Tim Thomas looks to keep the excellence going in 2011-12
For all you cynical Bruins’ fans out there who think this team will suffer a Stanley Cup hangover and fall into the depths of the hockey doldrums, think again. Believe it or not, the Bruins are the envy of every NHL franchise. For the last three years, they have made it to the second round of the playoffs, established solid home attendance, made other teams fear coming to Boston, and–most importantly–maintained the nucleus of a team that thrives on a defense-first mentality. Please don’t forget that Mr. Jacobs has been one of the only owners to maintain a steady profit margin every year in which he has owned the club.
Hockey fans all over the world shudder at the thought of defense-first because they think of the New Jersey Devils of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s and their boring trap style of play that had as much action as youth soccer game. Youth soccer is fabulous, but it takes two loving parents to sit through an entire season of game after game ending with 0-0 draws. This is what Martin Brodeur and the Devils did to their opponents: they lulled them to sleep, but in doing so they captured three cups. Defense was proven to win championships, but more and more teams were turning to offense in pursuit of an exciting cup chase.
After the NHL lockout during the 2004-05 season, teams began searching for that elite scorer or offensive weapon that could set the league aflame. Not since the likes of Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky has the NHL seen a dominant offensive force that can control the pace of the game on any given night. The Washington Capitals took Alexander Ovechkin, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Sidney Crosby, the Detroit Red Wings brought aboard Henrik Zetterberg and company, and the Vancouver Canucks have the Sedin twins to light the lamp all over the NHL during the regular season. The Red Wings are the most complete team in the NHL and the Penguins had their one magical run, but overall, the offensive juggernauts of the regular season do not end up winning the cup in the end.
So what does all of this history have to do with the Bruins suffering a cup hangover? The above information is just proof that the Bruins have established their own hybrid style of defense coupled with a potential high octane offense. All B’s fans, get ready for another cup run and as long as Claude Julien is behind the bench, the Bruins will always be a contender. Julien takes a lot of heat from the media and fans, but his style of defense, incorporated with his everyone “chip-in” offense combined with the long regular season schedule proves to be a winning formula in the NHL.
The Bruins have demonstrated a model of consistency over the last three years in the NHL. They have reached the second round of the playoffs every year, with a Stanley Cup Championship last season. They have maintained a stable front office, produced multiple 20+ point scorers, have finished either 1st or 2nd in goals against average, and have two Vezina Trophies to boot. The main point is that this Bruins team is consistent on every level. Consistency is the key to success throughout the long NHL regular season.
The most consistent part of their team is between the pipes. Beginning in the 2008-09 season, the Bruins have consecutively posted 2.32, 2.33, and 2.30 goals against average margins. Over a three year period, the team’s GAA is only separated by .03. That is a staggering statistic in this day and age of sports. The Bruins offense is one by committee, as they have had at least 11 or more players score 20+ points during the regular season. As each team can only dress 18 skaters, that means 61% of the Bruins roster over the last three seasons has contributed 20+ points. Oh yeah, there’s one more important piece of information: the Bruins have been fortunate enough to add a second overall draft pick in Tyler Seguin, along with a 9th overall pick this year in Dougie Hamilton.
Bruins’ fans, it’s time to get ready for another hockey season…but first, let’s enjoy the highly anticipated day of raising the Cup Banner.
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