Players_02BRUINS.jpg
Viewed:
3,786
The new Big Bad Bruins: Shawn Thornton, Blake Wheeler, Milan Lucic, and Shane Hnidy.
Recently, in a local neighborhood pizza place, we overheard the kid behind the counter and his Greek-immigrant dad screaming with barely contained blood lust at the TV. The Bruins’ gargantuan defenseman Zdeno Chara was whaling on some hapless Tampa Bay Lightning right winger, and it was a glorious thing to behold. It’s been quite a while since the Bruins have had people gathering around television screens and strutting down Boston sidewalks proudly bedecked in black and gold. The Bruins don’t just brawl anymore — they play great hockey. And for that, you can thank Chara, the captain, and players such as left winger Milan Lucic, right winger Blake Wheeler, defenseman Shane Hnidy, and enforcer Shawn Thornton. There have been stumbles along the way, but this squad of gutsy gamers has had a hell of a season so far (as of this writing, they’ve already clinched the Eastern Conference championship) and re-lit the spark of a legendary franchise that had fallen on hard times. Whatever comes next, it’s clear: the Big Bad Bruins are back.
