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New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Brad Marchand in '25 and Ray Bourque in '01: A breakdown of ex-Bruins and the Stanley Cup
Brad Marchand's quest to win the Stanley Cup as a member of the Florida Panthers has inspired a nostalgia-fueled discussion about something that happened in 2001 with his old team, the Boston Bruins. But even if you're not a Bruins fan, even if you hate the Bruins, you may know what I'm talking about. Advertisement It goes something like this: Marchand is an aging ex-Bruin playing for the Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, which is not unlike what happened nearly a quarter of a century ago when the great Raymond Bourque was an aging ex-Bruin playing for the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. There are, of course, major differences between what Marchand is trying to accomplish versus what Bourque accomplished in the spring of 2001, and I'll get to those differences in a moment. But I need to get this out of the way first: It's a good thing whenever we can revisit June 13, 2001, which was the day Ray Bourque of the newly crowned Avalanche stepped out to a balcony at Boston's City Hall Plaza to be cheered by the thousands of Bruins fans who turned out for the occasion. How Bourque came to be holding the Stanley Cup over his head at City Hall Plaza is a story with all kinds of twists and turns, not to mention a years-later rollout of long-simmering grievances. Rather than rehash it all here, I invite you to read the oral history I wrote for The Athletic in 2021 commemorating the 20th anniversary of the event. I interviewed some 15 people back then, including Bourque and former Bruins president Harry Sinden, and everybody was remarkably candid and anecdotal. In short, the Bruins did Bourque a solid on March 6, 2000, when they traded the legendary defenseman to the Avalanche. The Bruins were rebuilding and Bourque had yet to win a Cup, and the trade was designed to be win-win for everybody. The Avalanche didn't make it to the Cup final that year, but they won it all a year later, toppling the New Jersey Devils. In an instant-classic hockey moment, Avalanche captain Joe Sakic was handed the Stanley Cup by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and immediately handed it off to Bourque, lest there be any doubt as to the identity of the most emotional man in the building. Advertisement Six days later, there stood Bourque at City Hall Plaza. It was an idea hatched by the office of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, after which it bounced to Bourque's agent, Steve Freyer, and then to Bourque himself. A call was placed to Sinden, who was fishing in Maine. He wasn't one bit happy about this City Hall Plaza idea. Again, read the original piece. But know this: While there may have been some hard feelings about the event, there were no villains. Everybody shook hands and went on with their lives. And I'll let you in on a secret: Bourque originally didn't want to be interviewed for the story but then said he'd take part only if Sinden agreed to be interviewed. To my surprise — and, I guess, to Bourque's surprise — Sinden did the interview. And away we went. I'm forever grateful to both men. So there. Thanks for indulging me as I invite you to read a story that was written at a time when we were all just beginning to dust ourselves off from the pandemic. (In fact, every interview I did was over the phone.) Now, back to Marchand. How is his pursuit of the Stanley Cup different from Bourque's 2001 vision quest with the Avalanche? Let us count the ways: • As a member of the 2010-11 Bruins, Marchand has already played on a Stanley Cup winner. The trade that sent him to Florida was not a goodwill gesture by Bruins GM Don Sweeney. The Bruins had tried to work out a contract extension; failing that, they dealt him to the Panthers, who were loading up for another Cup run. • Whereas it was not surprising when the 40-year-old Bourque retired after winning the Cup, Marchand has no plans to go gently into that good night. (Not that he's ever gone gently anywhere.) Marchand will be a free agent after this Cup final has ended, and as The Athletic's Chris Johnston points out, 'To say that the 37-year-old has boosted his market value this postseason is an understatement.' • Is Marchand a Hall of Famer? Well, yes, says me. But it's a discussion worth having. In fact, if you google 'Brad Marchand' and 'Hall of Fame,' you'll be directed to dozens of these very discussions. Bourque, on the other hand, is hockey royalty. In The Athletic's countdown of the top 99 players in modern NHL history, he came in at No. 10. Advertisement • Marchand has baggage. Bourque arrives for this discussion without even a carry-on. Put another way, Marchand has boiled the blood of many hockey fans over the years, from licking the faces of opposing players to speed-bagging the Vancouver Canucks' Daniel Sedin during the 2011 Cup final. Bourque? When Sakic handed him the Cup that night in Denver, it was one of hockey's all-time feel-good moments. If/when the Panthers repeat as champions, and if/when team captain Sasha Barkov hands the Cup to Marchand, crushed beer cans will be landing on flat screens across North America. Brad Marchand was one heck of a trade deadline pickup — The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) June 5, 2025 • While many Boston fans would enjoy seeing Marchand play on a Cup winner, it means rooting for the Panthers, which means rooting for the team that pushed the Bruins out of the playoffs (while also pushing them around) in 2023 and '24. There were no such hard feelings with the Avalanche when Bourque won his Cup. I suppose one could go all the way back to the days when the Avalanche were doing business as the Quebec Nordiques and get re-upset over Boston-born, future NHL referee Paul Stewart running up 27 penalty minutes (including an epic fight with Stan Jonathan) in Quebec's 7-4 loss to the Bruins on Nov. 22, 1979, at the Old Garden, but that's next-level grudge-holding. The Nordiques also knocked the Bruins out of the playoffs in 1982, but c'mon. • For Bourque to bring the Cup to City Hall of Plaza in 2001 made it possible for fans everywhere else to crow that things were so bad in Boston that their fans had been reduced to celebrating another city's championship. At the time, no Boston team had won a championship since the 1985-86 Celtics, nor had any Boston team played so much as a postseason game in nearly two years. Marchand is welcome to bring the Stanley Cup to Boston should the Panthers recover from their Game 1 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers and win it all, but he shouldn't expect Mayor Michelle Wu to order up a party. The Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins have combined to win 13 championships since the day Bourque held the Stanley Cup over his head.
