A website dedicated to bring you the most accurate news and information about the Boston Bruins organization from a fans perspective. This site is not affiliated with the NHL club in any way.
Or(r), as the organization’s recent official tweet announced: “The hunt resumes.”
Are you #StillHungry for hockey and for the B’s bringing home another Stanley Cup to Boston? Let us know here at the BN’G blog with your comments, likes and shares and tell us how you feel about the new Bruins hype video.
Because you best “B”-lieve… we’re buying into all the hype!
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.
User 568316199 · 187: We Honor The Loss Of An Amesbury, Mass. Legend & Give Updates On Recent Bruins News
Please subscribe to our new Black N’ Gold Hockey YouTube channel! We’d really appreciate the continued support. Click HERE for exciting Black N’ Gold online content!!
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!
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.
— Blue Sky Sports&Ent (@BlueSky_Sports) July 27, 2020
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.
User 568316199 · 187: We Honor The Loss Of An Amesbury, Mass. Legend & Give Updates On Recent Bruins News
Please subscribe to our new Black N’ Gold Hockey YouTube channel! We’d really appreciate the continued support. Click HERE for exciting Black N’ Gold online content!!
Whether it was Boston Strong or more recently Hometown Heroes, Bruins players have always made it a point to stand up for what they believe is right during the playing of the National Anthem at TD Garden.
Now, in the midst of tumultuous times across the U.S. and parts of Canada, the team has decided to once again take a stand for race relations, just treatment of their fans and supporters, and respect for each other as human beings.
In a recently released statement on the Boston Bruins official Twitter account @NHLBruins, the players have shared the following joint message:
“Over the past several months we have been trying to educate ourselves and learn more about racial injustice in our country and around the world. As a team we have decided to lock arms during the playing of the United States and Canadian Anthems as a sign of solidarity with the Black community.
This action is solely intended to be a positive sign of support for the Black community, and a way for us to use our platform to help end racism.”
O’Ree, who made his NHL debut with the @NHLBruins on Jan. 18, 1958, is a trailblazer who paved the way for the players of diverse ethnic backgrounds who have succeeded him in the subsequent 60 years. #HHOF#HHOF2018
O’Ree, as we know, was the first ever black player in the National Hockey League, making his debut for the Bruins on January 18th, 1958 against the Montreal Canadiens. Nearly sixty years later, he headlined the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018 as an inductee for the Bruins.
Now, as the Bruins return to play in a Summer season surrounded by questions of uncertainty and health concerns, there’s one thing definitely certain for all players wearing Black N’ Gold — they’ve not only got the backs of each other but also of their fellow man.
Check out the new Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast episode 185 that we recorded below on 7-19-20! You can find our show on many worldwide platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Stitcher!
Please subscribe to our new Black N’ Gold Hockey YouTube channel! We’d really appreciate the continued support. Click HERE for exciting Black N’ Gold online content!
When #HockeyAtHome started trending, a surreal feeling came over many die-hard fans of the game who had come to terms with the possibility that THIS may be the only way to view their favorite sport right now — through anecdotal memory lane stories (mixed with highlight reels) shared via computer from their respective team’s top players.
And with more questions and concerns still lingering about resuming play in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when information about players’ health and privacy can only be referred to as “unfit to participate,” it’s hard to imagine getting behind any form of participation on the ice — be it practice, scrimmages or eventually actual game play.
But, the Bruins — like most teams right now — are doing their best to mitigate these concerns, to answer these tough questions and to show a sense of resiliency and (Boston) pride in their passion during these challenging times.
Speaking of which, is this the right time to try and resume the season? Will the NHL be better off just scrapping the Summer play plan and allowing the world of hockey — and the actual world in general — to heal and better prepare for 2021 when hopefully the pandemic is over?
That’s a debate everyone will continue to have on a daily basis regardless of what happens for the rest of the year. So, there’s no point in me having it here in this safe (or as Dan Vladar just celebrated) save space.
What I will bring up is how positive it is to see the B’s brass and familiar faces facingup to the fact that we, as fans, want to hear their thoughts on the matter — from getting back on the ice, being concerned about their fellow teammates, what expectations they may have about resuming play and how they plan to continue to connect with their fans (who for the first time in ages won’t be able to watch them in-person play the greatest game ever).
#NHLBruins coach Bruce Cassidy, speaking to the media after practice, says that all of the players that did not skate on Saturday were “unfit to participate”: pic.twitter.com/YoL8EUiEte
I’ve compiled a collection of those commentaries in this article thanks to the #NHLBruins official Twitter account giving us a true “inside look” (or dare I say, a Zoom in) to the thoughts, minds and personal bubbles — both literally and figuratively — of everyone from Head Coach Bruce Cassidy to B’s GM Don Sweeney to players like Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand.
