Bleacher Report - Articles by Ian Bonaparte

For the Sake of Boston, Please, Chiarelli, Don't Pull Any Trigger

Ian Bonaparte — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:31:18 -0500

These rumors surrounding Boston and the trade deadline need to stop!

Why? Why are the rumors popping up? The Bruins are sitting (quite comfortably) atop the Eastern Conference standings. In their past two games they've outscored opponents 12-1, including a Tim Thomas 6-0 shutout versus the Anaheim Ducks.

Young talent? The Bruins have it. Milan Lucic, Blake Wheeler, Phil Kessel, David Krejci, and a handful of players hopping up and down between Providence and Boston.

Experience? The Bruins have that, too. Stephan Yelle, Shawn Thornton, and Aaron Ward, all led by the tall and all-mighty Zdeno Chara. That's more than a team could ask for, especially a team like Boston who is out-performing themselves and exceeding everyone's (including their own) expectations.

Prospects? You betcha! Tuuka Rask, who is 1-0-0 this season in the NHL with a 1.000 SV% and a 0.00 GAA with one SO against the NY Rangers.

Zach Hamill, Wacey Rabbit, Matt Lashoff, all of these players are currently serving Providence, who, by the way, are first in their division posting a 34-21-2-2 record. (The AHL has separate categories for SO losses and OT losses).

Offense? Do I really need to include this? Of course I do! The Bruins are playing with four 20 goal scorers (Savard, Krejci, Kessel, and Ryder) and as a team, are second in the NHL with 212 goals scored, only trailing the Red Wings (234 goals scored). Oh yeah, and I think I heard somewhere they've scored 12 goals in the last two games.

Defense? Check! The Bruins are playing with the top three +/- leaders (Krejci, Wheeler, Wideman). Of course the bigger names like Big-Z, Aaron Ward, and Dennis Wideman stand tall on the Bruins blue line, but I'm impressed with

Andrew Ference. He shows great loyalty to the team .He broke his leg blocking a shot in a 6-1 win against Montreal, November 13, 2008, he even fought Crosby!

Yep, the Bruins are number one when it comes to goals allowed, too, with only 138 pucks getting by Thomas and Fernandez.

Did someone say Thomas and Fernandez? Two of the top goalies statistically in the NHL? Thomas is stunning with a remarkable 2.01 GAA and Manny is posting a 2.24. Oh, and have you heard of this young kid they have, Tuuka Rask? I hear he's good...

See any holes in this team? I can't find any...maybe I'm not looking hard enough. They've shown heart, passion and a fight inside of them that screams with a 'never give up' attitude, and with two dominant victories in the past week, it doesn't look like they plan on dropping that attitude any time soon.

So, next time I hear rumors of prospects, draft picks, and players like Kessel leaving the Bruins to acquire a player like Kaberle or Pronger, I will continue to hide under my computer desk and plug my ears until March 4, 3:00 PM passes by.

Please Chiarelli, please don't do anything dumb.

The Swedish Twins Of My Dreams...And They Live In Vancouver

Ian Bonaparte — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:58:56 -0500

For the past three years, I've had these two Swedish twins as a part of my fantasy team (I'm talking about hockey!).

Henrik, and Daniel Sedin. Daniel, No. 22, and Henrik, No. 33, have shown, and are still showing Vancouver and the rest of the league how dangerous a line with good chemistry can be.

Just take a quick glance at Henrik and Daniel's career stats. Now, I didn't link you to the same stat page twice. They're just that good together. It almost seems like it doesn't matter who Vigneault throws in there as the right winger to accompany this dynamic duo. They're just that good.

The Sedin brothers are participating in their 8th NHL season, all of them with the Canucks, together. As you can see from their stats page, even their junior hockey career was spent alongside each other. During the lockout, they headed back home and played for their old club, together, in the Swedish Elite League. Even go back to the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Daniel was picked 2nd overall, Henrik was picked 3rd. They're inseparable, and unstoppable.

It's no surprise to me that it is rumored that the twins are seeking a 'no separation clause' in their upcoming contracts. With their history of always being together, why not? Who is going to split them up and take one and not the other?