Boston Globe
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Garden Party: Celtics-Knicks is official
It just always seemed right, didn't it? The Knicks narrowly held off the Pistons in Game 6 on Thursday, with newly crowned Clutch Player of the Year That big shot made official a 16th playoff meeting between the Celtics and Knicks, two original NBA franchises whose rivalry features 498 regular-season meetings, the most between any two teams in the league. Advertisement Recently, it hasn't been much of a rivalry. Boston has owned New York the last two seasons, winning eight of nine matchups. That includes blowout wins of 23 and 27 points this year as the Celtics hunted the Knicks' defensive weak links in Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up But anything can happen in a seven-game series. New York has been looking forward to this matchup all year, with Knicks fans just last night chanting About last night and what's on deck New York, New York ... Jalen Brunson (right) buried the Pistons with the biggest shot of the playoffs yet. Duane Burleson/Associated Press A recap of Thursday's playoff action: 🏀 Jalen Brunson's 40-point masterpiece — and brilliant game-winner — Advertisement 🏀 Kawhi Leonard and James Harden combined for 55 points to lead the Clippers over the Nuggets and force the NBA postseason's first Game 7, set for Saturday in Denver (7:30 p.m., TNT). 🏀 The Warriors host the Rockets in Game 6 (9 p.m., ESPN) with a chance to eliminate Houston and close out the feistiest series of the playoffs thus far. 🏒 Three series came to an end in Game 6 last night. The Oilers took care of the Kings, with ex-Bruin Trent Frederic credited with the game-winner. 🏒 Two series still need deciding: The Jets lead the Blues, 3-2, entering Friday's Game 6 in St. Louis (8 p.m., TNT); and the Stars and Avalanche play Game 7 in Dallas on Saturday (8 p.m., ABC). 🗓️ Up next: We're still waiting on times and TV info for the Celtics-Knicks series. In the know Grab a spoon! JP Licks released a Celtics-themed ice cream flavor ahead of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Emma Healy The Globe's Emma Healy recently sat down with Jonathan Vega, a man who has every child's dream job: creating and testing ice cream flavors. Around the time it became clear Boston was going to win it all last year, Vega, a lifelong Bostonian and Celtics fan and the assistant production manager at local ice cream chain J.P. Licks, was struck with the idea to create a commemorative ice cream flavor in the team's honor. Advertisement After a year of development and testing, the 'Celtics Pride' flavor launched at the end of March. It features a golden salted caramel ice cream base with Celtics-green ribbon of marshmallow, and it will be available at J.P. Licks locations across Massachusetts throughout the Celtics' playoff run. Here's what Vega had to say about the new flavor. Responses have been edited lightly for brevity and clarity. EH: What inspired the color and flavor choices in the Celtics flavor? JV : The gold color was inspired by the championship trophy. That particular gold took me about two months to perfect. I wanted to do green because of the team, but I also wanted it to be a more subtle sweet flavor because I wanted all ages to enjoy it. I chose to go with salted caramel because when the Celtics won, I imagined that all of Boston's haters must be pretty salty about it, so it needs to be sweet on our end, and it needs to be salty for everyone else that trashed the team and said we couldn't do it. EH: Is this going to be a staple at J.P. Licks going forward? JV : It'll be in the books forever. We'll run it as customers demand. We ran it this year, and we hope that the Celtics will be a great team for many years to come so we can keep running the flavor. Maybe we'll keep expanding on it, making flavors for players or altering it with each new championship. I always reach for the stars when I do things that I'm passionate about, and the team is one of them and the city is one of them. Advertisement Emma's review: I'd give it a 9.5 out of 10. Not too sweet, not too heavy. But beware: You may end up with a green tongue afterward. Heading out to grab a cone? If you try this flavor, let us know what you think at . For the group chat The Joe Mazzulla Quote of the Week Joe Mazzulla really does just say things, sometimes. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Over at (It's named after Joe Mazzulla, but he doesn't win it every week. Just, like, half the time, depending on what sort of mood he's in.) It does feel only right, however, to hand Garden Party's first Joe Mazzulla Quote of the Week to the man himself. As everybody else within 100-mile radius of TD Garden got progressively more upset with the Magic's approach in the first-round, it was just so typical of Mazzulla to relish in the physicality. 