Hub Hockey

Bruins Trade Train Approaching?

"Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli told WEEI.com that "there's a better than 50 percent chance" that the B's will execute a trade prior to the beginning of the NHL season on Oct. 9. The Bruins have a surplus of forwards on their roster and a need for a top-flight, puck-moving defenseman as they enter the final 10 days of training camp, but the Bruins GM preferred a move that will give his hockey club a bit more cap flexibility. The cap is $56.7 million and the B's are currently in the neighborhood of $500,000 under the limit for the 2008-09 season. Forwards Peter Schaeffer and P.J. Axelsson have been mentioned in previous reports as potential trade bait that could provide salary cap relief for the Bruins. "I'd say there's a better than 50 percent. I'd like to get some cap flexibility going into the year and have the ability to add on in another part of the year when I've seen how the team is going. It's just nice to have cap flexibility," said Chiarelli. "The first part of camp is over now and teams have already evaluated the younger guys. Teams are trimming down to 28 or 29 guys, so now they'll be tinkering with their team and truly seeing what they have. The same way that we see that we have a need or two, other teams are [seeing] the same thing. There should be some [roster] juggling." -Joe Haggerty of WEEI

Hopefully, this doesn't mean the end of the Phil Kessel era in Boston. I've had a bad feeling about this the closer and closer training camp creeped. And now that the season is almost here, I've raised my threat level to red. Kessel has struggled and hasn't met expectations thus far, but I see a lot in him still. I just don't want to watch the Bruins trade away a future star in the league for a "quick fix".

Though this could be simply a move to free up some cap space, in which the B's lack. But I don't see the Bruins making a small move, and see them going big or going home. They have been talking about picking up a Top-5 defenseman for almost two years now, to pair with Chara? But I guess time will tell and I will try to keep you guys as up to date on this situation as possible.

NESN Quick Hits

Need something to pass the time until the Bruins are back? Well NESN has your fix for the next week and a half. Check out some classic Bruins match ups that will be sure to bring back some memories and even pump you up for their 2008-2009 campaign.

October 1st (Wednesday)
10:30 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #15
Adam Oates Scores 4 Goals vs. Florida (12/14/95)
11:30 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #16
Bruins Score 5 Goals Off Habs Goalie to Win Series (4/29/94)

October 2nd (Thursday)
6:30 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #13
2 Late Goals Equals Bruins Win vs. the Kings (10/18/03)

October 6th (Monday)
1:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #1
Boston Wins 1st Playoff Series Over Canadiens Since 1943 (4/26/88)
2:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #2
Cam Neely Scores Goals#49 & #50 of Season vs. Washington (3/7/94)
3:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #3
Bruins Win Game 7 of Wales Conference Finals vs. the Devils (5/14/88)
4:00 PM BOSTON BRUINS HOCKEY
Bruins in 2: Best of 2007 vs. Buffalo (11/1/07)
6:00 PM BOSTON BRUINS HOCKEY
Bruins in 2: Best of 2007 vs. Philadelphia (1/12/08)
8:00 PM BOSTON BRUINS HOCKEY
Bruins in 2: Best of 2007 vs. Philadelphia (3/15/08)

October 7th (Tuesday)
6:00 PM BOSTON BRUINS HOCKEY
Bruins in 2: Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs vs. Montreal (4/19/08)
8:00 PM BRICKS BRUINS PREVIEW (NEW)
8:30 PM CELEBRITY SPOTLIGHT: RAY BOURQUE GOLF CLASSIC (NEW)
9:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #13
2 Late Goals Equals Bruins Win vs. the Kings (10/18/03)

October 8th (Wednesday)
1:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #17
Adam Oates GWG vs. Sabres (4/21/92)
2:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #16
Bruins Score 5 Goals Off Habs Goalie to Win Series (4/29/94)
3:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #15
Adam Oates Scores 4 Goals vs. Florida (12/14/95)
4:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #14
Van Impe's 2nd Goal Wins It In OT vs. Washington (4/24/98)
6:30 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #13
2 Late Goals Equals Bruins Win vs. the Kings (10/18/03)
7:30 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #11
Bergy Wins It In OT vs. Montreal (4/9/04)
8:30 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #10
Kessel's 1st Career SO Goal vs. Tampa Bay (11/30/06)

