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.