'No one's been arrested, so,' See a quote that deserves this honor? Submit your favorite remarks to us at . Go deeper Three stories you shouldn't miss Kristaps Porzingis and the Celtics towered over the Knicks this season, winning four of four regular-season meetings. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff ✍️ Shaughnessy's take: Order has been restored in Basketball America, Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy writes, Advertisement 👌 37 straight: The Magic's plan against the Celtics was to get physical. Boston made them pay at the free-throw line — especially Jayson Tatum, who made 37 straight foul shots in the series. 🤝 Jrue Holiday, certified Good Guy: On Thursday, Amin Touri can be reached at
New York Times
15-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bruins' Vinni Lettieri, Wild's Justin Brazeau and the NHL's year-end game of musical chairs
BRIGHTON, Mass. — The Boston Bruins conclude the regular season on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. Vinni Lettieri will then report to Providence. The veteran is hoping for a long run in the AHL playoffs. Part of that is because his house outside Minneapolis is occupied. Maybe until the middle of June. Advertisement 'My place is his place,' Lettieri said of ex-Bruin Justin Brazeau, 'until the season is over.' Lettieri belongs to the cluster of players from 16 NHL teams whose seasons are ending. Some, like the 30-year-old forward, will continue playing in the AHL. Others will participate in the World Championships, which begin in May. But most will return to their offseason homes. There are some exceptions: landlords whose tenants are advancing to the playoffs. Hockey players regularly rent their homes to their counterparts. For the most part, their unique schedules align, and players who are traded for each other often find common housing ground. Charlie Coyle, dealt for Casey Mittelstadt, is renting the former Colorado Avalanche forward's property outside Denver. But this is the time of year when arrivals and departures can overlap. Last season, Kevin Hayes and the St. Louis Blues did not qualify for the playoffs. Hayes returned to Boston. Jeremy Swayman, who had been renting Hayes' place, had to move out and find a new spot while preparing for the postseason. 'It's nice because we all kind of have similar schedules,' Swayman said. 'But if one guy makes the playoffs and the other guy doesn't, then it's kind of weird.' For Lettieri, the process started in February of 2024, when he and his wife, Cassandra, purchased their Minnesota home. The native of Excelsior, Minn., was in the first season of his two-year contract with the Wild. Four months later, things took a turn. On June 29, the Wild traded Lettieri to the Bruins. Jakub Lauko, the player the Wild acquired for Lettieri, was at his offseason home in Czechia when Bruins general manager Don Sweeney called with the news. Wild counterpart Bill Guerin was next in line to welcome Lauko to his new team. Lettieri was Lauko's third call of the day. Advertisement The two knew each other well. In 2022-23, Lettieri appeared in 48 games for Providence. Lauko split the year between Providence (35 games) and Boston (23). So when Lettieri got news of the deal, he called his friend and former Providence teammate right away. 'Just a big laugh,' Lauko recalled of the conversation with a smile. 'Like, 'What the f—?'' After some intercontinental head shakes, Lettieri invited Lauko to live in his house once the season began. Lettieri sent his prospective renter multiple pictures and videos. Lauko considered the offer. It would be about a 30-minute drive to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. It would eliminate the hassle of house hunting. Lauko accepted. 'You don't have to worry about the furniture,' said Lauko, whose two-year contract is expiring. 'Which is probably the most pain in the butt for guys who are going on year-to-year contracts or two-year contracts. Honestly, how many guys are here on an eight-year contract in the league that can settle down, buy a house? The guys that are on one-year, two-year contracts, it's hard to move with furniture and stuff. So the best-case scenario is to be in a place that's already furnished. Or guys with places around the league. So those guys who are playing at the same time, they leave, we get in. We leave, they get in.' Before training camp, Lettieri and his wife settled into their rented place in Providence, where he would likely spend most of 2024-25. Lauko moved into the Lettieris' home. Things took another turn on March 6. Lauko was in Vancouver with the Wild when Guerin told him he was going back to Boston. The trade caught Lauko by surprise. That night, Lauko took a car service from Vancouver to Seattle. The next morning, he flew to Tampa to join the Bruins. On March 8, Lauko played 12:24 in the Bruins' 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He returned to Boston that night on the team charter. After what he recalled was approximately 90 minutes of sleep, Lauko flew to Minnesota early the next morning to retrieve his things. Advertisement 'I had, like, two shirts with me. Two pairs of underwear,' Lauko said. 