Boy, it sure feels like the NHL season can’t come fast enough in a place like Boston right about now.
Hot on the heels of another deflating, depressing Patriots loss, where it feels like the team is going through the motions in September, the Black and Gold are little more than a week away from opening against the reigning Stanley Cup champs in Washington next Wednesday, Oct. 3.
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The Bruins certainly aren’t perfect and will be challenged to surpass the Lightning and Maple Leafs as top dog in the Atlantic Division, but we’re also talking about a young, exciting group with a proven championship core coming off 112 points last season.
This is a Bruins team that’s going to be in the playoffs, it’s a Bruins team that’s got some of the best, most exciting players in the league and it’s a Bruins team that’s going to be fun to watch as it wins a lot of games.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney alluded to the excitement around the B’s when John Tavares chose them as one of his select free-agent suitors over the summer before he chose to sign with Toronto.
“It’s, obviously, a reflection of our current players and a testament to them. I think stylistically, to our coaches, to the organization, to the support from ownership, with this [new practice] facility, overall, it’s a reflection of our entire organization,” said Sweeney. “I’ve said all along, it’s about winning. That’s the mandate that we’re trying to put forward to all of our players, whether it was the development camp guys or the highest-level free agency players that we’re trying to attract and to be a part of what we’re trying to do.”
New England Patriots
It sure doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of that optimism abounding in Foxboro right now with a couple of diva players being treated differently than the rest of the team and a whole lot less talent on both sides of the ball than there was a year or two ago.
There won’t be any drama about one of the players threatening to retire if he’s on the verge of being traded and there isn’t any war of egos between the GM, coach and ownership group. Certainly, some of that sells and makes things more interesting in the sports media world, but that just isn’t typically the way of doing things when it comes to hockey people in the NHL world.
So, fear not, Boston sports fans, if the Patriots are disheartening you after back-to-back stinkers against Jacksonville and Detroit. Tonight marks the first of three final preseason games this week before the NHL roster gets finalized. Next week the B's start playing for keeps.
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The Bruins are back and they will disappoint you a lot less this season with a team that’s got a chance to be even better than last season’s exciting, resilient group that was, more importantly, a blast to watch.