This rink gives you chills
In Montreal, they have the magic down cold
Upon leaving Bell Centre in Montreal Thursday night, following the Canadiens' quick-and-easy dismissal of the Bruins in their playoff opener, all I could wonder was, how in the world did the Habs not finish 82-0-0 in the regular season? Surely they could have won at least 81 and lost the other in OT.
The Habs' record against the Bruins this season - 9-0-0 going into last night - could convince some that they are the late '70s Flying Frenchmen brought back to life in slick, new-age RBK clothing. So thorough was that Game 1 thumping, it was difficult to imagine the Bruins figuring a way to negate the Canadiens' speed, slipping out from their suffocating forecheck, or shimmying the puck down ice to establish any kind of offensive presence.
All game analysis aside, though, the night was even more remarkable, at least to these aged eyes, for its sensational presentation and the fervor of the Montreal fans. The passion was astounding, pulsating, especially in the minutes leading up to the opening faceoff. As the sellout crowd of 21,273 roared in anticipation of the Canadiens skating out for introductions, I turned to a longtime pal in the press box and remarked that I'd forgotten how great the hockey environment can be, and this was before a single pass had been made or check thrown.
"The crowd, the noise, the music, everyone in the stands with their towels waving," mused Bruins goalie Tim Thomas the next day. "When I came out, it was like being a Roman gladiator."
One thing is certain, the Canadiens know how to stage a hockey game like no one else, and they deserve nothing less than an A-plus-plus for event presentation. On Thursday night, they used light and sound to blend their storied past with their present, mixing songs by U2 with heroics by Maurice Richard. The house lights all but turned off, quotes from Habs Hall of Famers were projected on the ice. Legends long gone, but their words reverberating.
"You could feel it inside you, just rumbling," said Bruins rookie Milan Lucic. "It was awesome. It's what makes pro sports so great."
Now, granted, anyone who has had the comings and goings of Causeway Street the last 15 years as the focal point of their hockey experience could not help but be overwhelmed. For too long, the Bruins have been painful on the senses, and no amount of gussying up the presentation, be it at the old Garden or the current Vault, can mask all of that. No wonder that most of the Hub's sports cognoscenti, and 98 percent of sports yahoo radio, have marginalized hockey, and especially the Bruins, to being little more than fodder.
No matter what their postseason fortunes the rest of the way, the Bruins were a bit better this year. They were more engaging to the home crowd, and the underlying truth always will be that nothing gets people excited more than winning. Both the old Garden and old Forum had their moments of pulsating emotion, too, long before all the electronic gizmos came into vogue. It is, and always will be, first and foremost about the W's.
However, it is also very much about the culture, the people, the place that the sport holds in the public psyche. Hockey has always been king in Montreal, and with the Expos now transplanted to Washington as the Nationals, there really isn't any big league competition for Les Habitants. They own the town - lock, stock, and puck bucket.
As crazy as Red Sox Nation is, imagine Boston if the Red Sox were really the only show in town. That's how it is in Montreal, where the Habs have won 24 Stanley Cups, albeit one of those before it was considered the NHL's championship mug (note: nothing gets the locals stirred up more than if you slight them the one Cup).
"It's great to be a part of it," said Thomas, "even if you're on the opposing team."
If only half the rinks in the Original 30 could tap into such excitement and passion, it would be the crack cocaine of the professional sports industry. We wouldn't be talking incessantly about changing the size of goalie gear, widening the nets, increasing goal scoring, whether to employ one referee or two, targeting the next team to move, wondering if the collective bargaining agreement will stay in place. The bigger issue would be how to build arenas for the 30,000 or 40,000 eager to pay to watch the games each night.
The Bruins and Canadiens were back at it again last night, same city, same stage, with the building shaken right down to its very foundation. Tonight, the two clubs will play Game 3 of the series on Causeway Street, where it now has been some 20 years since hockey has come even close to capturing our imagination, overtaking our senses, taking from us our hearts and our hard-earned dollars. It takes but one trip to the greatest NHL city of them all to realize what we had, and what me miss.
