Seguin Does Dallas

No more "Thank you, Kessel" chants at the TD Garden. The brief Tyler Seguin era in Boston is over. He, Rich Peverley, and Ryan Button were sent to Dallas for Loui Eriksson and 3 prospects. And I can't say I'm a big fan of the deal. Although I understand it.

The Bruins make cap space for themselves in this deal, about $4 million. Which they need in order to pay Tuukka Rask and Patrice Bergeron. And they need that cap room because they gave Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley too much money. I don't think the Stars wanted Peverley (6 goals and 12 assists last year). He was a throw-in, with his $3.25 million salary cap hit.

I don't think this has much to do with Seguin partying or his attitude. He's a famous 21-year old NHL star in a hockey city, he's going to screw around. Maybe he pushed the partying a bit much, I don't know. You know who else doesn't know? The media. The media depends on Twitter and third-hand accounts to piece together what these athletes do in their social lives. Instead of just going to a bar where Seguin and his friends go, and doing first-hand journalism.

We have a tradition here in Boston when an athlete departs a team in a confounding way: there are stories told about the behind the scenes reasons for him to go. There are all sorts of stories flying around about Seguin's personal life irritating the Bruins' front office. The most salacious being that Seguin was locked in his hotel room during the playoffs, under guard to make sure he didn't leave that room. Which is probably a twisted fact. The Bruins stayed in a hotel in Boston during the playoffs, and I'm sure there were security guards in their section of the hotel, which is a standard practice when teams stay at hotels, at home and on the road.

I can't say I'm excited about losing Seguin. And I'm not excited at all about gaining Eriksson. Eriksson's ceiling for production seems to be between 25 and 30 goals. Seguin's ceiling is much higher. Eriksson is also 6 years older.

Seguin hasn't produced in the way we've expected him to, especially in the playoffs. Then again he's 21-years old. His tenure with the Bruins has always been focused on learning defense. And he bought into that defensive mindset and changed positions because of that. I would have preferred Seguin have another season here, a full season without a Swiss Lockout vacation, a full season to prove he wanted to take things seriously and take that next step as a scorer.

And here's why. Some might argue that the Bruins were on the verge of a Stanley Cup without Seguin producing. And that's true. So maybe the B's don't need him. Then again, had Seguin produced in the Finals, the Bruins win the Cup. Two timely goals in the Finals from Seguin and there's a parade not a trade.

So the Bruins didn't need Seguin to do well for the team to do well. But if he had done well, they would have won it all. He has the talent and the capability to be an over-the-top kind of player.

Ultimately, though, the salary cap forces teams to make tough decisions. I'd rather have Bergeron than Seguin. I'd rather have Rask than Seguin, although Rask at over $7 million a season for many years seems like a lot, but that's for another post.

I do wish the Bruins had been more careful with their 3rd line contracts. As good as Kelly and Peverley were in 2011, that type of player is easy to replace at a bargain rate. The type of player Seguin could be is not easily replaced. And the Bruins are paying for their generosity to those 3rd liners by giving up a potential 40+ goal scorer.

Tim Thomas to Vancouver: A Hilarious Theory

Tim Thomas is eyeing a return to the NHL next season. Yesterday his agent tweeted: "Tim Thomas has asked me to explore possible options for next season. We'll have no further comment at this time. Thanks."

The speculation has already begun. Where will Thomas end up? He'll turn 40 in April. In goalie-years he isn't collecting Social Security yet, but he is getting 10% off at IHOP and going to dinner at 5:30pm. So who would want a 1-2 year goalie (whose salary would count against the cap even if he retires) who hasn't played a competitive game since April of 2012. What kind of shape will he be in? Will he be fresher having spent so much time off, or rusty?

One funny theory I had was that Vancouver would sign him. They just traded Cory Schneider, their best goalie, to the Devils. While they're stuck with Roberto Luongo they're in a hazy grey area. Do they need a starter or a backup? Luongo only started 18 games last year. But his cap number is $5.33 million and he's signed until 2022. Vancouver has repeatedly tried and failed to trade him.

The smart thing for the Canucks to do would be to sign/develop young goalies that don't take up much cap space. Then hope Luongo is fine during the regular season, then in an annual tradition in British Columbia, pull him when he shits himself in the playoffs.

Signing Tim Thomas would not be that smart for the Canucks, unless they get him for a bargain basement price. Even then it would introduce more uncertainty and unpredictability. You'd open yourself up for an epic goaltender controversy, which is rare in the NHL. Even when two goalies compete for a spot, the goalies themselves typically get along. That would not be the case with Luongo and Thomas. Luongo publically criticized Thomas's style in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, a cardinal sin in the fraternity of net minders. And Thomas fired back. Luongo has also used his unverified Twitter account to poke fun at the former Bruins goalie's political beliefs.

