A Changing Of The Guard

Bruins fans have seen the last of Tomas Kaberle in Black and Gold. The free agent defenseman left Boston on Tuesday to sign a three-year, $12.75 million deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. 

If the Boston Bruins are to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions next season, they'll have to do so without Tomas Kaberle.

In a move widely regarded as inevitable, Kaberle officially left the Bruins on Tuesday, signing a three-year, $12.75 million deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. 

If you remember correctly, GM Peter Chiarelli gave up the farm to acquire the veteran defenseman from the Maple Leafs at the deadline last season, surrendering prized prospect Joe Colborne as well as a first round pick in 2011 and a second round pick in 2012.

At the time, Kaberle was viewed as the missing link on an otherwise dominant hockey club with very few flaws.

In theory, he provided the team a dynamic they desperately needed, something made glaringly clear with the offseason dismissal of Dennis Wideman: a puck moving defenseman who could help the team transition the puck and quarterback the power play. 

However, although Kaberle helped the Bruins hoist their first Stanley Cup in 39 years, his overall performance wearing the Black and Gold was uneventful. 

Known for his offensive skills, Kaberle scored just nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 24 regular season games for Boston after being traded from Toronto. He was slightly better in the playoffs (11 points in 25 games), but still not nearly good enough to justify management devoting an excess of four million dollars a year to for multiple years. 

At 33-years-old, Kaberle remains a gifted defenseman. As Bruins fans witnessed firsthand, he was a flawless skater and made excellent break out passes near the neutral zone. 

However, as Bruins fans also learned, Kaberle always seemed hesitant to shoot the puck. Time after time he passed up wide open shots at the net in exchange for more difficult cross-ice feeds or cute touch passes to a teammate.

Simply put, he passed to a fault. 

In the playoffs we even saw teams key on Zdeno Chara's slapper during a power play simply because they knew Kaberle wouldn't pull the trigger. 

Kaberle also played below average defense and shied away from the physical side of the game.  

Wasting little time to find his replacement, Chiarelli acquired 34-year-old Joe Corvo from the Hurricanes later in the day in exchange for a fourth round pick in 2012. 

"This came as a real surprise to me, and a very pleasant surprise," Corvo said. "I'm very happy to be with a team coming off such a successful season and not making many changes at all. At this point in my career, I'm just excited for the opportunity to win and the chance to win, and couldn't be happier."

The move could end up benefiting the Bruins immensely. 

First off, Corvo is a more than adequate replacement along the blue line. 

Like Kaberle, he is an offensive-minded defenseman who skates well, moves the puck and quarterbacks the power play. He tallied 11 goals and 29 assists last season while averaging a whopping 24:46 of ice time.

However, unlike Kaberle, he is a right-handed shot, more of a physical presence, tough (played in all 82 games last season) and has a booming slapshot that he's not afraid to unleash on goaltenders. Last season Corvo landed 191 shots on goal as opposed to 131 by Kaberle. 

"He's someone we've talked about the last little bit as we've progressed on some of these free agent signings," Chiarelli said of Corvo. "You go past the free agency date, the first few days, and you look at possible trades if you're not satisfied with what you've accomplished in free agency."

"Joe became available when we couldn't reach terms with Tomas Kaberle, and we felt strong about Joe as a player."

In addition, Corvo is in the final year of a two-year pact paying him $2.25 million annually, which is nearly half of what the Bruins would have had to pay to keep Kaberle.

The salary cap relief should help aid the process of inking playoff hero Brad Marchand to a long term deal. 

In the end, the Corvo for Kaberle swap represents yet another impressive move by management to remain fiscally flexible and successful on the ice. 

Now let's hope Joe Colborne doesn't turn into the next Cam Neely. 

Enough Already

Once again, John Lackey got pummeled Monday afternoon, giving up seven runs in 2.1 innings against Toronto. With a MLB-worst 7.47 ERA, the question now becomes: how much longer can the Sox stick with Lackey?

When General Manager Theo Epstein lured John Lackey to Boston with a gargantuan five-year, $82.5 million deal in December of 2009, Red Sox Nation couldn't help but rejoice over the possibility of a lights-out starting rotation for years to come.

At the time, Lackey had just capped off another successful season on the mound for the Los Angeles Angels, going 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA in 2009.

Known as a tough-minded, right-handed ace who never misses a start and eats innings like Pac-Man mowing down on dots, Lackey gained enormous fame in 2002 when, as a 23-year-old rookie, he held Barry Bonds and the Giants to just one run over five innings to win Game 7 of the World Series.

From then on, Lackey became the face of the Angels. From 2003-2009, Lackey won at least 10 games each season. In 2007, he enjoyed a career-year, going 19-9 with a 3.01 ERA. Before signing with Boston, Lackey had compiled an impressive 102-71 overall record with the Angels.

However, in his first season in Beantown, Lackey was mediocre at best. Despite raking in $18 million in 2010, the 6'6'' righthander went 14-11 with a disgusting 4.40 ERA.

Regardless, Lackey got a free pass. Baseball lifers kept telling us that with a year under his belt, Lackey would return to form in 2011. He would adjust to the pressures of playing in Boston. He would pitch like he used to when he was wearing an Angels uniform.

So much for popular opinion.

After getting absolutely shelled by Toronto on Monday afternoon (2.1 innings, 9 hits, 7 earned runs on Independence Day, no less), Lackey's tenure with the Sox may have reached a breaking point.

Simply put, he has become a liability.

Lackey now has a 5-8 record with an absolutely absurd 7.47 ERA, the highest of any starting pitcher in baseball.

To make things worse, Lackey isn't even expected to be an Ace. With Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz entrenched as the top three starters, the pressure is off Lackey to lead the rotation. And, with a potent Red Sox lineup leading the league in runs, he doesn't even have to pitch well to win. He just has to keep the Sox in the game long enough for the offense to explode.

But now, he can't even do that.

As much as we love Theo, even the Brookline wiz kid isn't immune from bad signings. Remember Julio Lugo? Edgar Renteria? And to some extend, J.D. Drew?

Heck, Theo even traded for Byung-Hyun Kim and Eric Gagne.

In the end, Lackey may go down in Sox folklore as the worst free-agent signing in club history, simply because of the exorbitant amount of money owed to him.

So where do we go from here?

Sure, Terry Francona can continue to run Lackey out to the mound every fifth day, but how much longer can this train-wreck of a starting pitcher go on?

Because of his massive contract, Lackey is utterly untradeable. So that leaves either a delegation to the bullpen or a smoke and mirrors trip to the DL.

Either one works for me, as long as Red Sox Nation never has to endure another agonizing John Lackey start again.

Miller Time

After beginning the season in Triple-A, lefthander Andrew Miller has quickly become one of the Red Sox most reliable starters since being summoned to the Big Leagues on June 15. 

When the Red Sox signed underachieving lefthander Andrew Miller to a minor league deal this past offseason, they did so with the intention of adding depth to an otherwise stacked pitching core.

Little did they know that after three starts, the 26-year-old southpaw would become one of the most reliable arms in the rotation.

Continuing to dazzle upon his re-call from Triple-A Pawtucket, Miller led the Sox to a 10-4 victory over the Astros Saturday night before a robust crowd of 39,021 at Minute Maid Park.

