Charlie Coyle Cameo

(Photo Credit: Cameo)

By: Evan Michael | Follow me on Twitter @00EvanMichael

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are here. Finally (and hopefully safely).

And if your Boston Bruins want to make anything more than a “Cameo” in their pandemically-delayed second season, then perhaps they need to take a virtual page from their recent online success stories!

While we all waited for hockey with bated breath — and at many times even held our breath under the literal and figurative mask of COVID-19 — the B’s made the most of their time away from TD Garden and connected with fans in the most clever, creative and community-oriented of ways.

Those connections resonated with people across not only Boston and New England, but also the U.S.A, Canada and the world thanks to Zoom, Skype, FaceTime and most recently the social media site Cameo, which sets up virtual “shout outs” from celebrities and sports stars to anyone willing to make the required financial contribution.

The B’s offered (and still offer) an assortment of opportunities — everyone from awesome alumni like Andrew Raycroft and Chris Nilan to Boston broadcasters like Billy Jaffe and Dale Arnold to current pro players like Trent Frederic, Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle (as seen in my tweet above).

The messages can be anything from birthday wishes to wedding congratulations to happy anniversary cheersing to Stanley Cup predictions from some of the actual players themselves! Speaking of which… how are we feeling about the B’s chances heading into the most unusual playoff scenario in the history of the sport?

If we throw out the recent exhibition game against Columbus (which we 100% should), then I’d like to think the B’s have one of the best chances to non only contend again for the Cup, but also to win it. And here’s my reasoning why — to go along with NESN’s “five reasons” as tweeted above:

Stanley Cup runner-ups have a taste for revenge victory that’s as insatiable as an over-hibernating bear finally waking up in the winter woods. Hockey metaphors and random mascot coincidences aside, the B’s are exactly both. And as proven recently by the Pittsburgh Penguins, a hungry number two can easily become a fulfilled number one the following season if they make the most of the opportunities and circumstances given to them. The B’s know how to do this. It’s practically in their DNA (and hype video for that matter)!

Which brings me to my next rather fitting and timely reason: when was the last time hockey took a “pause” in play? If you guessed 2013, you’d be correct. The strike-shortened NHL season allowed for quite the Original Six SCF match-up between the Chicago Blackhawks and — guess again — the Boston Bruins, who like last year, came within some puck-luck and a solid save or two from winning Lord Stanley’s coveted chalice yet again this decade (thank goodness for memories of 2011).

So, why not start the next decade with a little history re-writing of their own? If any team in hockey should be feeling NOW is the time to make their mark, and make a winning move, it’s the Bruins. If any team should realize that the MOMENT to rise to championship glory may not be as close as this one, it’s the Bruins. And if any team’s WINDOW could stave off cracking, shattering or breaking for even the slightest bit longer (cheers to you, Zdeno Chara), it’s the Bruins.

After all, cameos are defined as “a brief appearance or role” in a theatrical medium. Well, there’s no bigger theatre in all of sports than the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And you can best “B”-lieve, the Boston Bruins plan to be in it for the long haul!

Check out the new Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast episode 187 that we recorded below! You can find our show on many worldwide platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/865048084″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /] User 568316199 · 187: We Honor The Loss Of An Amesbury, Mass. Legend & Give Updates On Recent Bruins News

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB5a102phRY&w=853&h=480]