Michael Chiklis: When the Game Stands Tall

(This story is posted on DigitalSportsDesk.com as part of a regular supply of original content, available for sports and entertainment sites worldwide).

By TERRY LYONS (Special to DigitalSPortsDesk)

During these past few lazy days of summer, there's been a lot going on in the New England sports scene. The New England Patriots are firing up their preseason engines with coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady leading the way. The Boston Bruins and Celtics are scouring the earth for some added scoring, as each approach the 2014-15 season on opposite ends of the projected ladder. Over on Yawkey Way, Ben Cherington, the GM of the Boston Red Sox orchestrated a midseason coup, trading pitching ace Jon Lester and a slew of role-playing World Champions for some hope and home runs as a strategic first step in the re-engineering of the BoSox. One of Cherington's bosses, Tom Werner, is on the short list for consideration as Major League Baseball's new Commissioner. And, speaking of Commissioners, over in the western portion of the Commonwealth, the Basketball Hall of Fame is staging its annual tribute and the inductee of honor is former NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Actor Michael Chiklis (Getty Images)

With all of that going on, I thought it was time to step back, maybe escape a bit from the reality that I won't be watching late October baseball at Fenway. So, with that in mind, there was one reliable ole' friend I could reach out to, in order to set my mind on a clear path from the Mass Pike of the depressing local sporting news, so I could look toward the future.

My inside source to all things sports - historical and soon-to-be imagined - provided some fan-friendly perspective as a real New Englander, one with appreciation of the past and the ability to see the future. Fittingly, like Stern, he was someone who had the credentials of a Commissioner but, they were mixed with the passion of a sports fan.

I needed to speak with Michael Chiklis, the actor. 

Chiklis was born in Lowell, Mass, and gained wide notoriety as an actor when, from 1991-96, he played Tony Scali - The Commish. Since that career-breaking role, he went on to star in "The Shield," and even played Curly in "The Three Stooges.” More recently, Chiklis starred in "The Fantastic Four" and he is currently filing FXs "American Horror Story: The Freak" in New Orleans. However, it was Chiklis' previous casting that was the more appropriate subject of discussion when we spoke by phone this past weekend, catching up as though we were old friends sitting in my West Village studio watching his "Commish" reruns, but talking about his soon-to-be-released film role, the portrayal of Terry Eidson an assistant coach to Bob Ladouceur in the true story of (Concord, California’s) De La Salle High School's 151-game winning streak, the backdrop for “When The Game Stands Tall,” a SONY Pictures release, hitting theatres nationwide on August 22.

First, Chiklis was sure to set the record straight when I brazenly asked if he continued to have ample time to follow sports, and in particular, Boston sports while he was so busy with life as a famous actor and jaunts between New Orleans and Los Angeles.

"I still am, and will always be, -- until my last breath -- an avid Boston sports fan," said Chiklis with an emphasis that might've been taught in drama class by Kurt Douglas. "I think one of the single greatest things about my celebrity is that it’s gained me access to my beloved Boston teams."

Where you at Fenway last fall, I asked?

"I was there.  I was at Game 6.  My wife and I went with my dear friend and his wife.  We were there for the celebration, and we ended up going to the owner’s box after the game and had the greatest time in the world.  It’s been wonderful. And, one of the most special things was that I lived out a "Jimmy Fallon moment" (noting the motion picture, Fever Pitch) when Curt Schilling brought me out onto the field right after we won in ’07 in Colorado.  I was right on the field right after the win.  To be that close in proximity to those guys, right there. I was standing there, literally, right with Mike Lowell’s brother while they gave him the MVP trophy on the field, I mean that’s incredibly special, it was insane.  You’re right there, it’s historic stuff that’s happening, and you’re privy to it."

Chiklis then opined on the sport of football, being that the role of assistant coach Eidson was fresh in his mind.  What is it about football, anything with the Patriots that made you particularly insightful to your role in the movie?

"Look," Chilkis said. "I’ve always grown up with the mentality that I’d rather be a good player on a championship team than the "franchise" player on a lousy team.  When you see the way Coach B (his nickname for Belichick) coaches the team and the way he picks players, he’s never been about stars.  One of the goose-bump moments of my life as a Patriots fan was in 2001 at the Superbowl when they introduced the (St. Louis Rams) 'Greatest Show on Turf' player by player.  And then, after all of that fanfare, they went 'introducing the New England Patriots.' and they came out just as the Pats team. Every hair on my body stood up and I thought, 'we are winning this game.' Something about being a New Englander, we love the idea of a team, as opposed to the individual. 

"We don’t like blow hards much."

"It’s about the way we’re raised, I guess," he continued.  "In New England, if you get too far ahead of yourself, you’re going to get brought down to earth really quickly.  When I was growing up, it was really instilled in me that it’s just a better experience in life to be yourself and not be a narcissist, but rather to be a part of a community.  And our teams are like that.  You look right and left of you and you feel that bond between the people. It’s an incredibly special thing, and you’ll get a feel for it in this movie, When The Game Stands Tall.  You’ll see that camaraderie, that brotherhood that happens on a team.  And you can see that in real life with the Patriots and Belichick when he speaks to the players coming into this team he says, 'You want to succeed? You want a ring on your finger? Then, you’re gonna plug into this system, we’ll all pull our weight, we’ll all do this together.'"

