Quiet Offseason Best Option for Bruins

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has caught a lot of flak from B’s fans this summer for what has amounted to an uneventful offseason since being soundly beaten by the Canadiens in the second round. Arguments have been tossed around that he his too loyal to his “core” guys and that a few bad contracts are hurting the B’s cap situation. While there may be some validity to these arguments, in truth Chiarelli has done a masterful job in piecing together an elite roster.

As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Just because the Bruins got bounced in the second round by their kryptonite Montreal doesn’t mean that they have something fundamentally wrong with their line-up. This is a team that finished first in the regular season and made a solid playoff push despite starting four rookie defensemen.

Some of the trade proposals thrown out on the twittersphere are not only ridiculous but so highly unlikely it’s not worth much of a discussion. Names like Evander Kane, Patrick Marleau, and Daniel Alfredsson are being thrown around as possible solutions to play that top winger spot on the first line. Truthfully, with the Bruins tight against the cap and so many young stars knocking on the door, this will likely be a quiet offseason. And that’s okay.

Fantasy Football Experts Disagree on How to Rank Wide Receivers Alphabetically

The Fantasy Football Federation held a Summit on Tuesday evening, calling in experts from around the country to try and consolidate a master ranking list of wide receivers for the 2014-2015 season. Held in Philadelphia, the Summit featured experts ranging from ESPN.com writers to Fox Sports analysts. They were asked to rank wide receivers alphabetically, but after an eight and a half hour conference they were unable to produce a list that they all agreed on.
 
Each year, sports websites and fantasy blogs produce list after list of rankings and projections for players around the league and these lists often vary. In an attempt to rank NFL wide receivers in alphabetical order, the experts not only couldn’t agree but they almost came to blows.
 

Arbella Employee Give Back: Nativity Prep

 

Since my first day on the job, I have heard from everyone how generous Arbella is and how much the Arbella Charity Foundation does for their employees and their community. It didn’t take long for me to see that firsthand. When I saw the posting for the Employee Giving Program, I knew it was a great opportunity and I jumped on the chance. When I won, I wanted to give the money to a place that had a great mission and was doing good things every day. For me, that choice was easy: Nativity Prep.

Located in downtown New Bedford, MA, Nativity Preparatory School is a small, independent school for boys in low-income families to have a chance to get a great education both inside the classroom and out. The school is funded privately by local sponsors who support the school’s mission.

I first heard about this school through my college roommate, Richie Manzi, who completed his degree in Education Studies at Saint Anselm College in 2013. Instead of joining the ranks of young teachers in public schools, he chose to do what is essentially two years of voluntary service in a tough city. He works with seven other teachers and a principal, who are all young college grads, to teach these young men not only how to do well in school but important life skills as well.

Report: Bruins and Sharks Discussing Marchand/Marleau Trade

 

With the salary cap going up, major talent hitting Free Agency, and super star players demanding a trade, this off-season promises to be an interesting one. With rumors recently coming up, it seems as though Bruins' GM Peter Chiarelli is already discussing major moves for the Black and Gold.

According to Jimmy Murphy of XNSPorts, the Bruins and Sharks have discussed a possible trade involving pesky winger Brad Marchand and veteran scorer Patrick Marleau. He said no details regarding the specifics of the trade have been talked about yet, but that this is definitely something worth monitoring.

It's no secret that the Bruins have some issues to address this off-season, one of them being to get some speed and scoring up front. Marleau certainly answers those questions. The team will also likely have some cap issues when it comes to resigning their players, so it seems a shake-up is necessary. However, as talented as he is, is taking on an aging veteran with a big cap hit the answer? Let's take a look.

The Pros

If you ask me, Marleau is one of the most underrated players in the league. His name is rarely brought up in discussions of best players in the league, but every year his numbers have consistently been among league leaders. He's scored 30+ goals in 7 of the last 8 full seasons with a goal-high of 44 and point-high of 86. He loves to shoot the puck and he's good for at least ten powerplay goals a season.

Bruins 4th Line Among Priorities this Offseason

One of the pride points for the Boston Bruins over the last several years has been the depth of their offense and their ability to roll four lines every night. The effectiveness of their fourth line, fondly nicknamed the “Merlot” line, has been a thorn in the side of just about every time they play.

