Trouble's a-Bruin

It's bad enough losing to the flippin' Leafs (one of the surliest teams toward hounds), but to give up a two-goal lead -- for the second game in a row, mind you -- and then lose to the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers is inexcusable.

Granted, I've only recently called myself a Bruins fan (only because Colin is one), but this type of lackluster play and inability to put teams away stems from a lack of motivation. Now, one would think that money would be enough to motivate most people, but this recent stretch of stench shows the need for a major shakeup.

Sure, the B's could make a big trade. The one I suggested last week (http://bluegrafs.blogspot.com/2005/10/consider-this.html), though clearly tilted toward the Bruins, is a starting point. My hunch, though, is that B's management, in its infinite wisdom (or, more accurately, the lack thereof), will stand pat on personnel. That's not to say, though, that there won't be changes.

The likely candidate? Who else? Mike Sullivan. The guy just isn't a motivator. On more than one occasion, I've seen him lose the players' short attention spans at practice by droning endlessly about the finer points of keeping the puck toward the boards while killing penalties.

Sorry, Mike, but that, like you, is a no-brainer.

I'm sure that Sully is a nice guy. But let's remember that he was a career third- or fourth-liner. Granted, he did get to watch more than he played, certainly gaining some knowledge as play passed him by. But trotting out standard fare as cutting-edge defense isn't the type of message the Bruins need to hear.

This team, even if it is slow afoot, has too much talent to be stinking up the cellar. Someone has to go. Too bad it's Mike Sullivan.

Storybook ending to No. 750

It’s unreasonable to think that every autographed puck in my collection will come from a Hall of Famer or certifiable superstar. That’s one of the reasons why I have a diverse collection. To me, a puck from a minor-league journeyman or a college player is just as memorable. That’s why I was pretty psyched to get a college player, though a No. 1 draft pick, for my 750th puck.

Brian Lee, a freshman defenseman for the highly regarded University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux, signed an Ottawa Senators puck for the latest milestone. Lee, the ninth-overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, also signed a Team USA puck.

Besides the milestone, I’ll best remember Lee for an exchange he had with my son, Colin:

Brian Lee: “Hey, buddy, do you want an autograph?
Colin: “My daddy calls me buddy.”
Brian Lee: “My dad called me buddy, too.”

Easy call

Despite plans to join the hassle of hounds chasing the Pittsburgh Penguins this past weekend in Beantown, a call from my wife turned into a most enjoyable experience.

The University of North Dakota hockey team, a perennial contender for the NCAA men’s hockey championship, was staying at the hotel where my wife works in Portsmouth, N.H., for a weekend series against the University of New Hampshire.

After spending last season watching a ton of American Hockey League games, and learning that quite of few pro players came out of that respected program – Mike Commodore, Ryan Bayda, Jeff Ulmer, Brandon Bochenski and Zach Parise, to name a few – my respect has only grown for the owner of seven NCAA titles.

Between The Hockey News, whose latest edition previewed the NCAA leagues, and hockeydb.com, I soon learned that the 2005-06 team was loaded with No. 1 draft picks. That knowledge, though, posed a true dilemma.

Do I drive to Boston, deal with the surging scrum hounding Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux and others, all with the knowledge that the economic law of diminishing returns only intensifies as the game draws near, while knowing that I’d miss out on a sure thing much closer to home?

Or do I blow my wife’s cover as a mild-mannered front-desk clerk to make some key additions to my collection, knowing that I’m passing up an opportunity, no matter how slim it may be, to add perhaps a single puck from The Next One?

Honestly, it was a no-brainer. Besides, Brian Lee, the ninth-overall pick (Ottawa Senators) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, signed the 750th puck of my collection (see related posting above).

Other No 1 draft picks were (clockwise, from top left):

Buffalo Sabres: Drew Stafford, a junior forward, the 13th overall pick of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
New Jersey Devils: Travis Zajac, a sophomore forward, picked 20th overall in 2004.
Washington Capitals: Joe Finley, a towering (6-foot-7) freshman defenseman, taken 27th overall this June.
St. Louis Blues: T.J. Oshie, a freshman forward, selected 24th overall this June.

No surprise

As expected, the Pittsburgh Penguins drew a crowd to Boston. Rather than the usual suspects, even the trophy hunters – those who only come out to chase the biggest of the big names – found their ways into Boston.