October 9th (Thursday)
1:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #3
Bruins Win Game 7 of Wales Conference Finals vs. the Devils (5/14/88)
2:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #5
Bruins Have Huge Comeback vs. the Canadiens (11/16/89)
3:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #6
Huge Bruins Style Brawl vs. Washington (11/21/98)
4:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #7
Bruins Advance to Adam's Division Finals vs. Hartford (4/17/90)
6:00 PM BRUINS CLASSICS #1
Boston Wins 1st Playoff Series Over Canadiens Since 1943 (4/26/88)
7:30 PM BOSTON BRUINS HOCKEY
Bruins in 2: Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs vs. Montreal (4/19/08)

Nifty Whores Himself Out AGAIN!

Boston Bruins Pub Crawl

"Anthem is excited to announce its next Bruins Pub Crawl! Come enjoy the game versus the Buffalo Sabres with some added fun provided by Anthem Entertainment. Mingle with former players (Anthem was pleased to have Bob Sweeney at the last crawl), and bar hop to three of Boston's best bars. Game tickets are included in both ticket tiers and there will be no cover, no lines, and no waiting at any of the bars!" -Anthem Press Release

This sounds pretty interesting. They offer three different set of ticket options each offering different options. I might actually make it out to this, sounds like a good time all around. Beers, Bruins, and beer? What could go wrong?

Worst Goal Song Ever

Simply the Canadiens have outdone themselves once again, and made the Bell Centre just that much more of a gay pride rally. I guess the way to celebrate 100 years of hockey history is with pop-punk? Can't wait until next season when the Habs release their 2009-2010 goal song.

Habs 2008-2009 Goal Song

Fucking Right They Are..

The Andy Brickly and Jack Edwards years will live on. NESN announced late last week that the two Bruins broadcasters have agreed on new multi-year contract extensions. I personally love these two (not the type of love between a man and a woman though, but the type two man friends have). Hopefully, they can lighten up Bruins telecasts for years to come with more great television moments.

Ice Cream & Autographs

"The Boston Bruins, in conjunction with Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, are hosting a meet and greet session with the Black & Gold, Monday night, September 29th at the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory (1281 Waterbury-Stowe Road, off of Rte. 100), Vermont beginning at 8 p.m.

The Bruins, who are in northern Vermont during the second half of their 2008 Training Camp would like to repay the hospitality of the people in Northern New England by hosting this unique event and are looking forward to meeting as many fans as possible.

It is expected that the entire roster will participate. Admission is free." -Official Press Release

The (Stub)Hub Of Hockey

This Saturday is the last preseason game left at the Garden before Opening Night, and we want it to be a full house. The Bruins will be facing off against the NY Islanders in which will sure to be a fast paced tune up game for both squads right before the season begins. So how much would you pay to see a game like this? How does SIX DOLLARS sound? That's right, over at StubHub tickets are currently going for as low as $6 for a balcony seat. So now there is no more excuses about ticket prices, because that is as low as you will see a ticket price to see high paced hockey in the NHL, preseason or not. So get off your asses and plan on a Saturday trip down to the Garden.

Stanley Cup of "Champions"

Hey Hub, I'd love to sit here and exchange hello's but a Hub Hockey affiliate of sorts, Stanley Cup of Chowder, needs our help. If you haven't already checked it out, Stanley Cup of Chowder is a great Bruins blog that doesn't limit themselves just to one team or sport, covering a wide range of stories. They even covered a few Olympic events over a month ago. Yeah, maybe it was the "speed walking" finals and yes they did take place at 2AM AND okay maybe there was some live updated event blogging too, but still they did it for us.

