Youth has powered the Boston Bruins in the past few seasons, so let’s look at some players from their AHL team, the Providence Bruins, who could be future Boston Bruins pretty soon.

Ryan Fitzgerald

The five eleven, 185 pound forward was drafted by the Boston Bruins 120th overall in 2013. The forward played college hockey at Boston College, alternating playing center and right wing. The Florida native signed a two year entry contract with the Bruins in 2017. His NHL comparison is Derek Stepan, who has been described as an excellent playmaker. Fitzgerald’s scouting report described him as a solid second line forward, who excels on the powerplay, and can put up 50-60 points a season.

 

Jakub Lauko

The six foot, 170 pound forward was drafted 77th overall in 2018 by the Boston Bruins. He won the 2019 Presidents Cup and Memorial Cup with the Rouyn Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL, playing center or left wing. He is a fast skater, with a big body playing strong defensive game. His NHL comparison is Reilly Smith, who has been described as a quality two-way winger. Lauko’s scouting report described him as a potential two player in the Bruin’s middle six, being very versatile.

 

Jakub Zboril

The six two, 185 pound defenseman was drafted by the Boston Bruins 13th overall in 2015. He shows great agility, with a big frame not being afraid to hit. His NHL comparison is Keith Yandle, who has been described as having great offensive instincts, with great puck handling skills. Zboril’s scouting report described him as a talented, all around defenseman.

 

Jeremy Lauzon

The six one, 204 pound defenseman was drafted by the Bruins 52nd overall in 2015. The past February the Bruins signed him to a two year contract extension. He has excellent skating ability and a great frame, but needs to add more strength. His NHL comparison is Marco Scandella, who brings an aggressive approach to defense. Lauzon’s scouting report described him as a smart player who would drop the gloves to stand up for a teammate.

 

These are a few of the young faces that are sure to have an impact on the Bruins lineup in the near future.

Until Next Time

∼RJ

With hockey post season back in a few weeks, lets look back on how the Boston Bruins fared against the teams they will face in a round robin style showdown. These round robin games are to determine the seeding arrangement for the next round in playoffs.

On July 30th, at 7 p.m, the Bruins will play an exhibition game against the Columbus Blue Jackets before the round robin games begin.

August 2nd: Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Date	Score	Game Notes
9/19/19 (pre-season)	3-1 (Bruins win)	Clifton, Heinen, and Cehlarik all scored, Halak was in net for B’s. Niskanen had the lone Flyers goal, Elliot was in net for Flyers
9/23/19 (pre-season)	4-3 (Bruins OT win)	Marchand, DeBrusk, Lauko, and Wagner all scored, Rask and Vladar were both in net for B’s, Elliot was in net for Flyers. Bunnaman, Konecny, and Twarynski got the Flyer goals.
11/10/19	3-2 (Flyers SO win)	Heinen and Marchand scored for B’s, with Halak in net. Konecny, Myers, and Farabee (SO winner) score for Flyers, with Hart in net for Flyers
1/13/20	6-5 (Flyers SO win)	Bjork, Coyle, Krejci (x2),and Pasta all scored for B’s with Halak in net. Couturier, Sanheim (x2), Bunnaman, Hayes and Konecny (SO winner) score for Flyers with Hart in net.
3/10/20	2-0 (Bruins win)	Bergeron and Grzelcyk score for B’s, with Rask in net. Flyers had Hart in net.

Overall, the Bruins took the season series, three game to two. Players to watch out for on the Flyers are Konecny, Hayes, Provorov, with stellar goaltending by Carter Hart. Even though this is a one off game and it is to determine seeding after the play-in rounds, the Boston Bruins have to match the high game energy that the Philadelphia Flyers bring to each game. These two teams might see each other later in the playoff format, so it is important that the Bruins are focused.

August 5th: Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Date	Score	Game Notes
10/17/19	4-3 (Tampa SO win)	Pasta (x2) and Bergeron scored for the B’s, with Rask in net. Point, Joseph, Shattenkirk and Stamkos (SO winner) all score with Vasilevskiy in net for Tampa.
12/12/19	3-2 (Tampa win)	Bergeron and Moore score for B’s with Rask in net. Stamkos (x2) and Point score for Tampa with Vasilevskiy in net for Tampa.
3/3/20	2-1 (Bruins win)	DeBrusk and Marchand score for B’s with Rask in net. Stephens scores for Tampa with Vasilevskiy in net for Tampa.
3/7/20	5-3 (Tampa win)	McAvoy, Kuraly, and Pasta score for B’s with Rask in net. Sergachev, Cirelli, Killorn, Kucherov, and Paquette all score for Tampa with Vasilevskiy in net.

Overall, Tampa took the season series three to one. Tampa is a very skilled team, but got swept last year in the first round. With Stamkos apparently injured and questionable for the game, the Tampa Bay players to look out for are Point, Kucherov, Killorn, with solid goaltending by Vasilevskiy. With emotions high from the last time these two played each other, this round robin game with definitely be full of emotion and skill. 

August 8th: Bruins vs. Washington Capitals

Date	Score	Game Notes
11/16/19	3-2 (Caps SO win)	Coyle and Pasta score for the B’s with Halak in net. Boyd, Oshie and Vrana (SO winner) all score with Holtby in net.
12/11/19	3-2 (Caps win)	Kuraly and Pasta score for the B’s with Halak in net. Carlson and Oshie (x2) score for the Caps with Holtby in net.
12/23/19	7-3 (Bruins win)	Krejci, Marchand, Bergeron (x2), Coyle, Bjork, and DeBrusk all score for the B’s with Rask in net. Eller, Hathaway and Ovi scored for the Caps with Holtby and Samsonov in net.

