By Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
David Warsofsky was watching the World Cup dreams of the US National Soccer Team slip away against Ghana on Saturday afternoon when his phone rang. Little did he know that his own dream was waiting on the other end of the line.
It was his advisor, with news that he had been traded to the team he grew up not only watching, but also dreaming of one day sporting the black and gold jersey for himself: the Boston Bruins.
“Just growing up and watching all the Bruins that came through the system over the years, it’s an honor to put on the same sweater as them and be part of the same organization as them,” said Warsofsky.
The Marshfield native has had a phenomenal year and a half. He won the 2009 NCAA Championship with his fellow Boston University Terriers his freshman year, before going on to win a gold medal with the U20 US team at the Junior National Championships. Just weeks later, he had the honor of skating at Fenway Park (50 seconds in, Warsofsky’s great goal celebration), home of his favorite baseball team, as part of the Winter Classic game between BU and the BC Eagles. [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Troubling Trends: The Epic Buildup to the Epic Collapse
People say Boston sports fans are spoiled. After attending Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Garden on May 14 of both 2009 and 2010, I’m here to dispel that notion.
There simply isn’t a more soul-crushing team in sports over the past decade than the Boston Bruins. Each of these ten years has been marred by either remarkable regular-season failure or, more frequently, excruciating postseason loss. Every time this team appears to be gathering steam and climbing the ranks, the roof collapses. When it’s all said and done, year after year, the fingers are pointed and the names are named. Then come the changes–though, no matter the cast, the result is always the same.
Along with death and taxes, the dramatic postseason demise of the Boston Bruins seems to be one of the few certainties in life, and the only certainty for this franchise.
The numbers tell you all you need to know. The Bruins have been bounced from the playoffs in Game 7 losses in three straight years, and four straight postseason appearances. They sport an abysmal 1-4 record in playoff series in which they’ve been the higher seed since 2002. And, as we all know by now, they’re the first [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Put away your “jump to conclusions” mats, people. This series isn’t over yet. The Bruins aren’t done–yet.
But they sure will be facing a lot of pressure tonight as they look to avoid becoming only the third team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead. It hasn’t happened since the Islanders shocked the hockey world in 1975–back when Gerald Ford was in office, the American troops were withdrawing from Vietnam and Mark Recchi was only 7 years old.
Media outlets everywhere are already handing this series to Philadelphia. Pessimism abounds in Boston; most fans have the paper bags ready, expecting the Bruins to embrace the dubious distinction of sports’
biggest chokers since, ironically, the 2004 Yankees.
And the worries aren’t unwarranted. The momentum has clearly shifted in the Flyers’ favor, and if ever there’s a situation where a game 7 puts more pressure on one team than another, this is it. The suddenly
impotent Bruins have pulled an incredible 180 since bursting out of the gate in the first three games, and all the pressure is on them to not just avoid a colossal collapse, but to prove that they are even capable of stemming the flow of Philadelphia’s relentless, physical attack.
To say that the turn of events has been shocking [...]

By: Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
Boston went into the 2010 playoffs with little hope. Both the Bruins and the Celtics entered the first round off of pretty disappointing seasons. The Celtics were burnt out, the Bruins couldn’t seem to score or defend. All eyes started to focus on the Red Sox, as our only hope for 2010.
But then things changed.
The Red Sox had their worst start since before anyone alive could remember. Our three aces that were supposed to be the best starting rotation in the MLB failed us. Our newly molded run prevention defense couldn’t even stop the Orioles. And our offense…well, what offense?
Then, the Bruins and the Celtics, made it past the first round. The eyebrows of Boston raised, but only slightly.
Ahead, the Celtics faced the challenge of playing the best player in the NBA, and a team that was on the shortlist for possible 2010 Champions. Miami and Dwayne Wade was one thing, but beating the Cavs and LeBron James seemed unlikely. The Bruins on the other hand, got a luckier draw. The Philadelphia Flyers were doable, but then the Bruins made them look like the turkey post-Thanksgiving dinner. Taking a quick 3-0 lead, the path to the [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Everything seems to be breaking just perfectly for the Bruins right now, and the timing couldn’t be better.
Due to one of the most bizarre and unexpected twists in NHL playoff history, Boston has secured home-ice advantage and a date with the seventh-seeded Philadelphia Flyers for the upcoming second round. That’s right–two of the last teams to qualify for postseason play in the entire league will now battle it out for a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Bruins, bumbling and stumbling out of playoff contention little more than a month ago, are odds-on favorites to advance.
While I’d never dreamed of saying such a thing, we can thank Hal Gill and the Montreal Canadiens for this magnificent aligning of the stars. By shocking the world with a 2-1 Game 7 victory over the Capitals on Wednesday night and erasing a 3-1 series deficit, the Habs not only dispatched Alexander Ovechkin & Co. from the playoff race, but they snatched Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin right off the Bruins’ postseason platter. Had the Capitals won, they would’ve hosted Philly, leaving Boston in line for an incredibly challenging matchup with the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Now if [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The Bruins return home to the Garden tonight with high expectations following their Game 5 setback in Buffalo on Friday night. The Sabres cut Boston’s series lead to 3-2 with a convincing 4-1 victory, but the Bruins still have two more cracks at upsetting the Northeast Division champions and moving on to a matchup with either Pittsburgh or
Philadelphia, depending on the outcome of the Capitals-Canadiens series.
Here’s 5 things to consider as we gear up for Game 6:
1. Is Thomas Vanek set to return?
While possibilities of Marc Savard’s return by the end of the series are the hottest rumors around town these days–some are speculating that he’ll swing down from the Jumbotron James Bond-style in time for the opening faceoff, while others swear they’ve already seen Boston’s best offensive player using the alias “Ryder” a few games back–he likely won’t be available until next round, should the Bruins advance. On the other hand, Vanek’s return is much more imminent; coach Lindy Ruff even stated that his Austrian sniper can return “whenever he feels ready.” Which could mean trouble for the Bruins.
But in regards to Ruff’s comment, how the hell could a player nearing health not be ready for an NHL playoff game if given clearance to make the decision himself? [...]

So, The Bruins and Celtics are in playoffs and the Sox have games just about every day. How do you keep up?! How do you choose what games to watch when they overlap? No worries: I have created a calendar of all the Celtics, Bruins, and Red Sox games this month so that you can keep track.
Since the Red Sox play everyday, my advice is to watch them in between playoff games, but if they overlap with the Celts or Bruins, skip them for the night–we have them until October. Then obviously, if either of the series go past game 4, you’ll want to make sure to tune into those key games. And, if you can always flip channels in between commericials, time-outs, quarters, periods, etc. The biggest overlap days are April 17 and 23, so be ready to make a decision on those ones.
Lets bring on another championship!
April Boston Sports Playoff Calendar