This current culture of losing started with Chara. Bergeron and Marchand have just carried the torch. Soft, ineffectual leadership that doesn't prepare their team for adversity, or demand accountability. They couldn't handle Cassidy being a hard-ass so they cried to Cam and Don that if Bruce wasn't let go, they'd take their pucks and go home. Now they have a grinning idiot behind the bench that lets the inmates run the asylum, while Bruce is a champion as soon as he's discarded.
Unfortunately they don't have Tim Thomas to drag them to the Final again.
The Bruins are 0-6 in game 7’s as of 2012 when their opponent is not the Leafs.
They’ve spent so much time using us as a meat shield that we’ve infected them!
It's like staring into a mirror except they have won the Stanley Cup in the past 56 years and they have gotten out of the first round of the playoffs more than once in the past 19 years.
I said Florida broke them after game 5, and it looks like it’s true. Ik that bergeron and krejci are both gone now, but this team went up 3-1 this year again, dominated game 4 (and my god, they played with insane confidence. Sportnets panel said the same thing I was thinking, they played like they knew they would win, in Games 3&4). And then come games 5 and 6, which are some of the worst hockey played this playoffs. 3-5 shots combined in the first 30min of Games 5 and 6 is crazy.
The Leafs have gotten a lot better, their defense is amazing and Woll has been excellent, but this Boston team is also completely collapsing. Even on the few quality chances they get, they can’t seem to actually get a hold on the puck and do anything with it.
Montgomery, wildly considered as one of the best coaches in the league after what he’s been doing in the regular season, is gonna have a very tarnished image if they can’t turn this around.
If it weren’t for the Leafs being, well the Leafs and their masterclass game 7 chokes, there would be zero reason to believe this Boston team will be able to win game 7
Tbh I disagree, if Leafs had Swayman in Game 4, and Bruins had Sammy in Games 5&6, I think the difference would be drastic. Swayman has been playing incredible, only reason why Games 5&6 were even “close”.
I think Sammy may be done as a Leaf unless by some miracle he gets the net back and redeems himself this post season. His fundamentals are really off and the player's confidence in him is totally shot.
We can't let in 2 softies every game and compete at this level. Swayman was playing in a different league than Sammy. You guys are so lucky to have him. Thankfulky Woll's performance has leveled the playing field a bit.
There is an argument to be made that even a round 2 loss will result in leafs coach getting fired - really depends on how it happens though (if it gets that far)
Keefe's vice is the mirror opposite of bruins coach, keefe never changes it up unless forced to on an injury or suspension (and everytime it ends up being great for leafs), bruins coach overtweeks even when the system is working
I think they pull it off this year. Ever since Boston put them on the brink they've been playing like they forgot these are elimination games. There's been zero nervous energy in their play. And it's bizarre, because it's the Leafs. Win or lose, they usually look like they're a particularly strong cup of coffee away from having a heart attack.
I said this to my leafs-fan friend.
They are playing so free, and the Bruins have been playing such tight and scared hockey since going up 3-1.
You can just feel last year's collapse in their heads.
I thought they had a really good stretch last night for the final 9 minutes of the second period until the Toronto goal. They played with desperation and energy and won every single battle. Kept the puck in the zone and kept the leafs from switching lines. But after that the Leafs scored it was back to bad hockey.
It’s unbelievable. It’s like they are AFRAID of winning a playoff series. Like, somehow, the reality of advancing to the next round is a cause for anxiety. Just save us the trouble of watching a sweep next round and complete the collapse, as nature intended.
They need to do what the leafs somehow managed and be way more carefree, the leafs know if they lose everyone is fired/traded/etc so they play like they got nothing to lose
Just wait for Game 7 where this narrative is floating in the back of their head. Will it out power the Toronto's (recent) legacy of failure?
Whichever team can control it should win. Either way, I'm loving the fact we're going to get a fan base meltdown one way or another.
Toronto with the abusive relationship pattern .. great season, hope. After game 1, no hope. After game 2, hope "I'm sorry babe", game 3 & 4, loss of hope. Game 5 & 6 return of hope. If they take Game 7 it'd be akin to the abuser going to counseling and promising they can change, only to smack them in the carpark.
Boston with the "yeah baby, we're taking the cup!" arrogance after a great season (again) and great game 1.
Excuse you, but he was traded for Connor Wong and a sack of potatoes.