Chiklis was quick to put two-and-two together.

"Of course, superstars have emerged (in the New England Patriots' system) due to their level of commitment and play," said the actor. "Tom Brady couldn’t be a better example of a guy who’s all class, who never would say disparaging words about another player.  But, it’s not about the other guy.  It’s about his personal execution as it relates to the guys right and left of him and his commitment to them as a team.  He knows that they can be relied upon.  These guys can rely upon each other.  They have each other’s backs.  And that’s the kind of thing that makes your chest swell when you’re watching this movie.  You can see that in the context of the picture.

"When you’re watching movies like 'Remember the Titans' or 'Rudy' or 'Miracle,' you’re always threatened by that fine line between too corny and something that doesn’t make a mark. But, what I love about this movie is that it's not about 'the cliché version of 'two seconds left on the clock and he scores and the game’s over and we win.'  The film we're so proud of doesn’t take it from that place. The De La Salle high school football team won 151 games in a row in twelve years which for anybody who knows sports, that’s ridiculous.  It just doesn’t happen.

"There’s a reason why their formula was successful and they kept winning," noted Chiklis.  "Sure they want to win their games, but the onus and the focus wasn't on winning games. It’s on making these boys into young men.  They are conscionable, responsible, credible human beings and you rely upon them.

 "I’m very passionate about the movie, I’m a supporting player in this movie, When the Game Stands Tall, but I love what it says."

You will too.

Digital Sports Desk

Siyani Chambers and the agony of defeat (Getty)

Often on Sundays, the Digital Sports Desk will feature a short look at the real news between the lines of the reported news.  We call it, "What They're Talking About."

Be sure to visit: http://www.digitalsportsdesk.com - Here's a sampling:

What They're Talking About - Sunday, March 23, 2014:

The real news between the lines of the reported news.

1. March Madness: Stephen F. Austin and Mercer remain but John Harvard sent home.

2. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: Wouldn't it have made more sense to open Baseball in Australia with a little Monday Night action? (Avoiding NCAAs?)

3. Mark Sanchez OUT! "We'll always have the butt fumble to remember him by"

4. Michael Vick IN! "Same old J-E-T-S."

5. Dog Days of the NBA: Proceed to Playoffs, Go Directly to Playoffs. Do not pass Go. Do Not collect $200.

6. PGA Tour proceeds with their Tiger in the Tank. Maybe The Masters?

7. Dozen for the Bruins: The Boston Bruins dropped their first two after the Olympic break but haven't lost since March 1st

8. North Dakota State: Coach Saul Phillips broke down with emotion post game ... "It's why I do what I do."  Amen.

9. Dayton Flyers: Cinderellas only punch one ticket for the Sweet 16. What will Sunday bring?

10. Duke and Syracuse out? Well, at least the USA Basketball World Championship team has its coaches back.

Go Ahead and Poke This Bear

The Boston Bruins do a great job, on and off the ice.  The team reached the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago but were defeated by the Chicago Black Hawks. The Bruins are back in the hunt for the 2014 Stanley Cup and currently lead their division.

Off the ice, the team competes and competes for attention in the Red Sox (and to lesser extent) Patriots' nation. 

In short, the Bruins do a terrific job.

One aspect of their marketing and promotional effort is their progressive online offerings.

This is wonderful:

Clueless in Chicago ...

Tasteless T

Clueless in Chicago - A brain dead retailer in Chicago first created a tasteless tee shirt, then they marketed it, then they realized ALL HELL was going to break loose unless they yanked the product, then they tried to apologize but ACTUALLY MADE IT WORSE with HALF-ASS, CLUELESS, insincere apology showing absolutely ZERO insight into what the people of Boston witnessed on April 15th and thereafter.

See Story here:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/cubby-tees-pulls-chicago-stronger-blackhawks-gear-protests-153123086.html;_ylt=A2KJ2PZsQb9R7nAA8uvQtDMD

By the way... Feel free to email the SCHMUCKS at info@cubbytees.com

Note to Cubby - The sports teams are only one small avenue or outlet that continues to help the people of the City of Boston and its surrounding areas grieve a bit - to help heal/recover from the loss of lives of friends, the loss of limbs to freinds and strangers who are equally important, and the loss of our general freedom from safely walking down the streets.

Music and concerts, other events and gatherings, our religious beliefs, no matter what religion or faith, and time with our friends and family have helped just as much. We're also pretty indebted to our police and fire, all the nursees and first responders who served us so well. We might've been taking them for granted, but not anymore.

Most importantly, Mr CubbyTee - instead of the half-ass apology to try to save your business, you might pay tribute in some way to the souls of the departed, Ms. Lu Lingzi, Ms. Krystle Campbell, Officer Sean Collier and little Martin Richard, 8. By the way, little Martin Richard's kid sister, Jane, 7, just underwent her 11th surgery since the April 15th crime/terror act. And, officer Richard Donohue just went home last week after being shot in the chase-down of the two criminals who planted the bombs near innocent people and children.