Who’s the big name this year? You’ve got to be kidding? If you don’t know that it’s Sidney Crosby, God’s latest gift to hockey, then you really shouldn’t be reading this blog.

But just because The Next One was in Boston, it doesn’t mean he’s going to sign. After all, with the notorious toughie Mario Lemieux as your team owner, captain, teammate and landlord, you quickly learn from the master. Such lines as "Not now, guys" and "Maybe later" quickly become second nature.

Honestly, though, can you blame him? Looking out of the hotel windows and seeing a gaggle of Sharpie-strained wretches waiting for a scribble is enough to turn a modest rookie into a grizzled veteran. And once you factor in that more than half of the crowd only wants to make a quick 50 bucks or so off your signature, it’s rather easy to understand.

Although I carried a Team Canada puck for him to sign and apparently had a great opportunity to get him (None of the four of us who were at the hotel saw him when the team bus arrived), I knew that the realistic chances of getting his autograph were minute. That’s why I turned my attention to the team’s other stars, but not Lemieux, to add to my collection. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed, getting pucks signed by John Leclair, Mark Recchi and Jocelyn Thibault.

The best part of the day was watching Penguins young gunner Ryan Malone give one intelligence-challenged dealer, who I like to call, for obvious reasons, Stinky Pete, a hard time:

Ryan Malone: "Haven’t I already signed four pictures for you?"
Stinky Pete (with the four pictures in his other hand): "Nope, not me. Must’ve been someone else."
Ryan Malone: "Yeah, right."

Pucks shown above:

Montreal Canadiens: John Leclair
Pittsburgh Penguins: Ryan Malone
Quebec Nordiques: Jocelyn Thibault

They know

It’s not only that the Buffalo Sabres are my favorite team since childhood, but the fact they’re also one of the best-signing teams in the league is what makes the trip to Boston worthwhile.
Not only does nearly every member of the team sign, but they’ll spend time chatting with you.

Such players as team captain Daniel Briere, uber-goalie Ryan Miller and top prospect Thomas Vanek not only signed multiples (on several occasions, too, for some greedy collectors), but they were also downright cordial.

One player, however, stood out. Teppo Numminen, the Sabres’ biggest splash in the free-agent market this year, has always been known as a classy, fan favorite. After returning from dinner with Bruins-legend-turned-financial-adviser Derek "The Turk" Sanderson, the Finnish defenseman willingly obliged the request of a handful of collectors.

When it came to my turn, I let him know that the three pucks were headed to my collection, not eBay.

"That’s good. Those dealers, they ruin it for everyone," he said outside the team hotel. "Collectors. Fans. Even the players."

Pucks shown above:

Buffalo Sabres (double logo): Ryan Miller
Winnipeg Jets: Teppo Numminen
University of Minnesota: Thomas Vanek

Consider this?

In a scene that only adds more credibility to my assertion that Andrew Raycroft is quickly becoming a Very Grumpy Young MIllionaire, and possibly pushing for a change in scenery, some poor team official was the brunt of his disdain.

As he left the team’s practice facility yesterday, and in full view of a handful of fans and too many dealers, he complained about an apparent delay in some form of compensation.

"That’s supposed to be deposited directly into my account," he shouted angrily to the unseen official. "First, it was my visa. Now, it’s this."

Should the B's grow tired of this increasingly prima donna act, this trade (worked through the consultation of a wickedly knowledgeable Bruins fan) would seem to help both teams, and open the door for Hannu Toivonen to man the B's crease:

To the Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrew Raycroft, Sergei Samsonov and Jiri Slegr
To the Boston Bruins: Dan Boyle, Sean Burke and Brad Richards

So, what do you think?

Youth served

Over the past five months, as I’ve had ample time to reflect during my self-imposed summer off, I’ve realized the importance of finding the silver lining in the cloudiest of situations. A trip to the Bruins practice facility yesterday proves my point.

Though I’ve written earlier that Brian Leetch was cordial, I can now say that his honeymoon with Boston-area hounds is beginning to wear off. After approaching the graybeard, whose value apparently will be the experience he should be passing along to the younger members of the B’s defensive corps, accused me of repeatedly hitting him up to sign the bases for his McFarlane’s Toronto Maple Leafs action figure.

