HockeyBruins on the hot seat

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It is never easy to be a successful team in a very balanced National Hockey League. 

Heck, half the teams don't make the playoffs every year.  However, there is one thing that can bring satisfaction to players, coaches, general managers and fans despite inconsistent results and that is a nightly display of effort and heart. 

When that is not demonstrated and results are spotty, it makes for a cauldron of discontent.  That is exactly where the Boston Bruins find themselves and the pot is beginning to boil.

The Bruins strung together a foursome of road wins heading into the Olympic break so there was reason for some optimism at that time.  Upon their return to play, the expectation in Boston was for an uptick in play given that some key players needed to lick some wounds. 

A question of character

Didn't happen. Montreal out-skated and out-hustled the Bruins in their return to action and it was an unfortunate turning point.  That March 2nd night, you could feel the fans' disappointment and anger at the lack of commitment by the team. 

Two nights later, my CBC colleague and former Bruins coach, Don Cherry, made a triumphant return to the glee of Boston fans.  He dropped the puck on the opening faceoff and then he dropped the hammer on his old team.  Grapes accused Milan Lucic of bailing out in a fight versus the steely Colton Orr.  And then he popped off on Shawn Thornton for fighting the not-so-pugilistic Wayne Primeau of the Leafs. And when Grapes left town the following morning, he may have left not knowing that he had ignited the passion of the city's hockey fans.

Talk radio and news outlets debated the merits of Don's comments ceaselessly and after the Bruins' win over the Islanders on Saturday there was a reprieve of sorts.  It lasted all of a day. 

On Sunday, Matt Cooke's devastating headshot on Marc Savard and the ensuing lack of response gave Grapes' comments real teeth.

There is little doubt in my mind that Cooke punished a vulnerable player and took advantage of a defenceless player. Legal? Probably. Cheapshot? Definitely. Acceptable to the Bruins that Cooke and the Penguins would go unscathed after that hit? 

'Cheez-Whiz' hockey unfamiliar in Beantown

Not often in the last five decades have the Bruins been accused of being soft, but in their Cheez-Whiz approach to the incident on Sunday, this group qualifies as mushy.  They accepted the hit on Savard as quickly as they would a free lunch. 

Coach Claude Julien said that the players didn't see the hit.  Video review has Michael Ryder standing directly behind Savard not 15 feet away. What's more, he made what could only be described as a half-hearted attempt to confront Cooke only to be pacified instantly by some restraining Penguins.  I think he was only too happy to be held back. 

With Savard out and Zdeno Chara sidelined Tuesday night, the Bruins skated away from Toronto with an overtime loss.  And they will skate in four more road games before they return to home ice.  By that time, we will know if this group can meet the character challenge they'll face in their own building before a demanding group of fans. 

Oddly, this core group was the Eastern Conference champions last year and managed to summon whatever it took before coming up a goal short of the Conference final. They will be held accountable in Boston for not only result, but for character.  Failure in the latter category is not an option in this hockey-crazy town.

The media, bloggers and fans are nuts over this.  It is one thing to lose a game.  It is another thing to lose honour.

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