Since you have no clue as to the meaning of a loss of life and to the loss of life of one of our "Finest" and the near loss of one of his fellow-officers, we think the CHICAGO Police and Fire Depts. might want to have a word with you and your colleagues at Cubby Tees. Just a thought. 

For your next tee-shirt venture, may we suggest a plain, white tee with the following old hockey phrase written in BLACK LETTERS --

KEEP YOUR HEAD UP.

***

And, to my dear friends - MANY - at the Chicago Tribune - please, just "Say It Ain't So?

B's CAUSE ITS the CUP

#NHLBruins clinch berth in #StanleyCupFinals #BecauseitstheCup - Photo Gallery and story - http://t.co/1h8jaJ1wlQ
— DigitalSportsDesk (@DigSportsDesk) June 8, 2013

TL

Say it Ain't So?

This blog entry is posted on Boston.com - a collection of posts from the self-described "Obnoxious Boston Fan"

Read on ... and weep.

Pittsburgh fan Tweets 'hope' for Boston bombing

Posted by Obnoxious Boston Fan  June 1, 2013 10:36 PM

Dane Cook is off the hook.

He's no longer the most-hated man in Boston. That's thanks again to Matt Cooke and a couple of Penguins fans with a twisted sense of humor and priorities.

If you though the clown with the "Toronto Stronger" sign was ridiculous, he's been topped, or bottomed. Things turned ugly on Twitter Saturday night during the Bruins-Penguins game. Jordan Kuruc posted a tweet following the ejection of Cooke that crossed every line possible.

Jordan Kurac

Kuruc posted the following on his Twitter feed: "NHL is f-----g rigged! Matt Cooke made a clean hit. I hope your city gets bombed again Boston."
Kuruc was the lead singer of a band, ironically, called "Forebearance" which bills itself as "Melodic Hardcore from Western PA."

After the Twitter firestorm, the band posted the following message on its Facebook page:

It's come to my attention that our singer has said something very inappropriate via social media that is incredibly out of line. (In fact, I just woke up to this backlash.) The statement he made is in NO way shape or form representative of ANY view this band has and even though I personally have nothing to do with what he said, I feel the need to apologize to anyone offended by his ignorant statement. Because of this, Jordan is now removed from this band. Thank you to the people that have brought this to our attention, and again, our apologies that you had to be exposed to such ignorance.

His suspension from the band lasted for all of 24 minutes.
Drummer Dave Anderson followed up with this clarification.

At this point, the past statements on our wall made regarding our former singer ignorant statements made this evening will be deleted. The rest of our band acknowledges your outrage, agrees with your outrage, and has responded with what we feel is only just. Jordan will be performing with us for our 2 shows next week only to honor prior commitment, but nothing more...

Gary Bettman would be proud.

Kuruc wasn't the only one trying out their twisted sense of humor. Another genius, Curt Sagriff, offered this gem: "Drop another bomb in boston right on the bruins arena. #dontgiveaf--k hate boston so much.”

Both Tweets were retweeted to the FBI's @FBIBoston Twitter feed.
Social media has allowed billions of people to show how brilliant, funny or despicable they can be. It's often filled with ugliness, racial hatred and profanity. Several Bruins fans and/or racists showed their ugly side after Joel Ward's goal in the Game 7 loss to the Capitals last year. This type of idiocy has, sadly, become news.

Kuruc deleted most of his game-related tweets by the time the Bruins finished their 3-0 demolition of the Penguins. The OBF blog contacted Kuruc via Twitter seeking comment but he did not respond. He's in no way typical of most Pittsburgh fans, especially those who quietly left the arena with most of the third period after Nathan Horton's goal gave Boston an insurmountable three-goal lead. David Krejci added a pair to stoke the ire of the Penguins and earned the coveted Ranger jacket from his teammates.

The fact that any adult would stoop to this level in reaction to a sporting event is a disturbing sign.

It's a shame he doesn't understand the difference between sports hate and real hate.

Save for Cooke's dirty play - even Whitey Bulger thinks he's a thug - the visceral feelings directed toward Sidney Crosby and his teammates Saturday topped the sports hatred meter. As they should have. This was Jets, A-Rod and Thurman Munson combined. Bernard Pollard is next.

It was interesting how NBC had the Marc Savard replay at the ready immediately after Cooke's game-ending-for-him-hit Saturday. They knew what was coming. And no doubt the word came down that the national TV audience was not going to stand for it.

This game was better than advertised. Worth the week's wait. Tuukka Rask dominated Pittsburgh. It remains mystifying why so many fans and media members (and even his teammates it seems) are hesitant to give him credit for what he's accomplished thus far in the playoffs, beating Toronto twice in OT and basically stonewalling the Rangers.

Saturday, he simply shut out Pittsburgh, the best offensive team in the NHL.
Don't worry, Pittsburgh.

You still have most offensive team in the league, and have at least two fans to prove it.


Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com. 

***

Sad statement, all. I think the FBI should follow-up on the threat posted.  Think Mr. Jordan Kuruc's life might turn miserable for a few months?