For about three years now, the line consisting of Gregory Campbell, Dan Paille, and Shawn Thornton has earned their ice time by playing simple hockey: getting the puck deep, playing physical, and creating offensive zone face-offs. Simply put, these guys are “heart and soul” types, blue collar everymen who put their bodies on the line for the teammates and have a blast doing it.

However, as effective as they have been at times, what we saw from them in the 2014 playoffs was something completely different. They were practically invisible in both series, but this was truly remarkable in the Canadiens series. The Merlot line likes to play a crash and bang style of hockey but they were outmatched by their faster, more talented opponents.

Part of what makes them so effective during the regular season is their ability to beat on their opponents and back it up by dropping the gloves. They play to annoy, frustrate, and create doubt in the minds of their opponents by tip-toeing one the edge.

But in the playoffs, the refs call a tighter game and obviously there isn’t any fighting. On top of that, the line combined for a grand total of 1 goal and 1 assist. So if they aren’t fighting and aren’t scoring, what are they really contributing?

This is not to bash “Soupy,” “Thorty” and “Paillsy.” They’re effective players and were a huge part of the 2011 Stanley Cup team as well as the deep run in 2013. Boston will never forget Campbell’s famous shift in which he blocked Evgeni Malkin’s slapshot that snapped his femur but didn’t stop skating. Thornton’s rough and tumble antics made him a fan favorite since day one of his tenure in the Hub of Hockey. And Paille is a smart, fast player with occasional flashes of offensive prowess.

However, as the old saying goes, “Adapt or Die.” The league is changing and the role of the enforcer is becoming less and less prominent in today’s NHL roster. It might not be long before guys like Thornton, George Parros, Matt Cooke, and even John Scott (shudder) are a thing of the past.

With head injuries coming more to the forefront over the past few years, we’ve seen the NHL begin to take exception to these kinds of players. It’s a slow process, but that is the direction the league is heading. On top of that, we just saw how a speedy, skilled fourth line is much better suited for the playoffs than it would have been even five years ago. It worked so well for the Canadiens, but the Black Hawks, Kings, and Blues are built this way too.

Earlier this offseason, GM Peter Chiarelli already indicated that he wasn’t sure whether or not he was bringing Thornton back this summer. He acknowledged the changing role of the enforcer and indicated in a not-so-subtle way that the team would be heading in a different direction.

The Outlook

So what options to the Bruins have? There are a lot of guys in the league suited for this type of role. However, I’d like to see them look in house first because the Bruins have a wealth of talent down in Providence and it’s time we see some of them contribute at the NHL level.

Justin Florek got a few looks on the Bruins third and fourth line and he looked good at times. He’s a big boy, strong on the puck and plays well positionally. He reminds me a bit of our old friend Benoit Pouliot. We even saw the best we’ve seen from Jordan Caron in his short career, just when I was ready to finally call it quits on him. He was scoring, finishing checks, and skating hard when he got his chances. And then there’s Matt Fraser, and who doesn’t love what he brings to the table?

How about the fresh faces we haven’t seen yet? Maybe we replace Thornton’s brutish style of play with the speed and skill of Alex Khokhlachev, the young Russian forward who just seems to spark offense at every level. Or perhaps we look at Jared Knight, the strong righty with a wicked shot and tenacity to his game.


Personally, if I was Peter Chiarelli the guy I would have at the top of my whiteboard is Anthony Camara. The third round pick from 2011, he brings a physical presence, scoring ability, and some of those “honeybadger” qualities that we love in Marchand. He’s a favorite of guys like Chiarelli and Cam Neely and was one of the final cuts last year.

I’ve gone to the Development Camp in Wilmington the last few years and I really like what I’ve seen from Camara. At 6’0″, 192 pounds he’s not physically intimidating but this is a strong boy who loves to play the body. He’s one of those guys who just plays 110% every shift and you can see in his eyes how badly he wants to win. This is the guy I want on my team.

Either way, this is one of the tough decisions that Chiarelli must make this summer. As much as I love Thornton and what he’s brought to the team, I think it’s time the Bruins part ways with him. The B’s need to get faster and bring some fluidity to the game and I think this would be the first step in the right direction.

