Reason to be happy

Yes, I know. The Bruins lost on Monday night. But there is still reason to be happy. Not just because BC won their third national championship a little over a week ago now (no, it never gets old). But there is reason to be excited about the Bruins. I was reading a blog on the Boston Globe website that basically torn down the Bruins and said there was no reason to be any more excited about this loss than the other first round losses for 2004 and before. I disagree. For the first time since the early 90's (i.e. before Ulf Samuelsson's dirty hit), there is reason to hope.

The Bruins were the number one seed back in 2004 when the Canadiens beat them after falling behind 3-1 (a feat that the Bruins were unable to duplicate this year) but there was not the same excitement there was this year. Thornton was still invisible in the playoffs and the late season additions (oh Sergei Gonchar we hardly knew you) did not seem to really gel with that team. No one in Boston seemed genuinely excited about the Bruins being in the playoffs even though it was against Montreal and the Fleet was having trouble selling tickets.

This year, people cared. My friends who don't watch hockey at all conceded that even they were looking to join the bandwagon. Even Bill Simmons wrote an column on the Bruins this year. If that isn't a change in attitude I don't know what is. This team can be good. They showed it at times this year and with the off-season to fully heal Bergeron and Alberts should both be back next year to provide depth.

There are holes. They need scoring and if they don't make a serious run at Marion Hossa then I might question if things have really changed in the organization the way it seems to have changed for the fans (at least for a few weeks here in April). Also, though I have been impressed with what Thomas was able to do this year, they still need a reliable #2 to take some of the burden off of him. Is it Rask? Is Fernandez going to stay healthy for a whole year? Maybe someone else? These are important questions. But the youth movement and their ability to contribute when it counted (Kessel, Lucic, Krejci) makes me feel pretty good for next year. Will they be the best team in the league, no, but if they can keep up the intensity that I saw down the stretch and in the playoffs they will be playoff contenders and an awful lot of fun to watch.

A couple of observations:

- I dislike Montreal. Not to the extent of BU or the Yankees. I think this is partly because since the Bruins have struggled the rivalry has meant less around Boston than it used to. As I mentioned in a prior blog it takes some real drama to keep a rivalry alive. That being said, I may root for the Habs in the next round. They have to play Philly after the Flyers knocked out Ovechkin and the Capitals last night in overtime. Philadelphia's brand of dirty hockey does not help the game and their continued winning only aggravates the situation.

Thorsen last night intentionally pushed the Capital defenseman into Cristobel Huet to allow that game to be tied at two. He was not looking for the puck, he was not looking to make a hockey play, he was looking to force Morrisonn into Huet to get him out of position and allow his teammates to shoot at an open net. That no penalty was called for interference allowed Philly to be rewarded (once again) for their dirty tactics. Though I will not enjoy Montreal moving on to the next round, I would rather see that than see Philly advance.

- Congrats to Jeremy Roenick and the Sharks. Roenick had retired in the off-season and decided to come back for one more year (at below market value) and had two keys goals last night that provided a spark to the move the Sharks on to round 2. I know there are those out there who dislike Roenick's tendency to open his mouth a little too much but he's making the most out of probably the final season of a Hall of Fame career and it's exciting to watch.