Get Behind The Black and Gold: Bruins Meet an Old Foe

In the realm of Boston sports franchises, we all know who reigns supreme. Or, at the very least, which three have divided up the kingdom. Talk to any big Boston sports fan over 40 and they'll probably extol the virtues of Bobby Orr as much as they would David Ortiz. For us young fans though, the Bruins often get ignored. Growing up, my parents were very big sports fans, especially of the Bruins (my mom and uncle) and the Celtics (my dad). For much of my young sports-watching life, though, the horn at the end of the second period meant bedtime, and no matter how many Aw-Mom-Please-Just-One-More-Period appeals I launched, that rules wasn't budging for awhile. Going into 2001, being a Boston sports fan wasn't miserable, but it wasn't much fun either. The Patriots had their mini-resurgence under Parcells before being crushed underfoot by the Packers in the 96 Super Bowl. The Red Sox always seemed to just be knocking at the door but couldn't get over the hump. Ditto the Bruins. The Celtics were, well, the Celtics: still trying to cope with living in a post-Larry Bird, post-Len Bias, post Reggie Lewis world. Since then, you don't need me to explain what has changed. Boston has thrown off the yoke of the aw-shucks, get-em-next-year loser (which has passed to the Cubs, who probably deserved it more in the first place) and become a sports juggernaut, with all the “I'm so sick of Boston” backlash that comes with it. (Seriously, ask anyone who lives outside of New England how other teams' fans feel about Boston...it's ugly) But kicking along behind their big brothers have been that Bruins, who have been hapless for far too long and haven't won a Stanley Cup in more than 35 years. Cam Neely. Adam Oates. Ray Bourque. Joe JuneauNone of them ever tasted a title in Boston. Hell, Ray Bourque may have had the weirdest relationship with a sports town ever. He was like the alcoholic's girlfriend who was way too good of a person to leave but deserved something so much more than we could offer. By the time he left for Colorado it wasn't a “fine, just go already,” Boston fans were practically pleading with him to go somewhere and get a Cup before he retired. What other team has that happened to? The Orioles? But now, despite the Thornton trade, despite all the head coaching carousel, despite all the “what the hell are they doing?” moves in the past few years, the Bs have seemingly lucked into a hell of a team. Now, there have been some better moves in the past 18 months, to be sure, and the team seems to actually have a picture of where it wants to be as a club, but regardless, the team, once again, has found themselves in the playoffs – this time with the best record in the East. But standing in front of Boston is, of course, the Montreal Canadiens. They've been stalking the Bruins throughout this century, always ready to stomp out any hope of maybe making a run deep into the playoffs. Well I, for one, am sick of it. I'm sick of Montreal. I'm sick of watching the Bruins unable to close out games. I'm sick of people in Boston just not caring. So consider this a call to arms: the regular season is over and the NHL playoffs are so much more interesting than the NBA playoffs. We all know it's going to be the Celtics and Cavs in the Eastern Conference final. We all know the Lakers will await the winner. We all know watching a month of NBA playoffs is a drag. So don't. Watch the Bruins. Cheer the Bruins. The Celtics and Red Sox (and certainly the Patriots) will be there when you get back. The Good Ol' Bears in Black and Gold deserve as much.