Julien: Fernandez to ''miss a few games''

What about Ryder?

hmeh ... he Gave Timmy a good run for his money, but Mr. "I get no respect, let me show you JUST how good I REALLY am" gets an other shot.

Timmy, you're our man through this season and post season. I've always loved the guy and can't wait for him to lift that cup high and proud. now's your chance, big guy. you got robbed of the MVP at the ASG, get your cup instead.

go Bs!

Any idea how many games is "a few games?" Anytime a goalie starts having back issues, that's a big red flag. Maybe now would be the time to give Rask a start, see if he is ready. We know the Bruins will move on after this season, why not see how the young Finn handles the pressure of a NHL playoff race. If Rask can't handle the pressure, then the Black & Gold braintrust needs to start thinking about getting a suitable back up in for the stretch run. Timmy can't play all 30-some games and be well rested for the post season.

That's the stupidest comment I've ever read.

Even Tim Thomas knows he can't carry this team on his back for the rest of the season and through the playoffs. He plays better when someone shares the load. Hopefully Manny will return soon, but back pain can be horribly debilitating.

this "general soreness" crap is really getting old. i'm not sure i completely believe it either

Hopefully the "general soreness" isn't his surgically repaired knee.

I still think (despite MF's good play) that we should have resigned AA and traded MF for whatever we could get.

Manny being Manny...gotta be something about that name! He's gonna get traded and is now sitting so he won't get hurt. The only thing sore is his ego cuz he's not the starter! Bring a real player to Boston for him before the deadline!

Agreed, I do not fully believe the "general soreness" story. Could be a sign of a trade to come. Rask was the best goalie in camp this year and fit in just fine in NHL play in his games last year, he is ready now and has a bright NHL career ahead of him. Plug Rask in Mannys spot and we will not lose a beat.

That's unfortunate if its a reoccurrance of his back or knee problems. Its the first time in years the B's had a real NHL goalie back there instead of the flopping mess that Thomas is. This team will not go deep in the playoff with Thomas. A shame.

I find it strange too (general soreness... what the hell is that ???), BUT let's take in consideration Manny's huge contribution during the first part of the season. Tim will need some time-off so he enters in the playoffs in goodcondition.

No doubt, Manny has been fantastic. I actually think he played better than Thomas. He is very sound and rarely out of position and does not need to dive an flop back and forth out of desparation. But the B's can't keep Thomas and Fernandez next season and Manny will be the odd man out. Not to mention Mannys is hot and his stats are impecable. Makes sense to trade when the stock is high. We can't just loose him to FA and get nothing.

Yeah, Matt, maybe when he is actually playing...but let's see, Timmy went to the All-Star game. Oh, yeah, twice. So the goalie you call the "flopping mess" is definitely being recognized by someone. And hello, where were you last year, when Timmy did take them into the playoffs? Manny is a good goaltender, but has appeared to play his best only in tandem. That's right, when he was with the Wild, he was in tandem with Niklas Backstrom. Oh, yeah, another All-Star goalie. And how about sharing time with Dwayne Roloson back in the day, another All-Star goalie. Somehow I must have missed Manny at the All-Star game the last few years. Maybe I blinked.

I've no objection to having Manny around, when he actually is playing. Which as once again he is out with "general soreness" he isn't playing. Thank goodness Timmy has the drive and determination to compete no matter what.

Between Thomas and Manny, I would have a hard time to decide who should stay and who should go ... But I'd keep Tim since Manny seems to be too "fragile" while Timmy is always available, whenever, wherever. I don't care how he stops the puck... as long as he stops them.

Trading Manny before March 4th is OK with me, out West if possible, as long as we get somebody in return that could have a direct impact on the team during the playoffs. If not, keep Manny as a "security" during playoffs.

The only reason Dwayne Roloson went to the All-Stars game in 2004 is because it was held in St. Paul -- and the host team seems to provide one of the goalies. Manny went on to beat Roloson for the #1 job for the Wild. Manny did NOT play tandem with Backstrom. The only reason it appeared to be shared is because Manny got injured in January 2006 and Nick finished the season. Thomas filled in last year because Brodeur didn't go. He wasn't even posted on the roster this year -- but many of us wrote him in. Both Manny and Thomas are competitive -- that's why they both are posting the best stats ever. They push each other. So, Thomas needs a solid tandem too. And yes, he DID take the Bs to the play-offs last year, but it was a case of one and done -- just like it's been with Backstrom and the Wild. However, when Manny and Roloson played together, they took the team all the way to the finals. Tandems are key to the success of most clubs. Also Julien said Manny would be out a few DAYS, not a few games. Given the upcoming schedule, it probably comes out the same. However, the meaning is different.

"Coach Claude Julien said that goalie Manny Fernandez is experiencing some ''general soreness'' and is likely to miss a few games." - direct quote from the first paragraph of the article.

I'll leave the rest alone as the article was about Manny's availability for the next few "games".

Manny was backing Thomas for the last 2 games. If you are on the bench as a goalie you are 100%. No reports of Manny falling out of a golf cart over the all star break, and now its "overall soreness"? Never heard of that before.

The article said "games" but Julien did not. Go and listen to the actual interview. It's on this web site. Also if you check other media sources, they quote Julien correctly (both AP article about today's game and Inside the Den on hockeyjournal.com).

Unfortunately all it takes for back spasms to kick in is to bend over to towel dry your hair and then stand up wrong. So you can be 100 percent one day and not so much the next.

Ha Ha, seriously? How many reports have you herad of professional athletes blowing out their back drying their hair, are you reading The Sporting News Nursing Home Weekly? Out of all the pro athletes too, do you realize the streching regiments these guys go through? Goalies are as about as flexible as you can get outside of any circus act. There is a reason why you have never heard of this type of injury before.

Both goalies are aging. Thomas came outta nowhere and has shone, nothing sort of spectacular with his numbers. Fernandez has put up equally great numbers this year. Clearly one of them is gonna get moved, I suspect it's Manny. Rask is a goalie they are looking to for the future. We will see himon the roster, regularly, in the next few weeks.

Yeah, seriously, Matt. What I described actually did happen and I read it in the sports section of our local newspaper. Manny was supposed to start the Wild's season opener in 2005 and had to miss a couple of games because he bent over to dry his hair after showering following a practice and couldn't stand up. He had to crawl to the trainer's office to get help. BTW my son is a goalie so I know more than most about what they do and what it takes, Matt.