A Bruin on muscle beach
Glen Metropolit, Boston's candidate for this year's Masterton Trophy, was without a contract when he arrived in Bruins training camp last September. Widely considered a third- or fourth-line "depth" forward, he has spent sizable chunks of the season filling in for various injured top-six forwards, the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Glen Murray, and lately Marc Savard.
Key to Metropolit's success: his strong but oft-underrated legs. While neither graceful nor exceptionally quick, the 33-year-old center has a knack for being around the puck, carried there by legs he keeps in shape with some unorthodox offseason training.
According to Metropolit, who spends his summers in Dustin, Fla., near Panama City, he keeps in shape with grueling twice-a-week workouts on - what else? - the beach. Accompanied by his 3-year-old son, Max, Metropolit heads there every Wednesday and Saturday to run sprints and perform other arduous exercises. When the summer heat gets too much, he cools off with a running leap into the ocean.
"I like the soft sand, it helps to build my endurance," said Metropolit. "And Max is great. He comes along, with a water bottle, and tries to run some of the drills with me. Mostly, he just tags along with a shovel and digs while I'm running and stuff.
"It took us a while to find the right spot, you know? It would be kind of weird to be out there running around, sweating like crazy, while people were sitting there in their beach chairs. Probably looks sort of nuts."
One of his exercises has him running in tight concentric circles, mimicking skating "crossovers" in the deep, resistant sand. Another has him digging a hole to a depth a few inches above his knees, and once it's finished, he repeatedly jumps in and out of it.
"That's for leg strength," said Metropolit. "And it helps with skating explosion, getting off to a fast start. Hey, there's no ice in Florida, and it's all stuff to help me work muscles that maybe I can't work in the gym."
Burns is welcomed to the Worlds
Former Bruins coach Pat Burns, who has survived a nasty bout of colon cancer that was diagnosed in April 2004, next month will get his first action behind a bench since stepping away from the Devils to attend to his health matters.
"This is like taking baby steps back into it," said Burns, 56, last week after being named a Team Canada assistant coach for the upcoming World Championships (May 2-18) in Halifax and Quebec City.
Columbus's Ken Hitchcock is the head coach for Team Maple Leaf, and Burns will be joined by assistants Craig MacTavish (ex-Bruin/current Oiler coach) and Mike Johnson (assistant coach in Los Angeles).
"I think there is an obligation in the coaching brotherhood," said Hitchcock, "to help a coach get back in. This is a chance for Pat to get his feet wet again."
Added Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, "It's a really classy move by Ken."
Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella will lead the Team USA squad, with assistants Mike Sullivan (another former Boston coach) and Kurt Kleinendorst.
Hurricane warning
A few pointed season-ending comments by Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford made it sound as if coach Peter Laviolette soon could be joining the UHC (Unemployed Hockey Coaches) fraternity. Specifically, Rutherford told the media that he didn't like the way the Hurricanes played early in the season, and overall, he didn't care for their defensive zone coverage. Laviolette led Carolina to the Cup in 2006 and promptly signed an extension, reported then to be five years at $1 million per season. Meanwhile, Rutherford said his No. 1 priority now will be to sign ex-Bruin Sergei Samsonov to a contract extension. The Magical Muscovite, written off by Chicago, came to Carolina at the start of January and collected a dozen goals in his rebirth. "We are interested in staying," said Samsonov's agent, Boston-based Neil Abbott. "It has been a great fit, and we understand where we are in the market."
Who's in charge here?
