April 23, 2008

Boston's 2007-2008 Season Comes To A Close Leaving Fans Hungry For 2008-2009.

Well another season comes to a close for the Boston Bruins as they fell 5 - 0 to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of Round One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite the first round elimination however, this team has a lot to be proud of! When the 2007-2008 season began sports analysts never gave this team a fighting chance. They were not expected to play well let alone make it to the playoffs. After taking hits such as losing their star scorer, the team rallied together and posted wins. Enough wins to take them to the playoffs where they were to face their most formidable foe...the Montreal Canadiens. All season the Canadiens proved to be the one team the Bruins could not crack. Going into the playoffs, people were calling for the Habs to sweep the B's. Little did they know Boston was not going down without a fight.

With the Habs taking the first two games of the series, the two teams headed to Boston. Once in Boston, the Bruins came alive taking Game Three in an overtime victory. With games 2 and 3 being overtime games people began to talk saying maybe the series was not as un-even a match as it was thought to be. In game four, the Bruins fell to the Candiens again, bringing the series to a 3-1 lead for Montreal. Facing elimination, the Bruins headed back to Montreal where they smoked the Habs and their young goalie in game five.

Forcing a game 6, the two rivals returned to the Garden. I have been working at the Garden the past three years and I have never seen anything like I did Saturday night. For the first time there were more Bruins fans than Habs fans. I went into the runway while the national anthem was being sung. As I looked out I could see American flags waving in the crowd. People young and old stood with hands on their hearts and together they SANG the Star Spangled Banner. That is right. People were singing loudly and proudly. Cheri was out on the concourse and she said even there you could hear the fans singing along. While a few "Go Habs Go" chants broke out they were quickly booed and there was no mistaking whose house they were playing in that night. On April 19, 2008, the Garden belonged to the Boston Bruins! All night cheers filled the arena. "Let's Go Bruins" and "Ca-ry, Ca-ry, Ca-ry." Rally towels waving wildly....fans clapping, screaming. This is what hockey in Boston should be like!

The game was a roller coaster of a ride. After the first period the score was 1-0 Montreal. Once the second period was underway I told Cheri and the girls I was going to peek in as I had not had a chance during the first period and everytime I go in we score. No word of a lie, 15 seconds after I walked in, the Bruins scored tying the game 1-1. By the end of the 2nd period the game was at 2-1 Montreal. No one had any idea what was in store for the third. As I was leading the crew to the 9th floor where we were going to watch the remainder of the game, the Bruins banged in goal number two tying the game. It was once we got to the 9th floor that things went crazy....when the Bruins got the 4th goal the crowd went wild. Because the 9th floor is a big open space, there was plenty of room to run, jump....strangers were hugging, kissing, slapping hi-5s! Then suddenly, 15 seconds later....boos! The Candiens scored tying the game at 4-4. Usually the wind would have been sucked out of the Garden. But not on this night. Instead fans got louder. Crazier. People began thinking that the game was going to end up in overtime. Not tonight. The Bruins had something to prove. Boom. Goal 5!!!! The Bruins were able to maintain the lead and only a few minutes later the game was over.

As we exited the arena, fans were cheering in the street! Cars were driving by honking their horns, blaring the Dropkick Murphys out the window. There was an air of excitement....the possibilities of what could be. That Saturday night, it felt like game 7! The Bruins had done what no one thought was possible. They had tied the series at 3-3 and forced a game 7.

The next two days the Bruins were the buzz of Boston! At the Red Sox game on Monday people in the stands were waving Bruins rally towels. People's flag poles boasted Bruins flags. Cars drove down the highway with rally towels in the windows. The grocery stores were selling Bruins cakes...I have NEVER seen a Bruins cake in a grocery store. Red Sox…yes. Patriots...yes. Bruins...no! People in my office who never spoke of hockey came by my desk to talk about the game.

Despite the game 7 loss, the Boston Bruins gave Boston sports fans something to root for. They gave us something to believe in. It a time when the Patriots, Red Sox and even the Celtics have found success, the Bruins too have joined the ranks. While they may not have made it past the first round, this team and this coach made a name for themselves! After Saturday night, sitting in the Garden surrounded by so many Bruins fans and watching such a hard fought game, I have NEVER been more proud to be a Bruins fan.

While the season has come to a close for Boston, there is still one Bruins team still very much alive! The Providence Bruins have swept the Manchester Monarchs in Round 1 of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The one benefit of being down to one team in the playoffs is no more schedule conflicts....though I have to admit, they were the best kind of conflicts to have :)

Letters of love, lust, or disagreement can be sent to rlord (at) soveryobsessed.com

by Rebecca | 12:27 PM | 0
filed under: 07-08 season || boston bruins