Offseason game thread- shed your salty tears

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Agreed with all points PSK.

I wonder if that also points to the continued refusal of Bruins coaches to call out refs over the years. We've talked forever about Berube getting the refs to give him the '19 Final because of his comments while Cassidy said nothing in return. Monty is hardly the type to do post-game bitching, etc. The Bruins seem to make it a point not to engage in that kind of gamesmanship and clearly it's killing them in the postseason.
 

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The only positive I can take from this is that they’re just as likely to go on a deep playoff run barely squeaking into the wild card and getting hot down the stretch as they are being the wire to wire best team in the regular season. So maybe next year, they’ll do what Florida is doing this year.
 

Salem's Lot

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Agreed with all points PSK.

I wonder if that also points to the continued refusal of Bruins coaches to call out refs over the years. We've talked forever about Berube getting the refs to give him the '19 Final because of his comments while Cassidy said nothing in return. Monty is hardly the type to do post-game bitching, etc. The Bruins seem to make it a point not to engage in that kind of gamesmanship and clearly it's killing them in the postseason.
How they get officiated should be addressed by people higher up than Montgomery. It’s been going on way too long. Even if the Bruins had a Tkachuk, he wouldn’t be allowed to play that way for the Bruins.

Watch how quickly he gets suspended in this series.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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How they get officiated should be addressed by people higher up than Montgomery. It’s been going on way too long. Even if the Bruins had a Tkachuk, he wouldn’t be allowed to play that way for the Bruins.

Watch how quickly he gets suspended in this series.
Yes that's true and a longstanding issue. The Bruins get officiated differently than the rest of the league. Always have been.
 

cshea

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Who was it that choked out Frederic after Game 2 ended? Literally choked him. No one retaliated for that IIRC.
The message to the players, and this goes back a few years, is to skate away. When was the last time Marchand did anything noteworthy in a scrum?

I don't know if it's the right thing to do. The problem is often times the officals only punish the retaliation so even if the Bruins don't start it and are standing up for themselves, they risk going shorthanded. It's why teams engage in this stuff, toe the line and try and get blow to blow their lid and get a cheap PP. The Capitals did it, the Islanders did it, the Hurricanes did it. Unless they are willing to eat more penalties, I don't see it changing.

Also, Tkachuk is fucking unicorn. It's a waste of time to try and match up with him, there is no player like him in the world.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Marchand in particular has to be a good boy because of his long and checkered past. I am glad he's not engaging.

As for the rest of it, I dunno. They're getting pushed around and no one does anything about it because of the risk of a PK but it's gotten completely out of hand. I don't know the solution to it.
 

Myt1

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That's hardly my point. It's the TYPE of player I'm more concerned with. Tkahcuk isn't afraid to play dirty to win. The Bruins had no answer for his style of play. They could match up his talent (hell, the Bruins are much more talented than the Panthers in every way) but they let him just stand in front or behind the net for ages and never moved him. That's the major problem here.
Tkachuk really wasn’t even all that dirty.

For all of the pissing and moaning in the game threads—and, I mean, that’s fine, they’re game threads—it’s not like the Panthers really gooned things up or anything, especially not to Blues 2019 or Islanders 2021 levels. They were insanely aggressive on the forecheck at times, but not even remotely overly physical. Even Pasta’s struggles with physical play were more about his occasional and not particularly shocking playoff reversions to a newborn fawn on skates.

McAvoy murdering people with hits and Nosek coming up a little high on Staalface probably outweighed the physicality of the crosscheck and spear on Hathaway.

Team composition was awesome, IMHO. Easier to do when your top two centers are playing for nothing, so I don’t think we should be giving out awards for that or anything. But it’s looking more and more like the Bruins lost because the collective asses of their defense and coaching staff puckered up hard enough to spit coal into diamonds, leading to inexcusable numbers of horrible turnovers and the now traditional inexplicable goalie decision making that would be viewed as possible grounds for involuntary committal in any other context.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to believe that most organizations that can afford to do so should have a small red team of lay advisors to which they can bring proposed major decisions to get the shit kicked out of them to avoid succumbing to foolish tradition, jargon, subject matter technocratic nonsense, and cant. Sure, maybe that’s because I’m thinking about my future employment prospects, but orgs from the CDC to the Bruins don’t merely miss the forest for the trees—they miss continents for the fleas.
 
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TFP

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But it’s looking more and more like the Bruins lost because the collective asses of their defense and coaching staff puckered up hard enough to spit coal into diamonds, leading to inexcusable numbers of horrible turnovers
What I (anecdotally) noticed this year after the Orlov trade was that once their place in the lineup was not guaranteed, the Grz/Forbort/Clifton/Carlo all started playing really tentative and afraid all of a sudden. Like right back to Cassidy times when they were afraid a mistake would get them benched so they lost their aggressiveness and free-wheeling nature. Then Forbort got hurt and they knew their spot was fine and they went out and played like they had all year. It may not even have been a conscious thing on their part, but it was really noticeable.