Their opinions, quotes, fears, hopes, expectations, concerns… they are all on refreshing display in a way we usually don’t get to see during locker room interview huddles or post-game press briefings. We’re all logging into a virtual one-on-one, if you will, that connects us even more to why hockey — and the Bruins — matter so much to so many.
And even with many not wanting to see the players, and the game, risk it all right now for a reward (The Stanley Cup) that may not be worth it, it’s still somewhat remarkable for us to keep our connections to the Black N’ Gold in this New Era of online correspondence. Just like the pandemic, we certainly hope it doesn’t last much longer.
🎥 Tuukka Rask joins fellow Vezina Trophy finalists Connor Hellebuyck and Andrei Vasilevskiy to discuss their stellar 2019-20 seasons: pic.twitter.com/sp6T11PO7k
But, like a very famous and formidable Boston Bruin once said: “understand your fears and then work to conquer them.” We, too, can conquer these COVID challenges by connecting with the B’s in a way we never were able to before. Derek Sanderson, the man behind that prescient quote, would approve… definitely continuing the fight even if the odds didn’t look good.
And since it looks like the Bruins will be continuing on, pushing forward and preparing to play hockey once again, here’s hoping they indeed beat the odds. Because, odds are, if any team can do it this year, it’s Boston!
Please subscribe to our new Black N’ Gold Hockey YouTube channel! We’d really appreciate the continued support. Click HERE for exciting Black N’ Gold online content!
The Boston Bruins organization is honoring faithful fans dedicated to not only the team, but also our health and safety during these unprecedented times.
Through their Season Ticket Holder (STH) Heroes initiative and the equally relevant Healthcare Heroes program, the B’s “are highlighting season ticket holders who have been directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or are on the frontlines of the fight against the virus… [as well as] the care and compassion of countless [Bruins fans] in healthcare,” according to the team’s website and Twitter account.
The #NHLBruins and @MAStateLottery are proud to honor Khadija Karim as one of our countless Healthcare Heroes. As an EMT with Armstrong Ambulance, she tests community members for COVID-19 – including the elderly and the homeless – with care and compassion. Thank you, Khadija! pic.twitter.com/7Ai1UK0C2z
As many of us have experienced firsthand be it through family, friends, fellow fans or even ourselves, the fight against COVID-19 has required ample amounts of sacrifice, dedication, perseverance and a mutual respect of each other’s well-being — echoing the recently-published posts (and ideals) of Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara as players and more importantly people.
Now with the team sharing positive and inspiring stories about Bruins supporters who simultaneously support everyone’s health and well-being with their tireless efforts and actions, the B’s are putting themselves in a position to succeed both on and off the ice when the season (hopefully) resumes mid-Summer.
Today, we thank Amy Ginter for her tireless work as a Respiratory Therapist during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Favorite Player: Zdeno Chara – “I admire his skill, leadership qualities and record-fast slap shots! I can’t wait to see my Bruins in action again at the Garden.”
“Being a Registered Respiratory Therapist for 13 years has been an amazing experience. Respiratory Therapy, as an occupation, is not widely known or understood by the general population, but we are a key part of the bedside care team with nurses and doctors. Our responsibility is the patient’s airway, so we initiate and manage ventilators (life support) as well as other means of ventilatory support.
“COVID-19 has presented significant challenges that I have never witnessed before: new ventilation strategies, stringent PPE requirements, overwhelming numbers of patients who require intensive care, etc. The most difficult aspect has been witnessing family not able to be with their suffering and dying loved ones because they are in isolation and cannot have visitors. Respiratory Therapists and nurses are at the bedside for these patients for their last moments which has been profoundly sad.
“On a positive note, COVID-19 has brought forth a better understanding of the role that Respiratory Therapists play as part of the care team through recognition on social media and news outlets. This really means a lot to me, and I am proud of my profession and feel blessed to be a part of such an integral team. Yay Respiratory!
“Currently, I am a traveling Respiratory Therapist in Boston at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center on a COVID-19 crisis assignment.”
–Boston Bruins Website
If you’d like a chance to be recognized, or to nominate someone as a Bruins “STH or Healthcare Hero,” I suggest tagging the @NHLBruins online or commenting on any of the team’s official posts. Like a David Pastrnak “Goal of the Year,” now is a great time to be celebrating some positive news when it comes to one of our passions — Bruins hockey!
Please subscribe to our new Black N’ Gold Hockey YouTube channel! We’d really appreciate the continued support. Click HERE for exciting Black N’ Gold online content!
And don’t forget to download, listen and share our always informative and entertaining BN’G Podcast:
The same week the Bruins won the Stanley Cup almost a decade ago in June now “bears”another marker worth remembering: hockey’s return having a tentative date!