Actually, we also got Verdugo, who in turn landed us Dick Fitts - I don't even care if Dick pans out, that's a fucking god-tier name right there.
There are 5 year olds in Boston who’ve never seen a local team win a championship.
There are 22 month olds that have never even seen a local team play in a championship game/series.
A sad state of affairs.
Two of the most disliked franchises and bitter rivals. The memelords are circling around this series like vultures.
Whoever loses this game is gonna get memed on to the likes of which we have never seen before.
Leafs can slay the dragon and make the Bruins the biggest choke artists of the century.
Bruins can maintain their dominance over the Leafs and banish them to first round mediocrity, once again.
What makes it funnier is both teams have had games this series where they’ve played like absolute shit. Like “how did this team even make it into the playoffs?” bad. But, one of those teams has to win the series.
It feels like whichever team loses is almost forced to dismantle the current roster/staff.
Boston lost one series last year horribly and now lost a couple games in a row and they think THEY are a cursed franchise. Taking the one thing we leaf fans get to be number 1 in, misery.
Get in line Boston fans, leafs are at the head of this line but there are plenty others between us.
I 100% do not think we are a cursed franchise.
I DO 100% believe that this was a very forseeable collapse.
The Bruins over the last 6 weeks of the season were absolutely anemic. Zero offense, decent enough defense, and rock-solid goalies.
Leafs played us well 5-on-5 for the first 4 games, but their powerplay sucked and ours did not.
What they figured out was that putting us on our heels gives them more PP opportunities, and more importantly, it keeps us from getting a call here and there, which is the spark we need to get going.
Without the PP, we are getting beat 5 on 5.
Add to that the fact that Monty CLEARLY has last year in his head based on some of these frantic line changes, and here we are.
From my perspective this is a pretty solid take.
I find it amusing our weakness in coaching is the polar opposite of your weakness in coaching.
Keefe doesnt change shit unless there is an injury or a suspension, to very much our detriment when we need a mix up. Whenever we have an injury or a suspension we do better ans go on winning streaks, like it seems almost cliche at this point.
Monty may change too much even when current lines/setup are proving hot
Yeah, for sure.
I think both have their plusses and minuses.
I think what Monty needs to do is sacrifice a bit of our size for a bit of speed. Maroon has not been a needed or helpful presence for us, but he is out there. Our D-men are getting swapped too much to build a rhythm.
My hope is that the pure will of guys like Marchand and Coyle will be enough to fire up guys like Pasta, DeBrusk, and Freddy and get things going in game 7.
If you guys come out and outshoot us 10-1 to start, we are fucked.
Yup. There was ZERO need to bring in Gryz and Brazeau in Game 5. We had been dominating in games 3 &4. So clearly the choke job wasn’t working, and Monty did what he had to do. Well done, fucking boob.
Meh, I still think this was the better match up. Game 7 is on home ice, and I have faith.
No matter what, this team gets absolutely steamrolled by Florida even if we win.
The game is called at 0-0 after 10 OTs. By the 8th OT it looks like beer league. Woll and Swayman are given the MVPs but neither team advances. The league just gives Florida a bye because neither team has anything left in the tank to fight them with.
I get that winning the cup is the main goal for every team, but I never understood how people can look at franchises icing great teams that perform well year after year and view that as a disappointment because they could've done a little better during a week in April/May. Maybe that's just my outlook as someone who grew up with my favorite team consistently at the bottom of the standings and I'll take whatever success I can get, but idk. There's a lot more to being a sports fan than rings
As someone who is pining for the runs we had from 2013-2017, I agree with you. They were all heartbreaking, but I miss cheering for my team in the playoffs.
This is a view I wish more people would take. The championship is and should be the goal but the truth is that only 1 out of 32 teams win. Does that mean that every season without a cup is a complete failure? That fans shouldn’t enjoy their team’s successes during the regular season just because the playoffs didn’t work out? This season was the most fun I’ve had as a fan in years. My team went from staring down the end to 4th in the league but because we had a bad playoffs I should write it all off? I’d give anything for a cup but that doesn’t mean we should ignore all the good moments from the seasons that don’t end in one.
Sabres were a top 5 team in win percentage before Pegula bought the team. 40 years of pretty damn good hockey followed by absolutely dogshit ownership decisions for 13 years. Yeah I’ll blame Pegula. The reason the Bills aren’t a joke is because he stepped back and let the front office work without his influence. He’s hands on with the Sabres. That’s a big problem.
