Boston Globe Will the Bruins' ownership do anything about this mess?

[The National]

The average fan you are speaking about probably wouldn't even tune in to what Sweeney or Neely had to say.

I really don't think management is concerned about fan reactions. Nor should they be.

Agree they shouldn’t care about what fans think of their moves but Sweeney/Neely should be speaking more. They definitely hide from the media, or have over their tenure as Pres/GM. They use their coaches as mouthpieces. GM’s on other teams speak more often.

 

[Number8]

I never really get this criticism of KPD. The guy was the most right out of any media member about the Bruins for an entire generation, but because being right about them at that time meant what you were saying was obviously negative people hold it against him.

It's not like he was ripping a dynasty during an historic run of success the way some writers and radio personalities ripped the Pats during theirs, you know?

He's talented, no doubt. Just not my cup of tea. Kind of like Bud Collins and Dan Shaunnessy.

But, at the risk of catching heat from old timers, I didn't enjoy Johnny Peirson either. (I know, different job)

I'm 100% in on frank takes, just need a touch of positivity now and then. Bob Wilson was my guy -- enthusiastic, positive, but NOT afraid to call it like it is.

KPD has always been a bit to ....... "eeyore with an edge" for me.

 

[Ladyfan]

They were down to 3,000 STH when shit finally hit the fan in the mid 2000s

I bet they still have a waiting list? Nothing will change.

I got in 2002. There were only 3000 STH. I have always been able to sell my seats to games I don't go to. Of course you get more $$ when they are playing well.

There is still a waiting list. Given that the Bs have been competitive for quite a few years (until this season) it would take a couple of years before that waiting list goes away.

Actually...a good time to get ST is when they are having a down season...better choice of seats.

I (unlike some here ) hope they are an improved team next season. Getting Hampus and Mac back will help. We will see.

 

[Number8]

They can definitely be over-the-top and annoying but IMO they are necessary to holding the teams accountable. Sadly I think they’re a dying breed, newer beat guys don’t seem interested in ruffling feathers.

Absolutely fair enough. Like I said to EMike, I don't disagree necessarily with KPD. Just always a touch smarmy for me.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Agree they shouldn’t care about what fans think of their moves but Sweeney/Neely should be speaking more. They definitely hide from the media, or have over their tenure as Pres/GM. They use their coaches as mouthpieces. GM’s on other teams speak more often.

Do they?

Most do not.

 

[The National]

Do they?

Most do not.

Yeah teams in bigger markets usually do.

 

[ODAAT]

wonder how many of those booing were the same one`s demanding it gets torn down to the studs? Can`t have it both ways

 

[Ladyfan]

Absolutely fair enough. Like I said to EMike, I don't disagree necessarily with KPD. Just always a touch smarmy for me.

KDP is so full of himself. At times he seems like a major asshole.

 

[ON3M4N]

The average fan you are speaking about probably wouldn't even tune in to what Sweeney or Neely had to say.

I really don't think management is concerned about fan reactions. Nor should they be.

They judge fans reaction based on the bottom line. If the teams start to see a drop in revenue, it'll keep Jacobs attention, and then he'll be looking at Cam & Sweeney for answers.

 

[KnightofBoston]

Kevin Paul Dupont absolutely lives for times like these.

As others have pointed out, he's not completely wrong. However he is off base in that Saturday's team roster and performance is largely irrelevant right now. However, he's not off base in that raising prices for a product that is at best under development is probably going to bite him.

Still, when I think of reporters like Dupont and Shaunnessy, I always think:

View attachment 994069

I knew it was Dushpont within the first few lines

god I hate his writing style. And it's hard to take these folks seriously when they clearly don't love the team through thick and thin and always have a pretentious sneering like quality to how they approach the team

several Middle School level metaphors later ( which Im sure he's very proud of himself for writing) sniffing KPD brand farts from his favorite chalice as he chuckles smarmily to himself while gently swirling the delicious KPD brand medley, he still presents no solution. No names to replace the front office, no thoughts on where they should go


he's not a hockey guy, he's a writer that never made it big so he pours himself into negativity around the bruins, when he's not pouring his famous brand of farts into his famous wine glass that is

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

KDP is so full of himself. At times he seems like a major asshole.

