Bruins DieHard: Reliving The Dream Through The Stanley Cup DVD
BOSTON (CBS) - It's been a little over a month and I've yet to not watch a rerun of any of the Boston Bruins playoff games that the NHL Network has been running since June 15, including Sunday night's game seven against the Montreal Canadiens.
Yep, Nathan Horton still scored in overtime.
The high and euphoria has not worn off and why the hell would it? Generally over the years I have not purchased any of the Bruins merchandise simply because I never wanted to put any more money into the Jacobs bank account. But all that has changed and the day following what truly is a date I will never forget, I was on NHL.com ordering whatever they wanted to sell me that said "2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins," including the upcoming DVD of their run to the Cup!
Well, Monday night I got to be one of the lucky few that got to view that DVD and relive the moments that were so tense and yet exhilarating in their conclusion… all without the nervousness and angst that goes along with the playoffs and elimination games, of which the Bruins faced four.
Listen/Read: Marchand "Hoping Something Gets Done" Soon
Getting to watch this and take more notice, there were several key peaks and valleys over the long season. Most of the focus was on the Conference Final and the Stanley Cup Final. There was absolutely no mention of the drama about the Zdeno Chara-Max Pacioretty incident in Montreal, and really, does anyone watching this DVD care?
The Bruins opening road trip to Europe cannot be discounted for this squad becoming a team. The fact that from day one, Tim Thomas was your number one goaltender meant Tuukka Rask would've had to have been Tiny Thompson-esque (kids, go look it up) to unseat the eventual Vezina winner, and he was not even close!
There was the February win streak that pretty much locked the B's into that three-seed and provided the home ice advantage in which two of the three Games 7s were in Boston. The Tampa Bay Game 7 was probably the best game they played in the Playoffs, period!
Schedule: Bruins DVD Tour
Several of the Bruins were mic'd up, Andrew Ference, Gregory Campbell, Chris Kelly to name a few, all of which is great for Bruins fans. But for me, and what the producers of this video did a good job with, is the Final!
Chris Kelly is heard actually giving praise about Roberto Luongo saying he is a "great goalie" (I guess Sweet Lou wanted to hear it from Thomas). Ference telling former Canadien Maxime Lapierre "you're not that tough" (of course, we all knew that).
Then there was the stunned silence after the hit on Nathan Horton, followed by the referee telling Vancouver Captain Thelma...er... Henrik Sedin that Aaron Rome's hit was late and he would be out of the game. Bobby Orr rocking Horton's #18 flag before Game 4, with Luongo being pulled early that contest. The Game 5 sound with a shutout for Luongo and his testifying that he would've had the one goal that Thomas allowed in and TIREPUMP-GATE!
Game 6 was more Brad Marchand picking on the Sedin's and Luongo with two flat tires. The DVD closed out with Marchand and Bergeron putting the finishing touches on a fun playoff season with two goals each in the finale on "Boston ice," as Nathan Horton, during practice, poured a bottle of melted Garden ice onto the Rogers Arena.
What most fans will definitely enjoy is the locker room celebrations and the few extras that the NHL provided with the "History will be made" commercials. There could have been more about the regular season, but really, the 16 wins are what it's all about.
I've been a Boston sports fan all my life. I've been a Boston Bruin fan even longer. <smirk> This Championship really captured what I've been waiting for all of my adult life.
Ric Duarte has covered hockey and the Bruins for various media outlets since 1986. You can follow Ric at BruinsDieHard.com and at twitter @bruins_diehard.
