The Bruins certainly have got a new look since last time I wrote. Boston has since acquired defenseman Tomas Kaberle and forwards Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley while trading away Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart, and Providence Bruin Joe Colborne. What do I think about these transactions? Not a big fan at all. First off, you trade away Blake Wheeler the one season he is actually playing solid for the Bruins. Why can’t the Bruins trade Michael Ryder? I guess no one else wants him either. As much as I liked Mark Stuart, I can’t say I’m going to miss him too much with the play of Adam McQuaid and Steven Kampfer. And the Bruins ditching Joe Colborne may not seem like a big deal now but he is going to be a big time player in the next few years.
So now that we know what the Bruins have lost, what have they gained? Um…I honestly am not impressed with what the Bruins added. Kelly and Peverley bring nothing more than Wheeler could. Kaberle just doesn’t do it for me. I just hope they all prove me wrong and come up big down the stretch and into the playoffs. That’s why we made these trades right? To get the Stanley Cup? I hope that’s how it ends. Right now it is too early to tell if these transactions will be the solution to the Bruins problems.
Even with all the trades Boston made, I am most excited about the Sheriff being back in town! Defenseman Shane “the Sheriff” Hnidy has joined the Bruins on a tryout basis. I really hope the B’s take on Hnidy because he has that veteran tough presence on the blue line. Do I see him getting much play time? No, not really but if I get to see him play in one game, I would be beyond excited. He knows how to make his opponents pay. Hnidy wanted to destroy Steve Ott in 2008 but Ott, per usual, walked away. Then we must all remember when Hnidy finally got his chance to destroy a Dallas Star during the line brawl. I’m getting excited now just thinking about the Sheriff patrolling the blue line for the Bruins!
I want to go back to Colborne for a little bit. I honestly most upset about Colborne being traded. He had 12 goals and 14 assists for the Providence Bruins. He was such a highly touted signing when he signed with Boston in 2010. His professional debut created a buzz in Providence and I was lucky enough to have attended that game in which he recorded two assists. To start off, Colborne looked good but seemed to be lacking the physical play that should come with a guy of his size. He quickly got over that because I did not notice that in other Providence games I went to. I recently went to a Providence game the day after the Kaberle trade and was angry I was not going to be able to see Colborne play in Providence. And as a side note, I want to recommend Providence Bruins games to anyone looking for a cheap, exciting hockey game to attend! You can have a good view at the Dunkin Donuts Center for as little as $15 and get the best cheesy fries for $5!
Everyone remembers the Winter Class last year when Marco Sturm scored the game-winning OT goal and that game was just as exciting when I watched it on replay this past weekend. What many people probably did not realize is that the baby B’s played in an outdoor this past weekend! Providence played in the Whale Bowl against the CT Whale at Rentschler Field in Hartford. This game was Saturday and it was absolutely freezing! And I mean Arctic cold! It required seven shirts, two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, two pair of gloves, two hats, neck warmer, scarf, and hand warmers…and that was still not enough. It was cold but entertaining! Seeing outdoor hockey at a football stadium is crazy and the game itself for thrilling too. Sixty minutes of hockey would have been enough to give us all frostbite but the players decided to make the game go back and forth and end it in a tie. Yeup, 60 minutes was not enough and 5 minutes of OT was not enough either. This game went to a shootout. Luckily for us, Providence won the Whale Bowl and that made sitting in the bitter cold for three hours a little more bearable. Overall, the experience was cold but awesome! I just hope that’s the coldest game I ever attend.
Kristin Carbone
Pierce Arrow Blogger
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