Cup

An interesting trend from the past three Stanley Cup championships is the fact the cup winners began their seasons with a preseason tour in Europe.  The 2011 Bruins began by playing in Belfast (Ireland) and Prague (Czech Republic).  The 2010 champion Chicago Black Hawks began with a seven-game preseason tour from Latvia to Russia to Finland to Ireland to Germany and the 2009 champion Pittsburgh Penguins played the Ottawa Senators in the NHL's season opener in Sweden.

Similarly, many of the NBA champions over the past decade or so also began their seasons with an international trip, including the memorable European bonding mission by the 2007 champion Celtics.  Celts coach Doc Rivers and the players often referred to that trip -- to Rome and London -- as a key factor in bringing the elements of the team together.

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C'mon Commish Goodell and settle that NFL lockout so the NE Patriots can get with the program. You must think all the way back to the days of yesteryear when the Patriots hoisted the NFL Lombardi Trophy in 2005 and the Brady-Belichick bunch celebrated their championship in the deepest days of winter.  The Patriots now become the New England team with the longest drought in championships.

Bruins - 2011

Celtics - 2008

Red Sox - 2007

Patriots - 2005

It's been a pretty nice run of titles which have been enjoyed by a front-runner like me, eh?  It's been so enjoyable, I have to explain, because this Bruins team reminds me a lot of my faves, the NY Islanders of the late 70s and early '80s.  The difference, of course, is the fact the Bruins do not have a big-time goal-scoring sniper, a la Mike Bossy, nor the top line of Gillies-Trottier-Bossy, but the clubs share many other similar traits. Team captain Zdeno Chara anchors the defense in a way that Isles captain Denis Potvin did back in the day while Tim Thomas is every bit the goal-keeper the Isles Billy Smith was in leading the Islanders to four Stanley Cup championships. Now, Cam Neely, Peter Chiarelli and Claude Julien have a ways to go before I could compare them to Bill Torrey and Al Arbour, but time will tell if the Bruins hierarchy can put a few championship seasons together in this more difficult age of salary capped sports.

I like the Bruins chances.

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The "Rolling Rally" for the Boston Bruins was a site to be seen as record crowds turned out for the duck boat parade through the West End of Boston to Copley Square.  More than a million fans turned out on a beautiful late spring day.

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Liar, liar, no pants on flyer?  Did you see this story out of New Mexico?  Seems the Lobos' safety needs a safety pin?