In Response to Re: Why Don't They Want It?:



well said TTb, however  even after last yr playoff humiliating playoff debacle
Fact is we were one game away from the finals, Do i believe they are one of the top 2 or three contenders, no !  but if they get hot at the right time , who knows!!. hey do have issues clear to an exoperienced hockey mind. AS i have mentioned they clearly lack speed and skill. That is a big no-no

Do i believe they can beat pitt in a 7 game series , yes i do , why not mtl did last year and lost against philly the same team we had a 3-0 lead on.
wash as well can be beaten. they have many holes masked by the goal scoring of ovie

TryToBearIt, I agree that if given a choice, I would choose the team with the better talent.  It's possible that other teams that the Bruins, Islanders and Maple Leafs faced just were not as game ready as these 3.  I can't speak about the Islanders or Leafs, but the Bruins team skating in those first 9 games is drastically different than the Bruins team skating now.  In terms of execution and pace, it's like night and day.  While the Bruins' early opponents may not have had their acts together (it's hard to say for sure one way or the other), it's pretty clear that the Bruins broke out of their zone better and just made smarter plays in those first few weeks.  Maybe it took other teams ~10 games to get up to speed, or maybe it was a fluky start for an overrated Bruins team, or maybe the Bruins are not as confident as they were when they started the season -- one can't say for sure.

It's funny, because on paper (key phrase) this offense looks pretty well rounded.  You have 2 guys who are capable of scoring 30 goals (Horton, Ryder).  You have 2 solid playmaking centers (Krecji, Savard).  You have a body-masher with a touch of finess (Lucic).  You have some quality defensive players with offensive upsides (Bergeron, Wheeler).  You have a johnny-on-the-spot veteran in Recchi.  And you have the #2 overall pick who has awesome speed and a good release (Seguin).  On top of it, you have a quality 4th line that can play some tough minutes against good players.  Call me crazy, but with a touch of confidence and chemistry, that looks like a good group of 12 forwards to me.  And yes, complete enough to compete with the Phillys, Pitts, Wash of the league.

In Response to Re: Why Don't They Want It?:


Well, to start the year, I would have agreed w/the 2d paragraph of your post: I too thought they had the pieces in place.

But here's where I would respectfully disagree: I do not think (after now watching the team play for 2 mos.) that Ryder is capable of scoring 30 goals. He has a great shot but for whatever reason doesn't get it off nearly enough. He'll have a good game here and there and then he'll disappear (as he did in last year's playoffs),....again, I believe this is due to talent, not effort. I applauded his signing at first (mostly b/c w/the Habs he used to kill the B's), but especially at $4 M I think now it was a mistake....

Wheeler--sorry, I'm off that bus. Ever since he put on that extra weight/muscle he's been a slower, less skilled player. I think that extra poundage really hurt his scoring touch, and he's just more miss than hit...

.Recchi is showing his age (finally)....he's been bumped off the puck far too easily this year...he's lost a step for sure, and he's made some terrible passes to the other team leading to chances the other way...no one stays invulnerable to Father Time (unless your name is Lidstrom, apparently), and Recks I'm afraid has succumbed to his 42 years...he's more liability now than help....

Seguin shows terrific promise...I just think he's got the wrong coach (i'm still ticked that CJ sat him in favor of Paille, who I truly loathe and is utterly useless)....I don't know what's up w/Bergy other than he's playing a lot w/Recchi and Wheeler and I think that's keeping him from being the very good player I know he is....

Looch I've actually changed my opinion on...I used to say "trade him" but I see his upside much better now....his line w/Horton and Krejci SHOULD be a killer line....it's been a little flat lately but so has the whole team, which I think is wearing on that line....and Savvy (I hope) will eventually recover and be his old self....but even if all that happens, I see basically a one-line team with a slow defense that can't contribute any scoring--solid in their own end, but also not very good at break out passes, and a team overall tat relies far too much on stellar goaltending to win games.

think back to the # of games you must admit TT stole for them this season. Where would they be if he didn't lead the league in GAA and stood on his head so many times?

What I see on paper is a team far weaker than the one you see...I only hope that ultimately you're right and I'm wrong, but sadly, I think I'm right on this one.

Maybe PC has a plan up his sleeve...I wouldn't mind firing CJ for a start, but more is needed, I'm afraid, if they;re truly going to compete for a title or even get past round 2 of the playoffs. (I'm being charitable assuming they'll even get in the way they're playing now.)

