The Lucky "13 Days of Christmas"- Black & Gold Style!

A bit of fun below but a sincere note wishing all of our KBBK readers a very Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad & Joyeux Noel! Also be sure to be good to Santa & she'll be GOOD to you (If not get a new Santa I say!) Let’s Go Broounze!! – KingKrej!

On the 1st Day of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 2nd Day of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*2 for Hooking!... & The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 3rd Day of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*3 more past Price!…. 2 for Hooking!...& The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 4th Day of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*4 blind refs!...3 more past Price!...2 for Hooking!...& The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 5th Day of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*5...for...Fighting!..4 blind refs!...3 more past Price!...2 for Hooking!...& The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 6th Day of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*6 New Baby B’s!...5...for...Fighting!...4 blind refs!...3 more past Price!...2 for Hooking!...& The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 7th of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*7 Habs a Diving!...6 New Baby B’s!...5...for...Fighting!...4 Blind Refs!... 3 more past Price!... 2 for hooking!... & The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 8th of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*8 Weak Franchises… 7 Habs a Diving!...6 New Baby B’s!...5...for...Fighting!...4 Blind Refs!... 3 more past Price!... 2 for Hooking!...& The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 9th of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*9 Ice Girls Dancing!...8 Weak Franchises!…7 Habs a Diving!...6 New Baby B's!...5...for...Fighting!...4 Blind Refs!...3 more past Price!...2 for Hooking!...& The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 10th of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*10 Points on Montreal!...9 Ice Girls Dancing!...8 Weak Franchises!…7 Habs a Diving!...6 New Baby B’s!...5...for...Fighting!...4 Blind Refs!...3 more past Price!...2 for hooking!...& The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 11th of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*11 Bru’s at Sully’s (Oh Boy)!...10 Points on Montreal! ...9 Ice Girls Dancing!...8 Weak Franchises!…7 Habs a Diving!...6 New Baby B’s!...5...for...Fighting!...4 Blind Refs!...3 more past Price!...2 for Hooking!...& The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

On the 12th day of Christmas – Bettman gave to me…
*12 Forwards Just Like the B's!...11 Bru’s at Sully’s!...10 Points on Montreal!...9 Ice Girls Dancing!...8 Weak Franchises!…7 Habs a Diving!...6 New Baby B’s!...5...for... Fighting!...4 Blind Refs!...3 more past Price!...2 for Hooking!...& The STUPID Instigator Penalty…!

And finally...On the LUCKY 13th Day of Christmas that Jackass Bettman Gave to ME!
*That Friggin’ Stanley Cup we’ve been waiting on for the B’s!..

Merry Christmas all!

B's NewsBlast - Kess Named NHL's First Star !

From Bruins.com & the NHL;

Boston, MA -- The NHL announced today that Boston Bruins forward Phil Kessel was named NHL’s First Star of the Week for the week ending December 14.Kessel tallied eight points with three goals and five assists in four games last week and extended his point streak to 15 games. Kessel helped lead the Black and Gold to a 3-1-0 record, which improved their Eastern Conference-leading mark to 21-5-4. Kessel notched one goal and one assist in a 5-3 victory over Tampa Bay December 8, registered an assist in a 3-1 loss at Washington Dec. 10, tallied a goal and two assists in a 7-3 win at Atlanta Dec. 12 and closed the week with a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over the Thrashers Dec. 13.Kessel's point streak is a career high, the longest in the NHL this season and longest by a Bruins player since Adam Oates recorded points in 20 consecutive games from Jan. 7 to Feb. 20, 1997. The 21-year-old Madison, Wisconsin native is second in Bruins scoring with 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 30 games, ranks third in the NHL in goals and already has matched his career high of 19 goals set last season.The NHL will conduct a media conference call with Kessel today at 3:00 p.m. ET.Pittsburgh’s Petr Sykora received the Second Star honors as he recorded three goals and five assists in four games last week, while Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek claimed the Third Star after registering a week-high five goals, including two gamewinners.The Bruins return to action on Thursday, December 18 when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:00 p.m. ET.