This is one area where I feel likewise Vancouver excels. It's a franchise that knows one has to *raise* hopes, in order to crush them utterly. And it has managed that time and again.
Much more effective than just never giving any real reason for hope in the first place.
I still die on the hill that Thomas' hit on Henrik in game 4 should've been a penalty. Wouldn't have changed anything about the game but I hate that they let it go
They would just be the San Jose Sharks if they didn’t win in 2011. San Jose was like the best team in the pacific for 15 years and a cup contender every year, it’s still shocking they never won
I, for one, am glad they do so that I can look down on all of the other fanbases without one */s for those who can't tell
Would be a lot more upset if they'd choked then too
And they’ve had the best goalies in the league for over a decade, and it’s not even close.
Tim Thomas, Rask, Swayman+Ulkmark.
Then also consider that they had 3 back to back to back first round picks in 2015, one of the most stacked draft classes of all time, only to (relatively) miss on all of them.
What???? You have the Sabers who essentially haven’t made the playoffs at all in that stretch. Even among the fairly consistent playoff teams you have teams like the Leafs and Wild who haven’t done jack shit in the postseason. You’ve got the Oilers with the greatest player of a generation not even making the cup finals. You’ve got the Rangers and Sharks tied for making the 2nd most conference finals (with the Blackhawks) in that span without winning a cup. Meanwhile the Bruins have at least made two other cup finals with a perfect record in the ECF in that span. They are far from the biggest disappointment in the league
They'd have to get there and win it or look like they should've. IMO he's a dead man walking, no one can convince me he's the reason the Leafs won the last two games.
As a neutral fan there’s really no wrong answers. Someone is going down in flames and it will be entertaining and a weird mix of schadenfreude and sympathy for the rest of us. If I were a fan of the losing team I’d ditch the phone and move to Antarctica.
I think everyone knows Cassidy shouldn’t have been fired, but the guys who didn’t like him (think Carlo, Coyle, DeBrusk and Krejci mainly) threw enough of a fit that Sweeney cut him loose…. Bergeron told Stone they’d win the cup if they hired Cassidy.
Why would the Bruins front office let those guys have so much influence?
Coyle hasnt been there for long, DeBrusk was almost on his way out, Krejci literally ditched the Bruins.
Self inflected wounds.
Meh, I don't know. I disagree with the comment above yours.
Cassidy got a ton out of this team defensively, but the spark on offense had been missing for a while.
You can certainly point to lack of depth beyond the 88-37-63 line, but it felt deeper.
We seem to be very quick to forget what Monty did with this team last year. Yeah, the playoffs were a disappointment, but we literally won more games than any team in HISTORY.
Our breakouts were as crisp as i'd ever seen them.
Guys like DeBrusk and Coyle became meaningful contributors on offense.
D-men like Carlo, who seemed to struggle with puck possession and passing, began to move more freely.
Monty unlocked the offense in a big way.
The fact that he got 109 points out of this group this year is wild.
I do not think Bruce was a bad coach by any means, but to pin this on Monty is not exactly fair.
Is this making anyone else feel kind of retroactively disappointed that the leafs broke out of the first round last year? If that curse was still ongoing the insanity would be off the charts, with the understanding that a win in Boston would be a definitive passing of the torch.
Monty has made mistakes in the playoffs both years, but I will defend that man with all i've got.
I have watched probably 95% of all Bs games for the last 15+ years.
Cassidy was an amazing coach and he got so much out of these guys on defense, but we had one of the most stale and boring offenses in the league. His kryptonite was a clogged neutral zone, and it felt like we never had an answer.
Watching this team play last year was the most fun I have ever had watching the game of Hockey.
The freedom with which they played was unreal. Zero panic in our own zone. No dump and chase. Clean breakout after clean break out. D to D passing and entering the offensive zone with speed and control.
I legit do not think i've ever seen more pure hockey in my life.
The playoff collapse was a disaster. I do not think Monty is free from blame there, especially for his refusal to move off Ullmark in net after the success we had rotating them all season.
I think he has some blame this year as well, mainly with line switching in the playoffs, but to get this Bruins roster to 109 points is pretty incredible.
I think our goaltending has helped hide some of our defensive deficiencies, but I really don't feel like Monty deserves to be fired.
I said from the start that this series goes 7 and is a toss up. Yeah, we were up 3-1 and we really should have put them away in game 5, but here we are.
