Old Time Hockey

There was a time that I would simply wait for playoff hockey to begin in Boston. Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, Bobby Carpenter, Craig Janney, Pete Peeters, Adam Oates, and Brad Park: All have their place in Bruin history and in my memory. It was watching those players play on Channel 38 that drew me to the excitement and passion of the game of hockey. As a teenager I would listen to the games on my radio after having had to go to bed (for some reason I can't forget the Havoline oil commericals), and as a young adult my friend Andy and I would plan 'beer and chili nights' around the games. The 1980's were great, the 90's good, and then everything thereafter was vanilla, and more often than not, pretty damn sour.

It's been four years since the Bruins were in the playoffs, and longer since they were relevant in the NHL and in the city of Boston. Hockey in Boston went Kaput in 2004 when the Bruins lost in the first round to the Canadiens (again). But professional hockey is making a comeback, finally, and after a 'long' hiatus, the Bruins are fun to watch again. Their last foray into the playoffs was frustrating. Their most recent is inspiring. There are some strange coincidences between now and then:

2004
The Bruins were the #1 seed in the East.
Montreal was the #8 seed in the East.
The Bruins had a 3 games to 1 series lead.
Claude Julien was the coach of the Canadiens.
The Millins were in San Francisco, CA visiting my sister, Kim during the series.
The Canadiens won the series.

2008
The Canadiens are the #1 seed in the East.
The Bruins are the #8 seed in the East.
The Canadiens had a 3 games to 1 series lead.
Claude Julien is the coach of the Bruins.
Kim is in MA, visiting the Millins at the time of the series.

I hope the trend continues.