Bruins Seeking Answers after Early Playoff Exit

Is the President's Trophy cursed? No, that would be ridiculous. But maybe...

It's been pretty well documented that teams that dominate during the regular season and win the President's Trophy for first place finish in the league seemed to be doomed in the playoffs. Year after year, these teams tend to lose in the first or second round and all their high hopes and expectations wither away. There are several factors that go into this; maybe being the top dog means that all other teams bring their "A" game to them, or possibly after their high level of play for the first 82 games, they just don't have enough left in the tank for a long playoff run.

Curse or not, the President's Trophy winner went home early again this year as the Bruins lost to the Canadiens in Game 7 in their own barn in front of a packed TD Garden crowd. I'm not going to get into the game itself, but let's just say it was a major disappoint not only that they lost but that they showed an abysmal lack of effort and intensity.

Instead, let's take a look at some of the pressing roster questions this offseason and what changes could be coming to the Black and Gold.

Bruins have no answer for Canadiens, fall 4-0 in Game 6

Well, now we know how other teams felt all season long when they played the Bruins. From start to finish, Boston has dominated teams in every facet of the game during the whole regular season. We had better goaltending, could score goals, played physical, and played smart. However, last night was a different story. The Canadiens instead trumped the Bruins 4-0 and forced a Game 7 back in Boston on Wednesday night.

The first period was barely underway when a bad Kevan Miller turnover in the defensive zone left Lars Eller alone in front of Rask, who tucked it in backhand to put the Canadiens up 1-0 just 2:11 into the game. The play electrified the crowd and sucked the life out of the Bruins.

The Bruins got the first powerplay of the game but were unable to piece together some quality scoring chances amidst some brilliant penalty killing by the Habs. The Carl Soderberg line continued to create chances when the big Swede overpowered the Canadiens' defenseman and got an off man rush, but Loui Eriksson rang the crossbar. There were a few more scoring opportunities for the Bruins early in the first, but they were unable to capitalize against Carey Price.

Subban, Price sink Bruins in 2OT in Game 1

51 shots on net wasn't enough to beat Carey Price as the Boston Bruins fell to the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3, in double overtime of Game 1. The Bruins battled back from behind twice in the game, scoring three goals in the third period to force the game into OT, but the Canadiens capitalized on a power play, with Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban scoring his second goal to send the quiet Garden crowd home for the night.


The Bruins started off well, carrying the play early on in the game and creating scoring chances. The David Krejci line and the Patrice Bergeron line both had great chances in the first period, but Price answered the call. Then the Canadiens were on the power play after Matt Bartkowski tripped Dale Weise and Subban fired a shot through traffic that found its way to the back of the net. The Bruins continued to get good scoring chances but they kept overcomplicating things, getting too cute and fancy with the puck. I specifically remember Torey Krug holding the puck too long before shooting on a pass from Milan Lucic as well as Brad Marchand turning the puck over because he was trying to dangle on the PK. After 20 minutes, the score remained 1-0.

Bruins/Canadiens Series Preview

Much of what made the Red Sox World Series win in 2004 so special is the legendary series against the Yankees. Similarly, a Bruins Cup run would seem incomplete without a match up against Montreal. Playing against a rival enhances all of the excitement, intensity, and emotions in the game and make victory that much sweeter.

In 2011, it took a Nathan Horton overtime goal in Game 7 to beat the Canadiens in the first round and the Bruins of course went on to win the Cup. They will have a chance to do it again this year against a Habs team that is fast, strong, and talented. Here's a deeper look at the matchup between these two Original 6 teams.

Bruins Take Control of Series with 3-0 Win Over Red Wings

Now that’s more like it. After splitting a pair of games in Boston, the Bruins beat the Red Wings soundly in Game 3 by a score of 3-0. Tuukka Rask, who was awarded the first star of the game, made 23 saves and got the shutout for the Black and Gold.

The Bruins got the jump on the Wings early in the game and didn’t let up for a full sixty minutes. Dougie Hamilton opened the scoring with a powerplay goal in the first, making a nifty end-to-end rush and firing off a quick shot over the shoulder of Howard.

