BRUINS BACK IN THE HABIT

I could reboot the old Bruin excuse machine that I've used so many times this season. I could blame the Olympic break. I could say that Chara was worn out, as Slovakia played the maximum number of games and the Slovaks put him on the ice more than the Bruins do. And the non-Olympians were all rusty. But wouldn't the Canadiens be just as rusty?

The Bruins were somehow up 1-0 after a period dominated by Montreal, but saved by Rask. Sturm scored the B's goal, and it was kind of a joke. On a power play, the puck just sort of pooped out from behind Carey Price, sat there for what seemed like an eternity before Sturm tapped it in.

But the bad habits continued. There was a hope that Rask could continue to make brilliant saves, and for the most part, he did just that. It was 1-0 going into the 3rd. And the Bruins had actually generated some decent scoring chances in the 2nd. Although they got a bit too fancy, "a little cute" as Savard described it postgame.

I'm not going to attack Tuukka Rask. It's not his fault that the Bruins' defense melted like Frosty in the Sahara.



But the Tuukka Time Twits (and if you don't know any, you haven't sat in Section 314) out there attacked Thomas for goals that resulted from defensive ineptitude, so fair is fair.

But the Bruins shouldn't be dependent on 22 year old goalies to win games for them. The Bruins were outplayed at pretty much every level of gameplay. For fuck's sake, they were outmuscled on the boards by the Montreal Canadiens!

And I don't want the Bruins to make any deals, at least no significant ones. This team has more holes than a pornstar convention. They really need an entire line of forwards to supplant Wheeler, Krejci, and Ryder, who are all bumbling fools.

And Andrew Ference is a load. -3 last night, a well deserved -3.

I don't want to mortgage the future just to get one guy who will improve this team from the 8th best in the East to the 6th best.

Bruins vs. Maple Leafs Thursday night.



Source:
ESPN

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Elise Amendola

THE SOX ARE GETTING A NEW BALLPARK!!!

In Fort Myers...



The Sox have once again found a way to squeeze some more bucks out of their popularity by building a new Spring Training facility that should be ready by 2012. The centerpiece of the complex will be the "Fenway in Florida," an 11,000 seat ballpark with identical dimensions as Fenway Park. There'll even be a replica Yawkey Way outside of the park.

Who needs a new Major League ballpark with 15,000 new (and cheaper) seats, dozens of luxury boxes, and concourses that don't make you feel like Indiana Jones when you can build an 11,000 seat Spring Training park?

And by the way, this idea comes a mere 14 years after the Yankees built an 11,000 seat Spring Training park in Tampa, which has the exact dimensions as the old Yankee Stadium.

But hey, more money isn't a bad thing. It's just that every story about the Sox building a 50 seat platform hovering above the short-stop makes me wish we had a new ballpark.

Source:
WBZ

Photo Credit:
Boston Red Sox/Lee County

SO CLOSE...

I had a feeling during the 3rd period. A good, warm, comforting feeling. As Canada hit the post twice in the opening minute, as Sidney Crosby bungled a free and clear breakaway, I felt like the US was being helped, Angels in the Outfield style. Then Zach Parise seemed to confirm this feeling, tapping in a rebound to tie the game with 24 seconds left.

But reality set in. The US had expended all their fuel in a desperate 3rd period, and had nothing left in the tank for overtime. Sidney Crosby got the goal, and will get the glory, but it was only a matter of time before some Canadian beat Ryan Miller, who was as exhausted and spent as Brian Rafalski, and Ryan Suter. I'm having trouble finding a box score with Time On Ice listed, but Raflaski and Suter easily contributed 30 minutes in this game.

As I said, Crosby will get the glory. He has such a boring, vacant personality. He makes Bill Belichick look like Chad Ochocinco. He should really do volunteer work at insomnia clinics and help those people get to sleep.

He's so individually overrated in what is a consummate team sport. And how much do our Northerly neighbors wash his balls? If he were caught raping ducks, the Canadian branches of PETA would laud him as an animal lover. Canadian history books would record him as a civil rights leader who pioneered inter-species unions.

Not to take away from Canada, who won this Gold Medal fair and square, but they nearly lost to Switzerland. They were 1-1 against the US. If not for their 7-3 toppling of Russia, the luster from their Gold Medal would really diminish. And they executed all of this mediocrity on their home soil, on a North American sized rink.

So I guess what I'm saying is that Canada barely limped away with what they were supposed to leisurely stroll away with. They needed overtime to beat a country that features hockey as its 4th sport at best. But if I were Canadian, I'd probably be celebrating it too. What else is there to celebrate up there? 3 more months of winter?



