I was wrong and I happily admit that

[rocketdan9]

]I don't think the team is going to win the Cup this year, and I'm not even sure that they are going to win a round in the playoffs[/B], but it was so important for them to make the dance this year and leave the collapses of the past two seasons behind. After the four game March losing streak I was not feeling confident at all and was dreading what was going to happen if they missed again.

I was not on board with bringing Cassidy in, and I am more than happy to eat some crow; he definitely has infused confidence into the players and brought a much more fun brand of hockey back.

Of course I want them to do well in the playoffs, and I hope we can avoid the Caps in the first round, but it almost feels like they are playing with house money at this point. Get the youngsters some playoff experience, look forward to some of the prospects moving up in the near future and hopefully steal a round or two. GO B'S!!

You got to believe!

 

[Sharp Shooting Neely]

They did provide enough questions early on that rightly led to doubts on their chances. Overall, they just had a very different approach and the effort was there on most night (althought that isles matinee game was certainly not an example of that) and the capability of the line up seemed to be much better than the past two seasons. The Cassidy factor cannot be overstated. Always better to come in through the front door versus slithering in the back door. Still some unfinished business as home ice in the first round is still a possibility.

 

[Boston Bruno]

I'm having trouble buying in or getting overly excited.

This is a big step for this group of players.

However, as an organization, I still feel like they've blown an opportunity over the past few years to remain among the league's true elite through gross mismanagement of resources. I don't believe that this team as presently constituted is a conference finalist. Making the playoffs satisfies ownership and buys Sweeney and Neely more time and I'm not yet convinced that this is a good thing long term.

I completely agree with you. Same conflict I had when they signed Backes etc.

Now we have a chip and a chair.
Rask has been VERY good since his mystery day off, and really we go as far as he takes us. A hot Rask could be misery for any team.
Will we beat the Washington's of the world? Meh. At least rooks like Carlo etc will know the playoffs. That could be invaluable in the future.

 

[RustyBruins72]

I always believed they were close and had the players to make it.

I didn't want to believe firing CJ was the answer.

I thought it was to add players.

I was worried when Cassidy came up. But I was certainly wrong about that.

I am not sure what the playoffs will bring. Most here are split. While I don't have visions of a final four spot or the cup, I think depending on who they play, a solid first round series is absolutely possible.

Even if we're one and done, you can't win the Stanley cup if you don't qualify and I am pleased they did.

Like DKH said this is the worst its going to be for a long time. The future is truly bright.

Go Bruins.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

I'm having trouble buying in or getting overly excited.

This is a big step for this group of players.

However, as an organization, I still feel like they've blown an opportunity over the past few years to remain among the league's true elite through gross mismanagement of resources. I don't believe that this team as presently constituted is a conference finalist. Making the playoffs satisfies ownership and buys Sweeney and Neely more time and I'm not yet convinced that this is a good thing long term.

How so? Trading Seguin? Trading Dougie? Lucic?

I'm not sure what you mean? The B's were in the Finals in 2013, and won the Prez Cup in 2014. Chia tried to keep the core together and signed Iginla and he got one Cup, one Final, and one choke (in 2014) out of it.

I'm not sure how long you expect to sustain a Cup-caliber team for? The only one who has for more than 2-3 years is Chicago. LA is paying their price now for the Cups they won, and they have one of the worst prospect pools in the league.

Sweeney started the process by dealing Lucic, waiving Sides, etc. (I think he would have kept Dougie if he wanted to stay), and built up the prospect pool knowing that the core was aging. Whether or not the B's can head into another period where they are Cup contenders for 2-3 years depends on how quickly his prospects mature, but there is no doubt in my mind that he did the right thing (wish the process had been started earlier).

I believe this year was a transition year, and making the playoffs, even if they are eliminated in the 1st round, is an accomplishment.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

I stated a few years back fire CJ and hire Cassidy... Many here laughed at my idea...



Whatever the case is, the curse is down the drain... Not only this, but I think many many here believe now this team can go really far... Maybe like how the 8th seeded Kings did it

I think Sweeney should have fired Clode last year.

I was wrong about Cassidy, but I think that this whole process (fired in Washington, the years in between in the AHL, and then NHL assistant) prepared him, so I'm not sure he would have been ready a few years back.

He has obviously learned from his mistakes.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

...

The Bruins became the top scoring team in the NHL after Cassidy took the reigns.

I don't think anyone here saw that coming.

I'm back to loving watching my team play... And we're back to the playoffs.

