This was a great game on a cold and blustery Tuesday night in Winnipeg. It had everything a fan wants, shots (75 in total), hits (good and cheap) saves (spectacular by both goalies) and energy. The MTS Centre may have never been as alive as it was tonight even for the opening game of the season. In the end the Jets win their third in a row at home to extend the home winning a streak and move one game above the tell-all .500 mark.
The story in this game will be the saves and play by Tuukka Rask and Ondrej Pavelec but what should be talked about is the dirty, disgusting play from the Bruins. This team is far too talented for the cheap actions and bravado they bring to the ice so frequently it now seems. Tonight on two occasions different Bruins defense faked skating for the puck my moving their feet and waving arms yet going nowhere. The result was two late game face-offs in the Jets end on bogus icing calls. But no one on the officials seems to care.
I would suspect that Mr. Krejci will be having a chat with the Sheriff, Brendan Shanahan but I won’t hold my breath. For those who did not see it look below:
It’s dirtier than a midget threesome in a Vegas cathouse. But no call if you can believe it and this is where the Bruins lose me. They were the better team last year and deserved their Stanley Cup win but they get away with everything. Brad ‘6 Punch’ Marchand
who I though gets no call against him in the finals (I am now corrected). Thomas body checks a Canuck, with no puck, for blatant interference and no call. Lucic pounds Miller, no subsequent discilpline. Chara slams a guy’s head into a glass-supporting stanchion and no call. What is it about the Bruins which make them play dirtier than the 70s Flyers yet get away with it? When looked at over the course of the last year it’s a shocking amount of leniency for the team and it’s players.
Mark Recchi needs to start thinking about some other things to say about his own teammates before he looks at others to criticize. I guess every team needs a mouthpiece former player to speak for them so as no one on the payroll gets fined.
What can’t be questioned is the heart and passion the Jets and their fans showed tonight. Claude Noel said this post game about the crowd “People want to be in the games, they want to be on the bench, there’s a lot of emotion”. And it works both ways.
Before the season many thought the MTS Centre might be a tough place to play due to size and the fact that it is an intimate building. Recently the fans have taken the home ice venue to a new level and the Bruins felt it tonight. They didn’t quiver or back down, they just cheated but that’s par for the course with them I think. The home team rose with the crowd and after Little took the puck off after a turnover and rushed up the ice with Ladd for a odd-man break to score the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Not just after the goal but enough to slow the play and make the officials wait as it was being announced. A standing ovation, in a 2-1 game, that was far from being complete, now that is passion.
I certainly expect lots of feedback from Bruins fans about my comments but what we saw tonight was undeniable- it’s fact, it’s on tape and it is there to witness. You may not like my assessment of the team nor my comments and I don’t blame you. What makes me sad is the team is too good for that stuff but what makes me sadder is the officials can’t even seem to stop it.
Enjoy the day!
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