Video: Reaction roundup

Two years ago, 13th place. Last year, 8th place - barely - and they took Montreal to game 7.

If they'd come in 5th or 6th this year we'd all be thrilled with a second-round playoff exit. The 1st place finish created unrealistic expectations. Take a step back and think about it -- this team had a great year.

They're young, they have a great coach, and they brought hockey back to Boston.

Awesome, awesome year. Thank you B's, and thank you coach Claude Julien.

See you next year.

Well said Mickey!!! Bravo!

4 more years of tim thomas standing on his head.... and then letting in epic softies. pathetic.

While a great season and the yes they brought Hockey back to relevance in Boston, they choked and blew a gold opportunity to get to the finals and possibly bring the Holy Grail of sports championships back to Boston. It is inexcuseable for them to only play 2 complete games in this series and basically I would have them starting practice next week for next year and they would spend all summer learning how to clear the puck out of their zone.

I would agree overall Mickey, except that the cap era has left a very small window for success. The B's are already hard against the cap as is, which means key players like Axie will be shown the door. I know there are number of you out there that say good riddance, but believe me this team is better with #11 than without. That said since the B's lost there forecheck for this series at least they pushed it to the limit.

Well said Medford Mickey this team has come a long way in the last 2 years, and they will only gain more experience and get better. High praise to the team and all the staff for a great year, and have them be stonger for this experience next year. GO BRUINS ALWAYS!

"4 more years of tim thomas standing on his head.... and then letting in epic softies. pathetic."

You're a putz.

"4 more years of tim thomas standing on his head.... and then letting in epic softies. pathetic."

You're a putz.

Josh,

I agree about Axie. He has my complete faith when it comes to the penalty kill. The man is a master in that area. Shootouts....not so much, but I'd rather the boys avoid the shootout altogether. :)

I'm still proud of this Bruins team and what they accomplished this year.

Yes, I am disappointed they didn't win the cup, but 28 other teams won't win the cup this year as well, so the naysayers can give it a rest.

Looking forward to next year and building upon our success! Go Bs!

Once a Bruin, always a Bruin!

Thanks for a great season B's.

Stick salute to Byron Bitz who is gonna be a great Bruin.

Unfortunately, as has been the case since probably February, the B's failed to put together a full 60 minutes of hockey. They let up tremendously in the second period, compared to the effort in the first, third and in OT. They, in my opinion, outplayed the Canes throughout the OT period, except for a few minutes. Unfortunately one of the minutes was their downfall. The fact the Scott Walker, of all players, had to be the one who scores the game winner has to sting. A player, who, by all that is right, and by league rules, should have been suspended for at least one game, puts it in the back of the net to end the series is irony at its best.

Not unlike the Washington Capitals Round 2 ending versus the Penguins, the Boston's Game 7 loss to the Carolina revealed much about the strengths and weaknesses of the team. The Bruins, among the NHL's deepest and most talented teams, could not match the Cane's intensity and patience over the series. No Cup contender can afford to play regular season games in the playoffs. That said, the Bruins have definitely brought the joy of exciting hockey back to Beantown, and with a trade or three will definitely go deep into the playoffs in each of the next several years. Go Bruins! Bruce Valley, Author, "SEAHAWK : Confessions of an Old Hockey Goalie" (www.ryeseahawks.com)

Thanks, all. Krispy, sorry we didn't make it to visit you.

I repeat: the 1st place conference finish skewed people's expectations. 13th two years ago, 8th last year and they got to game 7 of round one, this year they got to OT of game 7 of round 2 - not too shabby.

Really: is nothing short of the Cup satisfactory? That's ridiculous. If this is the high-water mark for this team yes I'd be disappointed, but I don't think it is.

It takes more than just determination and talent to get all the way. You have to build to get there. Chicago excepted (for now) every other team still in it has been there before, and recently. And we'll see how well the Hawks do against the Wings.

Btw, Axie played a great game last night. And, as he so often is, Bergeron was the best player on the ice for either team. And if you didn't see or don't understand that, you flat-out don't know hockey.

Julien made some great adjustments in the third to deal with the Canes' forechecking and trap, and got the tying goal. Frankly experience won over youth in OT. The Canes looked poised in OT and the Bs looked anxious. They got running around and left Thomas scrambling just to keep them in it as long as he did. And let's not forget all the un-cashed PP opportunities. They're young.

A great team, on the rise.

Here's some free advice for Mr Chiarelli, Claude Julien and most dimwitted Bruins fans.....YOU CAN'T WIN A CUP WITH FOUR MORE OR LESS ORDINARY DEFENSEMEN....Anytime the B's ever got close to the Cup they had quality at that position. This team was doomed to fail as I have pointed out many times. When your top 4 D consist of this you are not going to win anything

Chara - Too slow

Wideman - too slow

Ward - too slow and untalented with the puck

Montador - forward playing out of position

Basically they need to upgrade Wideman and Ward if they want to be a serious contender. Otherwise they will be a great regular season team with no shot at the Cup.