A Cold November Reign!

As much as I enjoy the month of December and all that it brings (other than ice, snow and slush), I'll miss November this year. How can we not as Bruins fans? The B's will have a hard time matching the pace the set this month. 11-1-1! WOW! A "November Reign" to be sure. Boston currently sits atop the Eastern Conference and are second overall in the league and that my friends is no fluke. They're second in the NHL in both goals scored and goals allowed. Pretty good recipe for success there, eh? As far as last night's "measuring stick" game against Detroit, I'd say the boys passed with flying colors. They seemed guilty of being a little tight, in awe and watching the Wings to start the game. But man oh man, once they got that first goal (on their first shot, as I told the obnoxious Wings fans behind me they would) things were different. They instantly all seemed to decide "hey, these guys are no different than us, we can skate with the and we can be more physical than them" "And hey, we even have better goal tending than them." From that point on the B's were a different team, which is to say they were the same team they've been all month- Fast, skilled, smart and dominant in all three zones. Obviously Detroit, being the immensely skilled team they are, had stretches where they carried the play. But it was never the same as the first 10-13 minutes of the game, where it looked like they could blow out the B's. At no point did I ever start to worry that the Wings were going to come back to win it. Even when the B's got hemmed in (Thank you Fred Cusick!) they rarely gave up great scoring chances and even when they did it never resulted in any real second chances. Manny Fernandez stopped everything thrown at him with the one goal he surrendered being off the power play that deflected off Marc Savard's skate. Speaking of Manny. I think it's time I issue a public apology, and I'm not alone. For all of us that "hated" Manny (which translates to: "I hate paying an injured backup goalie over $4M while our all-star starter makes $1M"), we have to admit he's been a huge success for us this year. His confidence is back and so is his technique. Granted, he does seem to give up the odd softie, especially early in games at times, but his "mental toughness" is much better than I expected. He seems to be able to shake off bad starts pretty easily and settles in quickly to give his teammates a chance to win every night. Despite what one HUGELY annoying Wings fan (from Vermont no less?!) had to say about it, I was thrilled to hear a "Manny, Manny, Manny..." chant go up last night. The guys has earned our respect. Obviously the fans are starting to see him for the player he IS, not the player he WAS. As for the rest of the B's, once again youth was served. Blake Wheeler, Phil Kessel, David Krecji, Milan Lucic, Matt Hunwick and the rest of the "kids" all contributed in a big way again and "old man" Chuck Kobasew at 26 years of age, scored again for good measure. Detroit didn't dress anyone under the age of 24. Boston dressed 7 players under that age, and they were all key factors in the win. But, for my money, the guy that had the best game once again flew under the radar. That guy would be the veteran, Shane Hnidy. He (Hnidy) played a very steady, smart game all night. Which given the fact that Aaron Ward was knocked out with an injury early in the first (which the B's can not afford!), Hnidy and the rest of the D- had to play more minutes. But to me even without the injury, I thought Hnidy earned extra time anyway. He was calm with the puck and just made smart safe play after smart safe play. He rarely gets the credit he deserves, but last night he was lights out and worthy of a "Star" (I would have given it to Hnidy before Chara, who I think had a rough game. Couple bad give aways and general indecision with the puck) So as November turns to December, Boston is in the drivers seat in the division and conference standings. A look ahead at the schedule doesn't exactly send chills of fear down your spine. without taking anyone for granted, you have to feel pretty good when you see Tampa (twice) Florida, Carolina (twice) Toronto, Atlanta (THREE times) and Blues on tap this month. The "toughest" games (on paper) would be the Caps, Penguins and Devils. Those games are all on the road as well. But if Boston keeps playing the way they are, they may not match the record of November. But December could be another very festive month for Bruins fans. Merry Christmas indeed. Go B's!! Kynch

