By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
It’s tough to endure two Bruins-free weeks, especially considering how well they played heading into the break. But, as you all know, there’s still hockey to be watched. I present you with five reasons to pay attention to the men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament:
5) Because it’s so much better than the alternative
Yes, involving the NHL in the Olympics makes for a terrible regular-season schedule, replacing the short all-star break with a
two-week gap. Yes, the competitive nature of the tournament itself hangs a shadow of injury concern over every team sending their best players to participate.
But Olympic hockey in itself is pure entertainment–something that isn’t really offered in the all-star game, which currently serves no purpose other than to collaborate the league’s top talents for a series of cheesy interviews and a painfully dull two-hand-touch scrimmage. Players actually put forth effort in the Olympics–which of course makes sense, because so much more is on the line. And the fact that something is at stake creates a spectacle that captures the interest of the viewing audience.
4) Offense!
On most nights, putting the puck in the net has been as puzzling as rocket science for the Bruins, who still rank 30th in the league in scoring. So it’s a bit refreshing to see the [...]

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 [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer

With 2009 drawing to a close, the time has come to reflect on what has been a roller-coaster decade in the Hub of Hockey. In honor of the successful, and even the embattled, Bruins teams of the past ten years, I decided to rank each one from worst to best:
10) 2004-2005 (Lockout)

Hey, a bad season is better than no season, right?
9) 2005-2006 (29-37-16, 74 points, 5th in Northeast, 13th in Eastern Conference)

Ah, the twilight of the Mike O’Connell era. It’s difficult to determine which of the first two post-lockout seasons was worse, but this one seemed all the more putrid because of the expectations heading into it. The Bruins were supposed to build off their successful ‘03-04 campaign: 104 points, a division title, and a Calder-worthy performance from Andrew Raycroft. O’Connell pegged the B’s as surefire contenders, delivering a confident endorsement prior to training camp:
“This team, the way it’s set up with the rule changes, I think that we have to be considered one of the favorites for the Stanley Cup.”
The Bruins proceeded to burst out of the gate like that kid at practice who hops onto the ice with his skate guards still on, [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Blah.
That’s the best phrase to describe the Bruins’ effort last night. One game after clawing back to force overtime against the Blackhawks–one of the league’s best–they delivered an absolute stinker, losing 2-0 to the lowly Leafs.
That’s right, the same team that gave up 12 goals to the Bruins in their first two meetings this season. The same team that, heading into the game, had allowed the most goals in the NHL.
And as for the Bruins getting back into that “one of the league’s best” category–after a four-game losing streak, it’s starting to look like some of the early-season problems are reemerging. The night-and-day difference between the last two games sums up what has plagued the players and driven fans insane: flashes of last year’s brilliance–as demonstrated by Friday night’s impressive display of resilience–but no consistent finish, few timely plays and little sense of urgency.
The offense continues its torturous path of unpredictability. With Milan Lucic on the shelf, Marc Savard simply doesn’t have anyone to dish the puck to. His revolving door of wingers in the past few weeks, from Blake Wheeler and Byron Bitz to Marco Sturm and Michael Ryder, has produced virtually nothing; [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Just when it was beginning to seem like it was no longer possible, the Bruins pulled it off. They shocked the world. They scored a goal (italics).
More as a result of sheer relief than jubilation, Patrice Bergeron’s tying marker against the Canadiens with 52 seconds remaining–Boston’s first in 192 minutes of play–launched the restless Garden crowd into a frenzy on Thursday night. The Bruins ultimately fell 2-1 in the shootout, but they at least managed a point, and steered clear of a dubious feat they hadn’t accomplished since 1929: three straight shutout losses.
While the Bruins will gladly accept the compensatory point, Bergeron’s goal was merely a temporary bandage for a deep-running wound. The injury-ravaged squad has scored four times in the past five games, falling to 1-3-1 in that span despite having allowed just seven goals against. One would think that a showdown with the Habs would trigger some sort of spark from the depths of Boston’s offensive abyss, but that wasn’t the case until crunch time–perhaps because the players realized that riots may have ensued had they not tucked one behind Carey Price before the buzzer.
To the Bruins’ credit, it’s not like they haven’t [...]

By Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
Training camp has begun and opening night is less than a month away, so here are some general questions for Bruins fans to ponder heading into the 2009-10 campaign:
What becomes of Phil Kessel?
Contract negotiations with Boston’s lone 30-goal scorer remain at an impasse. Kessel was already slated to miss significant time recovering from shoulder surgery, but one has to wonder if his future beyond that lies outside of Boston–especially considering the lack of available cap space and the upcoming free-agent mess in 2010 (Lucic, Savard, Wheeler and Stuart will all be seeking new contracts). 
While Kessel would be a substantial loss–he potted 36 goals despite missing 12 games last season–his departure wouldn’t go uncompensated. As a Group II restricted free agent, he could potentially walk in exchange for a first, second and third-round draft pick should the Bruins refuse to match an offer sheet from elsewhere. Management also has the option of trading Kessel’s rights, which may be the route of best interest since the return package can be negotiated–if, say, Boston is seeking a current player in lieu of/alongside draft picks.
How will the new faces fit in?
Steve Begin was a menace to the Bruins during his [...]