Later in the first, the B’s took advantage of a bad line chance by the Red Wings and tallied another. Thornton took the puck hard to the net and Jordan Caron buried the rebound, putting the Bruins up by two heading into the locker room after the first period.

Datsyuk's late heroics topple B's in Game 1

Well, it’s certainly not the start of the series that Bruins fans hoped for and expected. The Bruins team that finished 3rd in the league in goals was shutout by Jimmy Howard and the Detroit Red Wings, the lone goal of the game coming from an incredible individual effort by Pavel Datsyuk.

The Bruins have had a tendency under Claude Julien to struggle out of the gate in the first round and it looks like this year’s no different. Many confident B’s fans were calling for a 5 game washout of the Wings, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be that easy. Keep in mind that the first round series in the last three years have gone seven games.

The Bruins got off to a quick start tonight, rolling four lines and putting pressure on Howard early. He responded to the challenges however, and Detroit came back with some chances of their own. In the second period, the Wings seemed to carry the play and there were several spans of two to three minutes where the Bruins couldn’t even get the puck out of their zone, which is very unlikely for them.

Bruins - Red Wings Series Preview

It’s that time of year again, and what better way to start the Bruins 2014 playoff journey than an Original Six match up against the Red Wings? Led by the elusive Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit has booked their reservation to the postseason for 23 years in a row now. I’ve already projected the Bruins to beat Detroit in 6 games, but let’s take a deeper look at how they match up.

Offense

The Bruins finished 3rd in the league with 3.15 Goals/game, whereas Detroit sat at 16th with 2.65. The Bruins boasts four deep lines that Julien can roll through regularly, which only a small handful of teams have the ability to do. Krejci-Lucic-Iginla is as talented, but more importantly well-balanced, as any line in the league. Go on down the line and Bergeron, Marchand, Smith, Eriksson, and Soderberg all provide great secondary scoring that creates a match up nightmare for opposing teams.

NHL Playoff Predictions

The board has been set. With the conclusion of the NHL regular season yesterday, the match-ups for the first round are finalized and boy are there some exciting ones.

I filled out a bracket on NHL.com, which has a fun and easy tool to use. Here's a screenshot of it:

As you can see, I have the Bruins winning it all (big surprise.) I do have a few interesting upsets, though, and the first round will be fascinating to watch.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Avalanche vs Wild

What a story for Colorado this season, going from a basement dweller to the top team in the West. On the other hand, Minnesota is a team that just squeaked by. This is an easy one. Avalanche in 5.

Blues vs Blackhawks

Wow. The Blues were a top 3 team all season long, but a major collapse in the final 6 games (and .500 hockey since the Olympics) have brought to light some major issues. They're dealing with some major injuries (as are the Blackhawks) but I'm going to go with the proven entity here. Blackhawks in 7.

How the West Will be Won

All season long, there has been a lot of dialogue and discourse about how the Western Conference is a lot stronger than the East. Analysts heralded that the teams in the West were better, the game was faster, and the stats guys backed it up.

As it stands now, seven of the top ten teams in the standings are from the West, and five of the bottom six teams are from the East. This makes the West, statistically speaking, much deeper and more competitive. Indeed, most NHL experts will tell you that they favor a team from the West to win it all, such as the Ducks or the Blues.

Fret not, Bruins fans. I've been digging up some research and reading reports, and I'm here to tell you right now that not only should you not fear the West, you shouldn't fear any team in hockey. I''m going to take a systematic look at the six powerhouse teams in the West and tell you why the Black and Gold could and indeed should beat them.

Seidenberg Skates, McQuaid done as a Bruin?

Seidenberg Eyeing Playoff Return

Great news out of Boston earlier this week as Claude Julien confirmed that Dennis Seidenberg skated on Tuesday for the first time since December 27. He suffered an ACL and MCL injury against Ottowa and was immediately ruled out for the rest of the season.

It was a stunning blow to the Bruins "D" corps, who were  tried and tested to fill the gap he left. The bottom line was this: they weren't going to be able to get a defenseman at the trade deadline who can do what he does night in and night out for that cap hit. Instead, Julien stressed that the group as a whole would have to step up in his absence, and it's worked out nicely. Johnny Boychuk has especially taken a bigger role with 44 gone and his great play hasn't gone unnoticed by B's fans.