At times? Hes a ninny. He was over the top awful when they reopened after Covid.

This is a completely overwrought, hysterical article, that jumps to conclusions without any foresight or facts to back it up.

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

I got in 2002. There were only 3000 STH. I have always been able to sell my seats to games I don't go to. Of course you get more $$ when they are playing well.

There is still a waiting list. Given that the Bs have been competitive for quite a few years (until this season) it would take a couple of years before that waiting list goes away.

Actually...a good time to get ST is when they are having a down season...better choice of seats.

I (unlike some here ) hope they are an improved team next season. Getting Hampus and Mac back will help. We will see.

I remember when I got mine in 2008 spring I could pick wherever I wanted. Got 309 row 15, $19 per seat per game. Not the cheapest though, think across the ice was $15.

Remember the all you can eat seats? Hungry for hockey or something like that lol.

 

[jgatie]

At times? Hes a ninny. He was over the top awful when they reopened after Covid.

This is a completely overwrought, hysterical article, that jumps to conclusions without any foresight or facts to back it up.

There's a breed of arrogant Boston sports writer, mostly found at the Globe, who think because the players come and go, and the writers have been here for multiple decades, that it's the writers who are more important than the players. KPD and the CHB are #1 and #2 of that breed.

 

[Ladyfan]

I remember when I got mine in 2008 spring I could pick wherever I wanted. Got 309 row 15, $19 per seat per game. Not the cheapest though, think across the ice was $15.

Remember the all you can eat seats? Hungry for hockey or something like that lol.

All games before Thanksgiving...Buy any seat...get one free

Cookouts on the front lot with the whole team before a preseason game for STH.

8 vouchers for STH to get any 8 seats in any section to games you could sell or give away.

$10 dollar seats for STH only (and yes...I gave away the code on HF so folks here could get those $10 seats)

Guys in the row in front of us (on glass) all from the old Garden...Rough around the edge but great hockey guys and so much fun...Almost all priced out now.

Less pink hats and more real hockey fans.

My daughter and I had a 10 pack and then the next season a 20 pack. We decided to go full season....Amanda wanted the seats we have now, but someone had them. The Garden kept calling to offer me different seats. The 20 pack was in the section we are in now only in row 4 on the aisle. I hated sitting there as you have to get up and down for all of the drunks going to get more beer or pee. We got a call saying the people in the seats we wanted gave them up...so we got them. They are obstructed view because the Bs get in the way and we cannot see the far corner, but I love sitting there.

So...you can get a better choice of seats when the Bs have a few down years.

.

 

[JoeIsAStud]

At times? Hes a ninny. He was over the top awful when they reopened after Covid.

This is a completely overwrought, hysterical article, that jumps to conclusions without any foresight or facts to back it up.

It's funny because Boston is the most educated area of the country, and one of the most in the whole world. But overwrought and hysterical have always sold in Boston.

We are the home of the "fellowship of the miserable"

Fans do love it when their teams are winning, but they may love it even more when the teams give them a reason to complain

 

[Ladyfan]

It's funny because Boston is the most educated area of the country, and one of the most in the whole world. But overwrought and hysterical have always sold in Boston.

We are the home of the "fellowship of the miserable"

Fans do love it when their teams are winning, but they may love it even more when the teams give them a reason to complain

and how pathetic is that.

 

[Healthy Wrap]

I don't really care about how bad they look right now, but the reason they had to trade pieces is that they sucked before.

And the larger point is right. How much longer is ownership going to let this go on? After a decade of Don Sweeney this team:

1) Lacks NHL talent
2) Has the worst prospect pool in the league
3) Has some of the absolute worst long-term contracts in the league.

They Bruins are f***ed, and it's all Don Sweeney's making. All of it. Actually, it's even worse than that, because he inherited his best player from the last GM.

What has Don Sweeney done well besides ride Patrice Bergeron and Hall-of-Fame goaltending to regular season success? What has he excelled at in his role? And, most importantly, now that the big squad is really bad, what has he done to at least position the Bruins for future success?