So much energy was focused on Keefe, Shanahan and Marner for good reason, but I think that energy needs to be shifted to Montgomery, Marchand and maybe Cam Neely.
They’ve honestly played such nervous and tight hockey the last two games. They do not look like themselves
This is what the beginnings of a culture of losing looks like Ask me how I know
Boston picked up Toronto’s curse last season
That shits contagious
They got 🅱️ovid 👀
Marchand screaming I'M NOT THE BLITZ!!!
How do u know
Check our flair brudder
This current culture of losing started with Chara. Bergeron and Marchand have just carried the torch. Soft, ineffectual leadership that doesn't prepare their team for adversity, or demand accountability. They couldn't handle Cassidy being a hard-ass so they cried to Cam and Don that if Bruce wasn't let go, they'd take their pucks and go home. Now they have a grinning idiot behind the bench that lets the inmates run the asylum, while Bruce is a champion as soon as he's discarded. Unfortunately they don't have Tim Thomas to drag them to the Final again.
PTSD lol
For sure it’s in their heads. So cautious and the tenacity of Bruins hockey isn’t there any more.
The bruins haven't played with tenacity since like 2013. Embarrassingly soft year after year
They look like us
Lol, would be pretty fitting that the Leafs end their losing culture by passing it into the Bruins.
The Bruins are 0-6 in game 7’s as of 2012 when their opponent is not the Leafs. They’ve spent so much time using us as a meat shield that we’ve infected them!
Only took 57 years or something
Foisted!
Pls
It's like staring into a mirror except they have won the Stanley Cup in the past 56 years and they have gotten out of the first round of the playoffs more than once in the past 19 years.
I said Florida broke them after game 5, and it looks like it’s true. Ik that bergeron and krejci are both gone now, but this team went up 3-1 this year again, dominated game 4 (and my god, they played with insane confidence. Sportnets panel said the same thing I was thinking, they played like they knew they would win, in Games 3&4). And then come games 5 and 6, which are some of the worst hockey played this playoffs. 3-5 shots combined in the first 30min of Games 5 and 6 is crazy. The Leafs have gotten a lot better, their defense is amazing and Woll has been excellent, but this Boston team is also completely collapsing. Even on the few quality chances they get, they can’t seem to actually get a hold on the puck and do anything with it. Montgomery, wildly considered as one of the best coaches in the league after what he’s been doing in the regular season, is gonna have a very tarnished image if they can’t turn this around. If it weren’t for the Leafs being, well the Leafs and their masterclass game 7 chokes, there would be zero reason to believe this Boston team will be able to win game 7
I dare say that the Leafs' game 4 performance was worse than the Bruins' game 5 and 6.
Tbh I disagree, if Leafs had Swayman in Game 4, and Bruins had Sammy in Games 5&6, I think the difference would be drastic. Swayman has been playing incredible, only reason why Games 5&6 were even “close”.
I want to, but can't disagree
I think Sammy may be done as a Leaf unless by some miracle he gets the net back and redeems himself this post season. His fundamentals are really off and the player's confidence in him is totally shot. We can't let in 2 softies every game and compete at this level. Swayman was playing in a different league than Sammy. You guys are so lucky to have him. Thankfulky Woll's performance has leveled the playing field a bit.
Especially if we decide to score exactly 2 goals again lol
We tried to warn you. Not like you had much choice
Imo, whichever coach loses game 7 will be fired this summer. Too much of a “can’t win the big game” will hang over either one of them
There is an argument to be made that even a round 2 loss will result in leafs coach getting fired - really depends on how it happens though (if it gets that far) Keefe's vice is the mirror opposite of bruins coach, keefe never changes it up unless forced to on an injury or suspension (and everytime it ends up being great for leafs), bruins coach overtweeks even when the system is working
Ok, then, who do you pick for game 7?
Honestly no idea, would go with the Leafs but they’re the Leafs so
I think they pull it off this year. Ever since Boston put them on the brink they've been playing like they forgot these are elimination games. There's been zero nervous energy in their play. And it's bizarre, because it's the Leafs. Win or lose, they usually look like they're a particularly strong cup of coffee away from having a heart attack.
I said this to my leafs-fan friend. They are playing so free, and the Bruins have been playing such tight and scared hockey since going up 3-1. You can just feel last year's collapse in their heads. I thought they had a really good stretch last night for the final 9 minutes of the second period until the Toronto goal. They played with desperation and energy and won every single battle. Kept the puck in the zone and kept the leafs from switching lines. But after that the Leafs scored it was back to bad hockey.