It's a pleasant surprise that Seidenberg has resumed skating and is ahead of schedule, but people shouldn't put the horse before the carriage here. He suffered a serious injury and Julien has said he still has no timetable for his return. At best, it would be the Eastern Conference Finals, assuming the Bruins even make it there (of course they will.)

Zac Rinaldo to Face Hearing After (Another) Illegal Hit

Another despicable hit from a despicable player. I have no patience for players like this. There are players that love to toe the line and agitate opponents, but still are great hockey players: Marchand, Hartnell, even PK Subban. But Rinaldo, not unlike John Scott he offers little else.

His most productive season of hockey is when he posted 32 points in the OPJHL (what?) with 193 PIMs. So yeah, he sucks. He's a dangerous player and an insult to the league as far as I'm concerned. Hopefully Shanahan makes a statement here.

**UPDATE**

Four games for Rinaldo. Will he learn his lesson? Probably (definitely) not.

Bruins Clinch the East, Silence the Doubts

The Bruins clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 5-2 victory over Philadelphia in today's matinee matchup. Loui Eriksson, who's really been looking great lately, led his team with 4 points and shut down a flailing Flyers team.

This victory pushed away a few (small) seeds of doubt in the back of my mind. The Bruins have had some trouble against desperate teams lately, and a loss to the Flyers would have created a real honest-to-God problem.

It started last weekend in Philly, when the Bruins let up an uncharacteristic come-back agaionst the Broad Street Bullies. With under a minute to go, Bergeron failed to chip the puck out of the zone and Boychuk whiffed on it, giving Lecavalier a chance to tie it with just 25 seconds remaining. The Bruins were able to win with a Reilly Smith shootout goal, but it was still a scary game.

Throwback Thursday: My Favorite Bruins Game

Excluding the obvious playoff games and Stanley Cup win, this is my favorite Bruins game of all time. It's a classic example of the Big Bad Bruins not only as a dominant offensive team, but a bruising force to be reckoned with.

Seriously, I've never seen such a clear-cut case of good and bad like this game. When you got villains like Sean Avery and Steve Ott on a team together, it's a recipe for disaster.

0:03 Ott comes across the ice to elbow Nokelainen. Refuses to answer Mark Stuart's challenge.
0:28 Ott throw a low hipcheck that flips Yelle. Refuses to answer Thornton's challenge.
1:38 Ott throws a hard hit on Mark Stuart. Refuses to answer Shane Hnidy's challenge.
2:15 Ott mouths off to Chara, then skates away. Refuses to answer Lucic's challenge.
2:45 Ference pummels Ott with an open ice it. Avery challenges, Ference answers.
4:50 Turco elbows Kessel behind the play. Scrum ensues. Ott ignores Stuart's challenge.
5:10 Fight. Shawn Thornton vs Kris Barch
7:20 Sean Avery throws a TERRIBLE hit from behind into the boards on Lucic. Marc Savard, of all people, is the first to respond. Five on five brawl here; even Kessel pairs up with Brunnstrom. Shane Hnidy demolishes Matt Niskanen in a one-way fight. Tim Thomas skates to the blue line, letting Turco know what's waiting for him if he tries to join. Ott's finally tossed.

It's really unbelievable. I remember Mike Modano, who was still involved with the team, saying after the game how embarrassed he was for the Stars organization and how much he hated what Ott and Avery did that night.

And man, do I miss Marc Savard.

This is what a puck to the face looks like

Red Wings prospect Mitch Callahan

I don't even want to know what's going on in there. This is what I imagine would happen after the final scene in Goon, where Sean William Scott saves 5 shots in a row at point-blank range with his face. Anyone else would be miserable. But not a hockey player. He's probably pumped to show off his new battle scar to the ladies.

Gustav Nyquist Goal of the Year Candidate.

Wow, what a finish by Gutstav Nyquist who has been the best goal scorer in the league over the past month or two. Where does Detroit get these guys?

Should the Bruins be Favorited to Win the Cup?