Bringing Forbort back in the playoffs and having 7 D restarted all of that again. Not saying it's the main cause, but I'd be surprised if it didn't play a role in their play. Not sure who to blame for it really, either.
 

jezza1918

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What I (anecdotally) noticed this year after the Orlov trade was that once their place in the lineup was not guaranteed, the Grz/Forbort/Clifton/Carlo all started playing really tentative and afraid all of a sudden. Like right back to Cassidy times when they were afraid a mistake would get them benched so they lost their aggressiveness and free-wheeling nature. Then Forbort got hurt and they knew their spot was fine and they went out and played like they had all year. It may not even have been a conscious thing on their part, but it was really noticeable.

Bringing Forbort back in the playoffs and having 7 D restarted all of that again. Not saying it's the main cause, but I'd be surprised if it didn't play a role in their play. Not sure who to blame for it really, either.
I am not hockey savvy enough to see little nuances like that in game...but taking you at your word that's more on the coaching staff than the players IMO. In a perfect world every player would have the ability to step up with the added pressure when feeling like they are 'playing for a spot.' But it's not a perfect world, and while some of it certainly is on the player for not having that innate ability, if YOU as a viewer can pick up on them playing better without that added pressure, than Montgomery sure as shit should've been able to pick up on it as well and act accordingly.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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What I (anecdotally) noticed this year after the Orlov trade was that once their place in the lineup was not guaranteed, the Grz/Forbort/Clifton/Carlo all started playing really tentative and afraid all of a sudden. Like right back to Cassidy times when they were afraid a mistake would get them benched so they lost their aggressiveness and free-wheeling nature. Then Forbort got hurt and they knew their spot was fine and they went out and played like they had all year. It may not even have been a conscious thing on their part, but it was really noticeable.

Bringing Forbort back in the playoffs and having 7 D restarted all of that again. Not saying it's the main cause, but I'd be surprised if it didn't play a role in their play. Not sure who to blame for it really, either.
I've often read that people do mentally better when they have fewer choices, not more. You struck on a key point here, I think and you're undoubtedly right about the fear of screwing up playing a part.

As for what they can do about it....I don't know. Except maybe getting rid of Forbort.
 

Myt1

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What I (anecdotally) noticed this year after the Orlov trade was that once their place in the lineup was not guaranteed, the Grz/Forbort/Clifton/Carlo all started playing really tentative and afraid all of a sudden. Like right back to Cassidy times when they were afraid a mistake would get them benched so they lost their aggressiveness and free-wheeling nature. Then Forbort got hurt and they knew their spot was fine and they went out and played like they had all year. It may not even have been a conscious thing on their part, but it was really noticeable.

Bringing Forbort back in the playoffs and having 7 D restarted all of that again. Not saying it's the main cause, but I'd be surprised if it didn't play a role in their play. Not sure who to blame for it really, either.
I said exactly the same thing. Gryz and Clifton, in particular, immediately started pressing in a way that they hadn’t all year after that trade and the rotation. And I know that it was one of Fluto’s favorite hobby horses, but it really seemed like the comfort level those guys had under the new regime was key to getting the best play out of them. Completely ridiculous to throw a worse, non-game speed player back into the mix to their playing time—and the team’s continuity—detriment.
 

Haunted

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We're 36ish hours out and I'm still absolutely seething with rage.
 

PedroSpecialK

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I don't think I'll give up on them entirely, but the past five years broke my will to be committed enough to them to own a season ticket and/or want to attend games in person
 

jezza1918

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I feel as close as I ever have to feeling like I could give up on sports.
I'm going to actively try. My current feeling is that sports has zero greater meaning outside of pure entertainment than the meaning we ascribe to it. I am not here to gatekeep fandom (an awesome phrase I just read for the first time in one of these threads the past 36 hours), because I'm not judging those who put more meaning on sports than I do. To each their own, all that jazz. But I am going to personally try to ascribe less to it.
The real struggle I have with it (and sorry in advance if this is too personal), I have quite literally nothing in common with my brother. EXCEPT for sports fandom. And I fear what will be left of our relationship if we don't have the state of Boston sports to discuss. But on the flipside, his takes are very Felger & Mazz-y, and annoy the shit out of me.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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I don't think I'll give up on them entirely, but the past five years broke my will to be committed enough to them to own a season ticket and/or want to attend games in person
I'm here too. I have no desire to actually attend a game any more. Maybe I'll take my kid one day but right now I'm going to stick to minor league hockey here in Portland.
 