Some people say 4 more years of Obama. I look at it more like 4 more years of disgruntled goalie politically charged Facebook rants! #I❤TT
— Strombone (@strombone1) November 8, 2012

These two come from completely different hockey backgrounds. Thomas had to bust his ass to get to the NHL, bouncing around the ECHL, the IHL, the AHL, along with leagues in Sweden and Finland. He didn't make his NHL debut until he was 28 years old. Luongo was a star in the Quebec Juniors, and drafted 4th overall by the Islanders, making his NHL debut for them when he was 20. A post I wrote during the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals documents the different paths Thomas and Luongo have traveled.

Watching these two guys compete for ice-time would be a great sideshow. The similarities to Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow are inescapable. Then consider Thomas's proclivity for Facebook rants, and the Twitter account Luongo maintains that isn't officially his so he can retain plausible deniability about it. This rivalry would be fought out on social media, in full view of the public. It would be such a glorious show.

There wouldn't be much sense to Vancouver signing Thomas. But the Canucks often don't allow good sense to be an obstacle when they make moves. So it could happen.

In all seriousness, though, I think the Maple Leafs are a good destination for Thomas. They have talented young goalies, but need more steadiness in that position. They could use a veteran backup who can also take over the starting job when things go wrong. That's what Toronto needs. And that's what Thomas might be able to provide. Reimer is making $1.8 million next year and Bernier is a restricted free agent.

Could you imagine Phil Kessel and Tim Thomas coming to Boston as teammates and divisional rivals? Actually, that kind of scares me a bit.

British Grand Prix: Both the Best and the Worst Race of the Season

Who in Europe is happier than Nico Rosberg after the British Grand Prix? The Michelin people in France and the Porsche people in Germany.

Pirelli's faulty tires more than just influenced Sunday's race, they posed a real danger to the drivers, both in the cars that suffered tire failure, and in the cars behind that were showered with shards of rubber and steel. There have been whispers of Michelin returning to F1, and the tire failures at Silverstone will only turn those whispers into shouts.

Why are Porsche happy? Because of how well Mark Webebr performed after a bad start. And keep in mind that Les Mans has a rolling start, so Webber's most glaring weakness as an F1 driver won't matter in his sports car career. Les Mans is also a race that's all about recovering from adversity and keeping a cool head while doing so, waiting for the race to come to you. Mr. Webber has that cool head that Porsche will need at Le Mans in 2014.

Back to Pirelli...

A tire manufacturer shouldn't be the biggest story of the World Championship. In the early season an epidemic of wear-phobia had engineers slowing their cars down and dictating conservative lap times. Then Pirelli and Mercedes had their 1000km test, which weirdly coincided with Mercedes finally figuring out how to improve the previously atrocious wear-rates on their rear tires. And now this weekend's tire failures not only dramatically affected the results of a race, they put the drivers in unacceptable jeopardy.

Thankfully Silverstone has generous run-off areas. Otherwise Sergio Perez's car might have tattooed a wall instead of harmlessly skidding over asphalt and gravel. The same goes for Felipe Massa. Thankfully the debris that sprayed Kimi Raikonnen's face wasn't that substantial. Thankfully when Fernando Alonso was behind Perez, at the very last instant before the failure Alonso moved to his right instead of left, a nanosecond before Perez's tire disintegrated. Had Alonso gone left, his car and possibly his skull would have been struck at high-speed by a large, and heavy, slab of rubber.

The cause of the failures is still being investigated. Had Pirelli not been at the focal point of issues all year long, then perhaps the initial speculation would focus more on the track being a problem, not the tires.

The importance of driver safety will hopefully unite all parties involved (the FIA, the 11 teams, and Pirelli) to strive for solutions to these tire issues. Allan Simonsen's death at Le Mans a week ago reemphasizes how dangerous racing is. And how even though there hasn't been an F1 fatality since Ayrton Senna in 1994, the reason behind that impressive safety record is relentless effort to keep the drivers as safe as possible.

It's a shame there's such a short time between now and Germany. Usually I can't stand waiting longer than a week for the next F1 race, but with so many tire issues, and another old circuit with old curbs in the Nürburgring, I'm not sure everything can be satisfactorily resolved in time.

As far as the non-tire related elements of the race, which have been a secondary story all year long, Vettel was finally bitten by bad luck, as Alonso prophesied a few weeks ago. He was cruising toward another impressive-yet-boring Vettel victory when he lost drive on the pit-straight.

