NHL Playoffs 2011: Low Blow by Bruce Boudreau—Will He End Up Eating His Words?

Fresh off an uplifting and inspiring Game 3 victory over the Washington Capitals, the New York Rangers and their massive fan base, affectionately known as the “Blueshirt Brotherhood,” had a lot to be excited and happy about.

The sentiment was not shared by the Capitals, and was especially not well-received by bench boss Bruce Boudreau. 

Hockey fans and millions of HBO subscribers know about Bruce Boudreau and his acid tongue that was displayed during the 24/7 segment leading up to the Winter Classic. This morning, Boudreau was on a local Washington DC radio show to talk about Game 3 and the rest of the series between the Rangers and Capitals.

First, he blatantly took a shot at Madison Square Garden and its amenities. Boudreau scoffed, "Well, the one thing, its reputation is far better than the actual building [...] It's nothing. The locker rooms are horrible. The benches are horrible. There's no room for anything. But the reputation of being in Madison Square Garden is what makes it famous. Also, our building's a lot louder, too. So I mean, they can say what they want, but it's not that loud in there." 

Boudreau must not have gotten the numerous memos that the “World’s Most Famous Arena” is undergoing a massive remodel. Regardless, these comments have absolutely nothing to do with the game.

Many seem to forget the issues with the Capitals' own beloved Verizon Center. When the Rangers and Caps faced off two years ago, there were gaps in the boards behind the Rangers' bench which allowed an unruly inebriated fan to “share” his beer with Coach Tortorella.

But Coach Boudreau was just getting started, as he continued to rant and rave about the Rangers. He was particularly peeved about a hit by Marc Staal on Mike Green he deemed questionable.

He went on to gripe, "Staal comes in, there's no puck and he takes his arm and swings at his head. It's all forgotten, because Ovechkin scores a goal to tie the game up. It shouldn't be forgotten, and it wasn't the only time they targeted Mike's head. 

Fans watching the game on NBC had a pretty good view of the hit, and that's all it was: a clean hit. When a player goes hard toward the net, he isn’t exactly given an open invitation. Staal does not have a reputation of resorting to underhanded tactics.

The Rangers played with an intensity and sense of urgency in Game 3.

The line of Brandon Prust, Brian Boyle and Sean Avery was key to the Rangers’ success. Each player finished his checks, played aggressively on the forecheck, and played with discipline. The Rangers had the obvious physical advantage, which they need to bring back with them on Wednesday.

Now that the Rangers have solved the puzzle of Michal Neuvirth by scoring from different angles and with multiple players, is Boudreau afraid of history repeating itself?

A New York win in Game 4 puts the series back at square one. The Rangers almost snuck away with a victory in Game 1. If they're able to do that in Game 5, along with a win in Game 4, the Rangers would be headed home to Madison Square Garden for Game 6 with a chance to knock the Capitals out. 

Boudreau’s comments seem like a lame attempt to shift the focus and blame off of his players. Five times in the history of the Washington Capitals have they been up 2-0 in a series, only to lose the overall series 80 percent of the time.

Now Boudreau has given the Rangers and the Blueshirt Brotherhood something extra to fight for, and a reason to get loud and proud. Will his controversial comments about Madison Square Garden and the fans comeback to bite him?

Only time will tell, but things are looking a lot better for the Rangers as they go back to what's shaping up to be an electric and roaring sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden for Game 4.

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