He pitched beautifully, scattering seven hits over six strong innings while allowing just two runs. Miller also struck out three and walked two batters, a great sign for a pitcher whose career was derailed due to control issues.

With the victory, Miller improves to 2-0 on the season with an impressive 3.06 ERA.

Not bad for a guy who had become somewhat of an afterthought after failing to make the Sox roster out of Spring Training.

"We're excited," said manager Terry Francona. "I think we've said it a number of different times and a number of different ways. I think he deserves a lot of credit. We talked about it before. Everybody looks at Opening Day as the finish line, and it wasn't."

Following management's plan, Miller began the season with the Paw Sox and re-established his command. In 12 starts, he went 3-3 with a 2.47 ERA, striking out 61 batters over 65.2 innings.

All the while, Miller never lamented his time in Triple-A or worried about whether or not he would ever make it back to the Big Leagues. Instead, he focused on the things he could control, his pitching, and let the other distractions sort themselves out.

"I didn't predict it would happen sooner or later," said Miller of joining the Sox starting rotation. "I was just worried about going down there and putting the work in and doing what I thought would get me to competing back at this level, which was where I wanted to be."

So when a bad back forced Clay Buchholz to the shelf, the Sox decided to promote Miller and give the former 6th overall pick in 2006 a shot at redemption.

After three strong outings, it appears Miller has finally found his groove.

"He was a mature enough kid to go to Triple-A," explained Francona. "I'm the one who gets to sit here and talk about it, but Rich Sauveur [Paw Sox pitching coach] and Ralph Treuel [minor league pitching coordinator] and those guys- and him- they did a great job and now he can help us win games. It's exciting."

After the All-Star break, the Sox will be forced to make some decisions about their pitching staff. With the return of Buchholz, one would assume his spot in the rotation would be guaranteed, alongside Lester and Beckett. Dice-K is out for the year after having Tommy John surgery, so he's out of the picture.

That leaves two open spots, one of which would likely be reserved for Lackey, who despite his infuriating inconsistency and overall lackluster performance, seems to be given a long leash due to his gargantuan contract.

So who gets the 5th and final spot in the rotation?

It would seem to be between Miller and the ageless Tim Wakefield to fight over.

As much as Red Sox Nation loves Wake, his roster spot seems more valuable and best suited as a spot starter/long reliever.

That would pave the way for Miller as the number five. As well as he's been pitching as of late, it's hard to see Francona getting in the way of something special.

Turning the Page

The Bruins were forced to say good-bye to one of their postseason heros Friday afternoon when word surfaced that Michael Ryder had signed a two-year, $7 million deal with the Dallas Stars.

After watching the Boston Bruins complete one of the most exhilarating and fulfilling postseason runs in club history, many die-hard and bandwagon fans alike have been basking in the ultimate glory and unrivaled satisfaction of the B's first Stanley Cup victory in 39 years.

However, supporters of the Black and Gold were served a harsh dose of reality Friday afternoon with the official start of free agency, the NHL's symbolic turning of the page from one season to the next.

With many clubs looking to capitalize on the open market and re-tool their rosters in pursuit of a championship, Bruins fans can't help but find themselves wishing they could pause time and keep their championship winning team together forever.

However, in sports as in life, all good things must come to an end.

The Bruins learned this the hard way Friday afternoon when word surfaced that postseason hero and ultra-talented sniper Michael Ryder had left Boston to sign a two-year, $7 million with the Dallas Stars.

On the surface, the loss of Ryder doesn't seem very devastating. After all, he was a third line winger who never seemed to replicate his impressive first year in Boston.

After signing a three-year, $12 million deal with the Bruins prior to the 2008 season, Ryder scored 27 goals and added 26 assists in his inaugural campaign.

However, in 2009-10, Ryder's production dipped to just 18 goals and 15 assists. Last season, Ryder potted just 18 regular season goals and dished out only 23 assists.

In three years, Ryder scored 63 regular season goals for the Bruins, hardly worthy of his $4 million per year price tag.

However, despite having mediocre regular season stats, Ryder was consistently one of the Bruins best postseason players during his stay.

In the 2008-09 postseason in which the Bruins lost a devastating Game 7 in the second round against Carolina, Ryder recorded 13 points in 11 games.

Then, during last season's championship winning postseason, Ryder scored 8 goals and added 9 assists, good for 17 total points in 25 games.

The 31-year-old winger will always be remembered for his remarkable glove save against Tomas Plekanec in Game 5 of the opening round series vs. Montreal.

"You know what, in the three years we had him, he was really good in the postseason," said GM Peter Chiarelli of Ryder. "So that's going to be an area I hope that the group will, I talked about leadership earlier, the group inheriting some responsibility if we don't bring in someone else. "

While the loss of Ryder will be difficult to make up for, on the ice and in the locker room, Chiarelli went on to sign 25-year-old winger Benoit Pouliot later in the day to a one-year, $1.1 million deal.

Formerly of the hated Canadiens, Pouliot scored 13 goals and added 17 assists last season for Montreal.

He is also a 6'3'', big bodied left wing who could end up replacing Ryder. A former 4th overall pick by Minnesota in 2005, Poulliot possesses a wealth of talent but has never seemed to put it together.

The Bruins are hoping that Claude Julien and Co. can develop Pouliot into the impact type-of player he was always thought to be.

"Pouliot is a player that was drafted quite high and this would be his third team," explained Chiarelli. "We like his skill, we like his size, we think he'd fit in with our team. He's got a good shot off the wing, he's still young, we feel he'll develop, and we were happy to get him at that number."

While the exchange of Pouliot for Ryder can hardly be considered an equal trade, the Bruins are banking of the former Canadien to finally reach his potential. If so, he could be a great under the radar pick-up.

However, as this point in time, Bruins fans can't help but shake their heads at the departure of Ryder, a battle-tested warrior whose signature snap shot scored countless pivotal goals in the postseason.

Nothing Doing

Despite a rare solid outing from John Lackey, the Red Sox offense proved listless yet again en route to a 2-1 loss Wednesday night against Vance Worley and the Phillies. 

Getting shut down on the road on consecutive nights against the vaunted Phillies rotation is nothing to be ashamed of.

After all, they possess four legitimate number one starters, two future Hall of Famers and the lowest combined ERA in the Majors.

Except Wednesday night, it wasn't Roy Halladay silencing the once potent Sox bats. Or Cole Hamels. Or Roy Oswalt. Or Cliff Lee for that matter (he was enjoying some much deserved rest after pitching his third consecutive complete game shutout Tuesday night against Boston in a 5-0 Phillies victory).

Instead, before a sell-out crowd of 46,612 at Citizens Bank Park, it was little-known Vance Worley playing the hero.

Scattering five hits and over seven stellar innings, Worley (3-1) allowed just one run to lead Philadelphia to a 2-1 victory over the Red Sox, who have lost six of their last seven games and now trail the hated Yankees by 2.5 games in the AL East.

"Did that guy just come up or something?" asked David Ortiz of Worley after the game. "Man, because he looked pretty good to me. He had decent stuff, and it really looks like he's been around for a long time."

"They've got four big starters here, right? Well, he looked like one of them out there tonight. He really looked comfortable. It's obvious that he's listening to those big starters over there. It's rubbing off on him."

The 23-year-old Worley entered the game having started just eight games in the Big Leagues. However, after joining the rotation on June 18 due to injuries to Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton, the former Long Beach State star had dazzled.

