Rask, Karsums are sent down
The Bruins continued to pare their roster yesterday, demoting prized goaltending prospect Tuukka Rask to Providence, along with right winger Martins Karsums.
Neither move was a surprise. Rask, signed to his first professional deal over the summer, is in North America for the first time after playing two seasons of elite-level hockey in Finland. Karsums, a 2004 draft pick, turned pro last season and collected 35 points in 54 games with the Baby Bruins.
With the Bruins' 2007-08 season to begin Oct. 5 in Dallas, the club now has 28 players in camp, including the unsigned (for now) Glen Metropolit, a veteran center/wing who likely will make the roster now that Mark Mowers, dealt to the Ducks Monday for a couple of minor leaguers, is gone.
Clubs are mandated to have no more than 23 on the roster, which means the Bruins must make a handful of moves in the days ahead, while finishing out their exhibition season with a game against the Canadiens tomorrow night in Montreal and a final tuneup Sunday afternoon against the Islanders at the Garden.
Not quite full strength
The Bruins had 26 players on Garden ice for a late-morning workout. Shawn Thornton (hip flexor) and Matt Lashoff (whiplash-like symptoms) remained off skates. "Nothing serious," reported Thornton, who figures to be the club's lead pugilist this season. "I haven't had it before, and it shouldn't be a problem - just a day-to-day thing. I'll be fine." Lashoff, according to general manager Peter Chiarelli, strained his neck during Saturday night's loss to the Leafs . . . On Jan. 19, the Bruins will salute Willie O'Ree on the 50th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier in the NHL. The Bruins are scheduled to play the Rangers in a Saturday matinee that day. O'Ree played a total of 45 games with Boston in two seasons, 1957-58 and 1960-61. Details of the celebration are TBA.Roll of the dice?
Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, chairman of Delaware North Companies, said he would be interested in owning one of three casinos proposed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. In fact, Jacobs thinks the empty lot on Causeway Street where the famed Garden once stood could be an ideal spot for gaming."I'd be deeply interested," said Jacobs, emphasizing that he was expressing a personal opinion, one that shouldn't be interpreted as a working plan. "I know the business. We're in it, do a lot of it.
"I'm not sure if the county or state would consider [the Garden area] a viable location, but everyone should think about it."
Jacobs said DNC has casino interests in New York, West Virginia, and Arkansas. They all have slot machines, he said, and the Wheeling, W.Va., location is about to become a full casino with a variety of gaming tables.
"If we could do it here, we would love to do it," said Jacobs, chairman of the NHL's Board of Governors, noting he could retain ownership of the Bruins and have his company own a casino. "We already own and manage quite a few. We've done it for years."
That said, a formal proposal is not being shaped in DNC's Buffalo headquarters.
"I'm just expressing what interest the chairman would have," said Jacobs. "Half of our people might say, 'Why are you throwing a cat into that fight?' If the North End wanted it - it would do a great deal for the restaurant trade - then we could be interested in playing a role."