Stuart - untalented with the puck

People blaming TT know nothing of hockey. The winning goal was a textbook example of a Defenseman failing Defense 101. Carolina had one forward going to the net and Wideman knows his job is to pick up Walker. He never even glanced up to find him. That is a play that is as fundamental as it is easy to defend. Had they lost after one of the long stretches of cycling and shots in OT then OK, our D gets beat, just outquicked. But that winning goal was just a D- man failing to pick up the only guy near him, the only guy going to the net. That he didn't even look for his man is inexcusable.. .

Mickey, well said. Next time I`m down that way let`s have a beer.

"Frankly experience won over youth in OT."
Pretty succinctly describes both the outcome of this game, and the series. I know some people will point at Ward and Thornton as being experience, but what really matters here is team-together experience. Get a solid core, keep it together, and get it experience and you've got a contender. That's what the Bruins seem to be doing now.

Anybody blaming the B's clearly has no concept of hockey...losing in OT in a 7th game is no shame.

Get off these boards and go be a bandwagoner somewhere else.

Doh! My comment appeared twice! It's alright I suppose. The guy deserved to be called a putz twice for slagging Timmy.

Mickey, I will be volunteering next season so you can come by then! :) One of our tables regulars won the raffle last night and I couldn't be more pleased. He spends 20 bucks each and every game and he finally won! Right on!

If any you haven't checked out John Bishop's Blog about the game then you should. It's a good piece and quite a refreshing change from the bitter diatribe spewed by a couple of writers here. The thank you fans video gets me choked up as well but I'm a huge sap.

Guys,
Congrats to the B's for a good season. I'm sure most of you are quite disappointed today. Here's my consolation...at least you're not a Habs fan like me! I don't even know who the heck is going to own the team, let alone play for them next season!
Not sure what went wrong in this series for Boston. Some guys didn't play to their potential (Ryder, Wideman, in my opinion), while others exceeded (Lucic). The Canes continued their opportunistic ways, but I think the B's lost the series in games 3 & 4. They played with fire and they put themselves in a hole, and it cost them in the end. I think also, perhaps they lost their edge in the Habs series. It wasn't much of a series, and then they had 9 days off. It's hard to just pick up where you left off sometimes. Anyway, here's hoping my Habs can muster a better effort next year against the Bruins. Spring isn't complete without the 2 hooking up.

It's always disappointing to watch your team lose in the playoffs, no matter what seed they were, especially in a game 7. It sucks that Walker scored the gwg, and it's unfortunate that the Bruins fell asleep for a couple games in the middle of the series, but overall, one hell of a year. I see Hunwick, Stuart, and Bitz making huge strides next year, and once again we'll be towards the top of the East.

Hey Kovy,

Thanks for sticking around. It's been fun having you here. You're right, a Habs/Bruins series seems to be some manner of law. If the teams don't meet in the post season then any success each has is hollow. :D

Nash, you are pretty much on target with your comments about the defense, except you fail to account for Chara's long reach and hockey sense compensating for his lack of speed. Wideman had no legs in game 7. Ditto for Kessel in OT- he was toast watching him move away from the puck. Monty has speed, but lacks the ability to see plays develop right in front of him. Bottom line, the Bruins lack the killer instinct on both sides of the ice. I will never understand the poor passing and puck movement last night. I think it was Lucic (?) going strong with the puck in the slot 20 feet out in OT and he does a blind pass that gets picked off and the Hurricanes nearly score. Poor execution!

Krispy,
It was fun being here and discussing the playoffs with you and Medford Mickey and others. I was kinda dismayed to see that the Caniacs had taken over this blog last night after the OT goal. I don't like inane name-calling...doesn't make for intelligent debate. We're all passionate about our teams, but I love have good discussions, rather than stupid name-calling.
All I can say now that hockey is over in both of our cities is...Go Sox Go!

That was Kobasew...but he is always making crazy decisions with the puck. In OT you put pucks on net. Anything can happen. That is how Carolina won....Chara is a good D man with a long reach but you must be able to skate to get up ice and join the rush. Look at what Pitkanen did last nite. He killed the Bruins. Chara will never be able to do this because he can't skate. He is not a #1 Dman. He is a shutdown guy with a big shot. The same goes for Wideman. When your forwards can't get up ice it kills your offense. You also can't have a #2 center with no goals in the playoffs and a -2 in Game 7 who plays the whole game like Bergeron. Bruins need to upgrade the D which means Wideman, Ward and Ference must be on the way out. Bergeron also has to be figured out one way or another. When you already have an Axelsson who has no clue how to score you don't need another guy like Bergy out there...

Chara is routinely voted Toughest DefenseMan to play against by NHL players.
Agree on the rest of the D, it's average at best and that doesn't win Stanley Cups. But Chara is a Norris candidate every year, for very obvious reasons.
Tto say he is a problem goes against the universal opinion of every NHL scout coach and player. To say he is not a #1 Dman is too laughable to take seriously.

