NHL Hockey Sports Fan Blog

When this years Stanley Cup finals comes to an end, we may look back at the 5:07 mark of the first period of last nights game 3, as the turning point in the series. Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton was skating near the middle of the ice, when he fed a pass to Milan Lucic on the left side, but, with Horton’s head still turned that way, Aaron Rome of the Vancouver Canucks, launched into him at the blue line. Horton’s head hit hard on the ice as the two players spilled to the ground. Immediately after the dirty hit, the raucous TD Garden fans instantly turned into a silent, and anxious fan base. As Horton lay on his back, cameras caught his eyes rolling back; the capacity crowd took a collective breath. Horton, who is second on the Bruins in postseason points, was cared to on ice for an extremely long time before he was finally taken of the ice on a stretcher. Watching this unfold, you had to wonder if this hit was the nail in the coffin for the Bruins, who are searching for their first title since 1973. How would the Bruins respond to watching one of their leaders, lay on the ice motionless?

Well, the Bruins did not score on the ensuing five-minute power play, nor did they tally a goal in the first period. It looked like they were physically tired, and emotionally spent. But then in the locker room, in between periods, something happened. Reports came in from Massachusetts General Hospital that Horton was “moving all his extremities.” The Bruins were finally able to take their mind for a little bit, off their fallen teammate and onto the task at hand. Bruins Coach Claude Julien implored his team to respond in a way that would make Horton proud. This was one of the moments that you usually only see in movies. One of those rare moments that can draw a team together and propel them forward. The Bruins seized this moment and never looked back.

It was time for the Bruins to finally get some payback. They decided not to respond with fists, but with something that hurts much more…. Goals. They rallied around Horton, their battered teammate. They propped up their embattled coach, then cashed in on their chance at redemption behind their goaltender Tim Thomas, who was again, in the words of Daniel Sedin, “beyond unbelievable.” The Bruins were finally playing with a purpose, as they went on to blow the Canucks out 8-1. They played such a hard-nosed, physical game, something we hadn’t seen in this final yet from the B’s.

There was no better moment that exemplified the Bruins’ play last night than when Henrik Sedin, who leads the Canucks with 21 playoff points, attempted to bat down the puck right in front of the Bruins’ crease in an array of third-period activity. Tim Thomas sized up the young center, then sent him to the ice with a cross check that sent one message. Not in My House, and Certainly Not Tonight.

As the Bruins left the Arena last night, there were a lot of questions to be answered. They didn’t know how their teammate was doing, or how they are going to play without Horton for the rest of the series. The one thing they did know though, was that they represented Horton in a way that would make him proud.

Too many men on the ice — a painful reminder of franchise futility for a generation of Bruins and their fans — is finally a reason to celebrate in Boston.

Miroslav Satan scored a power-play goal after Buffalo was called for having too many men on the ice in the second extra period, and the Bruins beat the Sabres 3-2 at 27:41 of overtime on Wednesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round series.

“Finally, it’s over,” said an exhausted Satan, who was stopped by Olympic MVP Ryan Miller in the first overtime on what seemed like such a sure goal that the scoreboard operator even sounded the horn. “We have a 3-1 lead, so it’s a little more breathing space, but the whole series has been good hockey from both sides and great goaltending, and we know that’s not going to change.”

The Bruins rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to force overtime, and it was still 2-2 when in the second OT when Drew Stafford was caught on the ice as a sixth skater and was unable to scramble back to the bench in time to avoid a penalty. There were just 9 seconds left in the power play when Satan got a pass from Michael Ryder in front of the net and put it past Miller.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Marc Savard is one step closer to returning to the Bruins’ lineup.

Tthe Bruins forward passed his neuro-psyche test Tuesday afternoon and has been cleared to rejoin the team. He has skated on his own the last two days and now he’ll be able to continue his conditioning with the rest of his team. It is still unclear when he’ll be able to return to game action. It’s likely the Bruins will be cautious in deciding a timetable for his comeback.

“I have to be realistic here, and when I’m 100 percent condition-wise and mentally positive I can do this, I’ll be ready to go,” Savard said.

During his twirl on the ice Tuesday morning, Savard was able to work on stops and starts and said he felt pretty good.