Vettel might be lucky that Raikonnen was unable to fully capitalize on the misfortune. Although Alonso is closest to Vettel in points, Alonso's car doesn't seem capable of winning a Championship, no matter who drives it. Especially as other cars like the Red Bulls and Mercedes improve their pace on a much steeper curve than Ferrari has. In my opinion, Raikonnen in a Lotus is much more of a threat to Vettel than Alonso in a Ferrari.

Raikonnen didn't stop for tires during the last safety car period and it cost him. He tumbled from 2nd to 5th and lost 8 precious Championship points. He started the season maximizing the point opportunities available to him, grinding out the best finish he could given circumstances. Lately, though, that team has left points on the table.

Thankfully for Vettel, Rosberg and teammate Webber are not contenders for the Championship. Then again, Rosberg has scored 60 points in the last three races, all since that secret "safety" test with Pirelli. Rosberg only scored 22 points in the previous 5 races. Mercedes and Rosberg have certainly figured out quite a bit since that test. The Silver Arrows have had speed in them all season long. Now that they've apparently resolved their wear problems, both Rosberg and Hamilton could climb their way up the standings.

Photo Credits:
Lars Baron/Getty Images
Mark Thompson/Getty Images

NESN Is Foolish to Break Up the Naoko-Edwards-Brickley Line

NESN has decided not to renew the contract of Bruins "sideline" reporter Naoko Funayama, so as of this summer she will no longer be working for the regional sports network.

You fools!

She was great. She did her job well. Her reports were concise and to the point. She wasn't distracting. She didn't steer the broadcast away from the game. She played her part in the well-balanced line of Funayama-Edwards-Brickley. Edwards brought the colorful character, Brickley brought the expert analysis, and Funayama brought the ground-level reporting.

Funayama did what fewer and fewer sideline reporters do: REPORT. She had a good rapport with the players, and she was respected by everyone (as evidence by the stream of Tweets about her losing her job). Who else would inspire both media colleagues and Bruins players to mourn her departure?

Naoko is pro at rink and better person. Type to keep, not let go. Genius move, NESN.
— Fluto Shinzawa (@GlobeFluto) June 28, 2013

@NaokoFunayama naoko .....:(
— Tyler Seguin (@tylerseguin92) June 28, 2013

The word "Naoko" is trending on my Twitter at the moment. For a sideline reporter. On this week of all weeks in Boston sports.

I don't know why NESN did this. It certainly can't be for failing to do her job. They must have a replacement in mind.

Maybe she'll be replaced by some bleached blonde bimbo with hair extensions who spends less time reporting in the dressing room than she does undressing players with her eyes.

Maybe she'll be replaced by some Bill Simmons type, who doesn't try to get a good answer, but rather tries to ask a question that becomes a story in and of itself.

Maybe NESN wants Bruins broadcasts to be like Red Sox broadcasts, and have a sideline reporter that moderates social media discussions, and relentlessly promotes the non-sports aspects of the on-air product.

Or maybe she'll be replaced by Leah Hextall, who is a fine reporter, and Ron Hextall's niece, but I just don't see the need to replace Naoko at all.

Unfortunately, working hard, being respected by peers and interviewees alike, and taking your job seriously are no longer the hallmarks of sports journalism. This is the era of the loud, bombastic, speculative sports journalist. This is the era when eye candy is more important than substance. This is the era when a TV channel would rather employ a reporter who asks questions that piss off the interviewee, as opposed to a reporter who gets their questions answered.

Latest Photo of Patrice Bergeron

Patrice Bergeron was recently released from the hospital. He played Game 6 with a broken rib and torn cartilage. After the game he punctured a lung (had it punctured during the game he would have been physically incapable of playing). Even though the B's didn't win the Cup, it's impossible to not be proud of the effort they put into this playoff run, from Campbell's broken leg to Bergeron's flesh wounds.

Zdeno Chara at Canobie Lake Park

It's all over the internet. Zdeno Chara was photographed riding the Rowdy Rooster at Canobie Lake Park, evidently drowning his post-Finals sorrows by spending time with his family (he has a 4-year old daughter). But he's so gangly and awkward that everything he does, apart from play hockey, looks weird. He's a trim 6' 9" white guy with an Amish beard, he looks out of place no matter what he's doing.

In this Instagram photo he looks like he just got finished fighting Confederates at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Good for him, spending time with his family, and he was nice enough to take pictures with people as well. Seems like a nice guy off the ice. I've heard a theory about tall people being nice, because if they're not extremely kind they'd come off as intimidating.

I'd shit my pants and run, though, if I saw him on the bumper cars the same time as me.

Police Arrest Aaron Hernandez, Patriots Release Him

It's been a bad day for Aaron Hernandez. He's been arrested, and he's lost his job.