He allowed just one run over five innings in a 5-1 victory over Seattle in his first start. Then, last time out he pitched six shutout innings in a 1-0 win over Oakland.

However, despite the unexpected brilliance of Worley, the Sox bats continued to show no signs of life. In a desperate attempt at kickstarting the pulseless offense, Terry Francona inserted David Ortiz at first base and moved Adrian Gonzalez to right field for just the second time in his career.

In the end, it didn't make a difference as Ortiz went 0-4 and Gonzalez just 1-4.

Raul Ibanez hit a tie-breaking homer in the seventh off Lackey that proved to be the eventual game-winner.

The loss is especially tough to swallow given the fact that the usually horrific John Lackey (5-7) actually pitched well for a change, allowing just two runs over 7.2 strong innings.

He even knocked in the only Sox run of the night with a RBI double in the fifth inning.

"We've got to find a way to score runs when we're not all swinging well," admitted Dustin Pedroia after the game. "Lack pitched great. We didn't give him any support. Worley had great mound presence, and we were all very impressed. He had a great idea how to pitch. For a young guy to have that kind of presence is pretty special."

One of the lone bright spots for Boston was left fielder Josh Reddick, who went 2-3 and scored the lone Boston run.

Things don't get any easier for the Red Sox as they must face Hamels Wednesday afternoon looking to avoid a sweep against Baseball's best team.

Luckily for Boston, the ball will be in the hands of Jon Lester, their ace and certified stopper.

The countdown to the end of Interleague Play continues.

Overmatched

The sputtering Red Sox had no answer for Cliff Lee Tuesday night. The lights-out southpaw threw his third consecutive complete game shutout en route to 5-0 Phillies victory.

In case anyone forgot, Cliff Lee is still the best pitcher in baseball. 

Or at least he was Tuesday night in Philadelphia. 

Dazzling the 167th consecutive sell-out crowd of 45,714 at Citizens Bank Park, the untouchable lefthander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before eventually leading the Phillies to a 5-0 victory over the struggling Red Sox in the highly anticipated series opener between two of baseball's best teams. 

Taking advantage of a depleted Red Sox lineup devoid of regulars David Ortiz, Carl Crawford, J.D. Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Lee made it look easy en route to his third consecutive complete game shutout. In doing so, he became the first pitcher since Brandon Webb in 2007 to toss three straight complete game shutouts. 

"I'm making pitches, staying out of the zone, using my breaking ball and getting lucky," admitted Lee after the game. 

While his numbers weren't eye-popping (112 pitches, two hits, two walks, five strikeouts), Lee dominated from start to finish, keeping countless Sox hitters off balance with a blazing fastball and devastating curveball. Symbolic of just how in control Lee was, not a single Red Sox batter ever reached third base, let alone scored. 

With the victory, Lee improves his regular season record to 9-5 and lowers his ERA to 2.66. He also extended his scoreless innings streak to a career-best 32. 

"He's one of the best pitchers in the game, and he's riding a hot streak," said Sox manager Terry Francona. "That is a bad combination for any team to face."

"I haven't seen all of his starts, but from what I have seen, he's been quite impressive. He's working counts, and he's throwing strikes when he has to. He's really got it going right now."

In fact, Lee is so zoned in as of late that he finished off the month of June 5-0 with a microscopic 0.21 ERA, becoming just the fifth pitcher since the end of World War II to go 5-0 with a 0.21 ERA or better in a single month. 

"It's been a good run, no doubt about it," said Lee. "I've had a few in my career, but I don't look back and compare them. I want to throw a shutout every time out there. I never want to give up a run."

Making his first start in 13 days after a prolonged bout with the flu, Josh Beckett (6-3) looked rusty, giving up five runs and five hits over six innings in his worst start of the season. He surrendered a pair of two-out, two run homers, first to Domonic Brown in the second inning and then later to Shane Victorino in the sixth. 

As a result, Beckett's ERA ballooned from 1.86 to 2.20. 

Coming into the game, the matchup had been billed as a possible World Series preview, with the Sox leading the Majors in runs scored and the Phillies posting the best record in Baseball along with the lowest team ERA. 

In the end, the Sox were no match for Lee, who proved yet again that good pitching always beats good hitting. Boston has now lost five of its last six games. 

However, as frustrating and demoralizing as it was for Sox fans to watch the Olde Towne Team go down without a fight Tuesday night, Sox Nation can take solace in the fact that should the two teams meet again in October, the Phillies will be facing a much different Boston lineup.

One with Carl Crawford, not Darnell McDonald in left, Adrian Gonzalez, not Mike Cameron in right, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, not Jason Varitek behind the plate and a reborn Big Papi at first. 

Because one thing is for sure: if the Sox plan to take down the vaunted Philly rotation of Lee, Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt in the Fall Classic, all hands must be on deck, even if that means throwing your franchise first baseman into unfamiliar territory. 

An Embarrassment of Riches

The Stanley Cup Champion Bruins kept the good times rolling Friday night by selecting 18-year-old phenom defenseman Dougie Hamilton with the 9th overall pick in the NHL Draft. 

Welcome to the new Golden Age of the Boston Bruins.

Less than two weeks removed from winning their first Stanley Cup Championship in 39 years, the Black and Gold continued to rake in the good fortune Friday night by selecting highly-touted defenseman Dougie Hamilton with the 9th overall pick in the NHL Draft. 

Leading up to the Draft, many scouts and hockey analysts alike had the towering, immensely gifted Hamilton slotted two to five picks earlier. Some were even talking about him going as early as 3rd overall.

So when Hamilton was still on the board with the Bruins set to make the 9th overall pick, GM Peter Chiarelli and Co. pounced on the opportunity to bring a possible franchise defenseman into the fold.

"You always hear this, but we didn't think he'd be there," admitted Chiarelli after selecting Hamilton. "We were really happy he was there."

Simply put, the Bruins may have hit a home run. 

"Tremendous skater," added Chiarelli. "Good offensive instincts. Good stick. He's a very smart player on the ice. Good range. Has a good physical side to his game."

Sound like the type of player you wouldn't mind seeing alongside Zdeno Chara for years to come?

At 6'4'', 193 lbs, Hamilton possesses the ideal body-type for an elite NHL defenseman. And, at just 18-years-old, he may very well get bigger. 

"I've grown a lot in the last couple years," explained Hamilton in a recent interview. "I haven't really filled into my body yet."

Hamilton's resume is very impressive. After posting just 3 goals and 13 assists in 64 games for Niagara in his first year in the Ontario Hockey League, Hamilton improved in leaps and bounds in 2010-11, totaling 12 goals and 46 assists in 67 games. 

"I think I'm a big, complete defenseman," said Hamilton. "I can skate well, am pretty physical, make good passes, and contribute offensively as well."

The NHL's Central Scouting Bureau had Hamilton ranked as the #4 North American skater. 

"He moves the puck well and makes good outlet passes," said Chris Edwards of NHL Central Scouting. "He does make good decisions with the puck, moves it well out of his zone. He's a big guy, he'll take the  body... He uses his size well. He can muscle people off the puck."

With the drafting of Hamilton, the Phil Kessel trade to Toronto is now complete. In exchange for the former sniper, Boston netted Tyler Seguin, highly touted 2010 second round pick Jared Knight and now Hamilton. 