BaseballJones

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I understand people's pain and how this is the kind of thing to make them give up on sports. Personally, I'm consoling myself with the past 22 years of unbridled joy at the sheer volume of championships my favorite pro (and even college) teams have won. It's absolutely astounding. I don't like these kinds of losses, of course. But it's easier for me anyway (not speaking for anyone else) to deal with it while lying on a bed of NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and NCAA championships the past 22 years.
 

BaseballJones

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I'm here too. I have no desire to actually attend a game any more. Maybe I'll take my kid one day but right now I'm going to stick to minor league hockey here in Portland.
Dude, I should send this by PM but I'm going to have a golf event in Maine this June at some point. Would love to meet you in the Old Port for a beer.
 

Myt1

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I don't think I'll give up on them entirely, but the past five years broke my will to be committed enough to them to own a season ticket and/or want to attend games in person
The two decades of sports success and having two kids utterly ruined me as a sports fan. The Bruins are the only sports I watch and I’m disappointed at this collapse, but don’t care about any of it anywhere near as much as I did when I was younger. Feels crazy.
 

Haunted

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I think Covid changed how I view sports in general, in a substantial way. It became so much less important to me. I enjoy going to Woo Sox games because it’s a fun night out and the stadium is like 6 minutes from me, but other than that, I think going to the Bs game last week will be my last major league game I attend any time soon.

I made a mistake and bought into this bruins team like I had not since 2011, and… nope.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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I don't think I'll give up on them entirely, but the past five years broke my will to be committed enough to them to own a season ticket and/or want to attend games in person
I'm here too. I have no desire to actually attend a game any more. Maybe I'll take my kid one day but right now I'm going to stick to minor league hockey here in Portland.
It's kind of funny—last year my father-in-law passed down his NY Giants season tickets to his daughters so we now have 2. I am a diehard lifelong Pats fan, but I think the above gets at why I enjoyed going to every Giants game so much last season despite not caring for the team. I'm no closer to being a Giants fan than I would have been as a rabid 10 year old wearing a Bledsoe jersey every day, but I continue to plan and be excited to go to those games because I can divorce my enjoyment fully from the outcome. Just get to have a fun as hell tailgate, get drunk, and watch some exciting football in an energetic environment with minimal emotional stake. The casualness makes it fun no matter what and if it were possible to get to that point with my own teams I think I would enjoy that. But that's 25-30 years of hardcore fandom that needs to be deprogrammed, and I do not have kids to draw my attention away.
 

TFP

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The two decades of sports success and having two kids utterly ruined me as a sports fan. The Bruins are the only sports I watch and I’m disappointed at this collapse, but don’t care about any of it anywhere near as much as I did when I was younger. Feels crazy.
Same for me, minus the kids. This loss barely got my anger up, and I'm not even sure why. Everyone is different but I'm much more zen about looking at the big picture enjoying the ride at this point.
 

jezza1918

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Same for me, minus the kids. This loss barely got my anger up, and I'm not even sure why. Everyone is different but I'm much more zen about looking at the big picture enjoying the ride at this point.
Gotta ask, did you do anything to create that zen or just happen naturally? Because I was pretty zen the last 5 years or so, but for some reason this series had me right back in my mid 20s - mid 30s where I placed SO much importance on it.
 

TFP

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Gotta ask, did you do anything to create that zen or just happen naturally? Because I was pretty zen the last 5 years or so, but for some reason this series had me right back in my mid 20s - mid 30s where I placed SO much importance on it.
Nothing intentionally. Just getting older, understanding how lucky we've been to have the sports teams we've had, and realizing that so much of it is all random. I still get excited (very excited) when the teams win, but somehow can move on when they lose. Honestly a part of it too is managing my emotions on the golf course to move on to the next hole after a bad one, so kinda taking that approach as well.

Also - edibles help.
 

MiracleOfO2704

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Have they had the end-of-season presser yet? I know Bergeron self-disclosed, but I’d imagine someone in the FO isn’t okay with Weekes’ report hanging out there.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Miracle, nothing yet. Given the immense anger and disappointment that is currently out there, they may be wisely keeping a low profile for the time being. No one wants to hear Cam and Donny say they're proud of the team right now.
 

Salem's Lot

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Jesus, I should try edibles TFP. I never have. Maybe they would be useful.
If you’re going to try them, don’t read that thread on TBLTS and do the same dosage numbers that they were talking about in there. 5mg helps me sleep, and 10mg gets me nice and high. Some of those guys apparently have tolerances so high they’re eating the whole damn candy bar to catch a buzz. That would be very dangerous for new users.
 

jezza1918

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Nothing intentionally. Just getting older, understanding how lucky we've been to have the sports teams we've had, and realizing that so much of it is all random. I still get excited (very excited) when the teams win, but somehow can move on when they lose. Honestly a part of it too is managing my emotions on the golf course to move on to the next hole after a bad one, so kinda taking that approach as well.