The neurological test was done on a computer and consisted of choosing the right numbers and colors when asked, according to Savard.

Click here to read the full article – By Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com

Boston Bruins assistant coach Craig Ramsay is expected to rejoin the team for practice on Friday, a day after being taken to a Buffalo hospital, where he was diagnosed with the flu.

“He’s doing better,” coach Claude Julien said Thursday, after Ramsay missed the Bruins’ playoff opener, a 2-1 loss to the Sabres. “There’s probably a good chance we’ll see him back here tomorrow.”

Bruins spokesman Matt Chmura said Ramsay was feeling ill about an hour before the game. Escorted by a Bruins trainer, Ramsay walked under his own power to the ambulance and was driven to Buffalo General Hospital, Chmura said.

Assistant Doug Houda, who regularly watches games from the press box, filled Ramsay’s role behind the bench.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPNBoston.com

Coach Claude Julien made it clear after the morning skate that fans should not expect any costly retribution Thursday night when the Bruins face the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It will be the first meeting between the teams since March 7, when Matt Cooke laid a blindside hit on Marc Savard, which resulted in a Grade 2 concussion that likely ended Savard’s season.

NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell is scheduled to be at the game, as are Penguins owner Mario Lemieux and team president David Morehouse.

Julien discussed the possible repercussions of retaliating, pointing out the lawsuit that stemmed from the infamous Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident in 2004, when Bertuzzi sucker-punched Moore from behind and drove him head-first to the ice. Moore has not played hockey since.

Click here to read the full article – By Joe McDonald of ESPN.com

The Edmonton Oilers’ rally cry has started.

You can probably put flashy Russian forward Kirill Kabanov, who is hurt and won’t be playing in the world junior hockey championship next month, on that list, too. There are NHL teams, however, who are always leery of taking Russians that early in the draft unless their surname is Ovechkin or Kovalchuk.

Only five teams that finish with the worst records after the regular season will have a shot at the first overall pick in the annual lottery.

Right now, the Carolina Hurricanes are in last place, with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues and the Oilers in the running to call out the first name.

The Boston Bruins actually have the Leafs’ first pick in the draft, however, because Toronto general manager Brian Burke surrendered it in 2010 and ‘11 to get Phil Kessel who has been a scoring machine for the Leafs this season.

It has been proven that most top-five draft picks play like top picks –right away. Just take a gander at: John Tavares, who has 21 points with the New York Islanders; Victor Hedman, who’s playing 23 minutes a game on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s blue-line;Matt Duchene, who has 11 points with the Colorado Avalanche; and Evander Kane, who is a second-liner with the Atlanta Thrashers and has eight goals. They were the top four choices last June.

Click here to read the full article – By Jim Matheson of Edmonton Journal

Pittsburgh Penguins Colorblock Plush Christmas Stocking

New Jersey Devils NHL Himo Plush Christmas Stocking

Minnesota Wild NHL Himo Plush Christmas Stocking

Display your team pride to all your neighbors with these Forever Collectibles NHL Holiday Stockings. They make this item for all teams.

Have Santa drop off your gifts in a stocking showing your support for your favorite team! This Officially Licensed soft plush stocking features your favorite teams logo and measures 17 inches from top to toe. It will make a wonderful holiday gift for any sports fan!

Ex-Penguin Mark Recchi knows Sidney Crosby too well to think that his current slump might be a long-term condition.

“It’s just one of those things where he’s in a rut right now,” Recchi said after tallying his 900th career assist in the Boston Bruins’ 3-0 victory over Pittsburgh. “It won’t be very long he’ll be in it, I know that. He’s a great player and when they break out, they can go the opposite way, and everything they touch turns to goals.”

Crosby recorded only two shots and was held without a point for the fifth straight game — four was already a career worst — and the Penguins were shut out for the second game in a row. Pittsburgh has not scored in 149 minutes, 9 seconds and has lost three straight games — all away from home — after opening the season 7-0 on the road.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Boston Bruins Jerseys
and other Bruins Apparel

Boston Bruins RBK Edge Premier NHL White Jersey

Boston Bruins RBK Edge Premier NHL Third Jersey

Boston Bruins Replica RBK NHL Kids Preschool NHL Jersey