They know how productive they are and how significant the other is to their success in the NHL. Look at their career point total, it speaks volumes. Daniel Sedin: 439 points; Henrik Sedin: 435.

This is why they're near the top of my fantasy picks every year. I can't just pick one. Once I pick the first twin, I HAVE to select the second one next. When the Canucks are hot, my team is hot.

If the Canucks score four goals, you can bet the Sedins factored in at least two of them. And if one of them factored, there's a good chance the other one did, resulting in me dominating my opponent that week.

Granted, it backfires a little if the Canucks go on a skid, but as two forwards on the top line of an offensive team, I'll still get points from them. If only I had a better strategy for the rest of my team.

They've also had the blessing of having good health—both of them. Between the two of them, they've yet to have a season where they play less than 75 games, eight seasons with 82 games played, and both of them have skated in all 60 of the Canucks' matches this year. Consistently top notch, and consistently healthy. A coach's and GM's dream.

I seriously am at a loss to state anything BAD about these two brothers. Can you think of anything? 60-80 point scorers, an unprecedented playing history together, and fans love them. They're funny, polite, and skilled. True role models of the NHL.

The only thing bad I can say is that they might get pricey if they continue to produce the way they do. Can you imagine Vancouver ever letting these two go? Ouch. I wouldn't be able to bare watching them in anything else but blue, white, and green.

Once, after a game Henrik was too tired to do the post game interview, so he had his brother Daniel do it for him. What a brother!! Nobody knew or noticed, either, until they mentioned it in an NHL.com interview months later.

I almost forgot about their international play. Yes, they play for team Sweden, together, of course. They were a key element to the Swedish prevalence in the Olympics in 2006.

Yes, that's right, together, the Sedins and the rest of the Swedes of the NHL took down Canada, Russia, and the rest of the world to win the gold medal in Turin. These twins are special.

Here's to the Sedins, for showing us fans about family, hard work, and having a good time while keeping a passion to win.

The NHL's Ups and Downs: Bad Marketing, Montreal's Great Show, and Overreactions

Ian Bonaparte — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:49:29 -0500

As you may or may not know, the NHL isn't exactly in its glory days.

It's been four years since the dreaded '04-05 NHL lockout, and I'd like to think that the league has done a great job rising up from its deepest downfall.

Has it really, though?

While some of the greatest hockey memories I own have occurred during those four years, there are a few things I'll never forget—a few devastating memories of the "new" NHL.

Let me just start off huge: Sidney Crosby. You either love him, or hate him (i.e. you're either a Pens fan, or you're not).

Gary Bettman's dream. "Sid the Kid", "The Next One", or as Bettman likes to call him, "My ladder to get the NHL out of this hole."

Before I go on a tirade, let me just say that I think he's a good player, it's a great feat for anybody to enter the league and produce like he does in the NHL at his age. Good for him.

But I don't like him, and I haven't met anyone ( mentally stable) that does.

He's a goal scorer, a set up man, and the next Olympic high diver. I've thought of making a drinking game out of Pittsburgh games by taking a shot every time one of Crosby's knees touch the ice, but I don't want to die of alcohol poisoning at such a young age.

Okay, okay, enough Crosby bashing for now. On to why I think he's part of today problems with the NHL.

He's way overhyped. Can anybody deny that he wasn't hyped just to get some fans back to the NHL? Bettman knew the NHL reached its peak during Gretzky's prime. Gretzky did for hockey what Jordan did for the NBA and what Tiger does for golf. He drew in people that normally wouldn't watch the sport, just to see what this guy was all about. It worked.

People were awe-struck at what Wayne did, his vision, his passing, and his passion. Great. Now you're telling me this kid's gonna do that? As my good friend Jon Shaw puts it... "He's not even the best player on his line, let alone the whole league", and he's right. Gretzky dominated the sport, the league, and everyone on the ice. Crosby just blindly throws pucks around and picks up assists while Malkin and friends fire away.

Don't get me wrong, Crosby gets the job done, he's just not going to draw in fans like Gretzky, Jordan, or Tiger until he shows that nobody else can compete with him. People are hearing about this kid, watching his games, and either concluding that the NHL is still boring to them, or that this kid is the best player in the NHL because the TV said so.