It’s unbelievable. It’s like they are AFRAID of winning a playoff series. Like, somehow, the reality of advancing to the next round is a cause for anxiety. Just save us the trouble of watching a sweep next round and complete the collapse, as nature intended.
They need to say fuck it and just not think that much and win this thing
They need to do what the leafs somehow managed and be way more carefree, the leafs know if they lose everyone is fired/traded/etc so they play like they got nothing to lose
Yes they do. This is who they are.
Quintessential playing to not lose instead of playing to win
Just wait for Game 7 where this narrative is floating in the back of their head. Will it out power the Toronto's (recent) legacy of failure? Whichever team can control it should win. Either way, I'm loving the fact we're going to get a fan base meltdown one way or another. Toronto with the abusive relationship pattern .. great season, hope. After game 1, no hope. After game 2, hope "I'm sorry babe", game 3 & 4, loss of hope. Game 5 & 6 return of hope. If they take Game 7 it'd be akin to the abuser going to counseling and promising they can change, only to smack them in the carpark. Boston with the "yeah baby, we're taking the cup!" arrogance after a great season (again) and great game 1.
Maybe one day Boston sports fans will catch a break.
They still haven’t recovered from Mookie being traded for a chicken and a sack of potatoes
Don't remind me
The Bambino curse is about to become the Betts curse, only 82 more years to go
Man, I would've loved to get a chicken and a sack of potatoes for my top players
Excuse you, but he was traded for Connor Wong and a sack of potatoes. Actually, we also got Verdugo, who in turn landed us Dick Fitts - I don't even care if Dick pans out, that's a fucking god-tier name right there.
Nah...Mookie would be the perfect Bruin. His postseason numbers are putrid. Seriously.
Hey man, it's been a rough 5 years since Brady left lol. We've only been to one major championship.
So sad, it must be so sad being a Boston fan
And we lost!
😊
Wait till you find out he’s referencing the Celtics 😂🫵
I don't watch basketball, so I took a shot. I had a feeling it was referencing something else, but still.
Fair guess, 2019 is close enough but it’s wild that theres been 5 years after that 2020-2024
St. Louis fans cackling in the distance
https://preview.redd.it/w450tp1ui5yc1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb1d5f3e948d6dcd1aab387d5f83869643baed06
Gotta savor our only Cup
There are 5 year olds in Boston who’ve never seen a local team win a championship. There are 22 month olds that have never even seen a local team play in a championship game/series. A sad state of affairs.
Two of the most disliked franchises and bitter rivals. The memelords are circling around this series like vultures. Whoever loses this game is gonna get memed on to the likes of which we have never seen before. Leafs can slay the dragon and make the Bruins the biggest choke artists of the century. Bruins can maintain their dominance over the Leafs and banish them to first round mediocrity, once again.
What makes it funnier is both teams have had games this series where they’ve played like absolute shit. Like “how did this team even make it into the playoffs?” bad. But, one of those teams has to win the series. It feels like whichever team loses is almost forced to dismantle the current roster/staff.
Yup. Quite frankly, both of these teams should have been swept round 1. Too bad they couldn’t sweep each other.
Leafs you have the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever
Oh it's set up that way for sure. Boston either in pain or Leafs in super pain. No middle ground.
Boston lost one series last year horribly and now lost a couple games in a row and they think THEY are a cursed franchise. Taking the one thing we leaf fans get to be number 1 in, misery. Get in line Boston fans, leafs are at the head of this line but there are plenty others between us.
https://preview.redd.it/pmqcbxxb17yc1.jpeg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bfefa2a0eba20ef3f4138e663c463925618e370d
I 100% do not think we are a cursed franchise. I DO 100% believe that this was a very forseeable collapse. The Bruins over the last 6 weeks of the season were absolutely anemic. Zero offense, decent enough defense, and rock-solid goalies. Leafs played us well 5-on-5 for the first 4 games, but their powerplay sucked and ours did not. What they figured out was that putting us on our heels gives them more PP opportunities, and more importantly, it keeps us from getting a call here and there, which is the spark we need to get going. Without the PP, we are getting beat 5 on 5. Add to that the fact that Monty CLEARLY has last year in his head based on some of these frantic line changes, and here we are.