TL

Boston Strong ... with a little help from our friends

Need I say more... other than: Thank-you New York, Thank-you Cleveland, Thank-you Toronto and Canada; Thank-you to all the hundreds and hundreds who checked in on us.  

Here we go ... (for those not from Boston... Rene Rancourt is a bit of a ... how you say? Peacock.  He embellishes the national anthem and fist-pumps to the crowd afterward).  Tonight... he just, simply started the song.

Watch it all.

Welcome to the #TD Garden

Rene Rancourt signing Canada's National Anthem at TD Garden, Boston (Photo by T. Peter Lyons/DigitalSportsDesk)

It's always a very good thing when the Toronto maple Leafs are wearing their classy uniforms vs the Boston Bruins.  

LOCKOUT? WHAT LOCKOUT?

BOSTON, January 27, 2013 - Just a few days after the folks at Google reminded everyone in the world of the importance of the (very) late Frank Zamboni (who would've turned 112 on January 16), two of Mr. Zamboni's machines raced along the boards at TD Garden in Boston.  It was pre-game of the Bruins versus New York Islanders game and two lucky fans were riding shotgun on the amazing machine that has made the term "hosers" a trivia question as opposed to an occupation or relegation for the losers of ice hockey pick-up games in Canada, the great country that happily calls hockey a religion rather than a sport.

TD Garden in Boston

The two fans were winners of a contest, one of the many Bruins Foundation charity raffles and the young fans were bundled up on a cold January night where the temperature inside the Garden was barely above the nine degrees in the shade outside the building, adorned with Black & Gold and larger than life posters of Zdeno Chara or Milan Lucic. The bars outside the Garden were jumpin', the Green Line "T" trolleys were packed with people, many wearing their favorite Bruins sweater. It was the third home game for the Boston Bruins and, quite frankly, there wasn't even a whiff of a hangover from the 113-day work stoppage that came so painfully close to taking down a business that will generate a couple billion dollars this year, and up to $2.9 billiion in the year(s) to come. Not too shabby for a group that was once led by a "do it the way we did it last year leader" named John Zeigler, the former NHL President.

So, the lockout is in the rear view. That's official. That's a fact. Done. Finee. Kaput.

You can bet your Tuukka Rask on it. The fans are ready, the players are surprisingly primed and the games have been pretty damn competitive as 30 NHL teams crank-up the engines to play 720 games over a 99-day regular season. There is at least one game on each day of the season which wraps-up on April 27. The playoffs will begin on April 30 and the latest the Stanley Cup will be presented will be June 28.

Although NHL officials view it as a positive, the challenge will play out in the make-up of the season schedule as teams will play 18 games within their division: four games (two home and two away) against two of the teams in the division, five games (three home and two away) against another team in the division, and five games (two home and three away) against the remaining divisional opponent.

To complete the 720-game schedule, clubs will play three games against each of the 10 remaining non-divisional opponents in their conference. Outside the division, a team will face five clubs twice at home and once away, and play once at home and twice on the road against the other five teams. Unlike the lockout-shortned NBA season where back-to-backs became the norm and even a few back-to-back-to-backs made Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich cringe, the NHL schedule-makers were able to keep the basic grid together at the cost of the 48-game tilt and no cross-Conference action. Still, the grind of the season will strike home as each team, now, is playing its fifth or sixth game.

"The NHL players came into their mini-camps in condition, but the frustrations of the lockout, with the ups and downs, made it difficult for the rank and file to focus on game-fit conditioning," said John Gallucci, Jr, MS, ATC, PT, DPT & President of JAG Physical Therapy in New Jersey. "Physiologically, we know it can take approximately 4-6 weeks to progress into strength and stamina for any sport.  But, as we witnessed with the NBA return from a lockout last year, too much, too quick can cause overuse injuries such as tendinitis, stress reaction and stress fractures.  The strength coaches and medical staff of each team will have to monitor coach expectations and athletic conditioning progression."

So, the challenge ahead is the challenge right now for all 30 NHL teams, most of which have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs. Ten or a Baker's dozen have a shot at the Cup. The grind will come from physical play against (very) familiar divisional opponents. From the early going, the gloves are dropping at high rates, making the Rockem' Sockem' robots atmosphere a regular occurrence, something those Canucks, Canadians, Blue Seats, Southies and Broad Street Bullies just adore.

Goalkeeping, as always, will be the difference maker, but a nagging injury to a key star, from a groin-pull to a stress fracture might end an NHL season and dump a contending team just as it starts.

(Written Jan. 25th and updated Jan. 27th, 2013)

P. U. - The distict aroma of hockey

This gem from Sunday's Boston Globe:

***
P.U.

No, that’s not a typo.

Pee youuuuuuu. That’s the distinctively disgusting smell of the hockey equipment bag.

Unzip it at your own peril. It contains a witch’s brew of bacteria, sweat, mucus, dried blood, metal, foam, and plastic. The scent has been described as a combination of rotten eggs, dirty socks, a wet dog, and low tide.

The hockey bag smell drives hockey moms bonkers.

