It's Not The Glitz, It's The Grit
"Recchi went into the corner with a guy 18 years younger than him and just threw him to the ice. He tossed him aside, stole his lunch money, bought a package of ring ding's, and ate them right in front of him. It was great."
- Tony Massarotti
The Boston Bruins took a two games to one series lead over the Buffalo Sabres last night with a 2-1 win on home ice. The Bruins were led by Patrice Bergeron's game winning goal late in the third period and Tuukka Rask's 32 saves. The teams skate again Wednesday night at the Garden in game four of the series.
Felger: "What a great night last night for the Boston Bruins and the Bruins fans. We found out where all you booze bags went last night and it was to the Garden. I mean that place was rocking last night it was great. The atmosphere was phenomenal. It was one of those rare times at home, the first time since probably the Rangers game where they showed up for an entire 60 minute game at home. It was a big game and they for once came out and played like we know they can play. I mean these guys that were sleeping all year. Dennis Wideman, Michael Ryder, and Vladimir Sobotka have all woken up. It's great to think about where this team was a month ago and see where they are now. It's amazing to think they have come this far and now they are in the driver's seat with home ice advantage in this series."
Mazz: "That play by Mark Recchi in the third period to set up Bergeron was amazing. It all happened so quickly Mike. It was bang, bang all Bergeron had to do was poke it behind Miller because he was set up so quickly. Recchi went into the corner with a guy 18 years younger than him and just threw him to the ice. He tossed him aside, stole his lunch money, bought a package of ring ding's, and ate them right in front of him. It was great. The Buffalo defense didn't even have a second to react to the situation or think about picking up Bergeron in the slot because they didn't foresee Recchi beating his man that cleanly. That play was all about who wanted the puck more and Recchi went into that corner and showed that he wanted it."
The Collin-tary: Mark Recchi at age 41 is still getting it done. Milan Lucic, Marco Sturm, and a few other Bruins could learn a valuable lesson from Recchi, the elder statesman of the Boston Bruins. If Sturm and Lucic are in need of inspiration they need not look further than their own locker room. In the wake of last season's heartbreaking game seven loss to Carolina Recchi's story got little fanfare.
In case you missed it, the evening before game seven Recchi noticed severe discomfort in his abdomen. He was diagnosed with kidney stones and suffered through a painful operation less than 24 hours prior to game time. "I went in at 5 o'clock and got out of the hospital about 8 or 8:30," Recchi said. "They just loaded me up with meds and sent me on my way."
When asked how he played with an open wound he replied, "Obviously, I was pretty sore. I don't know if anybody's ever had one of them but I don't wish it on my worst enemy. But we all fight through stuff. It's really no big deal. At this time of year, everybody plays through a lot of things. I just felt like I could still help and still play and I went out there and tried." Recchi logged nearly 22 minutes of ice time in game seven. Did I fail to mention he also played the game with a broken rib?
Remember playoffs past when Sturm and Lucic gave the Canadiens fits with their physical fore check and timely goal scoring? Think back to 2008 and game six of the Bruins-Canadiens first round series. In one of the most memorable games played in the new Garden, Sturm threw Montreal's Roman Hamrlik, a much larger player, off the puck twice and beat Carey Price for the game winner. Remember how feisty Sturm and Lucic were? So where is that fire in the belly this year?
I don't want to seem like a pessimist after a great win in front of a great crowd last night. I am as excited as anyone about the resurgence of this team, but escaping the first round won't happen without these two finding themselves. If the Bruins are for real in 2010, and look to make a serious Stanley Cup run, they will need the contributions of Marco and Milan. Sort of sounds like the European version of Batman and Robin doesn't it?