Not a bad end result for a goal scorer who played no defense. 

"I'm pleased with it and you know when you make a deal like that for an established player and you trade a young established player, both sides have to know what they want," added Chiarelli. "We had an idea we were going to get some good picks for a variety of reasons and we did. They got a really good player who can score 40 goals in the league."

In the second round of the Draft, the Bruins selected 17-year-old forward Alexander Khokhlachev with the 40th overall pick.

"The Stanley Cup champs drafted me," said Khokhlachev. "I'm so happy right now. Not many words. Just feeling great."

A native of Moscow, Russia, Khokhlachev tallied 34 goals and 42 assists in 67 games for Windsor of the OHL. 

"He'll take a hit to make a play and he's not at all afraid," said Edwards of Khokhlachev. "I've seen him get hit hard a few times and he just bounces right back into the play. His energy level is always there, and he's always working hard. Down the stretch for Windsor, he's player well. He's a skilled forward."

With Hamilton and Khokhlachev in the fold, the Bruins' future looks primed for a continued reign of success, especially with the team in a comfortable salary cap situation for the upcoming year. In addition, nearly all contributing members of the Stanley Cup winning team are set to return, with the exception of Mark Recchi (retired) and possibly Michael Ryder and Tomas Kaberle (unrestricted free agents).

Playoff phenom Brad Marchand is a restricted free agent, but figures to be back in Boston as management looks poised to lock him up with a long-term, hefty contract.

Enjoy it, Bruins fans. 

You waited 39 years to see a Stanley Cup hoisted in the Hub, and now, thanks to the keen management eye of Chiarelli and Cam Neely, it looks like the party is just getting started. 

A Shot in the Arm

The Celtics added two major pieces to the rebuilding process Thursday night, selecting Purdue teammates JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore in the first and second round of the NBA Draft.

For all of you Celtics fans who lost faith in the man pulling the strings behind the shamrock curtain, have no fear.

Danny Ainge has a plan. 

Kicking the tires on any possible blockbuster deals, Boston's mad scientist head honcho instead took a different approach Thursday night at the NBA Draft.

While much of the spotlight fell on the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers selecting point guard Kyrie Irving of Duke with the first overall pick, Ainge patiently waited until the tail end of the first round to make a big-time splash for the transitionary-minded Celtics.

Initially, Boston selected Providence College star MarShon Brooks with the 25th overall pick, inciting great applause from many New Englanders familiar with the incendiary Friar point guard (he was the nation's second highest scorer last season at 24.6 points per game, behind only BYU sharpshooter Jimmer Fredette).

However, in customary Ainge-fashion, the Celts GM quickly traded Brooks to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for the 27th overall pick and a second round pick in 2012. 

Minutes later, Ainge wowed the Newark, New Jersey crowd by using the 27th pick to select center JaJuan Johnson of Purdue. 

In Johnson, the Celtics acquire exactly the type of player they have coveted for years: a talented, athletic big man who can score the basketball, grab boards and defend the rim.

"I love that I'm going to Boston," said Johnson after being taken by the Celts. "It's great to be able to learn from all their veteran guys. You have so many NBA All-Stars on that team. Just to be able to play with a great point guard like Rondo and all those guys truly is a blessing."

At 6'11'', 220lbs, Johnson possesses an impressive physical frame similar to Kevin Garnett.

And, like KG, Johnson can play both ends of the floor. Not only did he lead the Boilermakers in scoring last season with 20.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, but Johnson also blocked 2.3 shots per game on his way to being named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. 

Those stats sound like music to Celtics fans ears. After all, ever since the Green traded away beloved center Kendrick Perkins, a major flaw and gaping concern became rebounding.

More closely, despite posting a 56-26 regular season record and reaching the second round of the playoffs before bowing out to the high-flying Heat, Boston ranked 29th in team rebounding in 2010-11, averaging just under 39 boards per game. 

In short, the Celtics got killed on the glass last season. 

Johnson will immediately help out in that regard and figures to only get better with time, as he now has the luxury to shadow Garnett and pick his Hall of Fame brain. 

In addition, Johnson was a four-year starter at Purdue who showed an uncanny knack for improvement. In fact, his scoring, rebounding, assists and blocked shorts increased every year. And, while his offensive game features springboard-type leaping ability and dunks galore, Johnson isn't relegated to just points in the paint. 

"Pick-and-pop, he's a terrific shooter for his size and is extremely athletic," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. "We've proven we can get bigs shots and, so, we can get him shots and he'll make them."

He also possesses the ability to sink an 18-footer, like KG, which no doubt attracted the Celtics to him. 

"He's a confident shooter," added Rivers. "Watching him in the workouts, he kind of knows where his shots come from. It's funny, he didn't stray far away from his spots, and that tell you he's mature enough to understand who he is and how he plays. That's always a plus."

"I hate labeling him, some people say Chris Bosh, or Horace Grant, from my era, would be the guy I picked. But, we'll see."

If Johnson ends up becoming anything close to Bosh, the Celts will have undoubtedly found a diamond in the late-round draft rough.

However, one thing is clear: with just six players under contract for next season (KG, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rondo, Jermaine O' Neal and Avery Bradley) only two are big men. At the very least, by adding Johnson to the mix the Celts address a glaring need in the front court. 

With their second and final pick of the draft, the Celtics selected Johnson's Purdue teammate, 6'4'', 191 pound shooting guard E'Twaun Moore with the 55th overall pick. Moore could turn out to be a great steal for the Celts, having averaged 18 points, 5.1 boards and 3.2 assists last season for the Boilermakers.

He is also a sharp-shooter who can hit the three and run the floor. Last season, Moore shot 44.7% from the field and 40% from the three point line.  

One more thing to love about Johnson and Moore: they're winners. During their four year stint at Purdue, the dynamic duo posted 107 wins, the most ever for any player in Boilermaker history. 

Suddenly, with Johnson and Moore now in the fold, the Celtics' future looks bright again.

True Grit

With a resounding 4-0 victory over Vancouver in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals Wednesday night, Zdeno Chara and the Bruins capped off an incredible postseason run by winning their first championship in 39 years.

Even before the puck was dropped Wednesday night, the championship chasing Bruins and their long-suffering fans had a good feeling about Game 7 in Vancouver. However, it was not due to the fact that the Black and Gold had already won a pair of monumental Game 7's this postseason. Or the fact that the Bruins undoubtedly play their best hockey when pushed to the absolute brink.

Instead, the renewed sense of confidence came from a more unlikely but divine source: the heavens.

On Wednesday night, with the Bruins looking to end a 39-year championship drought, a lunar eclipse took place across North America. The importance? Well, if you remember correctly, a lunar eclipse also took place on October 27, 2004: the day the Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to win their first World Series title in 86 years.

Coincidence? Apparently not.

With the stars literally aligned, the never-say-die Bruins waltzed into Vancouver and played like gods in Game 7, silencing the besieged Canucks and their sell-out crowd of 18,860 at Rogers Arena.

Led by the stellar goaltending of Tim Thomas (37 saves), the Bruins picked up a pair of goals each from Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand to defeat Vancouver 4-0 and secure their first Stanley Cup Final championship since 1972.

"You've been waiting a long time, but you got it," said Thomas to Bruins fans after the game. "You wanted it, you got it. We're bringing it home."

