The Yellow in the Boston Bruins Jersey Is Justified

Sometimes, there are more important things than a victory.

Leading into Thursday night's much-anticipated game with Pittsburgh, the Boston Bruins had to know what was on the line. They just had to.

Quite simply, it was a situation where even in a playoff race, the team had to do the right thing. Two points are two points, but reputation and respect among your peers and teammates have to count for something too.

Ever since Matt Cooke's fateful cheap shot hit on Marc Savard, the Bruins have been killed here by the media and fans alike for not doing anything that night to exact a small bit of revenge for what now looks like a season-ending injury.

The NHL's lack of discipline on Cooke only intensified the situation leading into Thursday, the night when the lifeless team was supposed to get their mojo back by avenging their fallen leader and showing that there was still some remnants of the team that was the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed in last year's playoffs.

As it turns out, not so much.

Aside from a Shawn Thornton tilt with Cooke early in the first period, the Penguins' new center of attention was relatively untouched. The Bruins responded in kind and promptly lost 3-0, showing no passion, guts, or heart in the process.

The expectation? That Cooke got his. I mean, really got his. I'm not talking life-threatening debilitation, but something more than a minute of trading shots with Thornton. Instead, he got off scot-free, as did the rest of the Penguins.

It's amazing how the team simply folded to the pressure of the NHL office and their presence at the game. Colin Campbell can say all he wants, but he let Cooke off the hook and created the incredible buzz that led into the game. 

If there's a more incompetent front office in pro sports than the NHL's, I don't know what it is.

But whatever Campbell said to the teams before the game, and whatever happened behind closed doors was enough to scare the Bruins into hibernation. I don't want to hear about another Todd Bertuzzi lawsuit situation as an excuse. There was a right thing to do and it didn't happen.

Thursday night was the chance for the Bruins to shut everyone up and they failed  miserably. Their long-alienated fan base now finds itself embarrassed again for cheering on a team that looks like they want to play anywhere other than Boston.

In a city of champions, they are simply chumps—imposters alongside clubs and ownership groups that have made winning the top priority. To admit they play in New England is embarrassing. They simply don't belong anymore.

Somewhere, Marc Savard is attempting to live normally again without spinning, laid up for days attempting to recover from what might be a career-threatening injury. I hope he didn't see the game Thursday, as I assume he's already uncomfortable enough. I can't imagine seeing that display would have helped his recovery.

At least the Bruins proved one thing Thursday: The yellow (sorry, gold) in their jerseys certainly does fit.

B/R Senior Analyst Josh Nason is a freelance MMA writer who used to run a New England sports blog for a few years and occasionally still writes on his local teams. Follow him on Twitter: @joshnason.