Beantown Beatdown

HAHAHAHA!!!!! Where to begin? A complete and total BEAT DOWN of epic proportions last night. Score one for the good guys. Since I can't decide where to start, I'll start with that over rated, under performing head case of a soft, feeble minded goalie of theirs, Carey Priceless. This kid is a classic front-runner. Give him a lead and play great hockey in front of him, and he plays great. Score on him early and create traffic in front of him, and he folds up like a cheap pup tent. I've said it all along...I will never understand why Canadien fans are so in love with this kid (other than the fact they ordain EVERY young player as the second coming of ). Carey (isn't that a girls name? I'm just asking....), looked AWFUL on a few of the goals he allowed, starting with Thornton's. Granted, it was a pretty good play by Shawn, but come on....if you're supposed to be a sure fire Hall Of Famer, and shoe in Vezina winner, you just can't get deked that badly by a 4th line winger. On Sturm's PP goal at the end of the first, Price looked absolutely baffled as to what to do. He didn't know if he should sh*t or go blind. I've never seen a goalie do the little "happy feet dance" he did while Savard held the puck. He had NO CLUE how to react to that (psst, Mr. lead pipe lock HOF inductee...play the shooter, don't bounce back and forth between shot and pass. Moron).
But enough Price bashing....we could spend all day on that dope. I think what we're all thinking today is "ABOUT TIME!". About time Lucic got his chance to beat down that pansy Komisarik. That guy is so frustrating to watch it isn't even funny. He should be absolutely embarrassed and ashamed of himself. How can anyone constantly chirp, hack, slash, cross check and shove after the whistle......and have absolutely no intention of dropping the gloves? I'm sorry, but if you're going to play that way, you have to "man up" and answer the bell. For Montreal bench boss, and resident rat bastard, Guy "I'm going to wave my arms around like a lunatic every 5 minutes to try to get calls" Carbonneau to send out Georges laraque to try and handle Komipansy's issue's was beyond lame. Wasn't there a time when Canadien fans decried "goon hockey"? Well, I'm pretty sure sending out a 4th line stiff to fight the other teams top line winger counts as "goonism". Good on Looch for not falling for it. Wasting Gooch for five minutes for "BGL" doesn't make any sense for anyone. Lucic and "k(h)omo" would be a relatively "fair trade". Top D-man for a top winger. Never thought I'd see those two drop the gloves, but once the B's scored their fifth, I had some hope. And Milan never gave Komi a chance to back down. He cut him off on his way to the bench, and it was pretty clear that if he didn't drop the gloves, Looch was going to pound him anyway. Koisarek, as he usually does, tried to put on a show.....not really fight. He threw a couple early on, but as soon as Looch connected with the uppercut, it was game-set-match. He turtled like the little girl he is. Lucic's reaction after that bout was almost scary....the sheer primal scream was an obvious release of all the emotion and frustration he's had building up over that pansy for the last year. Good to see it finally happen. I'll be curious to see what, if any, reaction the Habs have next time they play. No doubt BGL tries to go after Lucic. Also no doubt that Komisarek doesn't try to avenge the beat down.

Speaking of BGL......I ranted yesterday about what a waste of a roster spot he is. And boy, did he not disappoint last night. The guys is useless, as is the entire 4th line for the Habs. Putting the Thornton-Yelle-Kobasew line out there against Dandenault-Lappierre-Laraque was an unfair mismatch on a huge scale. Not even a contest on who you'd rather have. Shoot, Boston's 4th line outscored all of Montreal lines combined. There will be a lot of soul searching in hab-land today. Or, more likely, finger pointing. The Rat has already thrown his players under the bus, saying "We had a game plan and no one followed it. And as a result, we lost, 6-1.". Way to go Guy. What a stand up dude you are.
Bottom line is, Montreal got absolutely STUNNED last night. They expected to cruise to an easy win, with Boston having played the night before. I think the eloquent, if math challenged, Alex Kovalev said it best: "One word we can say," said star Canadiens winger Alexei Kovalev. "We were not prepared for this."
Go B's- Kynch