An average Joe
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November 2006 ArchivesNovember 30
One year ago tonight, Bruins Nation was turned on its ear by the news that Joe Thornton had been traded to San Jose for Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau. Few Bruins fans thought it was a good deal at the time, and it doesn't look any better 365 days later. At best, the Bruins received 75 cents on the dollar for their captain and franchise player. After the trade, Boston fans' worst fears were realized when Thornton finally played up to his seemingly limitless potential, winning the scoring championship and MVP trophy. The Bruins, meanwhile, finished miles out of the playoffs and underwent a long-overdue front office housecleaning. But those who assumed that Thornton would pick up where he left off last season are being proven wrong. He is currently 22nd in the league in scoring with a 7-20-27, -5, line in 26 games. Thornton is tied with eight other players, including Boston's Marc Savard (6-21-27, +5, in 22 games). Those aren't bad numbers, unless you are the reigning scoring champ, MVP, and potentially one of the 10 best players in the world. Thornton has scored only 11 points at even strength, piling up most of his points on the power play. In Thornton's defense, his sidekick Jonathan Cheechoo (56 goals last year) has been out with an injury. But here are a couple of stats that speak volumes about Thornton's play this season: He has been credited with only eight hits in 26 games. And there have been 19 games in which he has registered zero hits. For a man who is 6'4'' and 235 pounds and playing a contact sport, this is mind-boggling. So far, it hasn't really mattered to the Sharks. Ron Wilson has his team rolling along with a 19-7 record. A slightly better-than-average Joe Thornton is still an upgrade over most NHL players. It's just Joe being Joe. By Mark Divver 
November 22
What in the name of Terry O'Reilly is going on with the Bruins? I don't mean wins and losses. The team is playing decent hockey after a slow start. I'm talking about fights. Lack of fights, actually. Heading into tonight's game in Pittsburgh, it's been nine games since a Bruin was involved in a punchup. And the last fight -- Wade Brookbank vs. Ottawa's Chris Neil on Oct. 28 -- is one of only four fights the Bruins have had in the first 18 games. Four. In the late 1970s, there might be four fights in the first ten minutes of a Bruins-Flyers matchup. In the new NHL, speed and skill are in, punches in the nose are out. Not that I'm advocating a return to the old days. The game is far more entertaining than it was before the lockout. I'd just like to see a good scrap more than once a month. By the way, the Bruins who have dropped the gloves this season -- Brookbank, Jeff Hoggan (2) and Yan Stastny -- are all playing in Providence now. Eddie Shore must be spinning in his grave. ------- If you need an old-time hockey fight fix, you can always turn to the Web. Go to youtube and punch in (no pun intended) Terry O'Reilly's name, and you'll find an excellent tribute. The Stan Jonathan-Pierre Bouchard brawl from the 1978 playoffs is there, too. As noted hockey writer Dickie Dunn might say, it captures the spirit of the thing. ------ This is Mayor's Cup weekend, with the Brown and Providence College women facing off at 7 o'clock Friday night, and the men at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Both games will be at Meehan Auditorium. The PC men and women are defending champions. On Saturday, the Brown men will host American International College, which currently holds the unfortunate distinction of being the worst Division I men's team in the nation. The Yellowjackets, who play in the Atlantic Hockey conference, are 0-11 after going 6-21-5 last season. Of course, that doesn't make them bad people. Last weekend, two players helped rescue six people from a burning house in Springfield, Mass. Read about it here. Which is the worst D-1 women's team in the U.S.? We take no pleasure in pointing this out, but right now it's probably Brown, which is 0-9 and was embarrassed by Harvard (8-1) and Dartmouth (5-1) at home last weekend. Yes, the Bears play in a very tough league and have lost five one-goal games. Digit Murphy's record at Brown is 291-160-41, so if anyone can turn it around, she can. But there's no way to sugarcoat zero for nine. ------- The University of Rhode Island club team will undoubtedly fall out of the number-two slot in the next ACHA poll, which comes out on Dec. 1, after losing twice to Penn State last weekend. The Rams host Worcester State of the D-III ECAC Northeast league on Saturday night at 7. Former Mount St. Charles standout Nathan Perreault of Smithfield is a junior assistant captain for Worcester State. ------- News on former Bruins coaches: ESPN.com says that Don Cherry is the biggest mouth in sports. Pat Burns says he's healthy and wants to coach again. Here's the story.