At the start of the game, with the Canucks feeding off the crowd's electricity, Vancouver came out swinging and began peppering Thomas early and often in search of the game's first goal.

Luckily for the Bruins, their fourth line of Gregory Campbell centering Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille stepped up and changed the tempo, imposing their physical will while also landing three of Boston's five first-period shots.

"They were unbelievable," admitted Dennis Seidenberg, who pitched in with two assists. "They battled hard to give us energy every time they were out there. They were getting hits. They were forechecking hard. For them to give us that breather and that extra energy, it was great."

Settling down, Boston struck first with just under five minutes remaining in the first period to take a 1-0 lead. Sparking the play, Marchand feathered a beautiful pass down low to Bergeron who quickly one-timed the feed past Luongo for his first goal of the Finals.

"We got the first goal, and we knew that would be important coming here," said Mark Recchi, who retired after the game and gets to out on top. "If they got any chances, Timmy was there, and it was just scary how good he was."

Sensing the enormity of the situation, the Bruins, backstopped by their star goaltender, began playing flawless hockey.

Marchand extended the lead to 2-0 midway through the second period. Then, just over five minutes later, Bergeron made it 3-0 when he led a shorthanded breakaway and then tumbled into the Vancouver net, along with the puck, for his second goal of the game.

Capping an amazing postseason in which he set the record for most goals by a Bruins rookie (11), Marchand added an empty-net goal at 17:16 of the third period to make it 4-0 and officially put the game out of reach.

With the clock winding down, it all seemed too good to be true for Bruins fans. Then, when the final buzzer sounded, the dream became a reality.

After 39 years of futility, heartbreak and suffering, the Boston Bruins had won the Stanley Cup.

"It's so surreal right now," said Marchand. "You skate around and lift that Cup up, you can't even believe it. You work your whole life for it and for it to be right there, it's unbelievable."

"It's tough to soak everything in," admitted Bergeron. "But at the same time, we've worked so hard. We believed in us that we could do it and we got the job done."

For his legendary Finals performance, Thomas received the Conn Smythe trophy after the game as the Finals MVP. His 1.15 goals against average for the series breaks a 56-year-old record for the lowest ever in a seven-game Finals series.

"He was on top of his game from start to finish, and especially in this final round," said head coach Claude Julien of Thomas. "He was outstanding every game. I know everybody expected him to have an average game at some point. Never came. He was in the zone, focused, never let anything rattle him and never questioned his style of play. What's happened to him right now is so deserving."

One of the greatest moments of the Bruins celebration, aside from seeing each member of the team get his time hoisting the Cup, was the re-emergence of Nathan Horton. As soon as the final buzzer sounded, Horton raced out onto the ice in full uniform to celebrate with his teammates. 

After all, if not for the violent concussion sustained by Horton in Game 3 and the subsequent rallying cry it became for the team, who knows if the Bruins could have pulled it off. 

Before the game, Horton dumped a bottle full of dirty water from Boston onto the Vancouver ice as a good-luck toast. 

"Yeah, I wanted to put that on their ice and make it out ice," said Horton, "I was trying to be sneaky but I got caught by the camera."

In a sports town eternally dominated by the Red Sox as well as the dynasty-laden Patriots and return-to-glory Celtics, Boston can now officially be dubbed Titletown with the Bruins epic Stanley Cup win. With the Bruins championship victory, Boston has now won seven titles since 2001, most of any city in America.

In addition, as a result of the Bruins magnificent postseason run, it appears Boston has caught hockey fever once again. Game 7 pulled in the highest television rating for an NHL game in 37 years.

On the flip side, while the streets of Boston were flooded with elated Bruins fans, downtown Vancouver became a dangerous war zone. Devastated by the loss, Cancucks fans rioted in the streets, flipping cars and setting fire to anything in sight. Over 150 people went to the hospital and nearly 100 others were arrested.

In the end, many of us will look back at the 2011 Boston Bruins and focus on the fact that our beloved Black and Gold restored glory to the Hub of Hockey with the first Stanley Cup Finals victory in 39 years.

However, focusing solely on the end result almost seems like an injustice to the unflappable heart and never-say-die character of the team. What made this year's Bruins team so special was not that they won, but how they did it.

They played their best hockey when it mattered most. When their backs were pushed up against the wall and all the haters and talking heads like Barry Melrose counted them out after going down 0-2 against Montreal in the first round and Vancouver in the Finals. They were led by a 37-year-old goaltender whose unrivaled journey to the NHL was just as unorthodox as his style of play. They banded together after witnessing a fallen teammate and made it a rallying cry to win it all for Horton. They had each other's backs and put the city of Boston on their big, bad shoulders.

And now they drink from the Holy Grail of hockey, erasing decades of heartache with each glorious sip.

Ask any living Red Sox fan which team was their favorite and each one will undoubtedly tell you it's 2004.

For all of us Bruins die-hards who never got a chance to see Bobby Orr hoist the Cup in 1972, this year's team is our 2004 Red Sox.

For as long as we live, no matter how many more championships the Bruins may win, nothing will ever top this team and the roller coaster ride they took us on for the better part of two months.

The Boston Bruins are champions once again.

It simply doesn't get any better than this.

One Win Away

David Krejci and Milan Lucic celebrate one of Boston's four first-period goals Monday night. Staving off elimination, the Bruins defeated the Canucks 5-2 in Game 6 to force a decisive Game 7 Wednesday night in Vancouver.

From the moment the Boston Bruins took the ice Monday night, it was clear that if Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals would be their last game of the season, the Black and Gold would go down fighting, playing the physical, in-your-face type hockey that has personified the franchise for decades.

In his customary style, Tim Thomas led the Black and Gold out of the locker room and onto the ice beneath a deafening roar from the TD Garden's electric sell-out crowd of 17,565.

However, before acknowledging the crowd or skating to his goal crease, the Bruins' star goaltender and overall backbone sent an immediate and direct message to the Vancouver Canucks.

Thomas dropped his water bottle near the Boston bench and then fired it down the ice toward the Canucks' end.

Call it unsportsmanlike. Call it over the top. But, in the end, Thomas' stunt worked.

Setting the tone early and often, the Bruins set a Stanley Cup Finals record by scoring four goals in just 4:14 during the first period before eventually routing the visiting Canucks 5-2.

Talking the talk and walking the walk, Thomas (36 saves) was stellar once again, pitching a shutout for most of the contest before surrendering a pair of meaningless third period goals with the game out of reach.

As a result of the monumentally clutch victory, the Bruins will now travel to Vancouver for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Wednesday night with a chance to claim their first Stanley Cup since 1972.

"I'm proud of the guys," said ageless veteran Mark Recchi, who recorded three assists. "We had our  backs to the wall, we've been resilient all year, and we came out and had a great first period and did what we had to do tonight, and it comes down to Game 7. It's one game now."

Despite having entered the league in 1924 as one of the NHL's original six teams, the Bruins have never played in a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Elevating the importance of Wednesday night's mythical joust even more, the Bruins will try to become the first team in NHL history to win three Game 7's in one postseason.

After Monday night's performance, it's hard to bet against them, especially with Thomas, the odds on favorite to win the Conn Smythe award for Finals MVP, manning the Bruins' net.

