“It’s disappointing, not just this trip, but the whole season. It was a lot of up and down. No reason to make any excuses. I felt like before the season, we had the team to not just make the playoffs, but make a push. But obviously we didn’t even get in, so it’s a big disappointment.” – David Krejci on the end of the Bruins’ season.
The Boston Bruins’ ninety-first season ended last night with a 3-2 shootout loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning. That loss was a microcosm of all the things that went wrong with the season. The Bruins weren’t able to play a total sixty minute game, and it costs them dearly in a shootout.
Puck Prose
Disappointment is a massive understatement. This is the first time the Black and Gold have missed the playoffs since the 2006-07 season. While the Bruins were able to put up ninety-six points this season, the team just had too many injuries and missteps to get it done this year.
“Well, I think everybody’s pretty down right now,” said Claude Julien after the Bruins last game. “When you don’t make the playoffs, as you know, you’ve failed. You like to think that everybody in there is a proud athlete and is certainly not taking this lightly, and I know all of us seem to be feeling the same way right now.”
“Disappointing, to say the least, it’s a failed season for us.”
The Bruins needed consistency this year. By and large, they didn’t have it. The team just couldn’t get around to playing that full sixty minute game.
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The Bruins will now have to figure out where to go from here. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres have already terminated their coaching staffs after disappointing seasons. Charlie Jacobs and Cam Neely might choose to pursue that option when it comes to Claude Julien.
Changes do need to be made.
When Claude Julien introduced his defensive-minded style of hockey in 2007, he helped put the Boston Bruins back on the map. His coaching style led the Bruins to seven playoff runs, two Stanley Cup finals, a President’s Cup Trophy and the 2011 Stanley Cup.
There is also talk of Peter Chiarelli being removed from his position as well. Chiarelli has also brought phenomenal changes to the Bruins organization. But he also made the moves that led the B’s to their current predicament.