Is the Bruins loss the biggest choke job ever?

[acor]

LOL, HOW people are mentioning TBL vs CBJ matchup at all??? Aren't you suppose to have a lead in a first place to choke???

 

[Spargon]

2013 Leafs enter the chat. not sure if its worse but it was extremely embarrassing

This is way worse in context. The 2013 series was even more of an embarrassment for Boston really. It was a shortened season, the Leafs were trending down in every stat showing in 82 games no way we make the playoffs. We iced a team with Colton Orr, Fraser McLaren and Mark Fraser and the same time, on purpose!

The fact that series went to game 7 OT and Boston needed a heroic come back was hilariously bad on Boston. If the Leafs won that series Boston would have been a meme all this time for letting such a mediocre team beat them.

This year Boston had the best regular season ever, played a team 43 pts below them, had a 3-1 series lead and the game 7 lead with 1min to go, and choked it all away, that is infinitely more embarrassing and worse imo.

 

[tfwnogf]

It's definitely up there, and it is hilarious

 

[CheerstoBeers]

Yes. Even the Leafs have never choked like this.

Leafs winning one playoff series in twenty years and zero cups in almost sixty is much more of an overall choke job than the 16 playoff series wins and a Stanley Cup win the Bruins have since the Leafs had last won a playoff series. Leaf fans are delusional

 

[snag]

LOL, HOW people are mentioning TBL vs CBJ matchup at all??? Aren't you suppose to have a lead in a first place to choke???

Nope...Just be heavily favoured and/or expected to win.

 

[Notsince67]

Know how a first round loss feels. Also know what causes the biggest problem for fair fans. It is the idiot fans who write cheques their mouths can't cash. They scurry for cover after a loss leaving a steaming pile of shit that the others have to then endure.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

It was only rivaled by the 2010 series against the Flyers.

Up 3-0 in the series, blow that, up 3-0 in the game 7, blow that too.





This year is a bit special because of the whole "BEST TEAM OF ALL TIME" hype

 

[Steve]

Yes. Even the Leafs have never choked like this.

Challenge accepted

 

[Machinehead]

This always felt like a bubble ready to pop to me.

I'm sorry, Boston's roster does not pass the smell test of a team that won that many games.

 

[Sharkbomb]

Bolts in 2019 was a bigger choke, but this one was more painful for fans. Tampa fans realized all was lost three games into the series, Bruins fans thought they had this with one minute to go in the series.

 

[oconnor9sean]

I don't know what they do from here. Hardly any draft picks, barely any cap space and so many UFAs and guys like Bergeron and Krejci who are done. Too good to bottom out, probably not good enough to be a top-level contender & they're in a tough division.

 

[5Jack0]

Did people start watching sports last week? Just in Boston sports, the 86 Red Sox, the 2004 Yankees, 2007 Patriots, amd 2018 Falcons were all worse. Hell even the 2010 Celtics blowing a 13 point 4th quarter lead to the Lakers in Game 7 was probably worse. This isn't even in the top 50 for chokes in sports history. It just shows how important goaltending is to the psyche of a team and when you don't have it it cascades to the whole room, and more importantly how completely meaningless the regular season in the NHL is. This wasn't the 77 Canadiens vs the 77 capitals, the Bruins got absurd goaltending for 82 games and Florida didn't, once the script flipped it was pretty evident that the two teams were more equal than most Bruins fans wanted to admit. Florida was the better team for most of the series and deserved the win. Now it's off to a few years of mediocrity and then the basement for the Bruins. Still a great ride the last 15 years and gave me the best two months of sports watching of my life in the spring of 2011.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Are you not entertained!!!!!!!!

 

[Olliemets]

This always felt like a bubble ready to pop to me.

I'm sorry, Boston's roster does not pass the smell test of a team that won that many games.

Agreed. And they went all in at TDL. And those guys were a positive factor. Bertuzzi (despite his rough game 2) is a hell of a player. I'd sign Orlov for the Isles if I could.

The core? Meh. At least amongst the forwards.

I'll put this one up with Jackets Bolts 2019 and Isles Pens 1993.
This series was lost in game 6

 

[Phil Kessels Hot Dog]

3-1 series lead and their Selke winning captain comes back with 1 point and -6 in 3 straight losses. Embarrassing.

 

[Tuggy]

I don't know what they do from here. Hardly any draft picks, barely any cap space and so many UFAs and guys like Bergeron and Krejci who are done. Too good to bottom out, probably not good enough to be a top-level contender & they're in a tough division.

 

[Zybalto]

2019 Knights/Sharks:

Vegas blows both a 3-1 series lead AND a third-period 3-0 lead in game 7.

I know it doesn't involve a bigger market team and so gets no attention but surely they are in the conversation here?

 

[MetalGoalie35]

Outside of Boston and Bruins fans, the entire hockey world wanted to see this happen, even just a little bit. It's okay you can admit it. It's such a fascinating and painful story, but it makes things so much more interesting. I mean this is truly an epic moment for the wrong reasons.

Nail. On. Head.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

Bolts in 2019 was a bigger choke

why?

 

[Apex Predator]

Bolts in 2019 I think was bigger. They got swept!

 

[cowboy82nd]

Greatest regular season of all time
Loses in the first round to a team who drunkenly stumbled into the playoffs

The answer is yes. Yes it is.

Hey now, we don't know if they were drunk or just acting like it.

 

[Sharkbomb]

why?

Because getting swept is worse than losing in OT of game 7. Boston was a minute away from winning its series, Tampa was only in it for two periods.

 

[Nihiliste]

65 wins.

Up 3-1 in series.

At home up in 3rd period with one minute to go.

Lose in first round.

Only thing that seems similar is Red Sox overcoming yankees down 3-0 - but even then, it’s not like how this series turned out.

Bruins had most points ever. Florida battled its way in final days.

Wow.

I don’t think so.

Florida was always underrated as the 8th seed and was known to match up well with the Bruins.

A big part of the success of the Bruins this year came from having both Ullmark and Swayman playing well. While that helps rack up more wins over the course of the regular season, it doesn’t make a difference in the playoffs where you only have to play one goalie each game.

Another big part of the success of the Bruins was that Bergeron and Krejci were providing a lot of excess value with their contracts. But they were both hurt during this season.

Finally I don’t think much of the last minute choke. It was an injustice that Florida was even down as the game was winding down due to those 3 2nd period penalty calls. They deserved to tie and they were clearly the better team in OT

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

Because getting swept is worse than losing in OT of game 7. Boston was a minute away from winning its series, Tampa was only in it for two periods.

I would say being the best regular season team in history, while giving up multiple 3rd period leads and a 3-1 overall series lead is a bigger choke.

It was crazy how many opportunities Boston had to finish this series off but wilted in the moment.

 

[innitfam]

Also no. Y'all remember when Boston were up 3-0 against Philly, then Philly came back to tie it 3-3. Game 7, Boston again led 3-0, only to fall apart and lose 4-3?

This is the correct answer.