While I willingly plead guilty to having him sign a number of pucks and a team-signed helmet, this was the first I’ve asked him, or any other NHL player, to sign one of these bases. Furthermore, I asked him to personalize to my son, Colin.

Getting back to the silver lining, though, it’s nice to know that some of the Bruins enjoy the interaction with the fans and don’t see their signatures on sports memorabilia as lost opportunities to add to their mountains of seldom-earned money.

As we watched practice yesterday, Colin was the recipient of pucks from Andrew Alberts and Kevin Dallman. Afterwards, as the team made its way to the Montreal-bound charter, we were able to get those pucks (top row, from left, in photo above), as well as one from Pat Leahy, obtained during the team’s FanFest some weeks ago, personally signed to Colin.

It’s nice to know that most of the younger generation of NHL players don’t place a premium on their scribbles, and in doing so, creates a silver lining for fans – young and old. And the fact that Nick Boynton signed a hat trick of pucks (bottom row, from left: Boston Bruins, Providence Bruins and Ottawa 67s) helped, too.

Hall of Fame honor

Persistence, we’ve all been told, will pay off. The point of that lesson was proved last night when Cam Neely, the famed Boston Bruins Hall of Famer, signed the 700th puck of my collection.

The puck, at left, commemorates the raising to the then-FleetCenter’s rafters Neely’s No. 8, which, in Beantown, stands for hard work, perseverance and true grit.

Numerous trips to the Bruins’ training camp, as well as a fruitful day hounding the New York Islanders during the team’s visit to Manchester, N.H., had put me within striking distance of my latest milestone. And building on a two-stop trip to Boston, on the day before the National Hockey League opened the 2005-06 season, I found myself needing just eight pucks to reach 700.

The Montreal Canadiens, in Boston to renew a bitter rivalry with their Original Six siblings, were predictably tough. Granted, most of the stars, namely Saku Koivu, Jose Theodore, Mike Ribeiro and Michael Ryder, did sign. As the team bus pulled away from the hotel, though, I found myself only two pucks shy of 700.

In light of last season’s lockout, the Bruins were making a big splash over the new season, hosting such Bruins legends as Milt Schmidt and Derek Sanderson. Neely, of course, was among them.

Though I knew my chances would be slim, I still brought a few pucks with me. As Neely was introduced, and made his way down the red carpet, he stopped to sign for fans. I reached in with my puck, but failed to get it signed.

Making my way down the line, I spied team owner Jeremy Jacobs chatting with fans. I pulled out a Bruins puck and asked him to sign. Not only did he happily oblige, and add the 699th to my collection (see posting below for picture), but he also told me that I might very well have the only puck he’s ever signed. That’s good information to have, eh?

The next thing I know, Neely’s standing in front of me, signing for a fan. I dig out the commemorative puck and reach toward him as the fan steps away. I tell him that the puck, if he signs, will be the 700th of my collection.

Thankfully, my persistence paid off.

Why be greedy?

I know I shouldn’t complain a day after getting a Hall of Famer to sign the 700th puck of my collection, but the first trip of the 2005-06 NHL season only reinforced my belief that Boston is not the Hub of the Universe, but more like the sphincter muscle. I tell you, the city is teeming with them.

Not only do I have to deal with overzealous hotel security guards, including Mr. Juco (as in junior college) the hotel’s chief dick, but it’s also the return of the unpleasant feeling upon seeing that D-Con has yet to produce a product that eliminates the vermin who sell on eBay.

This year, though, there’s a new wrinkle. It seems that there are a few collectors, and one in particular, who believe that players owe "fans" their undying devotion as well as signatures on nine cards, three 8x10s, two pucks, a team jersey and half a dozen magazine covers. God bless any players who fall short of that unreasonable request.

And while it’s my guess that NHL players have been encouraged to conduct individual public relations campaigns in a coordinated effort to restore good will, any collector making those type of requests, and expressing disappointment when said requests aren’t honored, should be marked as greedy too.

I, for one, am glad the NHL is back. And I know I’m not alone.

Pucks shown above:

Boston Bruins: Jeremy Jacobs, Boston Bruins owner
Hartford Whalers: Doug Jarvis, with 964 games notation - NHL’s all-time ironman
Montreal Canadiens: Yvon Pedneault, Le Presse/Le Journal de Montreal, Hall of Fame writer