As I write this, the Boston Bruins sit first in the league standings with 110 points. They first in wins, third in G/G, first in GA/G, and are the best 5 on 5 team in hockey. They've won 9 road games in a row and are on a 15-0-1 streak.

Yet, there are still those out there who think we can't beat a powerhouse Western Conference team in a 7 game series. As far as I'm concerned, this is completely unfounded. In fact, not only can we beat any team in a 7 game series, I believe we should beat any team.

So I'm going to just say it: The Boston Bruins should be favorited to win the Stanley Cup this year.

Instead of pouring through piles of stats and boring you with numbers, I'm going to take a different approach in backing up my statement. That said, I do love stats and facts. I'll be sure to sprinkle a few in for the number-crunching B's fans out there.

I want to look objectively at the following question: What is the recipe for a Championship team? It's far more than simply talent. Just look at the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks- perennially among top-ranking regular season teams, but just can't seem to ever make a deep playoff run.

So here is my take on what ingredients make for a Stanley Cup winner and why the Bruins fit the bill perfectly.

Unlucky 13 ends Bruins' streak; How much do you hate PK Subban?

Well, it had to end sometime. The Bruins fell to the Canadiens last night, ending their longest winning streak since the Bobby Orr era. And guess what? People are coming out of the woodwork again cursing Chiarelli for not being more active at the deadline. Yes, really.

The Bruins, who lead the league in wins and points. The Bruins, the first team to clinch a playoff spot. The Bruins, who have the best GF/GA differential. That same team that just won a dozen straight games. Yes, we definitely should have made a bigger move at the deadline (insert eye roll). You already know how I feel about this.

Though a winning streak is great fun and a pride point, I'm not distraught that it was broken last night. You can expect them to keep winning forever. Believe it or not, I'm not even upset that it was the Canadiens we lost too (okay, maybe a little.)

What bothers me greatly though, is the way we lost. More specifically, the game that the Habs play. I can't stand watching those frauds take dives to draw penalties or throw cheap shots and refuse to back it up.

True Detective Doesn't Dissapoint

And... exhale. I feel like I just held my breath for the last two months watching a great premiere by auteur Nic Pizzolato. The eight episode first season of True Detective was nothing short of captivating, awe-inspiring, and at times terrifying.

Set in the bayous of Louisiana, it tells the tale of two detectives, played by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. There is a strange, ritualistic killing of a young girl that the two are called in to investigate, but this quickly becomes about far more than just a murder investigation.

Bruins Trade Deadline Review

After a relatively quiet afternoon from the Bruins despite a flurry of trade activity across the league that saw major pieces like St. Louis, Callahan, Gaborik, Halak, Miller, Hemsky, and Vanek find new homes, many B's fans are irate. They're calling Chiarelli a timid GM who refuses to make big moves at the deadline.

It's all heresy and nonsense as far as I'm concerned.

The only teams that made major deals at the deadline are teams that needed to make major deals at the deadline. Chiarelli has been a genius GM who consistently proves to think ahead of the rest of us. He signs the right players and orchestrates good contracts so the Bruins aren't one of the teams scrambling at the deadline.

That's why the Bruins have been one of the best NHL teams for years now and have made 2 SC appearances in 3 years. But no, let's go get some superstar player with a huge contract. That worked out well for Kovalchuk, Lecavalier, Heatley, Richards, etc.

Book Review: Divergent Trilogy

Last week I finished Allegiant, the third installment of the Divergent trilogy. This brilliant series composed by young author Veronica Roth is sure to become the next big thing, if it hasn't already. That is not to say, however, that these books were without flaws.

I first tried to read Divergent over Christmas break and couldn't get past the first 20 pages- it just didn't grab me. However, after hearing more and more from friends who loved it I gave it another try. And I'm glad I did.

One of the first things I noticed is that Roth tells the story in present-tense, first person narrative. Much like the Hunger Games, this is a story about a post-apocalyptic America as told through the eyes of a teenage girl who tries to break free of the Machiavellian societal structure and in turn sparks a revolution.

It's difficult not to compare this series to the Hunger Games, and there are those who dismiss it as a knock-off or even an unoriginal piece crafted after Suzanne Collins' works. I'm not sure that's a fair assessment, but the books are very similar in the general premise. However, the stories are very different.