Even though the Capitals take the season series two games to one, these two teams haven’t played each other in almost a calendar year. A lot can change in that time, but both teams have great offensive core lines, with solid goaltending. Washington Capital players to watch are Ovechkin, Backstrom, Oshie, Wilson, and Carlson.

On July 30th I’ll be watching, will you?

Until Next Time

∼RJ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD8b-0kl4Sg

Since mid-March, all sports activities were put on hold, postponed or cancelled due to the ongoing COVID19 crisis. After four, almost five months the return of the big four sports leagues are slowly coming back to finish out their seasons.

Major League Baseball (MLB)

Training camps reopened on July 1st, with an intended “Opening Day” on July 23rd or 24th. The newly released schedule details can be found here

Fans might not be able to attend, as that status is still to be determined. The league stated that it “aims to play games with teams in their home parks as opposed to a one-site bubble”.

National Basketball Association (NBA)

The NBA will resume play on July 30th with 22 teams playing and living at the massive Disney sports complex near Orlando, Florida. The season will go until mid October without fans in attendance. With Florida being one of the mega hot sports for COVID, one has to wonder and worry if the league is taking the correct precautions with their players.

National Football League (NFL)

The regular season is expected to start September 10th, with fan attendance to be determined. The NFL’s schedule is expected to proceed as scheduled, with the practice facilities slowly opening back up as the players return to them. The league is testing prototypes of face masks that contain surgical and N95 material to fit into the players helmets, as well as wearing masks on the sidelines.

National Hockey League (NHL)

Training camps open on July 13th, with the playoff rounds starting August 1st. The 24 teams travel to the two hub cities July 26th, with the two hub cities being Toronto and Edmonton. Fan attendance is to be determined.

All the leagues will be testing frequently, but with teammates being in close contact with each other, one must hope the push to finish out seasons doesn’t do more harm than good.

Until Next Time

∼RJ

 

The Philadelphia Flyers forward was drafted 138th over in 2014 and made his debut for the team in 2018. The Swedish native was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer, Ewings sarcoma, on December 13th 2019. The 23 year old underwent chemotherapy as the team announced he would miss the entire 2019-20 season. On July 2nd, 2020 Lindblom finished his cancer treatment and rang the bell signaling the start of his remission. Lindblom was gaining confidence in his goal scoring at the professional level before his cancer diagnosis, scoring 11 goals in 30 games and totaling 18 points.

 

What is Ewings Sarcoma?

Ewings sarcoma is a type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue. The most common areas where this cancer begins are the legs, pelvis and chest wall. The cause of the cancer still remains unknown, although doctors know that Ewings sarcoma begins when a cell develops changes in its DNA.

Symptoms:

• Fevers
• Anemia
• Leukocytosis
• Swelling
• Tenderness/Bone Pain

Research shows that this kind of cancer is more commonly found in males than females, and that it most often occurs in teenagers and young adults. This kind of cancer is extremely rare, with it affecting 1 in a million people in the U.S per year. The survival rate is positive, with a five year survival rate at 76%.

Hockey Players Who Battled Cancer

Oskar Lindblom isn’t the only hockey player that battled a cancer diagnosis in his career. These are some hockey players that have battled cancer throughout their career.

• Brian Boyle: The then New Jersey Devil was battling chronic myelogenous leukemia, which is a cancer of the white blood cells, when he scored his first goal with the Devils on Hockey Fights Cancer Night in 2017. It was also his first game with the Devils. As of 2018, Boyle is cancer free.
• Phil Kessel: In 2006 Kessel was diagnosed with a form of testicular cancer when he was 20 years old. A few days later, Kessel was announced cancer free.
• Saku Koivu: The Finnish player was diagnosied with Burkitt’s lymphoma, which is a cancer of the lymphatic system, in 2001. He was expected to miss the entire season, but surprised everyone and make a return for the last few games of that season. He was awarded an eight minute standing ovation when he skated onto the ice. He has since been in remission and was featured in Simple Plans music video “Save You”.

• John Cullen: The Ontario native’s NHL career came to a halt in 1997, when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after doctors found a baseball sized tumor in his chest. He was declared cancer free after an 18 month battle and attempted a comeback in 1998, but ultimately retired as a player to become an assistant coach for his last NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
• Mario Lemieux: Super Mario was diagnosed with Hodgikin’s lymphoma in 1993. He missed two months of action and on the day of his last treatment, he flew back to play with his team, scoring a goal and an assist. He recived a standing ovation from the Flyers crowd, while playing for the Penguins, which is something unheard of given the Pennsylvania hockey rivalry.

Until Next Time

∼RJ

Hockey players have the ability to show off their sense of style, and in turn their personality, pre-game and post-game. Some hockey players even have their own brand or fashion line. Today we take a look at PK Subban, Henrik Lundqvist, David Pastrnak and Brent Burns.

 

PK Subban

Subban is a spokes person for RW-CO as well as collaborated with them for a suit line. This collection includes six suits and eight shirts. The line also includes belts, ties, pocket squares and hats. The New Jersey Devil defenseman is also known for his colorful yet tasteful style. 

Henrik Lundqvist

Lundqvist created the “Crown Collection” in partners with his charity, and a portion of the proceeds go to the charity. This collection includes a fitted jacket, scarf and a hat. The Swedish goaltender is known for his fitted suits and impeccable taste.

David Pastrnak

The Bruin’s star forward is known for his fashionable suits before a game. He won the fan voted award for best dressed this past season. He tends to mix up the classic style with a fresh twist, playing with different patterns.

Brent Burns

The Shark’s defenceman holds a unique style in the NHL today. Burns owns and operates a ranch in Texas when he isn’t in California, and he dresses like a cowboy at times. His long beard and missing teeth add to his fashion sense.

 

Who is your favorite NHL player with the best style?

Until Next Time

∼RJ