He's drawing in fake fans, and they're not going to help the NHL in the long run. At least Ovechkin has the ability to get a non-fan out of their seat, proclaiming "How'd he do that?!?!" along with the die hard, NHL faithful. Using Crosby as your marketing tool may have worked the first few years, Gary, but it's starting to backfire on you now.

Another unpopular opinion that I am the proud owner of is that this year's All-Star Game in Montreal was the best one in recent years. Okay, there were a lot of undeserving Canadiens in it, so what? That's what happens when you let the fans vote. If I, a lifetime Bruins fan, can get over that fact, you can too!

The skills competition was an absolute blast to watch—as long as you're not the type to take the All-Star festivities too competitively, that is. I've actually talked to people that are mad that Ovechkin won the breakaway challenge. Why?! It doesn't even mean anything. All it means is that Alexander the Great (an actual deserved nickname, I may add...) put on a good, funny, entertaining show.

And you know what? The fans loved him. Do you see Sid the Kid getting NHL fan support like that?

The hardest shot contest was a blast (har har...). Chara v.s. Souray, Souray clocking an amazing 106.7 MPH shot in an Edmonton skills competition earlier in the yearl Chara known and feared for his laser of a shot. It was exciting and fun to watch, what more can you want? Chara pulled out on top, with a whopping 105.4 shot. The "official" record.

You know what Chara did to this contest, too? He got all the participants to throw down $1,000, and the winner got to donate it to the charity of their choice. League owners and the NHLPA matched the totals, meaning Chara raised $24,000 while putting on a laser show. Thanks, Chara, if you can hear me all the way up there.

Another new addition to the skills competition I liked: elimination shootout. Each team would pit all of their skaters in a shootout. If you don't score, you sit. Team with the last player(s) standing wins. It came down to Savard shooting on...Thomas?! How'd that happen?

Oops! Thomas forget to put his glove out..Savard scores!!! Boston has shamed Montreal in front of its own crowd—that's for voting in all Habs, ya bums!! Hilarious, exciting, and above all, entertaining. That is what the NHL is shooting for, right?

The game itself was amazing. Thomas and Luongo were very into it in the third, Luongo making snags, Thomas lunging. Yes, Thomas lunging!

Did you hear what I did after he made that remarkable save in the third? Applause, cheers, and a shower of praise? From...from...Montreal? I called shenanigans at first, too. But it's what happened. I guess they were cheering because they were entertained! I'm sensing a pattern here...

And of course, it goes to a shootout. An All-Star shootout, where Ovechkin seals the deal for the East with a phenomenal deke on Luongo. Beautiful. Thank you, Bettman, and Montreal (Did I say that?), for putting on a remarkable All-Star presentation. This is what the NHL needs.

My final subject for the night: Sean Avery. I think the whole ordeal is a JOKE. I seriously exclaimed, "Are you kidding me?!" after I heard about the huge deal Bettman and the NHL is making out of this. The guy dissed his ex-girlfriend—you've never done that? It's a pastime! So what if she's now dating a Calgary defenseman? If Sean wants to talk, let Dion defend himself on the ice! Maybe we could have gotten some good entertaining fisticuffs out of this, that would help attract fans!

But nope, Sean was fined, suspended, and basically ex-communicated by the NHL, for talking smack about his old girl.

Todd Bertuzzi, who jumped, practically mugged, and hurt a young, promising player's career, is still making headlines and highlight reels today. Sean Avery is taking a bus from arena to arena with the Hartford Wolfpack down in the AHL, for having hard feelings from his last relationship.

I feel for you, Sean. Bettman and the NHL have taught me that words speak louder than actions, and that if I don't like my ex's new guy, jump him and break his neck because no one will want me if I call her names.

What I'm trying to say is that hockey fans love the sport. We love the players, the teams, the mascots, the traditions, but we live for one thing: hockey. We don't care who it is making those beautiful passes, who is doing the dirty work, who the man behind the mask is, as long as someone is.

Market the game, not the player, and you might attract a few real, long lasting fans that truly love the sport. Not a bunch of idiots screaming "Woooooo, my town has this player who's on national TV! We are the best!!!"

Instead, you'll have a loyal fan base who will watch the sport, no matter who is playing. Thank you.