"Not too many people counted on us being at this point right now," added Recchi. "It's a great feeling. We battled hard tonight. We came out to play, and it's coming down to one game. This is what we dream of, when you're little kids playing street hockey, you know, you're in Game 7."

Setting off an epic scoring spree, Brad Marchand gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the first period when he snapped a beautiful wrister over the shoulder of Roberto Luongo. With the tally, Marchand now has nine goals this postseason, a new Bruins' rookie record.

"It was really important for us to get the first one," said David Krejci. "It was a must-win for us. You go and get the first goal, and then the crowd gets into it, we'll feed off their energy, and I think that's what happened."

Just 35 seconds later, Milan Lucic extended the lead to 2-0 when he took a picture-perfect drop pass from Rich Peverly between the circles and fired a wrist shot past Luongo.

Then, with the Garden already buzzing, one of the most inspirational scenes in Bruins recent memory took place. Nathan Horton, recovering from the vicious concussion sustained in Game 3, was shown on the jumbo-tron during a TV timeout, clad in a black suit and waving a Bruins yellow playoff towel.

To say the Garden erupted would be an understatement.

"We didn't know they were going to be doing that, showing him up there," said Marchand. "for him to come in and give us that boost of energy is unbelievable. Obviously, the crowd loves it, loves him, and they're supporting him every minute of the day. It was great to see him out there. He gave us a big energy boost."

Almost on cue, Andrew Ference pushed the lead to 3-0 when he blasted a slap shot from the point between the five-hole of Luongo. Remarkably, the goal came almost exactly one minute after Horton was shown on the jumbo-tron.

For the second time in the series, Luongo was yanked from the game in favor of back-up Corey Schneider.

If there are such things as hockey gods, it appears they are now fully committed to the Bruins' cause.

If you remember correctly, Luongo made a swipe at Thomas, who allowed the only goal in a 1-0 Vancouver victory in Game 5, saying, "It's not hard if you're playing in the paint. It's an easy save for me, but if you're wandering out and aggressive like he does, that's going to happen."

The Bruins promptly greeted Schneider with a Michael Ryder goal off a deflection from the point to make it 4-0 less than two minutes later.

Sandwiched by a pair of third period Vancouver goals, Krejci added a power-play goal of his own, but the final stanza was mostly an afterthought with the game already in hand for Boston.

"We needed to come out hard tonight," said head coach Claude Julien. "I thought our guys responded. We needed to come out hard the last two games before that, because we were trailing, 2-0, in the series. Our guys have responded well. Now we have to make sure we don't get comfortable with our game. We're willing to bring it to Vancouver with us, because that's what it's going to take to win."

Now it all comes down to one game. 

One opportunity. 

One last chance to write a story-book ending to the greatest Bruins season in 21 years. 

No matter what happens Wednesday night, one of the most thrilling roller-coaster rides of our lifetime will come to an end.

Here's to the 2011 Boston Bruins.

Now do us the ultimate thanks and make us proud one last time.

We want the Cup.

It's time for the Bruins to bring it home.

Unstoppable

After sweeping the first nine games of a 12-game road trip, the Red Sox head to Tampa on Tuesday with the best record in the American League. 

If I were to tell you two months ago that by June 12 the Red Sox would have the best record in the American League, chances are you would have told me that I was dreaming.

Or crazy. Or a little bit of both.

Well, feel free to pinch yourself. The dream is now a reality. 

Making their lethargic, underachieving start to the 2011 season seem like a distant memory, the Olde Towne Team now stands at 39-26, just percentage points behind the Philadelphia Phillies (40-26) for the best record in baseball. 

While Boston's turnaround has been remarkable in itself, the most impressive facet has been the way in which they have steamrolled the competition. With a 17-hit, 14-1 shellacking of the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon, not only did the Red Sox sweep the three game road set, but they outscored Toronto 36-5 along the way. 

Combine the blowout of Toronto with consecutive sweeps of Oakland and the hated Yankees and the Red Sox now find themselves in the midst of one of the most impressive nine-game winning streaks in recent memory. 

"I don't think I've ever really seen a stretch like these past nine games that we've been playing as far as scoring runs and the way our pitches have been throwing the ball," said Jon Lester, who picked up his AL leading 9th victory of the season on Sunday. 

One of the unsung heros along the way has been none other than David Ortiz. After going 2-6 on Sunday with a homer and four RBIs, Big Papi now rests at 17 home runs and 43 RBIs for the season while toting a .325 average.  

"Every ball he hits is on the barrel the other way and when he's turning on balls, he's a force, man," admitted Dustin Pedroia. "He's not just a home run hitter, he's a hitter and I think he knows that makes our team go."

During the nine-game road trip, Ortiz has hit four homers and added 13 RBIs. However, his signature moment came earlier in the week when he blasted a homer during the Sox' 6-4 win against New York and then flipped his bat in the direction of the Evil Empire's bench, drawing the ire of manager Joe Girardi. 

In typical Papi-fashion, Ortiz simply responded by saying "I don't care what Joe Giradi says. Take it like a man. I'm done with that."

Beyond Big Papi, centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has ignited the win streak as well by playing stellar defense and setting the table from the leadoff spot.

After going 2-5 on Sunday and with three runs scored, Ellsbury is now 14-30 with nine runs scored and four extra-base hits during the road trip. He also finds himself in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, raising his average to a season-high .318. 

"I'm sticking to my approach," said Ellsbury. "That's been the biggest thing. Just trying to drive the ball."

Not to be outdone, the red-hot Adrian Gonzalez picked up a pair of RBI's on Sunday to improve his league-leading total to 60. A-Gon has now recorded at least one RBI in nine consecutive games, putting him just one game short of the club record of 10 games, held by Dwight Evans in 1989 and Manny Ramirez in 2002. 

Boston is off on Monday, but will head to Tampa for a three-game set with the division rival Rays. It will mark the first appearance for Carl Crawford in Tropicana Field wearing a uniform other than the Rays'. 

"I mean, I've been there my whole career," admitted Crawford. "So I can't lie and say I don't miss it. But this is working for us as a team and you definitely don't want to mess with that chemistry we've been getting so far."

With our beloved Bruins engaged in a thrilling Stanley Cup final series against Vancouver, it's hard for many Boston sports fans to focus their undivided attention on anything else but the championship-chasing B's. 

Luckily, no matter how the Black and Gold's playoff run turns out, Bostonians will have one hell of a baseball team waiting for them when it's all over. 

Let's just hope we can return to the Sox full-time following a Bruins championship parade. 

This One's For You, Horton

Tyler Seguin, Adam McQuaid and Chris Kelly mob Michael Ryder after his second period goal put Boston on top 2-0. The Bruins went on to shutout Vancouver 4-0, evening up the Stanley Cup Finals at two games apiece.

Leading up to the Revolutionary War, first generation Americans banded together against the British under the rallying cry of "No taxation without representation."

Some 250 plus years later, it can be said that the Boston Bruins used the slogan "Win it for Horton" to even up the Stanley Cup Finals at two games apiece.

Less than 48 hours after an epic 8-1 blowout of Vancouver in Game 3 that will live on in Bruins folklore forever, the streaking Black and Gold continued to rally around their fallen teammate, using Nathan Horton's devastating injury as motivation to pummel the Canucks 4-0 Wednesday night before a deafening sell-out crowd of 17,565 at the TD Garden.