But seriously, the site is run by a great B's fan named Evan and he has been selected this week to compete in a competition over at Hugging Harold Reynolds. This competition is a sure thing to bring in some new readers to his blog and give us Bruins bloggers a bit of a better name. And all I am asking for is a simple and quick vote from you guys. I'm telling you though, you'll be thinking Deadspin meets Barstool Sports when you read his "creations". And even if then you still don't like his posts, than at least vote in honor of all the Glen Murray's in the world who must overcome even when all odd's are stacked against them. VOTE OR DIE! (well you won't really die, but I bet you will feel really bad about yourelf for a few minutes... seconds).

"I have been selected to compete in the latest round of Hugging Harold Reynolds' prestigious Iron Ref competition. The concept of Iron Ref is simple. Each contestant must write a 150-300 word post about a common theme or "secret ingredient". This week I will be competing against Awful Announcing and Real Clear Sports, two very well established blogs. Clearly, I am the underdog in this one. That is why I am going to need your help. Starting Wednesday, my post along with the others will be up at Hugging Harold Reynolds. I would greatly appreciate it if you could vote for my post by leaving a comment saying how great my post was (if you liked it)." -Stanley Cup of Chowder

Providence Bound

"Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that ten players have been released from the club’s training camp.

Mike Egener and Ryan Stokes have been placed on waivers, and if they clear waivers, will be assigned to the Providence Bruins (AHL).

Andrew Bodnarchuk, Zach Hamill, Mikko Lehtonen, Brad Marchand, Matt Marquardt, Adam McQuaid and Kevin Regan have been assigned to Providence.

Unsigned draft choice Jordan Knackstedt has been released from Boston’s camp and will join Providence’s camp.

The remaining 34 players in Bruins camp will take on the Washington Capitals in preseason action today at the TD Banknorth Garden at 4:00 p.m. ET." -Press Release

UPDATE (8:35PM):

"Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli has announced that three additional players have been released from the club’s training camp.

Defenseman Johnny Boychuk has been placed on waivers, and if he clears waivers, he will be assigned to the Providence Bruins (AHL).

Additionally, right-wingers Byron Bitz and Martins Karsums have been assigned to Providence.

The remaining 31 players in Bruins camp will depart for Stowe, Vermont tomorrow, where they will spend three days practicing and taking part in team building exercises." -Press Release

B's vs. Capitals (Preseason: Game Five)

Preseason: Game Five
September 27th, 2008

	1	2	3	F
Boston Bruins	2	0	1	3
Washington Capitals	2	1	1	4

(credit: AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

The "Other" Bourque Leads To A Bruins Loss
The Wheels Keep Rolling As Wheeler Scores
Thomas Still Looking Rusty In Between The Pipes
Bruins PP Stands For Piss Poor Tonight
The Garden Atmosphere Already In Mid-Season Form

Oshawa Generals To Retire Orr's Number

"The Oshawa Generals are pleased to announce that the No. 2 jersey made famous in Oshawa by legendary hockey great Bobby Orr will be officially retired and raised to the rafters at the General Motors Centre on Thursday, November 27." - Official Release

It's good to see that the General's will finally honor one of hockey's greatest players, if not the greatest (that's a discussion for another time). Orr only played four years for the Generals but helped the team caputre the OHL championship in 1966.

Preseason Game Three Highlights

Now this really bothers me. If NESN made the trip down to Halifax, NS to tape highlights and post-game interviews then why not just broadcast the game? Even on tape delay would be fine, just give the fans what they want. Thank god we have Bish (from the Bear Essentials) and Fluto (from the Bruins Blog) who have given us live play-by-play recaps during each game thus far.

Lil Wayne's New Tattoo

Rapper Lil Wayne recently got his own blog over at ESPN.com and shared some interesting information with the readers this week:

Besides the Packers, my favorite teams are the Red Sox, the Lakers and the Boston Bruins. I also love tennis. -Lil Wayne

Could it be? Does Lil Wayne wear black & gold with pride? If so, then I guess its only fitting that the one celebrity that follows the team has to be the same guy who believes in aliens and is bat ass crazy. It's only a matter of time til we see him with the tattoo pictured above.