I don't see how some of you be OK with Bs exiting in the 2nd round. You have low expectation by default when it comes to this team? If they’ve finished 5th or 8th then yes, 2nd round exit would have been OK, but they didn’t. They finished 1st in the East and 2nd in the league for a reason. Personally I told myself that it would be OK with me if they’ll exit in the conference finals.
Don’t blame it on experience ether, we had enough to pass 2nd round especially after last year 7-game series with pretty much same core team. It’s simple really; Canes outplayed us or matched us in every game except 2. We couldn’t find an answer for their forecheking for most of the series and our PP was nonexistent for whole playoffs with exception of 1st game against MTL. If we could score at least one PP goal last night out of 4 chances we had, I have no doubt we would have sitting here talking about Pens and Bruins series.
This team is young and if organization plays their cards right over off season, we should be looking for another great regular season and hopefully great playoffs. GO BRUINS!

Sickbrain,

We're not OK with it. Trust me we are absolutely devastated but we know the boys took it as far as they could. Hell, I bawled my eyes out last Friday. Stanley Cup? Yes, please but it's not to be this year. We will get there. This team gives me a greater hope than the Bourque/Neely years.

I've been reading these boards all season now. Commented a few times, but mostly just read them. Leave it to Mickey to sum up last night's events perfectly. There is a future with this team. Injuries were a factor. If Hunwick or Ference are healthy, Montador isn't playing primetime minutes. The GWG was a defensive breakdown. It happens. Carolina capitalized.
I think the biggest problem for the team was the layoff. They had a cakewalk series in MTL (Sorry Kovy) and then sat around waiting and wondering for a week and a half. Hockey players are creatures of habit. By the time they got their legs back it was too late. They lost the series in Games 2, 3 and 4. By the time they figured things out it was too late. That comes down to experience too. When your core 5 or 6 guys have maybe 50 games playoff experience between them, you are going to have growing pains. Simple as that. Next year should bring improvement. I, for one, can't wait. Heck, its only about 4 months until training camp opens

SPB27, Mrs. Mickey agrees with you - she thought from the beginning the layoff was the problem.

Stay away from my wife.

We wondered why Monty played so much, and why Bitz wasn't out more -- especially on the PP. He was very effective.

SPB27 & Mickey have it right.

13th in the East to #1 in two years _and_ the first playoff round win in years? This team is going places in the future.

I agree with Dupont's video & assessment. I think he hit the nail on the head. The Bruins did not play their game in this series & did NOT deserve to advance. The Canes didn't beat the Bruins as much as the Bruins let them.

But next year is no guarantee the Bruins are better or advance further. Cap issues, free/restricted agency, injuries, players performances & other teams also improving are factors into why its not automatic that the Bruins will be better.

Per the articles I'm reading, the Bruins also believe that an opportunity was lost. The seeding doesn't always work in your favor. Back in September/October, no thought the Bruins would be a #1 seed, but they were to improve on an 8th place finish. Six to seven months later and after 82 games, the Bruins level of play obviously raised those expectations. Based on that, they should have been able to reach the conference finals & certainly not too far fetched to reach the Cup finals.

Yeah two years ago, they were 13th. But they had the worst coach in the history of the game and on the planet. Last year was a great exciting run loaded w/ promise and made Montreal work for that series win (though the refs cheated in game 2 & the Bruins should have won in 6).

The future does look good for the Bruins & its possible they do go further next year & I certainly hope thats the case. But again, there are no guarantees

Also, I still say that just b/c some of you don't criticze the team doesn't make you any more of a fan than one who does. Some of you don't say anything & pat yourself on the back thinking you are a better fane. Goodie for you. I'd prefer some one who has some passion that critiques the Bruins in hoping of getting better or improving than someone w/ their rosy colored Bruins glasses on & think everything is golden all the time.

I'll try to be brief:

1 - Kovy, newsflash: you are not a Habs fan. You are a Bruins fan. But we understand why you cannot come out and announce it. Keep wearing that Bruins t-shirt under your Habs sweater.

3 - fdhdf, what game were you watching? Walker was in front of the net, and no Dman was pushing him out ot banging his stick. Unfortunately, Monty/Wides were stuck on a long shift, and the Bs got burned. TT was helpless. Jeez, I am from SoCal and i can even see that. And what kind of a name is fdhdf?

5 - On PJ, unless he wants to play overseas, the cap is going to be painful for all teams, and he may be in Bosston playing for less. I too see his value, esp on PK.

6 - Bergeron is awesome. He is relentless, has a high hockey IQ and next season will be even more physical. his contributions don't hit the scoresheet.

7 - I don't think the D needsd the upgrade many are discussing: Chara, Wideman, Hunwick, Stuart, Hnidy, Ward, and Ference is moved, and possibly Ward; then a yound addition or good deal FA. Give Hunwick the chance to play with Chara (his offense could help, and Chara's D could help make up for a few mistakes and size); Stuart & Chara is intriguing because of similarities between Ward/Stuart, but I think Stuart spends one more year anchoring second or third line. If they go with 3 waterbugs, another Walker-like play will haunt Bruins. Gotta be able to disrupt and move the guys in front of th enet come playoff time - that is where all the goals are scored. Monty, Wides, and Ference showed they cannot move people. Spend the money on keeping guys up front.

Wonder if any messages delivered to players on Monday will leak out and we can get some insight on people that they will not attempt to resign.