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