So the Bruins choked spectacularly? Okay, fine.

There was a period of time between January and February when Bruins fans thought that the team in Black and Gold would never win again. Our playoff hopes and dreams were shot. Yet somehow, this team that couldn’t made the playoffs, demolished the 3rd-seeded Sabres, and somehow scraped their way to a game 7 in round two after losing both David Krejci and Marco Sturm.

It’s not like last year, not like we came into playoffs as the top seed in the East with the hopes and dreams of nearly forty years without a cup riding high. Nope. We really did expect this, just not as late as it actually happened. There’s a lot to be said about an unexpected playoff run, too. First of all – bonus hockey. Even with the doomed feel to it, it’s nice to get to support your team after 22 other teams have stopped playing. Second – experience. Guys like Tuukka Rask, Johnny Boychuk, David Krejci – all the young guys on the team – can take this experience and run with it. Third….we’ve still got that draft pick.

Thanks, Toronto.

So yeah, that too many men call sucked. Yeah, it was a huge upset, and yes Bruins fans everywhere are still a bit stunned. But don’t wallow. Cry on breakup day (tomorrow), count down the days until Taylor Hall comes to Boston, pray that the Bruins re-sign Johnny Boychuk immediately, and attempt to enjoy the rest of the playoffs. It was a good run. Here’s hoping the cup goes to the Western Conference.

Me, I’ll be driving up to Manchester NH tonight to experience my first game at the Verizon Center up there, Bears vs. Monarchs. Apparently it’s becoming an annual tradition for me to adopt the Hershey Bears as my last team standing. Who knew? MAKE IT 11!

The baby Czech demands that you make it 11, Bears. DO IIIIT. And then trade him to Boston or something.

Well, the time has come – round 1 has ended, eight teams will move on, including four of the Original 6 teams, including the BRUINS, which is nothing if not incredibly sexy. Bruins-Flyers is going to be a teeth-shedding bone-breaking messpile, and I can’t wait. OLD TIME HOCKEY.

Unfortunately, the one team I enjoy who is not an original 6 didn’t make it – the Phoenix Coyotes. I’m not a bandwagoner by any means; that being said, living out west lent itself nicely to me adopting the Coyotes as a second team. They’re chippy and adorable and they never give up, and I fell for that. Somehow, I managed to see them play three times this season; here is a little timeline of my Yotes experience. Muchas gracias to this team for giving me an entertaining time!
9/23/09
The moment I might have fallen – vs. TBL in Loveland, CO
I found out about this preseason game before I even moved to the west. Got super excited originally because Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums, former P-Bruins, were in the TBL system and would probably play, and sort of excited for the Coyotes because a friend of mine was keeping tabs on Sami Lepisto. The reason this game was played here? The Colorado Eagles, who inhabit the Bud Events Arena in Loveland, began an affiliation with the Lightning this season. Hey, NHL hockey 15 minutes from my house (Denver was an hour)? I wasn’t complaining!

Crap-tastic photo from the game.

Coyotes won in a shootout (which I guess set the tone for their season!) and afterward, my friend and I were the ONLY TWO to go around back to the player entrance to meet both teams! Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis were entertaining, but the moment that made my night was when Bryz signed my program and Prucha came barrelling out of the player entrance juggling two slices of pizza and a diet coke. I sort of just went like OH MAN WHO IS THIS KID and my friend, a Rangers fan, was just like PRUUUUUUU.
And I met Sami. So there you go.
Coyotes 4 Lightning 3 (SO)

10/17/09
Do not wear a black jersey in the desert or you will die - vs. BOS in Glendale
Colorado was depressing and I was homesick so at the beginning of October to counter it I looked up the absolute closest game Boston would play to where I lived. It turned out to be the Coyotes, two weeks later. So on a whim I bought myself glass seats behind the Bruins’ bench and booked it for Phoenix on Friday night after the Bruins vs. Stars game ended. Left at 10PM Friday for a 7PM Saturday game. Fifteen hours of driving through deserts and Indian reservations (where I got the best huevos rancheros wrap I have EVER EVER EVER had) later (and one Dunkin Donuts stop, another thing Colorado lacked)

New Mexico, circa 7am.

I finally made it dying of exhaustion by 3PM, when I was supposed to meet up with Coyotes tailgaters! Now, first of all, I was tired and FORGOT ABOUT THE TIME CHANGE. Um, yeah, it was actually 2PM. Second of all, the tailgate blew my MIND. I had never tailgated before for any sport! We don’t really do that in Boston. I had my Thomas jersey on and nearly died of heat exhaustion (it was 95 degrees out) but managed to enjoy my margarita and walk around Jobing.com to search for other Bruins fans (I FOUND SOME IT WAS AWESOME).

