Pat Burns may not receive much consideration for the NHL Jack
Adams Trophy in 1999 for coach of the year, but he certainly
should earn a few points for consistency. Burns won the award
last season by guiding the Boston Bruins to fifth place in the
Eastern Conference, with 91 points on 39 wins, 30 losses, and 13
ties. This season, all Burns did was lead the Bruins to exactly
the same record, again registering 91 points on 39 wins, 30
losses, and 13 ties. Now, their finish this year is less of a
surprise than last year's, given that the Bruins finished
dead last in the NHL in 96-97. It is still pretty amazing that
they could have the same won-loss record two years in a row.
Then again, the personnel isn't that different, just one year
older. Departed are Ted Donato and Mike Sullivan, and new to the
team are Ken Belanger and Peter Ferraro, neither of whom
accounted for anywhere near the points of the guys they replaced.
However, the performance of certain players on the Bruins
exceeded by far their performance of last year. Additionally, the
Bruins excelled on special teams, and fans were treated to the
best season of Boston goaltending since the Original Six
days.
Unquestionably, the biggest difference from last year is the
emergence of Joe Thornton. Joe played in more games (80) than any
other Bruins player, and his scoring totals of 16 goals, 25
assists, and 41 points hardly begin to reflect the improvement in
his game. Joe went from a player whom Pat Burns did not trust in
the clutch to a solid second-line center, a physical presence on
the ice, and a power-play regular.
There is little question that the turning point for Joe came when
Burns asked him to take Tim Taylor's place on the Bruin checking
line when Taylor was injured. Joe stepped up in a big way, and
began hitting and playing more confidently, as well as more
aggressively. After Taylor returned, Joe went back to his old
second line spot, but he played like a totally new player. He
kept up his new level of play for the rest of the season, and he
lifted the play of whatever linemates Burns assigned to him.
Right on his heels in the most improved category is Anson Carter.
Carter missed many games with his holdout and several injuries.
But toward the end of the season, he was one of the Bruins
strongest and most opportunistic players. Carter almost made it
his trademark to intercept clearing passes and swoop in on a
defenseless goaltender. More often than not he buried the shot,
and several times, his goal buried the opposition. He had a
number of multiple-goal games down the stretch, and while 40
points in 53 games is not Paul Kariya territory, it is pretty
respectable for a second line player on a defensively oriented
team like the Bruins.
By comparison, some people didn't seem to think that Sergei
Samsonov was measuring up to the promise shown during his rookie
year. But expectations for a Rookie of the Year winner are always
inflated the next season. The fact of the matter is that Sergei
was no defensive specialist his first year, and his second year
was no different. He still had a tendency to try to make one move
too many, or to pass when he should shoot. Every once in a while
his great moves befuddled his teammates as much as they did the
opponents. There were times when this caused expensive
turnovers, and some serious scowls from a coach who is a shoo-in
for the "Looks Could Kill" Hall o' Fame. Samsonov, rather than
Thornton, became the guy watching from the bench in tight spots
near the end of the game. In spite of this, no one should
overlook the fact that the kid registered more goals and assists
than in his rookie year, on a team that scored seven fewer goals
overall. Every player should wish to have such a sophomore slump.
But there is little doubt who the team's most valuable player is,
even while taking care not to overlook the tremendous
accomplishments of Jason Allison, the ageless play of Ray
Bourque, or the all-around contribution of the team's most
skilled forward, Dimitri Khristich. Byron Dafoe was the man.
Overlooked at All-Star time, Byron made sure that no one would
overlook him for the rest of the season. Dafoe finished the
season in style, named the NHL Player of the Month for April,
possibly because he posted a 6-0 record with the playoffs on
the line, with a 1.15 goals-against average with two shutouts.
Byron finished the season leading the NHL in shutouts with 10,
overtaking the likes of Dominik Hasek and Martin Brodeur.
Statistics aside, the Bruins would have been sunk without Byron.
A tight defensive system like the one Burns uses does not yield
many shots on goal. But when it does, or when the system breaks
down because of a slip or bad decision on a player's part, the
shots tend to be doozies. But game after game, Dafoe did an
incredible job of keeping the puck out of the net and keeping his
team in the game, and a fan or player or coach just cannot ask
more than that of a goalkeeper. The guy was just plain fantastic.
Now in the playoffs, Byron has the chance to face one of the guys
who did receive an All-Star birth. Arturs Irbe, who should get
some consideration for comeback player of the year, has had a
great year for the Hurricanes. He is one of the reasons the
'Canes are looking at a home ice advantage -- that and the fact
that the division they play in is the wimpiest collection of
teams since the WHA folded. Now the Bruins and Byron have their
chance to face an old nemesis (the former Whalers) in a new
uniform, and in a place where the Hurricane fans will be
outnumbered by empty seats rather than by Bruin supporters, as
often was the case in Hartford. This could be a case of who
blinks first, because Carolina doesn't register high on the
playoff experience meter, while the Bruins haven't really shown
that they can trash Carolina with any consistency. This should be
a good series, with the Bruins prevailing in six games on the
basis of depth and defense, unless Irbe positively stands on his
head. The Bruins must watch out for the several Bruin-killers on
this team -- guys like Robert Kron who seem to have a
disproportionate amount of success vs. Boston.
All in all, Bruin fans have much to be thankful for, even if the
Bs lost on the final day of the season, blowing the chance to
finish fifth. Dropping to sixth to play Carolina certainly isn't
the worst fate one could suffer -- that was reserved for the
Penguins, who ended up eighth as a result of a disastrous finish,
and are in such financial turmoil that the NHL might yank the
franchise out from under them.
The big win for the Bruins was in the game before, when they
ended the season domination by the Buffalo Sabres by beating them
and Hasek in overtime on Hal Gill's rising wrister. Buffalo had
befuddled the Bruins all season -- the Bs couldn't even beat the
Dominator's backup, Rollie the Goalie (Dwayne Roloson from
UMASS-Lowell) in earlier games. The removal of Matthew Barnaby
from the Sabres roster has to be considered a plus for the Bruins
if they meet the Sabres in a series, although the presence of ex-
Bruin Joe Juneau, who hurt the Bruins mucho in the playoffs last
year in a Capitals uniform, partially makes up for
Barnaby's absence.
But there is little point in looking past Carolina. The Bruins
have to take care of business, and hope that the Canes' southern
hospitality extends to visitors from New England. Bruin fans can
only hope that Glen Wesley is as good at missing the net in the
playoffs playing against the Bruins as he was when he was playing
for the Bruins, as when he missed a "sure thing" goal against the
Oilers in the finals.