“I’d say the hockey bag is the smelliest thing in the world,” said Laura Norris as she gazed lovingly at her son Cal, a clean-scrubbed 7-year-old munching on pizza before a Bruins scrimmage game.

On tournament days, she said, his bag is distinctive.

“It smells like a combination of really bad-smelling feet, throw up, and probably a little bit of a dirty diaper,” said Norris. “It gets aired out after every practice, except if it’s not warm enough, then unfortunately it gets aired out in my kitchen.

“It’s disgusting. It gets sprayed down with Clorox spray. It masks it but doesn’t really get rid of it.”

Former NHL enforcer Chris Nilan said his mother viewed his stinky bag as a major misconduct.

“My mother used to go nuts,” said Nilan, who grew up in West Roxbury. “I was too tired and lazy after practice to unpack it and air it out.

“My mother said, ‘If you don’t start airing that out, I’m going to throw it out.’ So one day she tossed it out. I had to get it out of the garbage.”

Nilan said the odor is unique to hockey.

“They just stink from the sweat and throwing stuff in,” he said. “It’s a cloth bag. It retains the sweat, that musky smell. You clean your underwear but you still have the scent and it kind of ferments a little.

“That’s a part of the character of the sport. The smell. I still have my Canadiens bag; there’s a little smell in it. They all smell the same. You can be in a California locker room and it’d smell the same as in Boston.”

To Nilan, though, the aroma is nirvana.

“There’s nothing better,” he said. "It smells like a hockey locker room. Ever since I was a kid. It’s the smell of hockey. The smell of your pads and your skates. That good hockey smell.”

Good as gold to him

Jack O’Callahan was part of the “Miracle On Ice” 1980 US Olympic team that upset the mighty Russians en route to a gold medal. The pride of Charlestown played seven seasons in the NHL before co-founding Beanpot Financial Services in Chicago. His olfactory receptors are a bit eccentric.

“Ha, I actually like that smell,” he wrote in an e-mail. “It’s like the line in ‘Apocalypse Now,’ modified a bit: ‘I love the smell of my stinky hockey bag in the morning. It smells like Victory.’ ”

O’Callahan’s 1980 Olympic bag is one of his most cherished possessions.

“My ’80 bag is in a safe deposit box in Glencoe, Ill., with the other stuff, probably stinking up everyone’s diamonds,” he said.

Washing someone’s hockey bag can be the ultimate show of love. It can even lead to a diamond.

Heather Stone of Pembroke used to wash her then-boyfriend’s stinky hockey bag while they were dating in 1999.

But no more.

“I tried to be helpful,” she said, “but he said I made it smell too good, too flowery, and I haven’t touched it since.”

Jim Stone says he likes the way his hockey bag smells. Today, the couple have four kids and seven hockey bags. Jim and the kids are allowed in the house; the bags are not.

“We have a swimming pool business, and it’s seasonal,” said Heather. “When we shut down, it turns into our hockey locker room. We store the bags next door with the chlorine.”

Other wives are not as fortunate.

Anthony Sorrentino of Lynn hates when his hockey stuff gets frozen outside in the winter.

“We play late, so when I come home, I’ll put my stuff in the spare room where the computer is and shut the door so it doesn’t stink up the rest of house,” he said.

“My wife will get up at 5 a.m. to go to work, and she’ll walk in to go use the computer and there’s my raunchy, stinking hockey bag with no windows open. And you can hear her gag.

“She’s gagging, she’s swearing, and then she’s up throwing elbow pads at me.”

Cleaning it up in NHL

In the Bruins locker room at TD Garden, Chris Bourque, 26, smiles at the subject. He survived the old Boston Garden as a kid with his father, Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque.

“I’m used to the smell,” he said. “I grew up in a locker room, so it doesn’t really bother me.

“My wife doesn’t like it so much. She says, ‘Get that stuff out of the house, go wash your hands, stuff like that.’

“It’s just sweaty old hockey equipment that has been worn for a long time. The stench doesn’t go away. In the NHL, the rooms are lot cleaner. They put in air fresheners and wash our equipment for us, so it’s a little bit better.”

Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, whose hockey bag never left the arenas in his native Slovakia, also thinks the smell is getting better in the NHL.

“Oh, they don’t stink as much as they used to,” said the Boston captain. “The technology of the equipment is better. The trainers do a great job; they’re washing gear at least once a month. But some guys still like wearing 10-year-old shoulder pads because they are more comfortable”

The Bruins were one of the first NHL teams to buy an $11,000 ozone-infused sanitizing machine to reduce bacteria and eliminate odor from equipment. Former Bruins center Joe Thornton developed a serious staph infection on his elbow in 2002 and then an infected cut above his eyebrow the following year that required hospitalization.

Now, 27 NHL teams have the Sani Sport cleaning units in their locker rooms.

“It’s not funny,” said Sani Sport president Steve Silver. “The smell is not the big deal; the fact that the smell is eliminated is a nice byproduct.

“The reality is that the smell is caused by upwards of a million living organisms on the average set of hockey or football equipment.

“You get an abrasion on your skin, and ironically the bacteria from the shoulder pad or the skate or whatever piece of equipment that is supposed to be protecting you, bacteria from there can seep into your skin and cause things like MRSA [methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus].