Film Review: The Monuments Men

In an effort to expand the topics covered in Beantown Lifestyle, I'm going to start reviewing films, shows, and books as I finish them with my opinions and analysis. I'm in the process of several books and TV shows, so I'll be sure to cover them when the time comes.

My first one will be the movie I saw last weekend: The Monuments Men.

I must admit, I had very high hopes for this when watching the previews in the weeks leading up to its release. The subject matter is an intriguing one and harshly understated in history: with all of the destruction in Europe during World War II, thousands of priceless pieces of art and artifacts were being stolen, lost, or ruined.

The cast was also obviously appealing, with George Clooney and Matt Damon being complimented by John Goodman, Bill Murray, and Cate Blanchette.

Random Thought: Lefties vs. Righties in the NHL

I'm a left-handed athlete, and I always took pride in that. It was just a subtle way to be a little bit different and unusual. However, generally speaking, the world is built for those right-handed. It can be a disadvantage to lefties a times. However, that might not be true in hockey.

I've been checking in on some of the Olympic games so far, which have all been phenomenal, and a thought struck me. It seems like most of the best players in the NHL are lefties. So, naturally, I did a little research and compiled two lists of the best players in the league: one for lefties, one for righties. The results are fascinating.

Lefties in the NHL: Crosby, Kane, Malkin, Toews, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Tavares, Parise, H. Sedin, D. Sedin, Chara, Keith, Staal, Jagr, Thornton, Marleau, Backstrom, Hall, Yakupov, Benn, Nash, Gaborik, Hossa, Stastny, Landeskog, Duchene, Kronwall, Kopitar, Suter, Richards, St. Louis.

Righties in the NHL: Stamkos, Ovechkin, Iginla, Alfredsson, Getzlaf, Perry, Brown, Seguin, Eberle, Vanek, Kesler, Kessel, Backes, Weber, Subban, Letang, Spezza, Karlsson, Giroux.

Let me know if I'm missing anyone. But these are pretty distinct lists. It gets even more skewed if you take defensemen out of the equation.

What does it mean? Maybe nothing. What does this information mean to you?

Victory or Death: War Films Superlatives

As I've mentioned before, I consider myself a bit of a war film connoisseur. It was certainly a much bigger hobby of mine when I was younger, indulging in the "ye olde" cinematic adventures of John Wayne, Richard Widmark, and William Holden. Those tastes developed into a much more progressive list of modern films as I got older, but I'm proud not to have lost my appreciation for the older films.

I started thinking more on just how the older films compare to the modern ones. Call me old fashioned but I think they hold up just about every bit as well. They're good in different ways- the action is not quite the fast-paced inferno that you'd see in a Spielberg movie, but it's nothing to scoff at either. Ultimately, however, it's about the story. That's what makes a film great more than anything else.

That's an argument for another day, though.

I tend to digress, but what I'm really interested in is producing a list of superlatives for war movies. This is a carefully, moderately, deliberately, whimsically compiled analysis from my self-proclaimed living room expertise. Keep in mind, this is all from memory.

NHL All-Overpaid Team

One of the things I like most about the NHL is that it hasn't been commercialized to the extent that the NFL, NBA, and even the MLB have. You won't see any hockey players inking ridiculous contracts for $200+ million any time soon.

However, that is not to say that there aren't plenty of overpaid players in the National Hockey League. It seems to be that GM's don't learn from the mistakes of their colleagues and keep dishing out lengthy deals for too much money.

I've a little research and I put together the most overpaid players at each position to make the official All-Overpaid team. Not to say that these aren't good- or even great- players, but they haven't played at a high enough level to earn the amount of money they're making.

Note- this is all based off current salaries. I'm not basing it off of horrible contracts (I'm looking at you, Scott Gomez).

It's Hockey Night in Hollywood

Yesterday, NESN.com published an article highlighting which baseball players have had careers and lives interesting enough to make a movie about. Not to say that any of them would ever come to fruition, but the idea of someone buying the movie rights of Josh Hamilton's struggles or Ichiro's legend as a pioneer of the game is certainly interesting.

I thought I would take this idea and apply it to hockey: which players have stories that people would pay to see at the theatre? You'd be surprised how many fascinating players are out there, defying the odds like a real-life Rudy.

Spoiler: a lot of these guys are my favorite playes. Am I just writing about their stories because they're my favorites? No. They're my favorites because of their stories. See how that works?

For my next trick, I'll also take a shot at suggesting which actors might play them in a movie. This is where it gets tricky.

Olympic Preview: Most Stanley Cup Wins by Team

I thought an interesting and unique approach of comparing the top Olympic hockey teams would be to compare them by how many collective Stanley Cups their teams have won. I'm not doing Olympic wins at the moment, mostly because there simply won't be as many of those as Stanley Cup wins, obviously.


You think you can win on talent alone? Gentlemen,
you don't have enough talent to win on talent alone.

I think it would be worth exploring as an additional way of seeing which teams have "the stuff." You know the stuff I'm talking about. Not just talent. But the willpower, determination, and discipline to to what it takes to become a champion. There are reasons that guys like Joe Thornton hasn't won a Stanley Cup in his long career but Jonathan Toews already has two.

As Herb Brooks said in Miracle, "We're not looking for the best players. We're looking for the right ones." Meaning, that when it's all on the line, talent will only take you so far.

Thank You Patriots

The result of yesterday's game was undoubtedly a bitter pill to swallow and might sting for a few days, but Pats fans ultimately have no real reason to be disappointed. It frustrates me when people say Brady is washed up and not what he used to be. It may have a touch of truth to it, but any notion that he doesn't have what it takes to win another championship is ridiculous.

The truth is, Brady lost his top FIVE receiving options last year and was forced to piece together an offense with rookies and secondary guys. Throw in all the other injuries and it's just a mess. A loss to the best offense in the game in the AFC Championship is nothing to lower your heads for. It just goes to show that winning a championship is really hard when you lose Gronkowski, Spikes, Mayo, Wilfork, and guys like that.

I'm not a football expert and I don't claim to be. But Brady will be back. These injured guys will be back. Look at it this way: it's like the Patriots will be signing all these free agents with the amount if core players joining the squad. I still think we're a piece or two away on offense for Tom Brady to lead to that elusive fourth ring.

Could Canada Support Two Gold Medal Teams?

As I mentioned last week following the highly anticipated (though quite controversial) announcement of the players who will be representing Team Canada in Sochi next month, the canucks are far and away the favorite to take home the gold. However, as I was sorting through a list of players who hadn't been invited onto the team, an interesting idea came to mind.

Could Canada support team Gold Medal teams?

Or, in other words, are Canada's cut playes better than most countries' teams?

It may sound ludicrous, but bear with me. Canada is no doubt the best hockey country on the planet, and the depth they have at every position is incredible. Do you know how many teams would drool over having guys like Giroux and St. Louis.

If you think I'm exaggerating, check out the roster below. Keep in mind, these are the players that Yzerman and Co. chose not to take with them.

St. Louis, Giroux left off Team Canada Roster

After much anticipation, Steve Yzerman and his crew finally announced the squadron of players they'll be taking to Sochi. Here's a look at what their roster will look like:

Kunitz Crosby Stamkos
Tavares Getzlaf Perry
Sharp Toews Nash
Duchene Bergeron Marleau
Benn Carter

Keith Weber
Pietrangelo Bouwmeester
Subban Doughty
Vlasic Hamuis

Luongo
Price
Smith

Bobby Ryan Snubbed and more USA Olympic Thoughts

First things first. Congratulations to the Toronto Maple Leafs on winning the Winter Classic this afternoon. What an event. A beautiful snowfall blanketed the stadium of over 105,000 fans for one of the best matchups to date. Leafs won in a back-and-forth battle with a shootout goal from Tyler Bozak.

After the game, the official roster for the USA Olympic Men's Hockey team was announced. The highly anticipated list of players showcased the talent and potential that the team has this year for the Olympics next month in Sochi, Russia.

Here is the squad:
Forwards: Backes, Brown, Callahan, Kane, Kesler, Kessel, Oshie, Pacioretty, Parise, Pavelski, Stastny, Stepan, Van Riemsdyk, Wheeler