, and that perseverance and hard work do pay off in the end.

Had Miami won the Championship, the NBA would have suffered.  Fans would have viewed the Heat’s victory as manufactured and illegitimate.  A shortcut taken by LeBron to buy his way to a championship because he couldn’t do it himself.  The exact opposite of the path taken by the 7-foot German phenom in Dallas.  It would have been demoralizing to see a team win in that fashion.  Fans would have lost the motivation to support their own team, when other teams were creating unstoppable forces.

So congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks, on not only winning the 2011 NBA Championship, but for ensuring a proper ending to this year’s NBA script.   

P.S. Snap Backs are officially back and here to stay.  I need one of those Locker Room hats.  Jason Terry rocking it with the crooked headband underneath officially sold me on them. 

Classic Moment of Greatness - The Snow Bowl

It’s easy for us Boston fans to get caught up in all of the excitement of the Bruins and Red Sox.  But we must not forget our other beloved teams.  It would remiss of us to push the Patriots and Celtics towards the depths of our minds during all of this Bostonian success. 

Therefore, we wanted to bring you the first “Classic Moment of Greatness,” where we remind you of important and defining moments in the history of Boston sports. 

This week’s moment was the turning point for Bean Town sports this past decade.  It’s the moment that marks the beginning of the New England Patriots’ dynasty.

Adam Vinatieri’s overtime, game-winning field goal in the 2002 AFC divisional playoff game against the Oakland Raiders.  This game is better known as the “Snow Bowl” or the “Tuck Rule Game.”

I’m sure most of you remember where you watched this game.  It was just one of those games that you don’t forget.  It evoked such emotion: doubt, anxiety, excitement, worry, jubilation. The fans were not sold on Brady yet.  It was too early in his career, and he hadn’t won anything yet.  But seeing Brady march the Patriots down that snowy, slippery field multiple times during that game changed everyone’s mind.  This guy was good.  This guy will change the Patriots forever. 

And he did. 

The football gods must have been on our side that night; that is clear.  The infamous “tuck rule” still doesn’t make sense.  It looked like a fumble.  How was it not a fumble?  Brady thought so, the crowd thought so, I think even the omniscient Belichick thought so.  But the powers that be had different ideas for the flying Elvises that night.  They were merciful. 

There were no snowplows that night to help Adam kick those two clutch field goals.  Instead, the players using their feet to clear a path for their kicker is an image I won’t soon forget.  It showed the unity of this team.  It defined them that year, right up to their unprecedented introduction as a team at the Superbowl. 

As we watched Vinatieri’s line drive kick fly directly through the uprights, we changed as fans.  We realized we were witnessing something special.  It’s a feeling very similar to watching Brad Marchand dodge defenders to score that amazing goal in Game 3.  The Bruins have that same unity.

Let’s hope my gut feeling about the Black and Yellow is right.  Go Patriots, Go Bruins, Go Boston.