“It is resistant to most drugs, so unfortunately people die from MRSA and get very sick from other staph infections.”

The Bruins take all of this all very seriously.

“We’re very sensitive to that kind of stuff,” said defenseman Dennis Seidenberg. “You get a cut or just a little scratch, you’ve got to make sure you cover it with a Band-Aid and ointment. Make sure it doesn’t get inflamed. If some bacteria gets in, even a little scratch could be trouble.

“I got cut last year from [goalie] Timmy [Thomas’s] skate, and they stitched it and it did get infected. They had to open it up again and wash it out. I had to take all those antibiotics.”

Great advice

A couple of the game’s greats say that cleanliness and odor elimination begin with young players taking care of their own dirty stuff.

At Hockey Town USA in Saugus, Ray Bourque skates incognito in an afternoon pickup game, steam rising from his broad shoulders as he heads to the locker room. Bourque says the problem begins with teenagers who just leave everything in the bag.

“They sweat and they don’t dry it out,” he said. “It doesn’t smell very good, but you’ve got to take care of it, just like anything else.

“I had a spot at home that I aired out my stuff after I played, and that was that.”

Fellow Hall of Famer Bobby Orr thinks a reporter asking about smelly hockey bags is sniffing down the wrong path.

“I don’t know what smell you’re talking about,” he said.

So hockey gods don’t smell?

Orr smiles that still-boyish grin.

“I dried my equipment out as a kid,” he said. “Mine didn’t smell. I don’t remember my duffel bag having an odor.

“My last duffel bag is in Parry Sound, in the Hall of Fame up there. And I haven’t noticed that it smells.”

But what of mere mortals?

“Well, the problem we have is the kids expect the parents to carry the bag, hang the equipment up, and so on and so forth,” said Orr. “I took responsibility for my own and I didn’t wait for my parents to do that.

“The kids ought to be doing that themselves, and then it wouldn’t smell so bad.”

Stan Grossfeld can be reached at grossfeld@globe.com.

Mr Bettman, Apology Accepted!

BOSTON, January 19, 2013 - To Whom It May Concern Amongst the NHL's Ticket Holders, Vendors, Arena-Staff and Area Workers, Small Business Owners, Players, Coaches, Front Office Executives, Sponsors, Team Owners, and to you The Fan:

And to the distinguished Commissioner Gary Bettman and to NHL Players Association head Donald Fehr:

First and foremost, Commissioner Bettman, sir. Apology accepted!

Now, let's all move on as the season is underway and Bettman, the NHL's proprietor of pucks, declared open the lockout-shortened 2013 season as he munched on some "Humble Pie" when he recently walked up to a microphone and did what any CEO would do after a corporate disaster.

He apologized.

"I know that an explanation or an apology with not erase the hard feelings that have built up over the last few months, but I owe you an apology nonetheless," said the NHL commissioner.

Well, I was at the TD Garden in Boston for the Bruins' home opener and a legion of hockey fans seem to agree with my viewpoint. They were back, and they tweeted #BruinsAreBack or #HockeyisBack as though they were campaigning for office. These are the facts to be reported this 19th day of January in the Year 2013 as the NHL cranked up its engines:

• Every seat was sold.
• Occupying Causeway Street was a loyal, avid - maybe rabid - ice hockey fan, nearly all decked out in varying styles of Boston Bruins replica team jerseys.
• The passion of a loyal fan base was very apparent, smiles on faces signaling incredibly happy fans.
• The team's messages were straight and to the point. A sincere "Welcome Back" with some special promotions, beautiful ice sculptures on the grounds, a tremendous pre-game ceremony to introduce the 2013 Bruins and more.

Yes, the NHL season is underway and the NHL league and team Public Relations people, Broadcasters, Marketing, Ticket Sales, Game Presentation and every employee from ice dancer to Zamboni driver have all done a fine job relaunching pro ice hockey in North America, much to the appreciation of that avid fan base, all seemingly starving for a hockey fix.

Truth be told, lockouts and collective bargaining agreements, work stoppages, business deals and salary caps, the endless bickering and arguing between the Fehrs and the Bettmans of the world are the last things a fan wants to hear about. Sports fans want to watch their team play. Period. For many fans, the shortened 2013 season ends a bad dream, but the awakening brings hope their team can compete for a playoff spot or maybe even a title. While doing so, all the fan want is to enjoy themselves, buy a sweater, quaff a brew and maybe take their kids now and then to see the best brand of ice hockey the world has to offer, outside Moscow.

Whether it is "in-person" (and we know the NHL is the best "in-person" experience of the four major North American-based sports) or, if it's only on TV (where the NHL might be the "worst" of the major sports in terms of the ability to soak in the game on TV), sports fans just want to have two hours and 30 minutes of fun, excitement, while they can show their love and enthusiasm for the local heroes. Hockey fans want to display all of their built up, pent-up, competitive spirit and natural passion as they witness true competition in the most entertaining of any professional sport. Fans ask, only, that the players are prepared and play HARD. They want their teams well coached and to skate as hard as they can.