It was not a firing, per se, but Panthers owner Alan Cohen revealed Thursday, when meeting with a group of season ticket-holders, that Jacques Martin will not return to the Florida bench. Martin is expected to retain his GM job. All this after a report last week by the Ottawa Sun that former star forward Joe Nieuwendyk could be taking on more front-office responsibilities in Sunrise, possibly aided by Jeff Gorton, the former Bruins assistant GM (and, briefly, interim GM). Hours after Martin's bench removal became public, TSN reported that Nieuwendyk earlier in the week tendered his resignation as special consultant to the GM. Sounds almost Bruins-like in its utter discombobulation, reminiscent of summer '06 when Charlie Jacobs, the club's Executive Son, actually had offers on the table, simultaneously, to Peter Chiarelli and Ray Shero. Gorton, now a scout for the Rangers, ultimately was jettisoned by Chiarelli, less than a year after ES Jacobs repeatedly backed him publicly as a prime GM candidate, someone he'd like to see remain at least in a key organizational role.
The graduate
Two years ago, Tom Gilbert knocked home the winning goal in Wisconsin's 2-1 win over Boston College in the Frozen Four final at Milwaukee. On Friday, the 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound defenseman signed a six-year contract extension with the Oilers that will pay him $24 million. Gilbert, 25, played all four years at Wisconsin and spent most of last season in the minors (Wilkes-Barre), but this season, as a smooth-passing puck mover along the Oiler back line, he played in all 82 games, collecting 13 goals and 33 points. He's a good bet to be named to the league's All-Rookie team.
Lacrosse purposes
Bruins winger Shawn Thornton isn't one to sit around watching hockey games. As a kid, even though growing up in hockey-mad Toronto, he'd watch the Maple Leafs only occasionally. And if he were to watch TV sports? "Field lacrosse," said Thornton. "Absolutely love it." Unless he is otherwise occupied for the Black-and-Gold, Thornton plans to be in Foxborough May 24-26 for the NCAA lacrosse championships. His cousin Zack Greer is a star midfielder for Duke.
Give this one a shot
No need to make the nets bigger. Let's try this to liven things up in the Original 30: After two periods, any forward who has yet to record a shot on net must be removed from the roster for the remainder of the game. That's right - come to shoot, or pull off that sweater after going 0 for 40 minutes. Many nights, the standard pack of 12 forwards would be reduced by 25 percent, if not more, leaving the outcome of the game to the guys who actually demonstrate an interest in putting pucks on net. Now, I will tell you, I e-mailed this idea to a longtime GM, and he immediately wrote back, "You are wasting your talents behind a typewriter." Love compliments, don't you?
Loose pucks
Wayne Gretzky on Capitals sensation Alexander Ovechkin: "He's got Mike Bossy's hands, Jari Kurri's on-ice awareness, and Mark Messier's physicality." Fellow Russian Sergei Fedorov calls A.O. "unique - he's a North American from Moscow." . . . Rutherford, musing over the need for his Canes to tighten up on the back end, said he would look to trade one of his forwards for a defenseman. Easier said than done, but look for the smooth-skating Erik Cole, ex- of the Clarkson Knights, to be the one dealt out of Raleigh . . . Yes, that was Keith Carney, ex- of UMaine, who fired home the OT winner Friday night for the Wild, pulling the Trappist Wonks even, 1-1, in their series with the Avalanche. Now with three goals in 87 postseason games, the 38-year-old Carney broke the 1,000-game plateau this year with the St. Paulists. He made $2.1 million this season and is on course to be an unrestricted free agent July 1 . . . The Ducks opened the postseason with a 4-0 loss to the Stars. No doubt they're regretting moving Brandon Bochenksi (now property of the Predators) so quickly. BranBo, by the way, played only 5:22, but squeezed off two shots, in the Predators' postseason opener vs. the Wings . . . The $24 million pact signed by Gilbert in Edmonton only added to the financial foundation Ron Hainsey will take into unrestricted free agency this summer. Hainsey, only 26, can shop comfortably in the five-year, $25 million neighborhood as the No. 1-A mobile, puck-moving defenseman available in the market. The No. 1 mobile, puck-moving defenseman, Brian Campbell, probably will get around $6.5 million per year on a long-term deal.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
