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Hockey notes

Clawing their way in

Bruins not afraid to play youngsters

By Fluto Shinzawa
Globe Staff / August 2, 2009

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During the first two years of Claude Julien’s stewardship of the bench, the Bruins have been receptive to bringing young players onto the roster. In 2008-09, Blake Wheeler made the big club out of training camp, while Matt Hunwick and Byron Bitz started the season in Providence and finished it in Boston.

Two years ago, Milan Lucic made it known that he’d be more important to the Bruins as a pro than captain of his junior club. Lucic was joined on the roster by David Krejci, a first-year pro in Providence the previous season, with fellow rookies Vladimir Sobotka and Petteri Nokelainen also filling NHL roles.

With standout training camps this fall, Brad Marchand and Jeff Penner could follow in their footsteps.

Sobotka and Tuukka Rask are expected to break camp with the Bruins. But Marchand and Penner, first-year pros in 2008-09, represent the vanguard of the second wave of Providence pups eager to earn NHL paychecks.

Marchand, the 71st overall selection of the 2006 draft, was the No. 2 scorer among rookies in the AHL last season. Marchand, who stepped into Bitz’s right wing spot alongside Jeremy Reich and Wacey Rabbit upon the Cornellian’s promotion, recorded an 18-41 -59 line in 79 games, trailing only Portland’s Tim Kennedy. In the playoffs, Providence coach Rob Murray bumped Marchand up to the first line with Sobotka and Martin St. Pierre. Marchand responded with 15 points in 16 games.

“I was very happy with my game,’’ said Marchand. “There were some things I needed to work on and change. The second half of the season went very well and the playoffs went well. I was happy with how the season went. Good first year pro.’’

Marchand showed good wheels, little fear, and soft hands as an AHL rookie. At the end of the season, he was instructed to work on his game along the defensive-zone boards to win battles and chip pucks out.

One area Marchand already has appeared to perfect, however, is his ability to enrage opponents. Marchand is a perpetual yapper (“Usually something stupid,’’ Rask termed the wing’s verbal assaults) who doesn’t hesitate to give other players a jab - either with his mouth or stick. Marchand isn’t considered in the trash-talking league of Sean Avery or Steve Ott, two of the NHL’s most effective agitators. But the Bruins don’t have a mosquito-in-the-ear irritant like Marchand in their system, which could give the 5-foot-9-inch, 187-pound wing an advantage in landing an NHL job.

“I think that when I get my opportunity, I’m going to go in there and be a guy who has to work hard and do all the little things right,’’ said Marchand, who projects to be a bottom-six NHL forward. “Maybe create an opportunity here or there. But I’ll finish my hits and create energy for the guys. I’m going to be a fourth-line player or maybe a third-line player starting out. I’m just going to go in and work as hard as I can.

“I’ll play the same way, getting in guys’ faces, being gritty, and being a little pest out there. I know it might be different at the NHL level. Guys have said it’s a little more difficult to play that role because there’s a lot more respect in that league. Guys aren’t always about that. So it’s going to be an experience. I can’t wait to see it.’’

While Marchand went the major junior route, Penner chose a nontraditional approach. After playing lower-tier juniors, Penner enrolled at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks as a 20-year-old freshman in 2007-08. Following his freshman season, Penner signed with the Bruins. Last year, after making it to the second-to-last round of cuts in camp, the 5-11, 190-pound defenseman had 10 goals and 18 assists in 80 games for Providence.

Penner was paired mostly with Johnny Boychuk, who is projected to be Boston’s seventh defenseman in 2009-10. Penner plays a two-way game that emphasizes mobility, positioning, and hockey sense. Partly because of Penner’s development, the Bruins included Matt Lashoff in the deadline-day deal that brought Mark Recchi to Boston last season. Penner plays a similar style to Hunwick, although he doesn’t have the older defenseman’s turbos. Besides experience, Penner will need to round out the physical side of his game to survive the big-league battles in the danger areas.

“You always want to have high expectations,’’ said Penner. “I’d love to stick in Boston during the next training camp. I’d like to get some NHL experience next year. It was definitely encouraging seeing guys like Hunwick and Lashoff step up in the ranks. They play a very similar game to mine. It gives hope for me in the offseason.’’

Sizing up a Classic jersey

The Bruins, deep in discussions about the sweater they’ll wear for the Winter Classic, are hoping to create a jersey that can catch a piece of the magic the Penguins created two years ago. For the 2008 outdoor game at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Penguins went retro, pulling their 1968-69 jersey design out of mothballs. Today, the powder blue sweater - the Penguins switched to black and gold in 1979-80, following in the footsteps of the Steelers and Pirates - remains one of the league’s top-selling items.

“That worked,’’ said Bruins principal Charlie Jacobs, “because they’re not necessarily their team colors. There’s no black or gold. It’s a powder blue jersey, and that made it unique. It’s certainly recognized in their market. It’s not like the Pirates, Steelers, or anything else. It’s unique.’’