The Bruins fired Peter Chiarelli and at the time they did the organization was in far, far, far, far better shape. So what's different about Don Sweeney, and by extension Cam Neely my favorite player ever?

We know. We all know. And it sucks.

This is the correct take. Like many people on this board, I really liked what they did at the trade deadline. It was refreshing to see them move on from members of the stale, often-underachieving core. The fact that a bad team looks even worse after trading five of its starters shouldn’t come as a surprise.

That being said, it doesn’t excuse management for everything that’s transpired in the 10 years of Sweeney’s tenure. Despite inheriting the likes of Bergeron, Marchand, Rask, and Chara, his teams have made it past the 2nd round just once. Outside of 2023, he has failed to add the pieces necessary to go on a deep playoff run.

Chiarelli, despite all of his warts, was at least able to successfully supplement the core he inherited from MOC. His ability to trade for a top-6 forward (Horton) and find a partner (Seidenberg) for his #1 defenseman are two things that Sweeney has never done.

In June of last year, Charlie Jacobs was quoted as saying, “We measure success in Stanley Cups.” I have a hard time believing him (this is a team that still lists Harry Sinden on their club directory after all). But if he’s a man of his word, he should be holding these guys accountable.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

Chiarelli, despite all of his warts, was at least able to successfully supplement the core he inherited from MOC. His ability to trade for a top-6 forward (Horton) and find a partner (Seidenberg) for his #1 defenseman are two things that Sweeney has never done.

If only Sweeney had traded for Pavel Zacha and Hampus Lindholm. I get it.

 

[Healthy Wrap]

If only Sweeney had traded for Pavel Zacha and Hampus Lindholm. I get it.

Pavel Zacha with a whopping 1 goal in 25 playoff games? 2nd pair defenseman Hampus Lindholm? Those guys?

 

[whitetape]

In the salary cap era, which Jacobs did as much as anybody to usher in, it's just about impossible for a franchise to be consistently excellent. Stars age out or are too costly to keep, and always drafting late in the first round or trading away draft picks to help in a playoff push takes a toll. Neely and Sweeney have overseen one of the strongest, most successful teams in the last decade, but this year the inevitable finally happened, as it's happened with other, formerly top teams, like Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, the Kings, etc. The B's have entered a rebuilding phase, hastened by the Lindholm and McAvoy injuries, and I don't blame Neely and Sweeney. I do blame the hack DuPont, one of the laziest sports beat reporters in Boston, for another typically glib analysis.

 

[Bmessy]

Strange article. What does someone expect when you start a retool/rebuild? More wins after trading 5 players?

KPD writes like chat gpt took too much acid. It's awful. Talk about complacency, look at your career there, Kev.

 

[Hookslide]

He's talented, no doubt. Just not my cup of tea. Kind of like Bud Collins and Dan Shaunnessy.

But, at the risk of catching heat from old timers, I didn't enjoy Johnny Peirson either. (I know, different job)

I'm 100% in on frank takes, just need a touch of positivity now and then. Bob Wilson was my guy -- enthusiastic, positive, but NOT afraid to call it like it is.

KPD has always been a bit to ....... "eeyore with an edge" for me.

They write for the globe what do expect, they are frauds, yes Bob Wilson was special,

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

Pavel Zacha with a whopping 1 goal in 25 playoff games? 2nd pair defenseman Hampus Lindholm? Those guys?

Different argument. And calling Hampus a second pair when compared to Seidenberg is disingenuous.

 

[Healthy Wrap]

Different argument. And calling Hampus a second pair when compared to Seidenberg is disingenuous.

Not really if he’s not being utilized as a first pairing defenseman.

Chiarelli was able to find a perfect shutdown complement to Chara.

The composition of the Bruins defense under Sweeney has resulted in McAvoy being forced to play with the likes of Grzelcyk, Forbort, Reilly, Lohrei, Zadorov…

It’s been a revolving door next to McAvoy. So yeah, I would say he’s failed to find a reliable partner for his #1 defenseman.

 

[EverettMike]

It's really damning for Don Sweeney when his biggest supporter cites Pavel Zacha as a huge accomplishment.

Pavel Zacha is the opposite of a winning player.

And Hampus Lindholm's deal is already aging like a jack-o-lantern in April.