'Nothing with me.' It was a whirlwind day. Lauko's sister, who had arrived the day before from Seattle, returned the rental he had been driving. His car had been in the shop. Lauko packed some of his stuff before returning to Boston that night, jammed in a middle seat because he had purchased a last-minute flight. The Netflix shows he had downloaded earlier had expired. At the same time, Brazeau, who joined the Wild in Vancouver, needed a place to live when the team returned to Minnesota. The Lettieris' home was his natural landing spot. So Brazeau moved in and shoved what Lauko left behind into the Lettieris' guest room. As for Lettieri and his wife, if the Wild are still playing when Providence's postseason ends, they will live with his grandparents, who are nearby in Minnesota. 'It's important for them to feel comfortable and not have to worry about moving or anything,' Lettieri said of Brazeau and his girlfriend. 'We're lucky enough to have all my family there so we can stay with them. It's no problem for us. We'd be happy for him if they made that kind of a run.' Meanwhile, Lauko will return to Minnesota at some point this offseason to move the rest of his things out of Lettieri's house. Because he will be a restricted free agent, it's no guarantee he will remain a Bruin in the fall. So he is thinking about keeping his stuff in a storage unit in Minnesota until he receives contractual clarity. Lauko was informed that Lettieri jokingly worried about the condition in which his former renter left his house. 'He's full of s—,' Lauko cracked back. 'I overpaid for his f—ing place.' (Top photos of Justin Brazeau and Vinni Lettieri: Bob Frid and Winslow Townson / Imagn Images)
Boston Globe
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
David Pastrnak congratulates Alex Ovechkin after the Capitals star breaks NHL goal record
In the COVID 19-shortened season of 2019-20, Ovechkin and Pastrnak each finished with 48 goals, thus sharing the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's No. 1 goal scorer. 'For me,' Pastrnak said on the video, 'that was better than to win it alone.' In good company Pastrnak collected his 19th career hat trick, and also reached the 40-goal plateau for a fifth time, in Saturday's Advertisement Pasta (40-54–94 this season) entered Sunday night's game in Buffalo with 388 career goals, ranking seventh on the club's all-time list, and within seven of Ray Bourque (395) at No. 6. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Pastrnak's scoring rate (.517 goals per game) ranks third on the Bruins' all-time list, behind Phil Esposito (.734) and Cam Neely (.655). Rounding out the top five: Rick Middleton (.456) and Ken Hodge (.443.). Johnny Bucyk , the club's leading goal scorer (545), scored at a rate of .380 goals per game, ninth on the list. Hit machine Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov , a far more effective and impactful version of himself the last couple for months, rung up a game-high nine hits Saturday night … Hurricanes backliners Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns both left the Garden with matching eyesore minus-5s for their night's troubles … Sabres center Tage Thompson , formerly of UConn, entered Sunday with 40 goals, bringing together two 40-goal scorers (see: Pastrnak) in a late-season matchup of clubs that won't be in the playoffs. Regrettably, that's a lot of firepower not to make it to the game's biggest stage. As of the 6:08 puck drop in Buffalo, only three NHLers had more goals this season: Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl (52), Toronto's William Nylander (44), and Ovechkin (41) ... Fraser Minten , acquired in the March 7 trade that sent Brandon Carlo to Toronto, made his Brad Marchand , with the Panthers for their Sunday matchup in Detroit, entered the game with a meager 0–1–1 line in five games since exiting the Hub of Hockey … The Bruins, with five games to go before summah vacation, take on the Devils Tuesday night at the Prudential Center, then play host to the the Blackhawks Thursday night at the Garden. As of Sunday morning, ex-Bruin Ted Donato was the Blackhawks' leading goal scorer (29) and was tied for the club high in points (59) with sophomore phenom Connor Bedard (now a career minus-83). Donato, about to turn 29, was wheeled out of Boston long ago for Charlie Coyle . He is on track to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Advertisement Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