Now to the game. The US shot itself in the foot a few times. That's to be expected from such a young team, in such a big game. The first Canadian goal came from a silly Erik Johnson giveaway in front of Ryan Miller's net. And then there were the countless Offsides calls that stopped US rushes in their tracks.

But there's a great deal to look forward to in 2014. Patrick Kane is 22. Ryan Kesler is 25. Ryan Suter is 25. Zach Parise is 25. Bobby Ryan is 22. Phil Kessel is a douche. The US finished 8th in the 2006 Olympics. They've won Silver in 2010. And they'll once again contend for Gold in '14.

OLYMPIC HOCKEY SEMIFINAL PREVIEW*

The final four. Kind of surprising. No Russia, no Sweden, no Czech Republic. That's what's so great about this tournament and about the game of hockey. It's played on ice, not paper.

3pm - NBC: USA vs. Finland

OK, now I'm actually pissed about what time these games are on. In earlier rounds, I tolerated the 3pm starts, because what else would you do with 3 or 4 games on a day. But now with only two games, they easily could have put this game on at 5pm, or even 6. Give US fans on the East Coast and Midwest (where most American hockey fans reside) a chance to see the semifinals. And give potential fans of the game a chance to watch it on TV, instead of inevitably ignoring it while they work.

Anyway, to the game. Finland won't blow you away with too many star-studded names, but they are ranked 4th in the world. They did win Silver in '06. They're deep and they're solid. Mikka Kiprusoff in net is outstanding. He's 4th in the NHL with a 2.18 GAA (only 0.02 higher than Miller's), and he's 6th in the League in SV%.

The Finns are also just as hungry as the US. After losing to Sweden in '06, veterans like Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne are starving for that Gold in what could be their last Olympics.

I think the Finn's experience helps them win a close, tight-checking game. I see a 3-2 win for the Finnish (now do you get the "Finish Him" pic?)

9:30pm - CNBC: Canada vs. Slovakia

Both teams had to fight through an extra round. Both teams have beat the Russians. If Slovakian goalie Jaroslav Halak beats the Canadians, will he ever be cheered by Canadien fans again?

The Slovaks feature players from 4 different Leagues (NHL, Russia's KHL, Swedish Elitserien, and the Slovak Extraliga). But don't let that fool you. Some of those European league guys are NHL veterans like Richard Zednick, Zigmund Palffy and Jozef Stumpel. The Slovaks also have firepower from Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa, and Pavol Demitra.

The Canadians have depth. But they've been inconsistent. So has Slovakian goalie Halak. If both teams decide to show up at 100%, Canada will win decisively. But if Martin Brodeur goes crazy playing the puck, and Halak is on, this game could get very interesting.

I'm rooting hard for the Slovaks, because screw Canada. It'd also be nice to be able to make Canadiens fans weep at the Bruins/Habs game I'm going to on Tuesday. Especially whenever Chara touches the puck.

I have to pick Canada, though. 4-1 to Johnny Canuck.

CANADA WINS WOMEN'S HOCKEY GOLD, THEN DRINKS BEER AND GETS IN TROUBLE

The International Olympic Committee is going to "investigate" the postgame celebration of the Canadian women's hockey team. After beating the US 2-0 and winning the Gold Medal, some members of the team celebrated on the ice by drinking beer and smoking cigars.

Who cares? How sensitive are we in sports today? If you're up by too many points, you're supposed to ease off. If you win, there are restrictions on how you can celebrate.

The Canadians did nothing to disrespect their opponent or the game. They were happy to win, and in their exuberance and jubilation, somebody opened up some beers. Do we expect these girls to say "No, I don't want free beer right now. It'd be inappropriate."

There weren't even any fans left in the arena. Just a few photographers and bitter Olympic officials who wanted to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Had they burnt the American flag, then I'd say their celebration went too far. But this is utter nonsense. They're kids, having the time of their life, let them have a beer and a cigar.

OLYMPIC HOCKEY ROUNDUP: DAY 9

Very interesting day/night of hockey. One game surprisingly close, another surprisingly distant, and a third a surprise result.

USA 2, SWITZERLAND 0

The Swiss held on for 42 minutes and 8 seconds, staving off a relentless US attack. Jonas Hiller was on his game, so were the posts and crossbar. But Zach Parise broke the deadlock on the 3rd, essentially ending the game. The Swiss just weren't going to score. Parise added an emptynetter to make it 2-0. The US outshot the Swiss 44 to 19.

CANADA 7, RUSSIA 3

The scoring started 141 seconds in, and didn't slow down until halfway thru the 2nd. Russia's weakness was their defense. I thought guys like Ovechkin and Datsyuk could keep the puck in Canada's end enough to limit the exposure of that weakness. Incorrect. Corey Perry scored 2 goals, Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and 2 assists, as did Dan Boyle.

