Patrice Bergeron teaching Jordan Caron the finer points of taking faceoffs - a critical, yet overlooked, part of playing a winning game. (Photo: Stephanie Vail)
What seems like years have passed since the Bruins were a winning team. In that time, I – like most other fans, I’m sure – have evaluated every possible explanation for this nightmare. How did it go from being so perfect, to being almost irreparable?
Do the answers lie in the numbers on the stat sheets? The video replays? The players themselves? Or is it something we can’t see – something wrong inside the locker room? A problem that can be traced back in time? Or something even deeper? Or maybe something far simpler and more obvious? If the answer is a little bit of everything, doesn’t it seem more impossible to overcome? Searching for answers doesn’t yield solutions. We can only sit and helplessly wait for the results.
When rendered helpless, I like to pretend I can put myself to good use. This is my feeble attempt to make sense of the situation and shed some light, as dim as it may be. I go into uncharted territories, personally, by exploring advanced statistics and the many different types, uses, and even practices in the NHL.
A Cup A Bruin 