Projo Bruins Blog

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.

---