Ference Says Bruins Aren't 'Scared Of Failure'
BOSTON (CBS) - With the Boston Bruins set to take on the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, some may think the ghosts of the Bruins' 2010 playoff collapse would start haunting the Black and Gold.
That is not the case says defenseman Andrew Ference.
"We're not scared of failure," he told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Felger and Massarotti on Thursday. "I don't know if that's being too blunt or not. I think it's a huge part of playoff hockey, to embrace the challenge and enjoy it and have fun with it. But don't go out there scared of losing, or scared of not living up to what is expected."
Read: Felger & Mazz: Ference On Game 7, Series Against Flyers
"There was a bit of that last year instead of just playing to win, putting it all on the line," he said. "We let those doubts creep in a little too much."
It is hard to forget the look on the Bruins bench as the Flyers came back from a 3-0 series deficit, and then 3-0 hole in the deciding Game 7 on the TD Garden ice. Many try to forget about it, pretend it never happened. For months, the Bruins probably felt the same.
Now they use it for motivation.
"We don't sit there and pretend it didn't happen, we talk about it for sure," said Ference. "You learn a lot from that, both as an individual... and also as a team."
Photo Gallery: Bruins-Flyers Rematch
"Hopefully we can turn it into a good experience," he said.
Instead of looking back on past defeats, the Bruins now look ahead to a chance for revenge. A chance to make amends for a playoff run cut short in a shocking and disheartening way.
The two teams match up very well on paper, but Ference says a key to the series will be mental makeup.
"Playoff hockey is all about having a good head on your shoulders and embracing the challenge," said Ference. "They can match us physically, they have firepower. So I don't think one team has an edge over the other. It's going to be the team that can keep their head on straight."
"The margins of victory and defeat are very small, so we know it's going to be an extremely difficult series," he added. "But it's one guys are more excited about than afraid of."
Every game of the Bruins-Flyers playoff series can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub's with pregame coverage beginning 30 minutes before each game with the Dunkin Donuts Bruins Pregame show