Per the league’s official announcement on the B’s website, “the National Hockey League Player’s Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today that formal training camps (Phase 3) for the 24 teams resuming play will open on Friday, July 10th.”
That’s right, hockey could be back in under a month, Bruins fam (“provided that medical and safety conditions allow and the parties have reached an overall agreement on resuming play” to refer back to the official wording of the release).
Of course, we already had reason to celebrate the B’s this week when team leaders like Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand hit the Warrior Ice Arena to get their hockey legs (and timing) back after a long, but necessary, hiatus.
So, even though “the length of training camp and, therefore, the START DATE for formal resumption of play (Phase 4) will be determined at a future date” as the official release reminds us, it’s still good to know the return of hockey is heading in the right direction.
Pasta’s going to need some more room in that trophy cabinet of his. Or maybe just another cabinet altogether #NHLBruinshttps://t.co/nUObsfOq0F
And that our hunger for B’s hockey, just like David Pastrnak’s ever-growing trophy case, will soon be filled by actual, meaningful games with the ultimate trophy — The Stanley Cup — still well-within reach!
Please subscribe to our new Black N’ Gold Hockey YouTube channel! We’d really appreciate the continued support. Click HERE for exciting Black N’ Gold online content!
Voting for the NHL Fan Choice Awards is now live and the Boston Bruins have some great memories and moments to choose from. Dare I say, they’re well-suited for the accolades, just like David Pastrnak.
Speaking of Pasta, he’s up for Best Dressed for his always stylish (and loud) looks both pre- and post-game. Here’s a sampling of styles to help convince you how winning this award will fit him perfectly:
And who could forget Tuukka Rask’s truly miraculous blocker save that still gets saved by social media stalwarts the hockey world over even to this day! The @NHLBruins Twitter account certainly wants to ensure “Two U’s, Two K’s, Two Points” gets a lot more than two votes for his Save of the Year nominee:
Tuuuuuuukkkkk (told you we missed that).@tuukkarask needs your #NHLFanChoice vote for Save of the Year!
Then there’s the Best Mascot category with “Blades” right at the top — and not just because of the alphabetical listing. Anyone who knows the Bruins, volunteers in the community or visits the TD Garden can often see “Blades” cheering up the kids around the arena, donating his time, energy and efforts to worthy charities and causes, and supporting players and personnel alike with fun behind-the-scenes content!
Rounding out the B’s representation in the fan voting is the TD Garden itself for Best Building in the league (even if the owners are not on anyone’s “support list” at the moment — and rightfully so). Love it or hate it — I’ll always be partial to the old Boston Garden myself. Or, as my late grandfather called it, The “Gahhhhhhhhhden.” Nevertheless, I still have many fond memories at TD, particularly the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, so I can support a sentimental vote here.
And you can show YOUR support for not only the B’s nominees (who are the bee’s knees) mentioned above, but also your Black N’ Gold hockey team by visiting our pages and clicking on the links below!
Check out the latest BN’G Podcast sponsored by BetOnline.AG:
And don’t forget to follow and support our BN’G Youtube content here:
Now, fifty years to the day later, the Boston Bruins organization is celebrating it — and the team’s epic Stanley Cup-winning ’69-’70 season altogether — by asking fans to recreate how they would’ve voiced “The Goal.”
The clever and creative social media campaign began on the B’s Instagram page but has quickly flown (just like Bobby after scoring that unforgettable OT winner) over to Twitter, Facebook and beyond.
As Bruins celebrate 50th anniversary of 1970 title, it’s a good time to see where Bobby Orr’s golden goal ranks on @BuckinBoston‘s list of the 20 best broadcast calls in Boston history
— The Athletic Boston (@TheAthleticBOS) May 6, 2020
In case you’d like to hear “The Call” in its entirety… look no further than another great online resource: Youtube!
As for this lifelong Bruins fan and former sports broadcaster, This Date in Bruins History will always be a special one for me… even if I didn’t get to experience it live and in person. It was the moment my dad and grandfather chose to introduce me to B’s fandom. It was how I learned to bleed BLACK N’ GOLD for the first time — by watching Orr score over and over and over.
And with so many fellow fans and Boston buddies doing the same thing right now, it’s as if Orr’s moment in history has once again becoming living history…
… As lifelike as the stunning statue soaring high above the ground outside TD Garden itself!
The sculptor of the Bobby Orr “The Goal” statue, which stands outside TD Garden, reveals the crucial role the Bruins legend played in creating the piece. https://t.co/8r4jp1z84zpic.twitter.com/dzjHp1chXE
Who’s hungry for a historical helping of PASTA this April 14th for OTDIBH?
