It's kind of hard to believe but following their impressive Game 4 win that closed out their sweep of the Flyers, the Bruins will be heading to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992.
The '91-'92 Bruins roared into the Conference Finals after sweeping the Canadiens (Game 4 was the first NHL game that I attended) but in turn they were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Penguins, who were led by Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens (must have been before he started hitting the pipe). With a nucleus of Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, Adam Oates, and Andy Moog, B's fans believed they would be contending for the Cup on an annual basis but here we are almost 20 years later and they are just returning to the doorstep of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The current Bruins will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that they took 3-of-4 games from in the regular season. The Lightning have three very talented forwards in Martin St. Louis, Steve Stamkos, and Vincent Lecavalier and are getting good goaltending from 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson (a product of UMass-Lowell). This will not be an easy series but with home ice advantage, the Bruins will be favored.
A win over the Lightning would put the Bruins in place to win their first title since 1972. It won't be easy but just the thought of seeing Zdeno Chara hoist Lord Stanley's Cup has Boston seriously excited for hockey...
The Celtics and the city of Boston have announced they will honor the greatest champion in team sports by erecting a statue of Hall of Fame center Bill Russell.
Everyone knows Russell's resume but it's always fun to look at his accomplishments. He won 11 NBA championships in his 13-year career (including the last two as player-coach in 1968 and 1969) and five MVP awards. A 1975 inductee to the Basketball Hall of Fame, Russell also won two NCAA titles with the University of San Francisco and helped the United States win a Gold Medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Starting at San Francisco, Russell played in 21 games in which the loser would see their season ended and he never lost one of them (hat tip, Peter May).
Russell's accomplishments transcend the game of basketball. During the turbulent 1960's, he was a civil rights activist who yearned to improve his country and served as a role model to all Americans. In February he received the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, a fitting tribute to what he represents to this country...
The Patriots offense should be loaded in 2011. Any team with Tom Brady at quarterback will score points but with weapons like Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and a stable of running backs headed by BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Brady will be able to do some serious damage.
The one area of weakness for the Pats offense is that they lack a deep threat at wide receiver, a playmaker to stretch out the defense. Having that dimension adds the ability to score quickly and it also opens things up for the short passing game and the running attack. Brandon Tate and Taylor Price have the speed but haven't proven they are capable of earning the respect of opposing defenses, or Brady for that matter.
One free agent option could be old friend Randy Moss. After he basically pushed his way out of New England in October and then was cut loose by the Vikings a few weeks later, Moss landed in Tennessee. For the year Moss caught just 28 balls for 393 yards and five touchdowns and the Titans have announced they will not be bringing him back for 2011.
I know that Moss didn't leave the Patriots on great terms but hopefully after a terrible 2010 season he will realize that team goals are more important to accomplish at this point of his storied career and can accept being a role player in order to win the Super Bowl ring that has eluded him over his 14-year career.
A reunion of Brady and Moss would add the last missing piece to the offense and would greatly improve the team's chances of winning the Super Bowl...
I would never profess to be an expert on the ponies but based on the current odds as of this morning (and the names that stand out to me from this crowd), I would take Mucho Macho Man (12-1), Animal Kingdom (25-1), or Midnight Interlude (13-1) in today's Kentucky Derby...
Enjoy Kevin Garnett tonight...
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