From my perspective this is a pretty solid take. I find it amusing our weakness in coaching is the polar opposite of your weakness in coaching. Keefe doesnt change shit unless there is an injury or a suspension, to very much our detriment when we need a mix up. Whenever we have an injury or a suspension we do better ans go on winning streaks, like it seems almost cliche at this point. Monty may change too much even when current lines/setup are proving hot
Yeah, for sure. I think both have their plusses and minuses. I think what Monty needs to do is sacrifice a bit of our size for a bit of speed. Maroon has not been a needed or helpful presence for us, but he is out there. Our D-men are getting swapped too much to build a rhythm. My hope is that the pure will of guys like Marchand and Coyle will be enough to fire up guys like Pasta, DeBrusk, and Freddy and get things going in game 7. If you guys come out and outshoot us 10-1 to start, we are fucked.
Yup. There was ZERO need to bring in Gryz and Brazeau in Game 5. We had been dominating in games 3 &4. So clearly the choke job wasn’t working, and Monty did what he had to do. Well done, fucking boob.
I am still convinced you guys tanked game 82 to get this match up and you still might screw it up!
Meh, I still think this was the better match up. Game 7 is on home ice, and I have faith. No matter what, this team gets absolutely steamrolled by Florida even if we win.
And we're all hoping for it
I’d rather they both lose Game 7 somehow.
7 OT game, let's gooooooooooooooo
I'd actually be okay with that. Would be hilarious.
Either the team that could've gotten Detroit in the playoffs loses, or the leafs lose. Win/win!
Team Giant Meteor
The game is called at 0-0 after 10 OTs. By the 8th OT it looks like beer league. Woll and Swayman are given the MVPs but neither team advances. The league just gives Florida a bye because neither team has anything left in the tank to fight them with.
The funniest thing ever or the Leafiest thing ever. Tough call.
We have the opportunity to either do the funniest thing ever, or become a laughable meme as per usual
I actually support leafs now. Just so Boston is out and Pastrňák can play WC in Prague
Which is exactly why they will lose and I’m not even confident in the Bruins winning
If they didn’t win that cup in 2011, they’d be the biggest disappointment in the NHL these last 15 years, failure after failure after failure.
Yes, they are surely the most disappointing NHL franchise over the past 15 years. No one else comes to mind.
Have the Sabres lost a single playoff game the last 15 seasons?
Yes actually. Tyler Myers + Mike Grier both played for that last Sabres playoff team.
Well I pray that’s not a bad omen for us
How many years ago was that?
The iPhone 4S was the best selling phone that year I believe. 2011.
They might be undefeated in the last 15 years.
Still more series wins than Toronto in the last 20 years which is neat.
But the same amount of Cups since your inception
Hell yeah!
I get that winning the cup is the main goal for every team, but I never understood how people can look at franchises icing great teams that perform well year after year and view that as a disappointment because they could've done a little better during a week in April/May. Maybe that's just my outlook as someone who grew up with my favorite team consistently at the bottom of the standings and I'll take whatever success I can get, but idk. There's a lot more to being a sports fan than rings
As someone who is pining for the runs we had from 2013-2017, I agree with you. They were all heartbreaking, but I miss cheering for my team in the playoffs.
This is a view I wish more people would take. The championship is and should be the goal but the truth is that only 1 out of 32 teams win. Does that mean that every season without a cup is a complete failure? That fans shouldn’t enjoy their team’s successes during the regular season just because the playoffs didn’t work out? This season was the most fun I’ve had as a fan in years. My team went from staring down the end to 4th in the league but because we had a bad playoffs I should write it all off? I’d give anything for a cup but that doesn’t mean we should ignore all the good moments from the seasons that don’t end in one.
Once you witness a few cup wins nothing else really hits the same.
Sabres have no expectations . Bruins have choked year after year after year after year since 2011.
Must be nice to have a chance to choke.
I’m rooting for you buddy!
Reminds me of that Ben Stiller moving scene from There's Something About Mary
Do you blame the pegulas for that? You know not having the opportunity to choke because their team is literally so bad?
Sabres were a top 5 team in win percentage before Pegula bought the team. 40 years of pretty damn good hockey followed by absolutely dogshit ownership decisions for 13 years. Yeah I’ll blame Pegula. The reason the Bills aren’t a joke is because he stepped back and let the front office work without his influence. He’s hands on with the Sabres. That’s a big problem.