Also - edibles help.
Thanks for the response. And I'm a big edible fan, but typically use them for general enjoyment as opposed to the purpose of calming down for an actual event. Gonna have to try it.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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If you’re going to try them, don’t read that thread on TBLTS and do the same dosage numbers that they were talking about in there. 5mg helps me sleep, and 10mg gets me nice and high. Some of those guys apparently have tolerances so high they’re eating the whole damn candy bar to catch a buzz. That would be very dangerous for new users.
Dear lord. No thank you.

I take 5 mg of melatonin to sleep. Just wouldn't mind something to take the edge off during the day once in a while.
 

jezza1918

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I literally wouldn't know where or how to start. When I hear people talk about edibles it's all Sanskrit to me.
There are better experts on this board than myself, without a doubt. But the best advice I can give is go to a dispensary and have a conversation with a budtender about what you are looking for. They are typically extremely helpful
 

cshea

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Have they had the end-of-season presser yet? I know Bergeron self-disclosed, but I’d imagine someone in the FO isn’t okay with Weekes’ report hanging out there.
Haven't seen anything official but breakup day is probably tomorrow or Thursday.

If they follow the normal patter, breakup day will be when the players and Monty that speak. Sweeney typically does a year-ender on his side a couple of days or so after breakup day. The final one is Cam, Charlie and Jeremy which is a few days after the Sweeney one.
 

TFP

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If you’re going to try them, don’t read that thread on TBLTS and do the same dosage numbers that they were talking about in there. 5mg helps me sleep, and 10mg gets me nice and high. Some of those guys apparently have tolerances so high they’re eating the whole damn candy bar to catch a buzz. That would be very dangerous for new users.
Whoever was in there saying to take 100mg had me in disbelief.

@Smiling Joe Hesketh - I'm a relative novice but can share what's worked for me for someone in a similar spot.
 

Dewey's 'stache

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Maybe it’s growing up as a Sox fan and always having Yankee fans trash talking every failure the Sox had until 2004’s glorious redemption, or the snobbery and arrogance of Montreal fans that always left a strong distaste for me in “trash talking” or putting down the opponent -ESPECIALLY at the immediate aftermath when emotions are at their highest. Now living in the Midwest, I saw how supposedly nice cardinal fans would ridicule cubs fan’s incessantly until 2016. It didn’t make sense to me to be douchey to the losing team in that moment. Fast forward to Sunday night. Immediately following the loss, my best friend who grew up in Boston but now lives in a city with a competitive NHL franchise that didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in a long time posted a picture of Marchand upset at the loss with hahahahahaha following. I called them out on it because 1. They are a Sox fan and they know what it was like before 2004. They were a Bruins fan until they relocated and while they hate the likes of Mike millbury, Marchand and Chara, you respect Bergeron and you loved Bobby Orr. The person told me to get over it and “sorry not sorry” for posting. While I know the whole thing is ultimately petty(for both of us), It really irritates me that a great friend could value posting trash talk over showing understanding and providing a reasonable apology. The reaction I received from my friend I think was worse than their original post. Well, thanks for listening, just needed to get that off my chest.
 

TFP

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Thanks for the response. And I'm a big edible fan, but typically use them for general enjoyment as opposed to the purpose of calming down for an actual event. Gonna have to try it.
They help in the moment but not really a big part of the long term zen I've achieved. I'm not even saying I'm in the right here, it's just kinda naturally where I've evolved to as a fan. I've come a long way from 2010, which was the low point of my hockey watching life.
 

Haunted

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I would definitely start with 5 or 10 mg. Unless you know exactly what xxx mg would do for you, anyone telling you to take more than that 5/10 mg is leading you to a very bad time.
 

Haunted

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Best advice I can give - go to a dispensary and ask what they recommend. I'm partial to gummies over other edibles but whatever you prefer. But tell them you're looking for sleeping aid, or stress relief, or whatever.

There are edibles that include melatonin, and some that include other cannabinoids that might help sleep or relax, or what have you. Just ask the folks at the dispensary.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Thanks guys. I think gummies are the way I might go first. 5 mg seems like PLENTY.

Man. 51 years old and trying this stuff for the first time. Life is fucking bizarre beyond description.
 

Haunted

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Just remember - time to effect varies wildly. Did you just have dinner? It'll be a while. Are you starving? Won't be so long.

On average, give it at least an hour before you consider taking more.
 

Myt1

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They help in the moment but not really a big part of the long term zen I've achieved. I'm not even saying I'm in the right here, it's just kinda naturally where I've evolved to as a fan. I've come a long way from 2010, which was the low point of my hockey watching life.
Your current roommate is substantially better looking than your options back then.