Once again, Tim Thomas led the way with 38 saves to secure his 3rd shutout of the postseason while Rich Peverley, filling in for the injured Horton on the first line, paced the offense with a pair of goals.

Resurrecting an old-time hockey tradition, the Bruins have been passing along a vintage Black and Gold jacket to the player who most deserved recognition for his performance after each win.

After Game 3, the jacket hung in Horton's locker as a tribute to the Bruins' wounded teammate, presumably for the rest of the series.

However, in true you-only-see-this-stuff-in-the-movies-type fashion, Horton unexpectedly showed up in the Bruins locker room after the game Wednesday night and passed on the jacket to Peverley.

To say Horton's appearance was moving would be a gross understatement.

"When I personally got to see him in the locker room, I was incredibly happy," admitted Thomas, who once again blanked the NHL's top offensive team. "It gave me a big boost. He was there to pass the jacket on. The team would have been happy leaving it with Horty for the rest of the series, but he wanted to give it away and keep the tradition going."

"Watching him going down, we want to finish what we started for him."

With the loss of Horton due to a devastating concussion sustained after a violent, blindside hit by Aaron Rome, head coach Claude Julien shuffled his lineup by promoting Peverley to the first line alongside David Krejci and Milan Lucic and inserting rookie phenom Tyler Seguin back onto the third line with Michael Ryder and Chris Kelly.

Both moves ending up paying enormous dividends for the B's.

Despite outshooting the Bruins 12-6 in the opening stanza, the Bruins scored the period's only goal at 11:59 when Peverley took a feed from David Krejci and beat Roberto Luongo between the pads to give Boston a 1-0 lead.

Continuing to dominate, the Bruins extended the lead to 3-0 with a pair of goals on consecutive shots midway through the second period. First, it was Ryder taking a perfect cross-ice, break-out feed from Seguin and then ripping a wristshot from the top of the left circle under the glove of Luongo for his 7th goal of the postseason.

Just over two minutes later, with both teams playing four-on-four, Zdeno Chara sparked the second goal when he made a beautiful play to keep the puck inside the Vancouver zone before promptly dumping it back in.

Allowing the Bruins to forecheck and cycle down low, Chara's keep-in found Patrice Bergeron, who quickly won a one-on-one battle and then fed Marchand all alone in front.

Displaying uncanny instinct around the crease, Marchand lifted a quick backhand that tipped of off Luongo's glove and into the back of the net for his 8th goal of the postseason.

"It's always easier to be at home," admitted Marchand, who has now scored two goals in as many games. "We feed off the energy, off our fans. They just bring out the best in us."

Taking it to Vancouver without any thoughts of letting up, the Bruins made it 4-0 less than four minutes into the third. Leading the play, Lucic raced into the Canucks zone with speed, made a stellar side-step move on Kevin Bieska and then fed the puck in front looking for Peverley. 

Initially, Luongo deflected the puck with his stick, however it caromed directly off of Peverley and into the goal for his second tally of the game. 

Allowing his 12th goal in less than six periods, Luongo was pulled from the game in favor of backup Cory Schneider, a former Boston College star. 

Before the game was over, one final melee broke out when Alex Burrows, public enemy number one for his Game 1 bite of Bergeron, knocked Thomas' stick out of his hands in the crease. 

Jumping on an opportunity to take it to Burrows, Thomas crushed Burrows in the leg with his stick and then threw a series of punches at the Vancouver forward. As soon as Burrows began fighting back, Dennis Seidenberg and Chara came to Thomas' defense and pummeled Burrows as well as several other Canucks near the goal. 

"I thought I'd give him a little love tap," admitted Thomas. "Let them know that I know what you're doing, but I'm not going to let you do it forever. That's all that was. A typical battle."

As the final buzzer sounded, the Garden erupted with ecstatic Bruins fans shouting Horton's name in celebrated unison.  

Since Rome's devastating hit on Horton in the first period of Game 3, Boston has outscored the Canucks 12-1. 

And if the Bruins go on to hoist their first Stanley Cup trophy in 39 years, every die-hard B's fan from Cape Cod to Pittsfield will be able to look back and say 2011 was the magical year that our beloved Bruins banded together against the NHL's best team and won it for Nathan Horton.  

No Mercy

 Thanks to a spectacular offensive explosion, the never-say-die Bruins overpowered the Canucks 8-1 Monday night and now trail Vancouver  2-1 in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals series.

If Games One and Two of the Stanley Cup Finals were a battle, Game 3 Monday night was an all-out War.

And for the first time in the series, the Boston Bruins won that War by playing Boston Bruins hockey.

In one of the most thrilling, physical, rewarding blowouts in team history, the beloved Black and Gold rallied around an early devastating injury to Nathan Horton to destroy the stunned Canucks 8-1 before an electric sell-out crowd of 17,565 at the TD Garden.

Led by a pair of goals from Mark Recchi, seven different Bruins scored multiple points while Tim Thomas finished with an astounding 40 saves, including several highlight reel stops to ensure the Bruins left the ice Monday night with a resounding victory.

With the pivotal win, Boston cuts Vancouver's lead to 2-1, but, more importantly, sends a tidal wave type message to the mighty Canucks that when the Bruins dominate physically and play their brand of hockey, they're tough to beat. 

Throw in the added motivation of winning one for a wounded teammate and they're downright untouchable. 

"We talked about playing for Horty," said Mark Recchi. "He's been a great teammate all year for us, been a great guy. It's tough to see your teammate laying down there on the ice. We knew it was a late hit. But we're more concerned about his health at this time. The league can take care of the rest."

Infused by the heavenly reality that the Bruins were playing their first Stanley Cup home game since 1990, the deafening TD Garden crowd turned silent just five minutes into the game when Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome violently leveled Horton as he entered the Vancouver zone.

Making matters worse, Horton, who led the rush up ice, had already dished the puck off to linemate David Krejci on the wing and was caught with his head to the side, unaware of the charging Rome and unable to prepare for impact. Rome's shoulder buried Horton's midsection with thunderous force before the former Panther banged his head violently against the ice on the way down. 

A close-up shot showed Horton's eyes rolling back in his head, his arm extended to the heavens as he laid on his back, unable to move for several minutes. He had to be rolled off on a stretcher. 

Rome was promptly issued a game misconduct and ejected from the contest. 

"We really wanted to get this win tonight for him," said Brad Marchand of Horton. "It's a very tough situation, and everyone is worried about him, but it definitely gave us motivation to win."

Rallying around their fallen teammate, the Bruins began dictating the play in the first period but were unable to score. Taking advantage of the Canucks being down a defenseman with the ejection of Rome, the Bruins relentlessly attacked the Vancouver zone in search of the game's first tally. 

Then, just 11 seconds into the second period, the grinding paid off when Andrew Ference's blast from the point had eyes and eluded Luongo high, glove side to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. 

Continuing to pressure the Vancouver zone, the Bruins extended the lead to 2-0 just over four minutes later when Recchi hammered home a power play goal past Luongo. 

Brad Marchand made it 3-0 midway through the second on a beautiful individual effort. Leading a shorthanded break, Marchand banked the puck off the sideboards to himself, beat two Canuck defenders then went wide on Luongo before roofing the puck into the open net for a highlight reel goal. 

