Bruins Get Their Rings

Over 300 diamonds adorn the spectacular rings that were distributed to the Bruins yesterday. But what's most impressive is the intricate detail that went into each ring. On one side is the player's name (the photographed ring belongs to Chara) along with the Bruins' secondary logo. The oppositte side lists the 6 times the Bruins won the Cup (2011, 1972, 1970, 1941, 1939, 1929), along with the Cup itself.

The interior of the ring is also decorated with the motto "Full 60+ to History" engraved on one side, and the logos of the Bruins' vanquished playoff foes (and the scores of those series) on the other side.

Jeremy Jacobs went all out on these rings, and I like the little details. It's not just a ridiculously glitzy piece of bling, the little things make it even cooler. 505 of these will be distributed to players, coaches, and team personnel.

Sean Avery Cut

The Rangers waived Sean Avery, stating that they had no role for the controversial forward to play. And I can't say I blame them. On the ice, Avery just isn't that productive. He scored 3 goals and 21 assists last year, with a -4. He's never scored more than 15 in a season (that was in '07-'08), he's never reached 40 points in a season. He racks up penalty minutes (174 last year) but isn't a strong enforcer like Shawn Thornton.

He's an antagonist. But he's only a part-time antagonist. Only when it suits him. He's not a wimp, but he's hardly one of the NHL's tough guys. And at 5' 10" 195, he's not dominating many physical battles anyway.

He's just not that good of a hockey player. He's got 4th line skill with 1st line ego. He doesn't help you on the ice or off it. Unless you want publicity, you shouldn't sign this guy to your team. He's a gimmick.

I Touched the Stanley Cup Yesterday

The Bruins have been holding photo taking sessions with the Stanley Cup for season ticket holders. And yesterday, my friend's uncle's girlfriend had two extra tickets for this experience. And I was lucky enough to receive one of them.

We could touch the Cup. We could hug it. Some even kissed it. The only thing not permitted was lifting it off its table. They're probably paranoid about that ever since Michael Ryder dropped it.

It was surreal. I've never touched a Championship trophy before, and none of the other trophies have the same allure of the Cup. There's a new Lombardi Trophy every year. But there's only one Cup.

Touching it was a bit surprising. I thought it would feel colder, like metal usually does. But it felt warm and familiar. That's because it's not just silver, it's nickel. And we handle nickel every day in nickels and quarters.

The texture isn't as smooth as you'd think either. Just pick up a quarter and rub it. That's how the surface of the Cup feels. It's not rough, nor is it slick. Now granted, when I touched it, it was covered in finger prints from everyone else who'd taken a picture with it. So maybe when it's all polished up, it feels smoother.

I didn't pick it up, but I did hug it. And it's not as heavy as you'd think. It's not a giant chunk of metal. It's metal wrapped around a hollow core. When you see something that big, that glisteningly metallic, and it's a bit surprising that it doesn't weigh half a ton.

As a sports fan, it was a pretty cool experience.