Very happy to be wrong.

 

[cat400]

If you look back on the first 50 games of the year, the schedule was grueling and the time for practicing was minimal.

The lack of practice was what Khudobin alluded to as a reason why he was shaky early in the going. His shakiness lead to Julien riding Rask more than he should have normally expected and led to declining performance level after Christmas.

The compete level was there all year and there were many games where the team got down by two or more goals, yet battled their way back into the game.

The turning point was when they hit the All Star Break and started the stretch where they played 6 games in like 23 days in February which allowed players like Bergeron, Chara, and Krejci to rest and re-energize for the stretch run.

The coaching change did wonders for players like Spooner and Khudobin who had excelled under Cassidy in the AHL and were able to regain his trust.

Khudobin began to reward Cassidy with competent goaltending and when Bruce blinked after the last Leafs loss and panicked by overusing Rask in the next two games, Anton put all doubt to rest with his huge wins against the Islanders and Hawks.

The brief addition of Cehlarik, plus the trade deadline acquisition of Stafford and the second chance for Acciari provided the extra tweaking that the team needed.

As Julien lamented the talent on this year's edition may not rival previous years, but when all hands are on deck every game, this year's team can be very, very competitive and difficult to play against.

 

[rocketdan9]

I think Sweeney should have fired Clode last year.

I was wrong about Cassidy, but I think that this whole process (fired in Washington, the years in between in the AHL, and then NHL assistant) prepared him, so I'm not sure he would have been ready a few years back.

He has obviously learned from his mistakes.

His direct approach/comments havent changed lol

As long as he keeps it related to hockey

 

[BlackCrowes]

If you look back on the first 50 games of the year, the schedule was grueling and the time for practicing was minimal.

The lack of practice was what Khudobin alluded to as a reason why he was shaky early in the going. His shakiness lead to Julien riding Rask more than he should have normally expected and led to declining performance level after Christmas.

The compete level was there all year and there were many games where the team got down by two or more goals, yet battled their way back into the game.

The turning point was when they hit the All Star Break and started the stretch where they played 6 games in like 23 days in February which allowed players like Bergeron, Chara, and Krejci to rest and re-energize for the stretch run.

The coaching change did wonders for players like Spooner and Khudobin who had excelled under Cassidy in the AHL and were able to regain his trust.

Khudobin began to reward Cassidy with competent goaltending and when Bruce blinked after the last Leafs loss and panicked by overusing Rask in the next two games, Anton put all doubt to rest with his huge wins against the Islanders and Hawks.

The brief addition of Cehlarik, plus the trade deadline acquisition of Stafford and the second chance for Acciari provided the extra tweaking that the team needed.

As Julien lamented the talent on this year's edition may not rival previous years, but when all hands are on deck every game, this year's team can be very, very competitive and difficult to play against.

Dom alluded to the lack of practice time on one of the three amigos podcasts with Kirk as a possible cause for the lackluster play in the beginning of the season. Seems as if (as usual).... he, Kirk and Reed were spot on.

 

[Fenway]

Dom alluded to the lack of practice time on one of the three amigos podcasts with Kirk as a possible cause for the lackluster play in the beginning of the season. Seems as if (as usual).... he, Kirk and Reed were spot on.

When Claude was fired and the timing was questioned because of the Patriots, Sweeney stated that the B's having 2 off days and then 2 practice days was the window he was looking for to pull the trigger and many of us scoffed at that cover story. Now it appears he was being honest with us all along.

Right now the only 'loser' saga is Michel Therrien who doesn't seem to be on any team's radar to coach next year. I hope the team can wind up at A3 as that is a someone easier road to success in the playoffs. WC2 is much harder because not only would they play Washington in round 1 but if they won that series they are then looking at playing the Pittsburgh/Columbus winner.

Very good chance the first home playoff game will be Patriot's Day and wouldn't that be a fun day.

GO B's.

 

[BsEuphoria]

Felger just went on about a 20 min rant about this for the beat writers of the Bruins that were all over them for firing Clode and how they have to talk about how wrong they were.

It was actually pretty funny hearing some of the stuff in the columns that was written by some of them during the firing.

 

[Hamilton Brian]

As Julien lamented the talent on this year's edition may not rival previous years, but when all hands are on deck every game, this year's team can be very, very competitive and difficult to play against.

And this is when we saw the best from this team. I keep thinking back to the Dallas game in...09? We were like swashbucklers or the 3 Musketeers. One for all, and all for one.