In Response to Re: Why Don't They Want It?:


You must not question what Lou does because he has won cups . He's a genius !  totally agree, nj alwats competeive and lose good players virtually every year

In Response to Re: Why Don't They Want It?:


So Marco, just because someone might not agree with you, they're a "fonie" (sic)?  Why the insult?  I mean...we're ALL Bruins fans, right Marco?

In Response to Re: Why Don't They Want It?:


Bruinscountry, thats the thing many do not agree with me and that is ok but it;s not certainly ok with them. That's my point !it's like they have formed their own cult or better yet their own circle and one better be on the same level to be allowed in. Why on earth do some post with some kind of fear, do u think that is right? They even send out that " i know i will get bashed for this but here it is" hence my point just say what u need to say without anticiapating whether or not the choir club agrees.
I am not one to instigate but certainly do not back down from a confrontation. KEeP It to hockey , yes we are all bruin fans and most of us have spent thousands of dollars on this team over the years so don't go attempting to manipulate and control our views.

I hope Bruinscountry this explais it!

In Response to Re: Why Don't They Want It?:


Chowdah- all due respect, but Lou Lam's Devils have gone to the Cup Finals four times, winning three of them.  In these parts (Patriots), genius is a fair adjective to bestow on someone with that type of resume.  For the record, PC and CJ have a combined zero rings.

I posted this recently, and just folks to take a look.  Their are two videos on this link, the first is an interview with Lou Lam, the second is an interview with E.J. Hradek.  In the 2nd piece, Hradek mentions that players had problems with CJ, Elias and Gomez specifically. 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2822234

Jacobs.

TryToBearIt,
Things have certainly changed in the last 6 weeks or so.  I'm not so sure that it is players showing their true identities now or hitting a confidence bump in the road.

Ryder will always be confusing to me.  It seems like he can be a good contributor if he actually works out there.  When he plays the body and doesn't just wander towards a crowded slot, he can actually make some decent plays.  But, alas, far too many nights off from this guy. He has good-scoring talent, but in the last 2 years has rarely been able to elevate his game to that level. I can't really blame CJ's system on that one, since the guy was able to score 30 goals with him in Montreal and 27 two years ago in Boston.  2 years older = that much slower?

I respectfully disagree with you on Wheeler.  I'm still holding onto that stock.  I think he had a tough time last year with the added weight, but it was something he needed to do to round out his game.  This year, I see a more confident Wheeler who has regained most of his step and is responsible in his own end.  8 goals in 32 games is not bad, especially considering he didn't score in the first 8 games... so it's actually 8 goals in 24 games, a pace of 27 goals over 82 games.  Not only that, but he's been one of the hardest working Bruins (to these eyes) over this tough stretch.

Rex = done.  He should be swapping time with Caron.

In Response to Re: Why Don't They Want It?:



Yes, Caron I expect will be back after the holiday break. I appreciate all Recks did for the team the past couple of years and I for one think he could go on to make a pretty good coach (love to see a crazy swap w/him and CJ!), but his time helping this team is done, and I think he's holding back Bergeron.

Yes, we'll have to disagree on Wheels. 8 goals is an improvement but I still see him as lacking speed and for a guy as big as he is, gets bumped off the puck in the corners way too easily.

The big road trip after Xmas will likely spell the fate of this team. If they come back at .500 or under, I truly believe they're toast. They need to come together and if you;'re correct that this is a problem of effort and desire and not overall talent level, this is their chance to prove it.

if I'm right, and this is a question of a talent-thin team w/expectations too high, we'll see that as well, b/c a long road trip will grind weak teams down to the bone and they'll limp back in 9th or 10th place instead of 8th or 7th. Fortunately for them right now the Habs are in a 1-5 slump and the distance between the B's and Habs for the N;'east div. Atlantic lead is slim. But I don't expect the Habs slide will continue, while I think the B's will.

Possible moves that could help: 1) Fire CJ (at least show the fan base you agree the passion-less thing aint working 2) SOMEHOW bring in another guy who can score goals 3) More important, but harder to access w/out giving up a big talent already on your squad, such as Krejci, is to bring in a blue-chip D man who can skate like the wind, create breakouts from their own end, and score some goals.

I just don't see how PC can pull off all 3 of those tricks. The easiest--firing CJ--will also be the least meaningful. I still think this team has major holes that need to be filled, and very few ways of doing so w/out creating different ones.

In Response to Re: Why Don't They Want It?: