Bruins hearts fine, other parts not so much

By Bonnie Adams
8/19/09 @8:45pm

For the past few springs, I have been glued to my TV set, watching as much of NHL's playoffs as I possibly could. Although the games were often very exciting, seeing players like Vinny LeCavalier, Eric Staal, Scott Niedermayer and Henrik Zetterberg holding up the Stanley Cup didn't really move me one way or another. As a Bruins fan, I knew my team had virtually no chance in the playoffs those particular years so it was ok seeing those other teams go the distance.

But this year was different. Nothing against Sidney Crosby, but this was the year Zdeno Chara was supposed to be hoisting the Cup. Because thanks to an amazing regular season, I (as well as many other B's fans) thought just maybe this would be the year we were celebrating a championship. We allowed ourselves to get caught up in emotion especially after the team swept those hated Habs right out of the playoffs. Hockey karma seemed to be going our way.

So when Scott Walker (of all people!) put that puck right behind Tim Thomas in the 7th game of the Eastern Conference semi-finals (and on our home ice!) it was like a big old kick to the gut.

After watching all those other New England teams win their championships over the past few years, Bruins fans really felt like this was this year. It was so easy to feel that way.

Tim Thomas was playing amazing, Phil Kessel and David Krejci were fantastic, Marc Savard was at his best and even the so-called role players were doing their part. It seemed like everything was in place at the start of the playoffs. So when they got unceremoniously kicked out by Carolina, everyone and their grandmother accused the Bruins of not having any heart.

It was not until Walker ended the party that we learned not only were all the parts not in place, way too many of those parts were really beaten up badly.

The seemingly indestructible Chara had numerous injuries. Aaron Ward, who often reminds me of that Monty Python character who continues to fight on even after losing his arms and legs, was playing on sheer will. Andrew Ferrence, who missed much of the year with a serious leg injury, was going to require more surgery, this time for a bad groin. Matt Hunwick was out for the playoffs after suffering a spleen injury in the series against the Canadiens.

Mark Recchi was not only putting his 40 year old body on the line each night against players pretty much half his age, he was doing it with broken ribs and after having a kidney stone removed the night before a playoff game! Think about that - if that doesn't say "heart", I don't know what does.

And then, e find out the two special 'Ks" would both require surgery that not only would be significant, but would keep both of them out of the line up at the start of the new season.

So when the naysayers say the team has no heart, I say "think again." All teams have injuries at one point or another - it's a long brutal season. Sure, you have to have heart but come on, you have to have a few other body parts working as well!

Right now, it's not positive who exactly will be on the ice the night the new season starts. Some old friends, like PJ Axelsson, Stephane Yelle and Ward, definitely will not be - they have signed with other teams.

Krejci and Kessel will not be either - they will still be in recovery mode.(I refuse to believe that Kessel will not be re-signed!) But instead of worrying about those two players not being there at the start of the season, fans can instead hope that the Ks will be nice and fresh for the 2010 playoffs.

And hopefully, next May, instead of lamenting what could have been, as we did this past season, we will all be looking forward to watching hockey in June - in Boston.