This year, it's a 99-day sprint to the Cup Playoffs. It's wide open and more than a dozen teams have a legitimate shot at carrying Lord Stanley for a ride.

To the contrary, though, some fans choose to heap some sort of discipline upon the league for orchestrating the terrible 2012 lockout. There are viral videos calling for a 10-game boycott to account for every game lost after the self-imposed December 21 line drawn in the sand. A group of fans created a Facebook page and a video message that went ultra-viral online.

One of the proponents of that cause is a good friend of mine - call him "Billy," who is one of the most avid, well-rounded hockey fans I've ever met. Billy played the game, knows the game and LOVES the game, yet he explained it well: "I'm in my parenting stage of life," said the father of a four-year old. "I know that I have to lay some type of foundation so he know what's right and wrong. And, there has to be some sort of consequence if he doesn't behave, listen or recognize there is right and wrong.

"I feel the same way about the NHL. The lockout was drawn-out and they were operating without any regard for the fans. We just have to do something to let the NHL know, we're just not going to take it. We have to show them some discipline."

A worthy argument, yes, but I tend to believe that lockouts are like hurricanes, stock market corrections, parking tickets and a slew of other things in life that annoy the bejeezes out of us. The lockout was a necessary means to get a 10-year labor deal that worked for the owners of the league.

Commissioner Bettman was under marching orders from hard-line team owners to get "the best possible long-term deal" and he did. Now that the deal is done, I refuse to look in the rear view mirror. I refuse to judge the owners or the players or try to decide if there was a winner or loser in this mess.

Like the 17,565 fans at TD Boston Garden, most of them dressed in Bruins Black & Gold, I stand ready to fully accept and embrace the 2013 NHL season for one and only one reason. It's FUN!

That's what a pro sport is supposed to be about - F.U.N. I wanted to lay a $20 on my favorite bar-keeper, as I know he felt the pain of this lockout far more than goal-keepers, owners or Commissioners.

So, dear National Hockey League, I'm back! You're back, so I'm back. Although, Mr Fehr? I wouldn't mind hearing an apology from you, too.

(This is the first of a series of three Blog Posts by Terry Lyons, editor of Digital Sports Desk as he analyzes the return and jump-start of the 2013 NHL season).

Follow Terry Lyons on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@DigSportsDesk

http://www.digitalsportsdesk.com/

Welcome Back to the Lucicadores

Where, Oh Where, are the Lucic-a-dores ...

"Lucic-a-dors?"

On the day of the Bruins' Stanley Cup Championship parade, Mike Dowling of WCVB-TV Boston ran across some fans dressed in strange, Halloween-like garb - Knights or Swordsmen, I do not know.  They were a cross between Zorro and Robin Hood with Black & Gold.

They were the "Lucic-a-dors."

Great fun.

And, guess what?  That's what a pro sport, specifically Hockey, is supposed to be about - F.U.N.

Lockouts and collective bargaining, business and salary caps, bickering and arguing between the Donald Fehrs and the Gary B. Bettmansof the world are the last things a fan wants to hear about.  Sports fans want to watch their team play, and for many fans, the dream brings hope their team can compete for a playoff spot or maybe even a title.  While doing so, all a fan wants is to enjoy themselves. 

Whether it is "in-person" (and we know the NHL is the best "in-person" experience of the four (4) major North American-based sports) or, if it is only on TV (where the NHL might be the "worst" of the major sports in terms of the ability to soak in the game on TV), we just want to have two hours and 30 minutes of fun, excitement, while we can show our love and enthusiasm and and live -out a mechanism to display all of our competitive nature as we witness one of the highest levels of sport. We ask - only, that the players are prepared and play HARD, as hard as they can.

***

I'll dig in deeper into this concept for a column on DigitalSportsDesk - but for now, welcome back to the NHL, Welcome Back for the Bruins and a high five to all of our fellow businesses in and around the TD Garden.

In Tuuka, we trust.

Let's get it signed, sealed, delivered and in the file drawer.  We want HOCKEY!

See:

Boston Globe Coverage:

Becky Southworth has a full-time job as a high school tutor. But the 37-year-old Malden resident said that her part-time job waiting tables at the Harp in the North End of Boston is the one that “pays the bills.”

“Or used to,” she added, referring to the crowds who normally flock to the pub before and after Boston Bruins hockey games held in the arena across Causeway Street. “Hopefully, it will again soon.”

Southworth should soon get her wish. The National Hockey League is expected to start its season later this month after a four-month lockout, which led to the cancellation of about half of the scheduled games, ended Sunday morning when owners and players reached an agreement.

That means businesses like the Harp that surround the TD Garden expect to see sales heat up once the team returns to the ice and their loyal fans return to a part of the city that is often quiet when the venue is empty.

Related
On hockey: Will fans and sponsors come back to NHL?

“It’s been so boring around here without hockey,” said 26-year-old Joshua Sheppard, who wore a B’s T-shirt while manning the counter at North Station Liquors on Causeway Street. “The Bruins are a big draw to the neighborhood.”

Many retailers in the area described Bruins fans as being especially loyal, more so than those who visit the Garden to watch the Boston Celtics play basketball.