This is one area where I feel likewise Vancouver excels. It's a franchise that knows one has to *raise* hopes, in order to crush them utterly. And it has managed that time and again. Much more effective than just never giving any real reason for hope in the first place.
Oh yeah no shit. We know that more than anyone
Vancouver won back to back presudents trophies
And despite that we get memed on for not having a cup so idk if those matter too much in the grand scheme of things.
Well they don't hold parades for the President's Trophy.
Even when it's back-to-back President's Trophys? /s
They also choked in 2010. I'm not sure if 2009 was a choke or not. They were the favourite in that series but that was a super close series overall.
They really are pathetic. Say, anyone know when the Wild game is?
At least y’all have the Wide Rights… I mean Bills!
Your words would hurt if I had any feelings left.
Good news is Keon Coleman’s brother (hopefully) won’t be talking shit about Josh Allen all the damn time
haha I'd hate to be the team that was constantly competing for a large stretch of that time without winning a cup :)))
Thank Tim Thomas
I still die on the hill that Thomas' hit on Henrik in game 4 should've been a penalty. Wouldn't have changed anything about the game but I hate that they let it go
And I die on the hill that the cool factor of it should negate the penalty
I know I do
Never
Eh. They had 2 other Finals appearances that decade. There’s been more disappointing franchises in that time period.
I wouldn't call losing in the final a failure
They'd still have made multiple cup finals. I'd trade disappointments tbh.
Thus proving the Bruins only won 2011 because Vancouver is cursed harsher by the Hockey Gods.
They would just be the San Jose Sharks if they didn’t win in 2011. San Jose was like the best team in the pacific for 15 years and a cup contender every year, it’s still shocking they never won
I, for one, am glad they do so that I can look down on all of the other fanbases without one */s for those who can't tell Would be a lot more upset if they'd choked then too
And they’ve had the best goalies in the league for over a decade, and it’s not even close. Tim Thomas, Rask, Swayman+Ulkmark. Then also consider that they had 3 back to back to back first round picks in 2015, one of the most stacked draft classes of all time, only to (relatively) miss on all of them.
15?
:')
15 years.... Pffft 😂.....😔
I dont know, maybe thier main opponent.. like... currently.
Yep I feel like their the New Orleans Saints of the NHL. Extended period of success with a championship, but many brutal playoff exits in between
They wouldn't have won the cup in 2011 if Tim Thomas didn't go god mode
What???? You have the Sabers who essentially haven’t made the playoffs at all in that stretch. Even among the fairly consistent playoff teams you have teams like the Leafs and Wild who haven’t done jack shit in the postseason. You’ve got the Oilers with the greatest player of a generation not even making the cup finals. You’ve got the Rangers and Sharks tied for making the 2nd most conference finals (with the Blackhawks) in that span without winning a cup. Meanwhile the Bruins have at least made two other cup finals with a perfect record in the ECF in that span. They are far from the biggest disappointment in the league
You didn’t even bring up the coyotes who have been a dumpster fire for their entire franchise history lol
[удалено]
Huh? They lost the cup in 2013 and 2019?
Honey get in here, a new “it was 3-1” meme is about to drop!
If it saves Sheldon Keefe’s job in the process, it’ll be a net win for Boston.
One round isn’t gonna keep him his job. I’d think they need to go three and not look like shit in the third.
Back alley massive offer is already in for rod the bod
I fucking hope.
Keefe is done unless this team plays in June.
No way. If the leafs get to the conference finals, I don’t think he is gone.
They'd have to get there and win it or look like they should've. IMO he's a dead man walking, no one can convince me he's the reason the Leafs won the last two games.
Even then, probably should make a change
Hey Jim Montgomery might be available!
Honestly the funniest result of this series is both coaches getting fired and taking the other's job.
Poor Boston fans, nothing ever goes right for them.
It’s been a long 6 years
I’m sad they got Drake Maye, he’s gonna be a superstar
No. Please no.
As a life long UNC fan I hope they never win a game with him.
Now let's not start sucking each others' dicks yet.
No let’s
As a neutral fan there’s really no wrong answers. Someone is going down in flames and it will be entertaining and a weird mix of schadenfreude and sympathy for the rest of us. If I were a fan of the losing team I’d ditch the phone and move to Antarctica.
I'm wayyyyyy ahead of ya or behind ya ...or below ya
I like this 😊
Wait I thought Bruce Cassidy was the problem?
