The B's are Back in Town: The 2009 NHL Playoffs

Playoff time

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, hockey fans and not hockey fans. The time has come for the other spring time event, the NHL playoffs. This one looks to be as good as any of the previous one because none other than our very own Boston Bruins are not only in it but at the very top of the Eastern Conference mountain.

Only one can survive

As most that are familiar with the 16 team playoff format there are 15 other teams vying for the chance to play for Lord Stanley's Cup along with the Bruins. This year however the B's have shown tremendous skill with getting the puck in the net and stopping the other team from scoring. The basics of most competitive sports are covered right there. If you score more than your opponent you will win. But with the Bruins this year it has been much more than that.

They excelled this season, especially with Tim Thomas in net. He has posted a .933 save percentage nearing the end of the season. The scoring for the team has also shown that the 'team-first'  aspect of the New England sports franchises has not gotten lost on their hockey counterparts. The scoring and assists have been spread throughout the entire team. There are six players that have 20 or more goals already and there are at least 12 players that have 20 or more assists. It has been an all around group effort for a team that looks ready to take on anyone in the postseason.

...and we'll get it

Who wants a duck boat ride

Now I'm not the biggest hockey nut on this planet but I do enjoy watching occasionally. My few experiences with the Bruins have been a couple trips to Montreal in April where the Bruins faced the Canadiens, in the playoffs no less. Now even the most fair-weather fan can get sucked into the atmosphere of the playoffs and that excitement is brewing this season among Bruins fans everywhere. I'm rooting for the Bruins to pull off this championship for selfish reasons. We need another parade in Boston, not just any parade but one for the Bruins. The last time the Stanley Cup was shown off in Boston was when Ray Bourque brought it to City Hall Plaza in 2001, as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.

Is that selfish for wanting that to happen? Yes. Does it bother me to be that selfish of a fan? No. Who doesn't love seeing the Duck Boats riding around the city with another championship team from Boston on it? That's a rhetorical question for anyone who lives in New Enlgand or loves our teams. Who doesn't love seeing a smile so wide it looks like it hurts on a grown man's face, his eyes filling with tears, the pride about ready to explode from inside? 

That sense of joy and fulfillment can never be duplicated and will never be lost in any one's memory. That moment is cherished by everyone involved, I know from experience. When I went to my first Patriots celebration and when I was around for the Red Sox' first celebration. It is a moment that can't be explained and why wouldn't I wish that for a group of guys that have worked so hard to reach that goal, a group that has come together and breathed life back into a dying collection of fans.

I will never get tired of seeing it and I will never care if anyone else begins to despise us, as a fan base, for it.  The Bruins are due to come through and make a strong run in the playoffs this year. They are due to break this string of mediocrity. They are due to bring a nation of fans that have sat dormant for so many years alive again. They have not won the Stanley Cup since the 1971-1972 season. They are due.

Thanks to meglet127 for the picture.