November 16
The Bruins recalled Yan Stastny from Providence this morning for tonight's game with Toronto, possibly to fill in for Brad Boyes, who was hurt Wednesday night. ------- The weekend's best matchup on ice in these parts won't take place at the Dunk, Schneider Arena or Meehan Auditorium, but at the Boss Arena in Kingston. The defending national club champion University of Rhode Island Rams will host Penn State Friday and Saturday night at 7 o'clock. It's a rematch of last season's ACHA championship game. In the most recent ACHA poll, URI was ranked second in the country behind Illinois, while Penn State was third. Coach Joe Augustine is in his 16th year at URI; first-year Penn State coach Scott Balboni played defense for Providence College from 1992 to 96. --------
November 15
Click here for Mayer's career stats. Cook played and coached for the Reds. Click here for his stats. A few random thoughts as the NHL season nears the one-quarter pole: Columbus fired coach Gerard Gallant the other day. What I want to know is how does president and GM Doug MacLean keep his job? This is the Jackets' sixth season. They've never made the playoffs. Is coaching really the problem? --------- Jeremy Roenick, one of the all-time greatest American hockey players, was a joy to behold in his prime. It's sad to watch him these days. He has a goal and three assists in 17 games for the Coyotes. Not nearly enough for the $1.2 million he's making this year. --------- How's this for a trade that didn't work out for either team. Chicago swapped Kyle Calder to Philadelphia for Michael Handzus. Handzus is out for the season with a knee injury. Calder has zero goals and is minus 14. And the Flyers are paying him $2.95 million. --------
November 10
The hit by Edmonton's Raffi Torres' on Detroit's Justin Williams on Wednesday night is generating a lot on talk in NHL circles. Click here to see the hit youtube Bobby Orr and others have some interesting things to say about both the Torres' hit and hitting in the game today. Click here to see it:
Something to think about on Veterans' Day: Bruins stars Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart gave up three years in the prime of their hockey careers to fight for Canada in World War II. ------- Patrick Roy and Dick Duff will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Monday night. There's no doubt that Roy belongs, but does Duff? He had a fine career, no question. Duff was a very good player on some excellent Toronto and Montreal teams. In 17 NHL seasons, he won six Stanley Cups. He scored over 20 goals in a season five times. In the six-team NHL of the 50's and 60's, that meant something. The Hall of Fame is for great players. Very good isn't good enough. There's more to hockey than goals and assists, but how can anyone can make the case that Duff's numbers click here are Hall of Fame caliber? I wonder if there might not be a bit of Canadian bias at work here, since Duff had his best years in Canada's two biggest cities. Which brings me to another point. If Duff is in, then there's just no way that you can keep Rick Middleton out. Take a look at Middleton's numbers. Yes, he played in an NHL that had been watered down by expansion. But he was a far superior player to Duff. For a few years in the early 1980’s, Middleton was a great player, one of the very best right wings in the league. The same cannot be said of Duff.
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November 8
Mats Sundin, the Toronto Maple Leafs captain and leading scorer, won't be in the lineup Thursday when the Leafs visit the Bruins. Toronto GM John Ferguson says that Sundin, 36, tore a ligament in his right elbow Monday night against Philadelphia and will miss three to four weeks.
November 7
By Mark Divver If you are a Bruins fan, today's a good day to raise a glass to Harry Sinden.
At the time of the trade, the Big Bad Bruins of the early 1970s were fading fast. By trading a megastar such as Espo, Sinden rocked a stagnant team out of its lethargy, and brought in two Hall of Fame talents in Park and Ratelle. The deal helped to set the stage for some great years under Don Cherry in the last 1970s. Salute, Harry.
University of Rhode Island coach Joe Augustine and four of his players have been selected to play in the 2007 Winter World University Games, to be held in Torino, Italy, Jan 17-27, 2007. The players are defenseman Jon Biliouris of North Smithfield, forwards Mike Curran of Devon, Pa., and Scot Eberenz of Springfield, N.J. and goalie Anthony Feyock of Johnstown, Pa., last season's American Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year. Augustine will serve as assistant coach.
Hockey correspondent extraordinaire Dan Hickling can: Jay Leach, Joe Hulbig, Mike and Drew Omicioli, Hall Gill, Jeff Serowik, Peter Taglianetti, Jason Ialongo and Mike Mader.
November 3
By Mark Divver I caught only the final 10 minutes of last night's Bruins debacle. I don't want to hear about how well they played for the first 50 minutes. They have two No. 2 goalies, but no No. 1; a popgun power play; and a pair of defensemen (York and Dempsey) who don't belong in the league. Realistically, management has been digging this hole for years. The most cynical fans (click here) might say the first shovel of dirt was turned the day Jeremy Jacobs bought the team. It's going to take time -- years, not months -- to climb out. Is there anything to look forward to? Any reason for hope? There's always next year's draft. A young center named Angelo Esposito from the Quebec Remparts is currently ranked in the top five prospects. Based on what I've seen so far, it's not out of the realm of possibility to think the Bruins might finish low enough to pick him. ------- I envy Pittsburgh Penguins fans. They've suffered for years, but now something special is happening there. The Pens' corps of great young players is inviting comparisons to the Wayne Gretzky-led group that the Edmonton Oilers assembled in the early 1980s. Realistically, the Pens are at least a couple of years away from being legitimate contenders, but watching them try to get there is sure going to be fun. I read one hockey writer recently who said that watching Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin this year is like watching John Lennon and Paul McCartney just before the Beatles hit it big. That's an apt description. --------
November 1
Is there a hockey fan -- Bruin or otherwise -- who doesn't love Slapshot? While there were no Bruins in the 1977 comedy classic (though Eddie Shore and Dit Clapper are mentioned), it's fairly well known that a former Rhode Island Red -- Dave Hanson -- played an unforgettable role as one of the three brawling Hanson brothers. But a second ex-Red, Connie Madigan, also had a memorable part in the fictional tale of player-coach Reg Dunlop (Paul Newman) and his struggling minor league hockey team, the Charlestown Chiefs.
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