My favorite line, which got broken up on my way home – Kobasew got traded to Minnesota when I was right north of Santa Fe with a fresh cup of Dunks.

Regardless of the fact that my team lost, I couldn’t hate; Coyotes fans are endearing and desperate and they HOWL for their goals and they won 4-1. I left a little bit enchanted with the concept of hockey in the desert: so unnatural but somehow so wonderful.
Coyotes 4 Bruins 1

10/17/09
In which I entertain Shane Doan - vs. COL in Denver

Bryyyyzzzzzzzz!

I wish I could have gotten a photo of Doanface laughing at this sign, because he did. I held it up on the Coyotes end during warmups, wore my Jets shirt (closest thing I had!) and he kept pointing over while he was standing next to Lang, I believe? And laughing. Not sure if Bryz even saw it, but it was worth it to see happy Captain Doan. And……I snuck down to sit behind the coyotes bench during the game! Scandalous.

PRUUUUUU!

They lost this game but I also got to meet @yotesgurl at this game, which was epic. I’m a sucker for cheering for the away team, which was also a bonus!
Coyotes 1 Avalanche 4

So in conclusion: Prague? Prague. Yes. Let’s do it. It’s gonna be a long offseason but it’ll be worth it in October, desert dogs!

Cam Neely annihilates Lindy Ruff. I find this wildly appropriate.

My thoughts on the playoffs so far, in bullet-point form:

• So, Mr. Vanek, you and your fans and I need to have a little chat, and I’ll keep it short. Do not whine about what you think is a “cheap shot” from Johnny Boychuk when you clearly boarded Blake Wheeler in game 1 and didn’t seem to find any fault with that. I’m sorry you got hurt, but man up and get back on the ice.
• Tuukka Rask educates Sabres fans. Oh, and also he steals a game on Sabres ice.
• Game two had 99 combined hits, with Mike Grier accounting for 15 of those. Vladimir Sobotka had 6 in the second period alone. This is awesome.
• Around the league – I’m pulling pretty hard for the Coyotes (they’re just so ENDEARING) and the Blackhawks; if the two teams meet in a later round I’m not sure who I’ll cheer for. In the east, I have just about broken my brain trying to imagine possible matchups. The fact that every single game 1 was an upset was fantastic. BRANDON YIP’S FIRST PLAYOFF GOAL.  If somehow the Preds advance and the Avs do too, and I get a matchup between Colin Wilson and Brandon Yip….I might possibly die. In the East, I hope the Pens crash and burn, and the Caps, too – really primarily JUST to see how NBC will react to having neither of their powerhouse teams in the semifinals. Should be interesting. I am in no way cheering for the Habs, though. No Habs no.
• Not playoffs-related, but the Terriers named Joe Pereira and Chris Connolly co-captains for 2010-2011, and Dave Warsofsky (American Hero) will wear the A. Congrats, boys. I expect you to rescue the Beanpot from the end of the B-line next year, thanks.

As of right now, the Coyotes lead the Red Wings 2-1 in their series, thanks to a 4-2 game today on goals from these two guys. Go ‘Yotes go!

About eighty billion more hours of playoff hockey left today, epic game 3 at home tomorrow. Let’s do this. Go Bruins.

Where to even begin.

Over the last few days, it’s been well-documented by sources around the country that Joe Colborne was to arrive in Providence from Denver on Wednesday and begin training with the P-Bruins. Likewise, it was stated here on this blog that were Maxime Sauve to finish his season with Val d’Or in a timely manner, that he could be in Providence on a similar schedule. No one really mentioned Steve Kampfer, but as Michigan’s season drew to a close, it was assumed he’d head to Providence as well.

Brian Roloff was signed today. Devin Timberlake was signed several days ago. Colborne, Kampfer, and Sauve arrived prepared to play tonight. Providence is being flooded by new talent, and the kids have shown up in style.

In a 3-1 victory over Worcester, Sauve had two goals, both assisted by Colborne, and both coming on the powerplay. Another new face, Devin Timberlake (signed to a tryout contract before the last game) scored the third goal, assisted by Brian Roloff, the newcomer signed today from University of Vermont. Despite being outshot 49-26, the P-Bruins capitalized on their chances and leaned heavily on Dany Sabourin, who stood tall. The new kids are going to make Zach Hamill irrelevant, and indeed Hamill was a -1 on the night with only two shots on net.

The Colborne-to-Sauve connection is the P-Bruins’ new hotness, and if both of them stay in the AHL next year along with Caron, it’ll be safe to expect great things out of this club.

3 Stars:

1. Maxime Sauve
2. Dany Sabourin
3. Joe Colborne

Not even talking about last night. Boston University just dropped a huge fat one to University of Maine. But you know what? Not gonna be a Debbie Downer.