Well, that’s exactly what the fine folks in the NHL’s Public Relations social media suite are doing for dinner today, per their appetizingly awesome tweet that Bruins fans should need no reminder of:
became the youngest in NHL history to record 6 points in a playoff game in a 7-3 W vs. TOR. He bested the previous mark held by Wayne Gretzky (22 years, 81 days). #NHLStats
Wow, did David Pastrnak ever serve up a record-setting performance two years go in game two! Anytime you can best The Great One in any hockey capacity, especially in the playoffs, then you’re a special (perhaps even generational) player. And with it being against the Leafs — Boston’s seemingly perennial first-round playoff opponent — it was all the more deliciously satisfying.
Add a side of “Hat Trick” to the order just before closing time and you’ve got a complete playoff meal courtesy of perhaps the most electric player in the game (especially in Black N’ Gold) over the past few seasons — one worthy of the franchise record company kept with the likes of Espo & Nifty as outlined below.
Let’s just hope the 2019-2020 second season picks up sometime this Summer because what Pasta and his Bruins teammates have done thus far is nothing short of fulfilling, indeed!
Two years ago today, David Pastrnak ties a @NHLBruins franchise record (shared with Phil Esposito and Rick Middleton) for the most points in a Stanley Cup Playoff game (6). He does it with 3 goals & 3 assists as part of a 7-3 win over the Leafs in Gm2 of their 2018 Round 1 series pic.twitter.com/bnmwejngFS
Here’s hoping they’ll all be having a nightcap right out of the STANLEY CUP soon to wash down (and celebrate) all that Pasta!
Check out the new Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast episode 174 that we recorded below on 4-12-20! You can find our show on many worldwide platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
Please subscribe to our new Black N’ Gold Hockey YouTube channel! We’d really appreciate the continued support. Click HERE for exciting Black N’ Gold online content!!
“It’s been a beautiful ride. It’s just awesome. You have to remember to be grateful.”
That’s how Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (class of ’84) Bernie Parent described his award-winning — and Cup-winning — career during the NHL Awards ceremony in 2017 — a career that began in Boston when he debuted for the Bruins way back during the 1965-66 season.
And on April 3rd, 1966, during the last game of his rookie season, Parent led the B’s to victory over the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. In doing so, Parent became the first EVER Bruins goaltender to win a game –as a rookie– on his birthday.
And with today being April 3rd, members of the Parent family have been celebrating Bernie’s B-day week with some wonderful posts and pictures online from his B-spoked and storied playing past, making this both a momentous and celebratory OTDIBH feature!
Of course, Parent would go on to celebrate an even bigger milestone years later as one of the best goaltenders in Philadelphia Flyers history (not to mention NHL history where he’s ranked No. 63 on the “All-Time” list according to the Hockey News): winning the Stanley Cup.
And he did it against his former club in Black N’ Gold. From an article written for Philadelphia Magazine in 2008:
It’s May 19, 1974, game six of his first Stanley Cup finals, and he’s nine seconds away from shutting out the Boston Bruins at the Spectrum. Nine seconds away from Philadelphia’s first hockey championship and his own immortality. There’s a face-off at the opposite end of the ice from Parent’s net, leaving Boston almost no hope of breaking the 1-0 shutout and forcing overtime — until the puck ends up on the stick of Bobby Orr, the Bruins’ fearsome sniper. Parent didn’t see Orr blast a shot the length of the rink, just wide of the Flyers goal, because Parent was staring up at the clock, watching time run out (SEE BELOW).
“I didn’t know where the puck was, man!” he says. “If his shot is on net, it’s a goal. Who knows what happens then. Maybe we don’t win a championship. It just shows you how the universe works — you believe, you believe, you believe! The question is, is there a power that takes over? My answer is, absolutely yes!”
Philadelphia Magazine – “Legends: Bernie Parent Has A Secret”
How’s this for a powerful takeaway: all great careers have to start somewhere. And the Bruins can be quite historically happy and proud that hockey legend Bernie Parent’s began in Boston!
Stay tuned to the Black N’ Gold blog for more OTDIBH (On This Day In Bruins History) articles as our break from hockey continues into the Spring — but hopefully not all Summer!
CHECK OUT THE LATEST BN’G PODCAST BELOW:
And follow, like and share our Bruins-related YouTube videos here, including fun and fan-friendly behind-the-scenes podcast content:
(Photo Credit: YouTube)
(Photo Credit: NHL Bruins)
(Photo Credit: NBCSN)
(Photo Credit: Boston Bruins)
(Photo Credit: Boston Hockey Now)
(Photo Credit: NHL.com)
(Photo Credit: CBC.ca)
(Photo Credit: NHL.com)
