Spring Break
Bruins' Disappointing Season Endures
NHL
Aaron Torres
Issue date: 3/30/07 Section: Sports
Early last week I decided to call the Boston Bruins' front office in hopes of getting a quote from a player for a story I was working on. Who the player was and who exactly I spoke with unimportant. What's important however was the response the front-office worker gave me.
When I asked why I couldn't speak with the player I had requested, his answer was simple: "Mr. _____ will not give personal interviews right now. Our organization is fighting for a playoff berth, and he feels it would be best not to put himself before the team."
My jaw hit the floor. I was speechless. Not because of the tone of voice on the other end of the phone - the man was very courteous - but because this guy actually thought Boston was in the playoff race.
Did I miss something? I mean seriously, does he think this is 1973 with Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito skating in the old Boston Garden? Has he actually watched this team? I'm pretty sure Team Iceland from "D2: The Mighty Ducks" could beat them.
Since the Bruins are the only team whose games are televised locally, I watch them quite often. And for those of you who missed the point earlier let me be blunt: they're bad. Very bad.
Not only is Boston virtually impossible to watch (I've never wanted to switch to a women's basketball game as badly as I did during a Bruins loss to the Rangers earlier this year), but statistically one of the worst teams in the East. They are currently third to last in the entire conference in goals scored, while sharing the dubious distinction of allowing the third most goals. During a five game losing streak that finally ended Tuesday night, the Bruins went a staggering 0-for-24 on the power-play, and are currently 3-6-1 in their last 10 games.
If that's not enough, in that five-game losing streak, they were shutout three times, gave up five unanswered goals to the Montreal Canadiens in 22 minutes, and gave up six goals in one period to the New York Rangers. To me this doesn't exactly sound like a team that is "fighting for a playoff birth."
When I asked why I couldn't speak with the player I had requested, his answer was simple: "Mr. _____ will not give personal interviews right now. Our organization is fighting for a playoff berth, and he feels it would be best not to put himself before the team."
My jaw hit the floor. I was speechless. Not because of the tone of voice on the other end of the phone - the man was very courteous - but because this guy actually thought Boston was in the playoff race.
Did I miss something? I mean seriously, does he think this is 1973 with Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito skating in the old Boston Garden? Has he actually watched this team? I'm pretty sure Team Iceland from "D2: The Mighty Ducks" could beat them.
Since the Bruins are the only team whose games are televised locally, I watch them quite often. And for those of you who missed the point earlier let me be blunt: they're bad. Very bad.
Not only is Boston virtually impossible to watch (I've never wanted to switch to a women's basketball game as badly as I did during a Bruins loss to the Rangers earlier this year), but statistically one of the worst teams in the East. They are currently third to last in the entire conference in goals scored, while sharing the dubious distinction of allowing the third most goals. During a five game losing streak that finally ended Tuesday night, the Bruins went a staggering 0-for-24 on the power-play, and are currently 3-6-1 in their last 10 games.
If that's not enough, in that five-game losing streak, they were shutout three times, gave up five unanswered goals to the Montreal Canadiens in 22 minutes, and gave up six goals in one period to the New York Rangers. To me this doesn't exactly sound like a team that is "fighting for a playoff birth."
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