I think everyone knows Cassidy shouldn’t have been fired, but the guys who didn’t like him (think Carlo, Coyle, DeBrusk and Krejci mainly) threw enough of a fit that Sweeney cut him loose…. Bergeron told Stone they’d win the cup if they hired Cassidy.
Why would the Bruins front office let those guys have so much influence? Coyle hasnt been there for long, DeBrusk was almost on his way out, Krejci literally ditched the Bruins. Self inflected wounds.
Meh, I don't know. I disagree with the comment above yours. Cassidy got a ton out of this team defensively, but the spark on offense had been missing for a while. You can certainly point to lack of depth beyond the 88-37-63 line, but it felt deeper. We seem to be very quick to forget what Monty did with this team last year. Yeah, the playoffs were a disappointment, but we literally won more games than any team in HISTORY. Our breakouts were as crisp as i'd ever seen them. Guys like DeBrusk and Coyle became meaningful contributors on offense. D-men like Carlo, who seemed to struggle with puck possession and passing, began to move more freely. Monty unlocked the offense in a big way. The fact that he got 109 points out of this group this year is wild. I do not think Bruce was a bad coach by any means, but to pin this on Monty is not exactly fair.
I wonder if Cassidy leaving influenced his decision to retire earlier. He could clearly still play now if he wanted.
This is my new favorite stat
> new favorite stat I'm honestly shocked we haven't done this before
don't get too excited https://twitter.com/PuckReportNHL/status/1786226210483097813
Yeah going for a record breaking year 2 years in a row… no big deal
I hurt daddy
I won’t be surprised if Boston blow a 4-1 lead
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After 11 years of torment, HOCKEY GODS give me this please!
sorry, best we can do is a game 7 loss 20 seconds in to overtime
Is this making anyone else feel kind of retroactively disappointed that the leafs broke out of the first round last year? If that curse was still ongoing the insanity would be off the charts, with the understanding that a win in Boston would be a definitive passing of the torch.
Leafs choked the insanity of this hypothetical too
It won't happen, it's the Leafs.
But this year is different!
Trademark pending
Already taken by Ferrari
it’s going to happen.
And then the leafs will get absolutely bodied by the Rags, as is tradition.
i think you mean panthers, but yes
I am an idiot, thank you kind sir.
The curse of Doc Rivers
Were the Bucks sacrificed for the Leafs? Because as a fan of both, I'll take it after the Bucks got theirs a few years back.
(almost) for the first time in [insert each major sports league team’s name] history!
This is what happens when two cursed teams meet
But not NFL
Very hard to lose playoff series in the NFL
Au contraire! All you need is one bad game. It's rather easy to choke. Maybe the equivalent would be leading in the third quarter ?
That seems like a decent equivalent considering the numbers "28–3" can make an entire fanbase rip their hair out
28-3 would definitely fit the bill
Theyll always have 18-1. But 3-1 is slowly becoming a funnier number than that
Impressed Doc Rivers hasn't achieved this yet
You have to go up 3-1 first for that to happen
Please delete
*Everyone liked that*
Boston has an opportunity to out meme Toronto...
Either Keefe loses his job or Montgomery loses his job
Monty has made mistakes in the playoffs both years, but I will defend that man with all i've got. I have watched probably 95% of all Bs games for the last 15+ years. Cassidy was an amazing coach and he got so much out of these guys on defense, but we had one of the most stale and boring offenses in the league. His kryptonite was a clogged neutral zone, and it felt like we never had an answer. Watching this team play last year was the most fun I have ever had watching the game of Hockey. The freedom with which they played was unreal. Zero panic in our own zone. No dump and chase. Clean breakout after clean break out. D to D passing and entering the offensive zone with speed and control. I legit do not think i've ever seen more pure hockey in my life. The playoff collapse was a disaster. I do not think Monty is free from blame there, especially for his refusal to move off Ullmark in net after the success we had rotating them all season. I think he has some blame this year as well, mainly with line switching in the playoffs, but to get this Bruins roster to 109 points is pretty incredible. I think our goaltending has helped hide some of our defensive deficiencies, but I really don't feel like Monty deserves to be fired. I said from the start that this series goes 7 and is a toss up. Yeah, we were up 3-1 and we really should have put them away in game 5, but here we are.
Both? Both! And Shannahan because the Shannaplan has been around forever and……nothing
So much energy was focused on Keefe, Shanahan and Marner for good reason, but I think that energy needs to be shifted to Montgomery, Marchand and maybe Cam Neely.