Jacobs hopes that by the end of August, the Bruins, in conjunction with Reebok and the NHL, will settle on a design that will serve multiple purposes: capture the Bruins’ heritage, stand out as a unique item for the New Year’s Day game against the Flyers at Fenway Park, and convince fans to hand over their money.

“We’ve had some really good meetings with Reebok and the NHL regarding what we think will be most appropriate to our market,’’ Jacobs said. “We’ve looked at some traditions of our organization and our storied history.’’

So far, the Bruins have audited every jersey in team history, looking at elements they like and ones that, in retrospect, might have been tweaked. Jacobs said the final product could be a retro jersey, or it could be a new uniform that incorporates different treatments. Black and gold would most likely be involved in the final design. But the Bruins also have worn jerseys featuring dark brown and mustard yellow tones.

A Swede deal with big payoff

P.J. Axelsson, who signed a four-year contract with Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League last Monday, concludes his Bruins career with 797 games. That tally places him fourth on the all-time list among players who spent their entire careers with Boston, trailing only Wayne Cashman (1,027), Terry O’Reilly (891), and Don Marcotte (868).

Stick salute to the Bruins, with general manager Harry Sinden at the helm then, for hitting a home run in terms of a value pick. Only six players from the 1997 draft (five first-rounders, one third-rounder) have totaled more NHL games than Axelsson, a seventh-round pick, and none with the same club.

“There was a tournament in February with the Swedes, Czechs, Finns, and Russians during the midwinter break for the elite leagues,’’ recalled Neil Abbott, Axelsson’s agent, of a game prior to the left wing’s arrival stateside. “I was sitting there with [assistant GM] Mike O’Connell. P.J. was one of their draft picks, a pretty distant draft pick. This kid dominated. He stole pucks. He skated like the wind. He intercepted passes. He was everywhere. He just did so much. O’Connell had been looking at some other guys. But after sitting with me for most of the game, I think he’d been looking at P.J. an awful lot.’’

Etc.

Full steam ahead
Andrew Ference, who underwent groin surgery June 17, said it’s been a smooth recovery. Prior to the surgery, Ference rode his bike to stay in shape. He was not allowed to lift weights because doctors wanted the tissue to heal. Following the procedure, Ference has been focusing on his core to build up hip and groin strength. He has been on the ice and is transitioning into the 45- to 60-second sprints used to mimic a typical shift. “Before, it was pretty strict protocol of A, B, and C,’’ Ference said. “I’d try skating and do different workouts and stop if there was any pain whatsoever. It’s nicer now. It feels great. I’m not hampered by any real restriction other than pain and discomfort, and I’m not having any. I’m getting into the heavy stuff later than I would normally. But I feel good.’’

Loose pucks
Ex-Bruin Wayne Primeau, a component of two major Boston trades, is back in the Northeast Division, having been traded to Toronto last Monday (Colin Stuart, brother of Bruin Mark Stuart, was one of the players headed the other way). Primeau came to Boston from San Jose with Brad Stuart and Marco Sturm for Joe Thornton Nov. 30, 2005. On Feb. 10, 2007, the Bruins shipped Primeau and Brad Stuart to Calgary for Ference and Chuck Kobasew in perhaps general manager Peter Chiarelli’s shrewdest trade. During the ill-fated 2006-07 season, Primeau was perpetually visiting the penalty box for hooking. That Christmas, as a gag gift, an unknown Bruin gave Primeau a tackle box full of fishing hooks . . . Last Tuesday, Detroit signed veteran defenseman Andy Delmore to a one-year contract. In 2004, Delmore was Boston property for approximately three months. Delmore was part of the three-team deal that saw the Bruins ship out Jeff Jillson and bring back Brad Boyes. That summer, the Bruins didn’t make a qualifying offer to Delmore, making him an unrestricted free agent . . . My starting lineup using players still remaining on the unrestricted free agent market: Manny Fernandez in goal, Mathieu Schneider and Martin Skoula on defense, and Alex Tanguay, Mats Sundin, and Mike Grier up front. A little gray at the temples, but still a decent blend of skill and grit . . . The Red Wings have seen Marian Hossa (Chicago), Mikael Samuelsson (Vancouver), and Tomas Kopecky (Chicago) depart this offseason. Jiri Hudler, currently involved in a dispute between the NHL and Kontinental Hockey League (Moscow Dynamo has offered the forward a big-time contract) could also be heading out. The four forwards combined for 88 goals in 2008-09. By comparison, the non-returning Bruins (P.J. Axelsson, Steve Montador, Stephane Yelle, and Shane Hnidy) combined for 20 goals last season . . . During the Boston-Carolina playoff series, at the end of every morning skate, Cam Ward and Hurricanes goaltending coach Tom Barrasso would complete the session by stickhandling and sending each other passes at center ice. For good reason. Barrasso, inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame last Tuesday, concluded his 19-year NHL career as the league’s leader for helpers among goalies: an astounding 48 assists, including two in his rookie season, a year after playing at Acton-Boxboro. “It was the most fun I had playing hockey,’’ Barrasso said of his rookie year, when he won the Vezina and Calder trophies. “There really wasn’t any pressure to play at that time. I don’t think anybody expected me to be as successful as I was.’’

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