I don’t want to use the ‘H’ word anymore. Never liked hearing it about anything, so why should I say it?
But if I ever let it slip out again, it will probably be during a hockey game when the Boston Bruins are involved. Oh, the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Steelers and Penguins, and LeBron could force me to break my vow some day, but nothing in sports gets me more steamed than a Bruins victory.
What are the roots of my disdain? Two words: Hartford Whalers.
Once the Whalers joined the NHL via the WHA in 1979, the Bruins’ snobbery was evident and GM Harry Sinden was their arrogant leader.
Nothing the players, coaches or GMs could do would be worse than the fans though. They would buy their tickets before the season and slide down from Boston to make Whalers’ fans life hell. I didn’t like going to Whalers-Bruins game at the Hartford Civic Center -- The Mall -- because I didn’t want to deal with those nasty fans. They acted like they owned the place and the Whalers’ failures in big spots would only add to the misery when the Bruins were in town.
There was the day Ron Francis was traded to Pittsburgh by Eddie Johnston, who later worked for the Penguins. Or was that Herman Munster? There was the day the Whalers announced they were leaving town, when the staff, politicians around then-governor John Rowland inexplicably clapped after his farewell-to-the-Whale speech. There was the day Claude Lemieux went top shelf on Mike Liut in Game 7 in 1986. There was the day Yvon Corriveau missed the net on a breakaway in OT and Russ Courtnall scored the winner in Game 7 in 1992, with a puck that I heard Whalers goalie Frank Pietrangelo claimed went under the ice at the Forum. There was even that Ray Bourque goal from 160 feet on Kay Whitmore.
But there was no worse day in Whalers’ history than April 11, 1990. The Whalers had the Bruins down two games to one in the first-round playoff series and a 5-2 lead entering the third period at home. The Mall was rocking. Heck, Bourque was injured and not in the lineup. But somehow, some way, the Whale lost the lead and the game, 6-5. Bobby “freaking” Beers scored on Peter Sidorkiewicz. The Bruins won in seven games. Walking out of the Mall that night was the worst experience I have ever had at a sporting event or even watching. It was far worse than Christian Laettner’s double-pump jumper to beat UConn in the East Regional final just a few weeks earlier. Bruins fans were in our faces the whole way out. It was the best half hour of self restraint I have ever accomplished.
Then there were the announcers. Fred Cusick’s tone was always annoying to hear. Derek Sanderson had some funny things to say at times, but was mostly sarcastic. “Coulda called [the penalty], chose not to,” Sanderson would say when someone touched a Bruins player. Jack Edwards, well, anyone that’s heard him knows how over-the-top he can be. I do have to give Jack credit for his comments last year on the hockey fan base in Tampa being good. His partner Andy Brickley, in my opinion, can be unprofessional at times. His analysis that the Lightning were consistently diving in a late regular-season game against his Bruins last season was about as far out of line as I’ve heard an analyst be.
Sure, I have some friends that were and still are Bruins fans. They are not all bad. But I have been around a lot of fan bases in my day and, as a whole, there has never been one that had more mean-spirited people. Whalers’ fans took a lot of abuse for no reason.
That is why I was very upset at what I saw at the end Game 4 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Flyers and Bruins last May. In the final minute, with the Bruins fans celebrating the end of the series, there was a fan with two hands in the air slapping the glass with approval. He was wearing a Whalers sweater. That had me upset for a week. There is no way in the world someone who was a true Whalers fan could become a Bruins fan. And, even if they did, that person cannot wear a Whalers jersey to a Bruins game and cheer for them. It’s just wrong.
This year’s Bruins team was also very easy to dislike. Nathan Horton, Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic continually got away with stuff after the whistle. I really have no idea what Horton’s problem is? Claude Julien showing his displeasure to the referees after Lucic was penalized for sucker-punching Victor Hedman, too. What was that all about? Heck, he should have been suspended. But Colin Campbell…..Well, I won’t go there.
So, I will go on “disliking” the Bruins. Maybe you will say I am unreasonable. That’s fine. But if you lived through those days in the late 80s and early 90s around Bruins fans, you would likely feel the same way.
You go Shanny: I am quickly becoming a fan of Brendan Shanahan in his new role as NHL disciplinarian, suspending players for unnecessary hits. He has been swift, clear and tough, enforcing the rules. Let’s hope he does not stop in the regular season and the NHLPA realizes that it is good for the players and keeps quiet.
The NHL will not lose any of its toughness with longer suspensions for dirty, clumsy hits. Hopefully, players will learn how to target the hip and the shoulder again or think before they make a run at a defense-less player. It’s a fast game and mistakes are made, but players and coaches have to be more responsible or we could have a tragedy on the ice. It is a physical game and can still be rough and tumble when the headhunters are reformed or taken out of the game. There is no need to get rid of fighting either. Just zap the instigator rule Mr. Bettman.
Keep up the good work Shanny.
Previews: I will preview the season early next week. My plan is to do the Western Conference Monday, the Atlantic and Northeast divisions Tuesday and Wednesday and the Bolts Thursday.
Mark Pukalo
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