FINLAND 2, CZECH REPUBLIC 0

This was a duel between Mikka Kiprusoff and Tomas Vokoun. But the Finns were able to slip one by Vokoun 53 minutes into the game. Kiprusoff's teammate with the Calgary Flames - Niklas Hagmen, scored the goal. Valtteri Filppula added the emptynetter.

SLOVAKIA 4, SWEDEN 3

A shocking result. The Slovaks barely got by lowly Norway. Then they defeat the '06 Gold Medal winners. Sweden never even had a lead in this game, and twice found themselves down by 2 goals. Captain Zdeno Chara had an assist. Marian Hossa had 3 assists. Pavol Demitra scored a goal and had 2 assists. The Slovakians have now beaten Sweden AND Russia. They started slow but not they're rolling.

Semifinals are Friday. The US plays Finland at 3. Canada plays Slovakia at 9:30.

OLYMPIC HOCKEY QUARTERFINAL PREVIEW*

Four excellent games to watch today and tonight:

3pm - NBC: U.S.A. vs. Switzerland

I'd intended to pick Switzerland for an upset here, but they really looked inconsistent last night against Belarus. Jonas Hiller's been shaky in this tournament, as opposed to Ryan Miller, who's been a wall. These teams met in the group stages with the US eking out a 3-1 win. This should be quite similar. 4-1, USA.

7:30pm - CNBC: Canada vs. Russia

Two juggernauts meeting here. Russia is ranked #1 in the world by the IIHF, and Canada is #2. Oh, and it's also Ovechkin vs. Crosby. But it's also teammates Malkin vs. Crosby. This is more of an All-Star Game than the US/Canada match on Sunday. 7 of the top 10 NHL goal scorers will be on the ice.

I think Canada is a bit too excited. They've got more than enough talent, but they don't seem to be clicking as a team. Top to bottom, Canada is deeper. But the Russians have some lights out studs on their side. I think Nobokov stands on his head, Ovechkin overwhelms, and Datsyuk dazzles. Russia 5, Canada 3

10pm - CNBC: Czech Republic vs. Finland
Not as exciting as the Canadians and Russians, but still a game to watch. The Czechs struggled against Latvia, and haven't done much this tournament except beat the Slovakians. Finland is focused, primed, and good enough to master the Czechs. Finland 4, Czech Republic 2.

12am - CNBC: Slovakia vs. Sweden

For some reason, the Swedes have always been the superlate game. But remember, they had a perfect Group round, just like the US. Slovakia struggled against Norway. And even though the Swedes and Norwegians are geographical neighbors, they're not even on the same planet when it comes to hockey. Sweden rolls 5-1.

If my predictions come true, the semi-finals will be USA vs. Finland, and Sweden vs. Russia. Now who was in the final four of the 1980 Olympics? USA, Russia, Sweden, and Finland.

OLYMPIC HOCKEY ROUNDUP: DAY 8

No upsets in the Qualifying Round, but we were very very close to some. In fact, only one game was decided before the 3rd period.

SWITZERLAND 3, BELARUS 2 (SO)

Switzerland's best asset - their goalie - almost cost them this game. Less than a minute in, he horribly mishandled a routine softshot (my word for when the puck just drifts in on the goalie from like a deflection at the blue line), and Alexei Kaliuzhny hacked away until the puck went in. But the Swiss rebounded with a big power play goal, and eventually won in the shootout. If Jonas Hiller and the Swiss decide to show up, they could harass the US.

CANADA 8, GERMANY 2

Well, Canada might have impressed some people with this win, but I'm not sold... yet. Germany has been awful in this competition. Crushing them 8-2 doesn't mean much. But at least maybe the Canadians can take some confidence out of such a lopsided win. Iginla scored twice, so he now has 5 goals, but 0 in tight/meaningful games. Eric Staal had 3 assists, and Drew Doughty was +4. Canada vs. Russia in the quarterfinals.

CZECH REPUBLIC 3, LATVIA 2 (OT)
Another scare for a top team. Latvia finished 12th in the Preliminary Stage, so needing OT to beat them is pretty sad. David Krejci had the game winner in OT (why can't he do that for us once and awhile?) and an assist in regulation. The Czechs face Finland in the quarterfinals.

SLOVAKIA 4, NORWAY 3

I picked Norway to beat the Slovaks, and they put up a damn good fight. But Miroslav returned from injury and netted the game winner in the 3rd. Richard Zednick had 2 assists, and Zdeno Chara had 1 assist. The Slovaks face Sweden in the quarterfinals.

A comprehensive preview of the Quarterfinal Round shall be forthcoming a bit later today.