The Providence Bruins, decimated at the beginning of the season by injuries to the Boston Bruins, are fighting for their playoff lives, and after dropping five in a row last week, they’ve got ten games left and a five-point deficit to climb in that time. Beating 11th-place Hartford on Wednesday was a start; beating 6th-place Lowell tonight in an incredibly impressive 4-2 decision keeps the ball rolling.

It was apparent this was going to be an exciting game when even in warmups, the teams were chirping each other; Louie Robitaille (Lowell) and Levi Nelson (Providence) each were the last men on the ice for their respective teams, taking cross-ice shots; Nelson decided to get in front of his net and block all of Robitaille’s shots before they left the ice at the same time. Chippy!

Providence got things started pretty quickly, drawing a penalty about six minutes in. Andrew Bodnarchuk, defenseman extraordinaire, snuck one past Jeff Frazee on the power play. The next one also came in the first period – Jordan Knackstedt from Cody Wild and Zach Hamill. New guy! (Who really actually lived in Providence for a few years before playing for Springfield!) Wild’s clicking pretty well. The P-Bruins took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, and not only on the power of their goal scorers – those two goals only came on nine shots, while Dany Sabourin shut the door on 16 Devils chances. Sabuuuu!

Second period, Tim Sestito scored early. 2-1 hockey game. Big Mikko Lehtonen did not approve; he took a beautiful breakout pass from Old Man Trent, deked a few times – and tic-tac-goal, it’s 3-1. Those wer the only goals in the second, which is amazing since the P-Bruins were in the box for seemingly the whole period – three penalties and a lot of PK time. P-Bruins were again outshot 14-8 in this period. Not a lot of opportunities, but they took the ones they got and ran with them, which is so refreshing to see, considering….the game last night which we will not speak of again.

I’m not bitter, I promise.

Anyways! Andy Bodnarchuk, clearly not satisfied with one goal, got another to open the 3rd, putting the P-Bruins up 4-1. Yannick Riendeau, the highly-touted former star of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL, got his 3rd assist of the season.

This guy!

Riendeau’s struggled a bit with injuries this season, problems that started at the end of his season in the QMJHL, and he’s probably still adjusting to the level of play in the AHL. Still, it’s got to be a little disappointing to only  have 3 points in 18 games, after putting up a 126-point season with Drummondville last year, finishing as a +41 (he is currently a +4). Anyways, another assist goes in the books tonight.

Lowell scored on another power play late in the game, but it was too little too late; the baby Devs couldn’t solve the enigmatic Sabourin (what?) who ended up stopping an unbelievable 46 of 48 shots. Jeff Frazee only stopped 18 of 22. It’s almost too bad, since tonight was Jeff Frazee Bobblehead night…..

Frazee, you just got pwnd. Sorry.

So the P-Bruins are on a teeny bit of a roll, fighting tooth and nail to get into the playoffs. Tomorrow they face the #2-seeded Worcester Sharks, and on Sunday they take on the Hartford Wolf Pack, who are only three points back of the P-Bruins. There’s a possibility Max Sauve (aka Frenchie) could join the team as soon as next week if his Val d’Or Foreurs lose to Bruins 2009 first-rounder Jordan Caron’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Caron scored for the Huskies tonight but Val d’Or still won 7-4. That’ll be a good series for Bruins fans to keep an eye on as well, considering that Caron is expected to make it into the Bruins’ system for next season.

Here’s the deal: Bruins fans, if you’re feeling a little jaded about the team right now, it’s totally okay. You’re not alone. Solve the problem, though. Go check out what’s in the pipelines. There’s a lot to offer in the Bruins’ system right now, and the number of first-round picks we have over the next few years almost guarantees a Calder Cup, if not a more impressive piece of hardware, sometime in the next few years. Check out Providencebruins.com (there’s a 2-for-1 ticket special going on for the rest of the regular season – that’s two tickets for $18, you guys! How can you beat that? And here, some insider info – you can buy cheap tickets and move to the lower bowl, not that upper bowl tickets are even that bad.) and look at the schedule. They’ve got games against Worcester and Lowell at those two venues as well, which are even cheaper – $15 got me a seat three rows behind the Bruins’ bench today. Consider who was in the Providence lineup last year: Tuukka Rask. Vladimir Sobotka. Johnny MFing Boychuk. This year may suck as a Bruins fan, but at least two of these three guys show up hard to every game they play.

So give it a shot. Follow @ahlbruins on twitter. Keep an eye on the #PBruins hashtag. And if you want any sort of details about getting to a game/parking details/directions/what teams to look out for – you know where my email button is.