Hockey is back in Boston

Can this really be happening?

The Boston Bruins - yes, the hockey team - are once again a relevant part of the Boston sports scene. Following their 7-2 trouncing of the Isles yesterday, the black and gold are second in the Eastern Conference with 34 points, two points the behind conference-leading Rangers. (The Rangers have also played three more games than the B's.)

This Bruins team may be the most exciting to watch in my lifetime, thanks in large part to hard-hitting 20 year-old Milan Lucic, the kind of player who you love if he's on your team, hate him if he's going up against you. (I will avoid the dirty hit discussion, at least for today.)

Another key to this Bruins season is that these B's don't seem to be rattled by the hated Rouge, Blanc, et Bleu. Through the first three games of the season series, the Bruins lead two games to one, outscoring the Habs 12-7, and winning at the Bell Centre. I would be getting way ahead of myself to say that Boston has Montreal's number, but at the very least, this year's Bruins have shown that coming out of Montreal with two points is not impossible.

The B's have a huge task tonight at the Garden, when they take on the defending champion Detroit Red Wings. A Bruins win would show many of the doubters in the hockey world that Boston is back in the discussion of legitimate NHL contenders, truly a great step for this once-proud Original Six team.

- MTM

Branching Out

First off, I would like to apologize for my two-month hiatus. A combination of a very hectic first semester of college coupled with a bevy of computer issues has prevented me from working on this little pet project of mine.

Anyways, with the first two-thirds of this blog's title - The Sox and Mets - done playing until the spring (there is no off-season in baseball, I'll get to that later), the focus of this blog will turn to the NFL, NBA, NHL, and college sports. I will certainly be talking about the baseball hot stove season, but with the Patriots currently leading the AFC East sans-Tom Brady (how the heck is that happening?), the Celtics and Bruins both beginning promising 2008-09 campaigns, an exciting finish to the college football season, and the start of the NCAA basketball season, I will have plenty to talk about.

I'll also rant about being subjected to entire broadcasts of Knicks games courtesy of my roommate (considered cruel and unusual punishment outside of the Tri-State Area), why I hate the BCS, Duke, and the New York Giants, and the fact that my beloved South Carolina Gamecocks can't ever seem to do anything right.

It should be a fun winter in the world of sports. Hope to have you along for the ride.

-MTM