The Patriots, very quickly, released Hernandez. He hadn't even had time to be booked and arraigned before the Pats cut him loose. Which surprised me. Why not wait to at least hear the charges? The speed and timing of this release makes me think it came from the Krafts. They want nothing to do with this dirty business.

In all honesty, he seems guilty of something. Whether that's murder or being an accessory or just obstruction, we can't know yet. Even if it is only obstructing justice to protect a friend, the instant he decided to put his thug friends ahead of his commitment to the Patriots, he made his choice what team was most important to him. You want to Keep it Real and not cooperate with police? You're on your own, kid.

He was officially released today, but he hasn't been a part of this team since this crap started.

What Tim Thomas Did in 2011 Was Pretty Amazing

After the Penguins series it was impossible to not compare Rask in '13 to Thomas in '11. Rask's numbers were better. He was improving as the playoffs went on. He had just shut down the best offense in the NHL, allowing only 2 goals in 4+ games of hockey. He carried the Bruins to the Finals.

It wasn't meant to be, though. The Bruins weren't able to push around the Blackhawks like they had the Canucks in '11. They didn't get into Chicago's head. Crawford had a heavy glove but he didn't have Luongonian meltdowns.

And Rask wasn't as good in the Finals as Thomas was in 2011. Yes, that was a difference between the two years. This isn't a criticism of Rask. It's a reminder of how absurdly inhuman Thomas played in 2011.

The two finished with eerily similar postseason numbers. Rask had a 14-8 record, Thomas was 16-9. Rask had a 1.88 GAA, Thomas had a 1.98. Both had save percentages of .940. Rask's was .93955, Thomas's was .93993. So every 2,500 shots, Rask would allow an extra goal. What's the difference?

The big difference was how they performed in the Finals. Rask allowed 16 goals, Thomas allowed 8. Rask's GAA in this series was 2.21, which is very good. Thomas's GAA against Vancouver was 1.15, which is unfuckingreal. Even if you take out Rask's worst game, that 6-5 shootout in Game 4, Rask's GAA was 1.65, higher than Thomas's in 2011 (and if you take out Thomas's worst game in those Finals, he had a 0.84 GAA).

Rask came down to earth in this series after his Game 3 shutout. In the last 3 games he allowed 11 goals. And while only a few were ones he should have stopped, and he made plenty of brilliant saves that kept the Bruins in those games, he was no longer carrying the team. The Finals were his second worst series of the playoffs, behind the Toronto series.

Thomas saved 96.7% of the 246 shots he faced in the 2011 Finals, a record. He made 238 saves, another record. He allowed the fewest goals ever in a 7-game Finals series.

I think we forget how well Thomas played in that Vancouver series. Two of his losses were 1-0. In Game 3 when the Bruins won 8-1, it was a great 1st period by Thomas that kept the game 0-0, and led to the Bruins' embarrassing Luongo. We remember the Bruins eventually owning the Canucks, but it was a tough series. The Bruins were down 2-0, then 3-2. We look back at the final scores of games and see 4-0, 5-2 and forget how hard those games were for the team to win, and how much easier it was to win because of Thomas.

In the Finals Thomas was named the #1 star in all 4 Bruins wins. And in the losses he was named #2 star twice and #3 star once.

And let's not forget the 1-0 shutout in Game 7 against Tampa Bay. That was clutchness.

One thing that's remained the same with the Bruins from 2011 to 2013 is that they sometimes have these really crappy, almost lazy periods. They commit dumb penalties or struggle in the neutral zone, or worst of all they give the puck away in dangerous areas. That's when guys like Rask and Thomas are asked to be the best goalie in the world to keep the B's from falling behind or blowing a lead. Thomas did that in 2011. Rask did that most of the time in 2013, just not all the time. And not in the Finals.

I'd forgotten how many saves Thomas had to make after giveaways in '11.

Maybe the 2013 Bruins needed Rask to be great more than the 2011 Bruins needed Thomas to be great. That's arguable. Even if true, in the Finals Rask wasn't as great as he needed to be, or as he could be. Thomas was in 2011. Rask's best series was when the opponents had goalie issues and had whiny forwards who didn't play defense, in other words when the Bruins didn't need him to be great. Thomas's best series was the 2011 Finals.

I'm not ripping Rask, I'm pointing out that what Thomas did in 2011 is difficult to match. I'm not saying Rask was a main reason the Bruins lost, although that 5-hole goal in Game 6 is burnt in my memory. Rask, however, stopped being a reason that they were winning.

So sign Rask, because he has proven he's a good playoff goalie. Give Rask a new contract, but give Thomas his due credit.