Hockey News a Bruin, October 12, 2013

Oct 3, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal during the third period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Even though the Colorado Avalanche beat the Boston Bruins 2-0 last night, there is a great level of respect that the Avalanche’s head coach has for the Black and Gold. That respect is doubled for fellow French-Canadian and center Patrice Bergeron. “It’s easy to appreciate Patrice Bergeron,” Roy said, courtesy of BostonBruins.com. “He’s been so good for the Bruins over the years. He’s a great two-way player and he’s bringing a lot on the table for them and that organization, there’s no doubt about it.” Read a little more about the love fest for Bergeron here. (NESN)

I had often mentioned that the NHL’s (to be more exact, Gary Bettman’s) desire to keep a team in Arizona was going to be one of those “at all costs” scenarios. Pride, arrogance, and just the total inability to acknowledge a mistake led the league to hang on the Coyotes when it would have made more financial sense to let them move to Seattle, Quebec City, or Toronto. The Phoenix Business Journal confirmed my thoughts in an article yesterday. They report that the NHL lost one hundred and thirteen million dollars in an effort to keep the Coyotes in Arizona. Had most other companies sucked up that kind of loss, the CEOs would have been vaulted out of the boardroom. Sadly for the NHL, that’s just business as usual. (Phoenix Business Journal) 

This year seems to be the year that the NHL is making the most serious push to curtail or even beginning the ban on fighting during games. Puck Daddy tracks down some of the opinions of the players in the league and gets them to share their feelings on the controversy (Puck Daddy)

In last night’s hockey highlights, Tyler Seguin had a four point game as the ex-Bruin finally came alive to give the Dallas Stars a 4-1 win over Winnipeg. The Calgary Flames remain undefeated in regulation as they hang on the beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2. The Chicago Blackhawks brush past the New York Islanders 3-2. The Florida Panthers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3. (No, I’m serious.) The Phoenix Coyotes only make the Philadelphia Flyers suffer more as they beat them 2-1, and in the final game of the night, the Los Angeles Kings win it in a shootout against the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1.