Little Boston Bruins Fan Immortalized With Card

The little fan who got to bump fists with his hockey heroes got another honor by the collector trading card company Upper Deck today as it was announced on their twitter page.

Remember fist bumping @NHLBruins fan Liam Fitzgerald? He was honored with an @UpperDeckSports inspiration card. pic.twitter.com/m91vqcBxAx
— NHL (@NHL) March 27, 2015

It's a really great looking card and captures the impish nature of a young boy enjoying his favorite sport.

Boston Bruins Win Stanley Cup Championship

The Boston Globe

Congratulations to the Boston Bruins for winning the Stanley Cup, fabled to be one of the hardest trophies to win in all of professional sports. It's eventually a true testament to their win pointing out several key moments in their playoff run. Most notably, it was the controversial hit on Nathan Horton that woke up the then 0-2 Bruins. "Win one for Nate?" could have been the rally cry?

Boston came back from three Game 7's and survived, including the finals, something that is unheard of in today's post-seasons. It's a heavy workload nowadays with the physicality of an intense playoff series going a full 7 games, winning one is a great accomplishment. But to do that 2 more times, against Montreal and Tampa Bay respectively, shows you the resilience of a champion.

Another notable thing from this series that it was announced right before the game that it was going to be ice warrior's Mark Recchi's last appearance in a hockey uniform. He became a valuable teammate on and off the ice while providing a gritty style of hockey earning the nickname "wreckin' ball". It's great to see him win his 4th and final Stanley Cup to go out on a high note.

It was also nice to see the tallest member of the NHL and second European-born captain lift the Cup over his head. Chara, a Slovak, has gotten the Bruins over the hump and into the promised land.

It's been 39 years since the Bruins last won the Stanley Cup. Another championship drought has ended. It's Boston's 6th Stanley Cup championship in their 87 year history. Congratulations to them.

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Final Round

So, it comes to this... the team that won the Presidents' Trophy, the Vancouver Canucks versus the stigmatic Boston Bruins who were able to figure out a balanced roster with the trades at the deadline.



Vancouver v. Boston

Boston is going to sit-back on this one and play defense around the stunning and attention grabbing style of goalie Tim Thomas. He has the ablitiy to steal a game or two. Look for the Canucks to counter with their own goalie, Roberto Luongo. But at least Tim Thomas doesn't have a threat to be pulled in favor of a back-up like Luongo does. Young Cory Schneider has put himself on the pundits radar by filling in for a weakened and exposed Luongo. I think Boston is overall the better balanced team having acquired a solid centermen corps, talented wingers, tough tree-like defensemen, and a goalie that hustles everywhere!

But, of course, the threat of the President's Trophy curse still looms over it's current recipient.

Prediction: Vancouver in 6

Ference Fined Financially For Finger

Andrew Ference, once a champion of freedom of speech for speaking out to the press regarding a teammate, now finds himself writing out a check after his self-expression directed at the Montreal fans attending the playoff game in Le Centre Bell.

Today, He was fined by the league $1,200 for his gesture deemed my most as "unsportsmanlike" and "obscene". The money goes towards the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

But later, Ference told the press denying any pre-planning in his fist pump and apologized. But here's the silliness and what makes it totally blog-worthy. His claim was that his glove got stuck in that position.

I've tried to recapture this same phenomenon, but came up with some interesting results I'll show later on.

[Via: TSN.ca]

Chara Collision Causes Complaint Calamity

Hockey is a passion that unites millions of fans across the United States and Canada. We take our game seriously and instill civic pride in our teams as well as prepare the players in a code of conduct mold. When things don't go our way, a simple tragic event can be turned into an epic crime against humanity.

Such is the case with the Montreal fans upset that nothing more was made of the brutal Chara-Pacioretty collision a few days ago. The result of the hit caused Pacioretty to endure fractured neck and concussion. However, the NHL chose not to pursue any further disciplinary actions against the Bruins captain, Chara.

Almost immediately, according to the Canadian Press story, calls to the Montreal police dispatch demanded that something be done with Chara criminally while urging an investigation.

Police say their emergency call centre started getting flooded around 4 p.m. -- after the NHL announced its decision. A spokesman said police suspected the calls were inspired by a local media outlet that suggested the idea. The police spokesman described the gesture as "irresponsible" -- and he urged Montrealers to keep the emergency line free for actual life-and-death matters.

In the heat of the matter, I could understand why Montreal fans would be so enraged by this. But clogging up the phone lines could have cost the police crucial time in preventing an actual crime.

"Someone in the media has been telling people to call the police to complain," said Sgt. Ian Lafreniere of the Montreal police. "This shows a serious lack of responsibility."

But the real crime is still the broken body of Pacioretty who could lose his career after what is most certainly going to be a long recovery. The sobering moment when a player is carted off on a gurney makes players, pundits, fans, and league officials meditate on something that is deeply embedded within the escalating violence.

Pacioretty, 22, was the Canadiens’ second choice (22nd overall) in the 2007 entry draft. The 6-foot-2, 208-pounder, a native of New Canaan, Connecticut, has been one of the team’s best players this season, with 14 goals and 24 points in 37 games.

[Via: Rogers Sportsnet and National Post ]