BMack's Bruins Thoughts

The Boston Bruins are Stanley Cup Champions.

I keep saying it, yet I find it hard to believe.

When I was a little kid it was the only team I followed. They were the first team to break my heart, and they seemed to love doing it, because it happened again and again. One of my first memories is Wesley hitting the post, I was 6. I remember very little other else from that time in my life other then the my Ghostbusters toy gun that put images of ghosts on the wall (fucking best toy ever).

For so long the Bruins were so close. They had the talent (Bourque, Neely, Moog, Janney, Oates, Sweeney, ect), but in the end it always ended the same... Heartbreak. Sure, I got to enjoy watching Bourque go to Colorado and winning the Cup, and trust me I enjoyed every minute. The Bruins wouldn't spend the money to be good. They didn't care. I didn't care, and much like Bourque I walked out the door.

Then the NHL did the best thing they ever did for the league. They made a salary cap.

Slowly I came back. They had to spend the money, so it was just about finding the talent. They didn't do it at first, and it was reliving the 90's all over again. Always a step behind, always the joke of Boston. The hype got bigger and bigger, then... Heartbreak. The Flyers knock the Bruins out after being up 3-0. The noise from Boston was the same as it had been my whole like. "Same old Bruins, same old joke".

Then Thomas came back.

Before this year Moog was by far the best goalie I had ever seen in a Bruins uniform. Sure, there were flash in the pan guys (John Blue, Andrew Raycroft, Jim Carey , ect), but nothing like this. I never got to see Gerry Cheevers, but I doubt he was this good. Actually, I can back that up. Thomas made the most saves of anyone is postseason histroy. He won 3 game 7's, also never been done. Thomas finished the playoffs with a 16-9 record, 1.98 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. Not bad for a guy who was a backup last year.

The closest I can think of is Patrick Roy. I have always said he is the best goalie I have ever seen, and for his career I'll stand by that, but this run Thomas went on was better then anything he has ever done. Let's be honest for a second. The Bruins are GOOD, but they are not GREAT. They aren't as good as the Champions in the past (Penguins, Blackhawks, so on). The Bruins had 1 thing going for them. Tim Thomas is better then anyone else's goalie, and the best part is he did it HIS WAY. He came out of his net, he was wreckless, he fucking HIT PEOPLE, and it all worked.

To make it even more amazing is the way he got here. He got no respect for much of his career. Didn't even make it to the NHL till he was in the 30's. Didn't really lock down a starting job till recently. Now, he will go down as the goalie who had the greatest run of anyone EVER.

Moving on from Thomas, could there be a more likeable team? No real superstars (other then maybe Chara). Just a bunch of "blue collar" guys that wouldn't go down without smacking you in the mouth. That ended up being the difference. The Canucks were a way better team. Not even close, but they didn't have the fight. They didn't want to get in the trenches. The Bruins loved the trenches, they had been in them for 3 years. They had seen the worst losses (Flyers), they had seen worst injuries (Horton, Savard, Bergeron), they had seen every other team in Boston win. There just wasn't anything any team could do to them that they hadn't already seen. THAT ended up being the difference. They were the warriors that had seen it all. They were all "JACK BAUER".

It's been an incredible run. So, enjoy Bruins fans, the heartbreak is over, and for everyone else...

WELCOME TO TITLE TOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!