B's vs. Wings (Preseason: Game Four)

	1	2	3	F
Boston Bruins	1	0	1	2
Detroit Red Wings	0	0	1	1

(credit: AP Photo/Jerry S. Mendoza)

Bruins Get Revenge, Defeat Wings 2-1
Ryder Scores First Goal As A Bruin
B's Continue Hard Hitting Preseason Play
Rask Has Another Strong Performance, Makes 24 Saves

B's vs. Wings (Preseason: Game Three)

	1	2	3	F
Boston Bruins	1	1	1	3
Detroit Red Wings	2	0	2	4

(credit: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Mike Dembeck)

Former Bruin Brad Stuart Helps Boston Remember His Name With GWG
Wheeler Continues His Breakout Preaseaon Performance
No Reich: Jeremy Reich Was The Bruins Number One Star
Thomas Shaky In The First But Eventually Settles In

Maxime Suave Makes The Cut List

"Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that forward Maxime Sauve has been released from the club’s training camp. Sauve will join his junior club Val d'Or of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The 18-year-old native of Boisbriand, Quebec was the Bruins second round pick (47th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Sauve made his Bruins preseason debut Tuesday night during Boston's 2-1 overtime loss to the New York Islanders.

44 players now remain in Bruins Training Camp."

Hub Hockey Opinion: Suave had a good showing during the informal workouts and official training camp this spring, though was not expected to make the B's final roster. Overall, this was basically a learning experience for a young prospect in order for the coaching staff to evaluate his play and let him now what they expect from him in the future. Still though, Suave brought his game to both the camp and first few preseason games and showed the coaching staff what he could do, mainly his breakout speed and intensity. We should be seeing some good things from this kid in the future so keep your eyes pealed.

Ference/Thornton on the "Diving Dames"

I saw this quote on the Bruins Blog featuring Andrew Ference following the Bruins slaughtering of the Habs on Monday night. Ference received an instigator penalty after his beat down of Andrei Kostitsyn. The fight started after Kostitsyn threw a high hit when the game started getting chippy. I love the how this rivalry will never die.

"He's dirty," Ference said of Kostitsyn. "That's the time to take care of plays like that. You want to take care of it during the season, but that stupid instigator penalty is in effect. That's a perfect example of why that rule should be abolished. It's way more dangerous to be hitting like that than to be fighting. It's not the first time he's done something like that. You can't let guys play like that. And he's not going to square off against you. That's going to be an instigator penalty 99 percent of the time. I'm lucky. I'm a small enough guy that I can go after guys like that. A big guy can't run around, chase him down, and pound on him. But it's going to be an instigator penalty even if he does hit me in the head or my teammate from behind, and I'm still going to get the extra. So it's stupid." - Andrew Ference

This coming hours after Bruins enforcer Shawn Thornton dropped this sweet one-liner to Fluto during the mornings sessions before the Bruins/Habs game.

"...I've gotta go run some little French guys over." -Shawn Thornton

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Thank you to everyone who has been supporting Hub Hockey and buying our shirts. Also, the Hub Hockey Brand contest is still going on and we have had a great turnout of fans trying to win grand prize so far. Remember the contest runs up until October 24th and for more details, check on the banner in the top right column.

Jacobs On WEEI's "Dale & Holley Show"

Jeremy Jacobs joined the Dale & Holley Show, featuring former Bruins play-by-play announcer Dale Arnold, yesterday afternoon to take part in their "Owner's Series" on the radio station WEEI. The interview ran a little over 25 minutes and nothing new was really discussed but still I feel like I need to share this with all TRUE Bruins fans. This really raises my respect for good ol' JJ and once again proves to me that WEEI and all their radio personalities are the worst things to happen to sports since Hitler ran the 1936 Olympics.