And, “hockey people spend a lot more money across the board,” Sheppard said.

Standing beside Sheppard and wearing a Bruins jacket, the store’s owner, Smitty Patel, 37, of South Boston, estimated that sales to those who come to the area for hockey account for 10 to 15 percent of business.

Inside the Garden’s shop that sells official Bruins and Celtics gear, one worker said that sales of Celtics items tend to “fluctuate based on whether they’re doing good or not.”

But “Bruins fans are pretty much loyal the whole way through,” said the worker, who declined to give his name because he is not authorized to speak to media. “It’s crazy how much money Bruins fans will spend on merchandise.”

Laurel Ryan and Jen Parisi said that they often do not hold back on spending to cheer on their beloved B’s.

The friends, each wearing a Bruins T-shirt, said they do not follow any other sports, rarely watch television unless they are watching hockey, and buy as many Bruins tickets as they can afford.

Ryan, 19, of Abington, showed pictures of her bedroom wall, which is plastered with Bruins memorabilia.

She held out her wrist to show off a bracelet charm of the team’s spoked-B logo.

Ryan pulled out a Bruins-themed Dunkin’ Donuts gift card that she said she was given during the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup victory parade. She has hung onto it since, reloading money on it instead of getting a new one.

She said she had a hard time sleeping Saturday night as reports swirled that the lockout could soon end. She woke up Sunday at 7 a.m., checked Twitter, and saw a tweet from ESPN hockey columnist Pierre LeBrun, who said a deal had been reached.

“It was better than Christmas morning,” said Ryan. “I started freaking out. I didn’t know what to do.”

She woke her family to tell them the news and sent a joyful mass text to every number saved in her phone.

“I’m wicked excited that hockey’s back,” she said.

Not so fast, said some fans, who are still angry about the lockout and plan to stay away from the Garden and boycott team merchandise.

“I’m not going to go over there and throw my hard-earned money at them,” said Sheppard. “They could have ended this a lot sooner. In the meantime, it hurts everyone else.”

Patel shared his employee’s frustration.

“The owners are greedy and the players are greedy,” he said.

Still, Patel expects that once the pucks begin to drop again, his anger will subside. He will not hesitate to pay to watch the team play.

The return of such fans is what businesses in the area have been waiting for.

“It’s a big relief to us,” said Hannah Kempski, marketing manager for the Briar Group, which owns the Harp and several other Boston-area bars and restaurants.

Southworth said she picked up additional tutoring jobs to help pay for classes at UMass Boston, where she is pursuing a degree in education.

“It’s been a really stressful four months,” she said.

She said the crowds hockey draws to the bar make for a better-paying job, and one that is more enjoyable. “It’s fun. I’m looking forward to having fun again,” she said.

Matt Rocheleau can be reached at matthew.rocheleau@globe.com.

Boston METRO Coverage:

It may be a few months late, but the hockey fans are starting to come out of hibernation.

Excited fans wearing Boston Bruins hats and jerseys roamed the streets Sunday afternoon near the TD Garden, which will soon light up in gold again.

It appears that the 113-day National Hockey League lockout has come to an end. An agreement between the NHL and player’s union was announced early Sunday morning meaning a shortened season could start as early as the end of this month.

Inside the TD Garden pro shop most of the Bruins jerseys and paraphernalia have been relegated to the back walls.

But Craig Beauregard knew exactly what he was looking for and made a beeline right past the sea of green Celtics gear in the front of the store.

He traveled from Quincy to the Garden to buy his new Brad Marchand jersey. He waited to get it on purpose and principal.

"I didn't want to give my money to someone who was being selfish," he said, still feeling a bit bitter about the lockout.

But for dedicated fans like Beauregard, the battle back and forth between the players and the league and owners hasn't spoiled the game enough to keep him away from the Garden.

"I can't just sit at my apartment and watch it when they're so close,”" he said, adding that he will soon be hunting for tickets.

After hearing the news that hockey was returning to the Hub, Brian Lawlor of Medford headed to an eatery near the Garden for a celebratory brunch with friends.

Lawlor said that he tried to fill the hockey void with Celtics games, but with their winning inconsistency, they've been "difficult to watch."

"I'm just happy as a fan to have some hockey back," said Lawlor, who was wearing his Bruins jersey.

The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau estimated that each canceled home game meant nearly $1 million in lost business to places like bars, restaurants and souvenir stands near the Garden, according to the Globe.

Becky Southworth described the past three months without hockey in one word: "Abysmal."

"The past few months [at work] have been slow and quiet and sad," said Southworth, a server for the last four years at the Harp, which is across the street from the Garden.

Besides the uptick in tips, Southworth said she's looking forward to seeing more Bruins fans and regulars back in the bar.

Hannah Kempski, the marketing manager for the Harp, said they "couldn't be happier" that the lockout is over.

"We have a ton of fans that come before and after every single game and even get a lot of fans that watch the away games, so it's a big deal for us," said Kempski.

Chris Fox, assistant general manager at The Greatest Bar near the Garden, agreed.

"Them coming back is pretty fantastic for us," he said.