NHL LOCKOUT: Day 97 – Bruins GM still believes in a season
October 6, 2011; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins fans pass around a flag with the Stanley Cup as part of the celebration before the game against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
As you all know, the Boston Bruins have been solid contenders for the Stanley Cup these last few years. One of the biggest reasons for the Bruins returning to dominance is Bruins’ general manager Peter Chiarelli. Chiarelli has made shrewd deals and trades that have benefitted the Bruins. (and has giving Toronto fans new ways to curse him.) Chiarelli had several interviews today, and the man that has made so much happen for Bruins Nation believes that there will still be a season.
“I think there still will be a deal,” Chiarelli said while appearing on Boston.com radio. “I feel confident. I know we’ve had the ups and downs over the last four months, and believe me, I’ve lived them to the highest and to the lowest. Every time you think there’s a deal coming around the corner, there’s not. But I do firmly believe there will be a deal. I think both parties are rational enough, despite what you read and hear. I think they’re rational enough and they’ve done deals before and at the end of the day it’s in the best interest of the league and the players to have a deal.”
“They are highly, highly frustrating,” Chiarelli said during the interview with The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan. “Part of my business, part of my skill set, is to make deals, so you hear, you see what either side is proposing and you’re like, ‘Why can’t there be a deal? It’s so easy. Saw it down the middle, a little to the left, a little to the right.’
“It’s something that you think it’s going to be over quickly. It’s not and day-to-day seems to drag it down even more and you get these false starts where we have to get the ice down and get the players ready and it’s a real tough experience and I feel for the fans, too. “We’ve got a good team and we’ve got some momentum and we’ve got our guys coming into their own, and this is after having won a year ago, so it’s a real frustrating exercise.”
With a regular season starting on January 15th, ( a home game against the Devils) it would be a fast and furious run for the regular season. With the exception of Adam McQuaid, who is recovering from surgery to remove a blood clot, the entire Bruins roster would be up and running. After all this lockout mess, it would be great for the Bruins to take back the Cup.