I'm only 19. I've not had nearly the heartbreak of the true fans, from the late 80's from Sammuelsson on Neely, or those deep Oiler teams, always forcing the B's to come up short. This much I know, from my youthful years.
I've followed this team with more regularity recently than I ever thought possible. Sure, I've given them somewhat of a care, but not this much. I wish I had a hockey family, with a Mom who wrote her son recaps. I don't. But I care. I do. I've seen that Dave Lewis led team, with Mowers, York, Primeau, and so many other retreads. Not only that, but that was my intro to hockey... I lived through that. I started late, I know. I did with every sport, even with the Red Sox, starting in 7th grade. I thought it was awesome- they still played Bruins hockey, didn't they? They hit and scored, even if they couldn't play defense to save their lives. But it was a start.
The next year, I thought they might be on to something. I felt good; with Lucic, Kessel, and the new coach in Julien. I was right to a degree- those players inpressed me, and I thought there could be no happier degree when I saw this team make the playoffs that year, in Buffalo- should've had 2 points that night. I remember Marc Savard's challenge, "We want the Habs." They got them, and I was worried: 0-7-1 that year against Montreal... and then... Magic. From Savard's OT magic off a Smolnski penalty, the n scoring 4 unanswered goals in Game 5 in Montreal, then that Epic Game 6. That really gripped me into this game. I'll never forget Sturm scoring, and that vibrating Garden. Alas, from here, I had my first heartbreak in Game 7. I thought there would be no way Price would hold up with the Montreal media circus behind him, and the Bruins way beyond where they were supposed to be. I held my head high- this team could have home ice next year! They took Montreal to SEVEN games. Most idiot pundits didn't see the Bruin heart and the lack of one from those Habs. They'd be back. I could feel it.
08-09 was a dream year... it all blew by to me, from smacking the Habs that year, Lucic taking Komisarek down, the Dallas game, Kessel's improbable goal streak... everything fit. I expected a better year from 07-08, but not THAT much! I saw them breeze by the Habs that year in 4, then a 5 spot on the Canes in Game 1... I thought the cup was that year, all so easy! I admit I knew very little about the game's inner workings then. I saw them go down 3-1, and I was scared. I didn't want anotehr heartbreak... I was scared for the worst. I saw Walker's punch on Ward and was livid. He wasn't suspended, gah! Then, I saw te fantastic answer game from the B's, 5-1 in NC. I felt good again, especially as Looch tied it at 2 in the Garden. As soon as Timmy let in that awful rebound on Walker, I felt sick to my stomach, and didn't want to talk to anyone for days, let alone about hockey. Unlike at the end of the Game 7 against the Habs the previous year, I was concerned: This team, as good as it was, had skidded horribly to end the year. I was thinking that they would have a hard time getting back.
Perhaps I was right, they had an awfully hard time getting back. I remember thinking that each night was like a free injury night- see an injured Bruin, or the game is free. It was a horrible thought, but darn it if it didn't feel true. I doubted if they could make the postseason that year, after being in 10th for so LONG that year. But, darn it, with a borderline AHL roster, the prevailed and made it with the 6 seed. I saw Satan's 2OT winner, absolutely stunned. I had confidence that they could beat the Sabres, but this confirmed it. They had the Flyers next, and I felt great coming into that series- if they had beaten Vezina winning Miller the previous round, they'd have no issues with Brian Boucher. Game 7, to be entirely honest, was nearly suicidal. I deal with depression daily, and this just fueled it- I must have had at least 1000 FMLs that night. I had nowhere to go, and the Bruins were something that really made me happy. Yeah, I had the NBA, but I wanted to see the Bruins win it all more, mainly since it hadn't been done in my lifetime before.
Then, yeah, this year! You had SEGUIN, and Horton coming in, and Rask with a full year under his belt! Not only that, but lots of injury recoveries coming back; wow! Was I pumped? Understatement. I could not wait for the puck to drop in Prague, and see what this group could do. I got so annoyed with Claude, from frequently seeing Seguin in the press box, the team not scoring. I also was concerned for the overall team when Chara had his 911 hit. The was first the issue of the (non) suspension, but also how crazy the mass of HAbs fans calling for an investigation could be. They prevailed. They answered, bug, with 8-6 and 7-0 wins. This team showed me they wanted it more than any other.
come playoff time, I felt very scared of Montreal; Price had played well, they had beaten the Bruins far too easily earlier in the year, and would it continue? I was worried my negativity was right (due to the above heartbreaks), again after they fell behind 2-0. Especially considering that the next two games were up North. I felt my heavy doubts, but something about the trips to Lake Placid strangely gave me hope. We all saw Horton explode for OT winners, making me jump up and scream like the nuthouse resident I am.
Then, those POS Flyers. I felt they were a cakewalk, given their late falters, and barely squeaking past the Sabres. All the while, of course, being very scared when the B's went up 3-0. Not only for the obvious scare of last year, but also that of the Pewr Play not producing and the inability to score on Bobvorosky all series. Unfounded, and god knows how I prevented myself from being shushed in the college library to see the B's win again!
As for the Tampa series, I wish I could give more input, but my sucky cable provider only offers VS as a premium channel. I mostly remember about Game 1 being the end of the road possibly for the Bruins, with the 5-2 beatdown, and Chia commenting on how a trip to the ECF would be a 'success' season. I hated that statement, still do. Game 7 sticks out most in that series, and it feels kind of like tonight. I felt they could do it, but my worry was that one little screwup and I'd feel so depressed I'd be a mess for weeks. Sadly, I never got to hear Horton's score because my shit internet shat the bed at that point. Thankfully... I heard the call of TSH's "The Bruins win! The Bruins win! And they're in the Stanley Cup Finals!" That was a high point for me, as a fan. Dancing, jumping, and mocking Boucher's 1-3-1 system, and how awesome the Bruins played that night, no penalties, no goals allowed. The perfect game.
I'd add my sentiments about Vancouver, both good and bad, but no. The series is not over. I want to write good memories in this spot, and they can make it happen. Make my storybook happen, and win the game.
Entirely unrelated, though, I want this series to be won for one person, and it's not me. I'm a dumbass young fan, and while I can be self-centered at times, I'm not fucking narcissistic. It's Talon. He may not have been a B's fan, but he was one of the people that showed me to the ropes of this site, and made me feel welcomed here- I remember one time when we discussed baseball autographic collecting. It's been one of my proud moments as a user of this site. What better way to win it than for one of our fallen (SoSH's) own?
Win tonight.