Tragedy at Boston Marathon. Bruins-Senators game postponed.

Tonight, I was supposed to talk about how the Bruins were going to get over their slump and play a full sixty minutes against the Ottawa Senators. I was looking forward to seeing Patrice Bergeron on the ice again since his concussion. I was hoping to talk about how Matt Barkowski was shaping up into a real NHL player. I was even heading in to Boston tonight to hang out with friends and co-workers to enjoy the Bruins secure their playoff spot tonight.

Then a national tragedy intervened.

At around 2:45 PM, several devices exploded at and near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. At the time of this writing, there are two dead, over a hundred injured, and a nation vacillating between grief and rage.

Bruins president Cam Neely issued a statement shortly thereafter. “After consultation with City, State and NHL officials we collectively made the decision to postpone tonight’s game. Public safety personnel from the City and State are still gathering information regarding today’s events and it is vital they have all resources available for their investigation. The thoughts and prayers of everyone in the Bruins organization are with the city of Boston and all those affected by today’s tragedy.”

A new night and time for the game will be announced at a later date.

Tonight, every fan of the NHL is a member of Bruins Nation. In most normal situations, Bruins and Habs fans can rarely converse with each other without the use of gestures and profanity. My Facebook page is literally filled with comments from Canadiens fans. In one horrible moment, we have become connected together by grief, loss, and horror.

We’ve all seen the signs and the T-shirts.  If you’ve ever been to a game at the TD Garden, you can’t walk 100 yards without tripping over a vendor selling them . ‘”B”elieve in Boston’. Tonight, it’s not just a slogan or a catch phrase. It is an affirmation of who we are collectively. It’s how we will rise from adversity and tragedy.