"Obviously, it's one I'm proud of," admitted Marchand of his shorty. "Couple lucky bounces there. Couple guys poked at it. It was kind of rolling at times. 

Scoring their fourth goal of the period, Boston made it 4-0 with just over four minutes left in the second when David Krejci buried a long rebound off a Michael Ryder shot past Luongo top shelf, glove side. 

Playing like a revenge seeking missile, the Bruins pushed the lead to 5-0 midway through the period when Daniel Paille scored Boston's second shorthanded goal of the night.

Interestingly, the offensive outburst came just minutes after Milan Lucic punched Alex Burrows along the endboards after the whistle. Even as the referees tried to break up the scrum, Lucic could be seen waving his two fingers at the mouth of Burrows, taunting the public enemy number one in Boston for his Game 1 bite of Partrice Bergeron's finger

A Jannik Hansen tally just over two minutes later would put Vancouver on the board, but it was quickly forgotten as Recchi, Chris Kelly and Michael Ryder scored on three consecutive shots in the final three minutes to put the finishing touches on an 8-1 blowout. 

Sparked by the hit on Horton, as well as the classless mockery of Alex Burrows bite on Patrice Bergeron in Game 1, the Bruins played possessed all night, relentlessly dominating the physical battles at every turn. Consistently burying any Canuck who touched the puck, the Bruins made Vancouver play timid and scared, negating their speed and talent as they had no choice but to play gun shy. 

One reason for the increased physical play was the insertion of tough guy Shawn Thornton into the lineup for Tyler Seguin. For anyone who had the priveledge of watching the game, it was obvious Thornton's physical presence after being scratched seven consecutive games brought a special edge to the team. 

"I thought he was awesome tonight," explained Recchi. "He has a physical, veteran presence. He's won a Cup before. He knows what it takes. 

The Bruins owned Vancouver in the special teams battle, holding the Canucks scoreless with the man advantage (0-8), while Boston also scored a power-play goal and two shorthanded goals. 

The win marked the first Stanley Cup finals victory on home ice for Boston since 1978. 

More importantly, the win epitomized exactly the way the Bruins need to play in order to be successful in the Stanley Cup Finals: with a chip on their shoulder. 

"We play our best hockey when we play on the edge," concluded Recchi after the game. "When we play that way, we play physical, we're passionate about it, we're involved. We played this like a Game 7." 

In the end, Game 3 will go down in Bruins history as the moment Boston fought back in their first Cup Finals appearance in 21 years. They played like gods all night, battling adversity, overcoming a frightening injury to one of their best players and making mince meat of the NHL's best regular season team both physically and on the scoreboard.

Vancouver now has a series on their hands. And with Game 4 set to begin Wednesday night in Boston, a return to the Garden ice can't come soon enough for Bruins fans who will no doubt be riding high for days after watching their team play like gods Monday night. 

Heartbreak, Part II

Catching Tim Thomas out of position, Alex Burrows scored just 11 seconds into overtime to give Vancouver a 3-2 victory over the Bruins in Game Two of the Stanley Cup Finals Saturday night. 

Entering the third period of Game Two, it appeared as though the Bruins had finally solved the mighty Canucks.

Up 2-1 in a game they absolutely had to have, Boston was carrying the play and looked poised to even the Stanley Cup Final series at one game apiece.

Then, just like that, it all spiraled out of control.

With less than eleven minutes remaining in regulation, Daniel Sedin tied the score and then Alex Burrows took advantage of a monumental miscue by Tim Thomas to net the game-winner just 11 seconds into overtime to give the Canucks a thrilling 3-2 victory before an electric sell-out crowd of 18,860 at Rogers Arena.

With the painful loss, Boston suffers its second heartbreaking defeat in as many games and now trails Vancouver 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals.

"I think we lost the game ourselves," admitted Bruins center David Krejci. "Obviously they played well, but we had the game in our hands and we just gave it away."

"It [stinks] right now that we weren't able to come out on top with a win here," added Milan Lucic. "We've just got to work that much harder in order to win."

Falling behind quickly yet again, Boston began Game Two in an early 1-0 hole after Burrows' scored his 8th goal of the postseason on the power play less than eight minutes in. If you remember correctly, this is the same Burrows that bit Patrice Bergeron's finger in Game One, drawing the ire of Bruins fans yet no suspension from the NHL.

Thank you, Colin Campbell.

The game would remain 1-0 until midway through the second period when Boston finally broke through against Roberto Luongo (28 saves) for two goals in less than three minutes. The first came at 9:00 when Milan Lucic hammered home a rebound off a blast from Johnny Boychuk at the point.

Continuing to surge, the Bruins took a 2-1 lead at 11:35 when the ageless Mark Recchi deflected a wrist shot from Zdeno Chara past Luongo on the power play. YES, the power play, of which the Bruins were 1-3 on Saturday night. In doing so, Recchi became the oldest player ever to score a goal in the Finals (43).

However, the lead was somewhat short-lived as Vancouver scored the equalizer at 9:37 of the third period. Once again, it was Burrows igniting the Canucks, corralling a rebound in front and then feeding a wide-open Daniel Sedin for an easy lay-up goal past the helpless Thomas.

Then, before Bruins fans could even catch their breath at the end of regulation, Burrows ended it with the blink of an eye just 11 seconds in.

Remarkably, the play started out in the Bruins favor, with Bergeron winning the opening face-off back to defenseman Andrew Ference. However, Ference's pass along the glass was picked off by Alexander Edler, who proceeded to feed Daniel Sedin, who then found a streaking Burrows in the neutral zone.

"We didn't connect on that first pass," admitted Ference. "The transition came back at us."

Gaining speed, Burrows sliced into the Boston zone, went wide on Chara and then faked out Thomas, who came way out of his crease to challenge the Canucks forward. With the Bruins goaltender out of position, Burrows wrapped around the open net and then slid the puck home for the game-winner.

"A mistake is a mistake, no matter what," admitted Thomas, who played well but will no doubt be remembered for his monumental miscue instead of his 30 saves. "You've just got to move on."

While an 0-2 hole in the Stanley Cup Finals might seem like an insurmountable mountain to climb, especially against the best team in the NHL, glass-half-full Bruins die-hards know this is exactly the type of situation our beloved Black and Gold have thrived under thus far in the playoffs.

Pushed to the cliff, their backs against the wall, face to face with adversity, this team has responded.

In the opening round, Boston dropped the first two games at home before eventually coming back to win the series in a heart-stopping Game Seven.

Against Tampa in the Conference Finals they squandered a 3-2 series lead only to win Game Seven in overtime, earning a trip to the Finals for the first time in 21 years.

"We've been able to bounce back before," said head coach Claude Julien. "We've gone through the experience of being down two games to none against Montreal. That was probably worse because we lost them at home. is it a better team here? Absolutely. The team that makes it to the Final is a better team."

"But it doesn't change the fact that we've been through it. We didn't come here just to roll over."

Amen, Claude. 

Waist deep in an 0-2 hole, many bandwagon followers have already aborted ship at the sight of stormy waters. 

Fine by us die-hards. 

Because on Monday night, when the series shifts back to Boston and our beloved Black and Gold play like gods, we will be able to say that Game Three was the defining contest of the series.

The game in which the resilient Bruins stepped up once again and ignited a Stanley Cup Finals comeback that has been on a collision course with destiny since 1972.