By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer

Things have been hectic in the Hub of Hockey over the past week, and not only because of the Winter Classic. Here’s a look at some other developments that have been swirling:

-The Bruins inked 35-year old ex-sniper Miroslav Satan to a one year contract worth $700,000 on Sunday. Technically, it’s a half-year deal: with the season at its halfway point, Satan’s contract is only a $350,000 cap hit. But the Slovakian winger–age concerns aside–should bring a helpful scoring touch to Boston’s inconsistent offense, as he reached the 20-goal plateau every season from ’97-98 to ’06-07 and topped 30 four different times in that span. He should also provide some extra competition within a forward corps that has shown too much complacency and could use a little spark. He made his season debut last night against the Senators, showing promising chemistry on a line with Blake Wheeler and David Krejci and finishing +2 in 14:06 of ice time. Ironically enough, he wears #81.

-After a two-day layoff following the Classic, the Bruins played sloppily for the majority of a 3-2 loss against the Rangers Monday night. Facing a 2-0 third-period deficit, Boston showed signs of life and brought the game to 2-2. But karma ensured that the hungrier team got the points, and the Rangers put a softie past Tuukka Rask in the final three minutes for a 3-2 lead. Claude Julien, displeased with the effort both on the ice and in the locker room, called out his troops:
“We talk about a 60-minute effort, and we’re not getting it out of this dressing room so far and some guys have to pick up their game. We’re leaning a lot on guys who come in and grind it out and they are the ones who win the battles and make things happen. So, it’s the same old story.”
No doubt that this message had a strong impact on guys like Wheeler and Krejci, who have underachieved with inconsistent efforts thus far. They responded in a big way, chasing Senators goalie Brian Elliott with a 4-goal first period en route to a 4-1 victory. Wheeler posted 2 goals and an assist, and Krejci and Mark Recchi each had a goal and an assist in the rare offensive explosion.

-If you didn’t expect Patrice Bergeron to make it through a season with a full bill of health, you can pat yourself on the back, because the team’s leading scorer and consensus MVP will hit the shelf for at least two weeks with a broken thumb sustained in Monday night’s loss to the Rangers. Thankfully, he shouldn’t be out any longer than three weeks, which will make him available for the final two months of the season and allow him the honor of representing Team Canada in the Olympics in February.

-Milan Lucic, who hasn’t played since November 25 because of a high-ankle sprain, is expected to return to the lineup within the coming days–either Thursday night vs. Chicago, or Saturday night vs. the Rangers. Lucic has played in just 10 games all season, missing a large chunk of time early on with a broken finger.

-Finally, a congratulations to fellow Boxford natives and Rangers prospects Chris Kreider and Ryan Bourque, who represented Team USA in the World Junior Championships in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. USA took home the gold medal last night in a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over Canada, ending the Canadians’ run of five consecutive championships. Kreider scored a goal in the first period.

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