Jim Sir Bernard Law believes in “the process.”
That’s what the Boston Bruins schoolmaster preaches to his crew. A easy solution to book his gamers targeted at the provide.
Negative taking a look again on what’s came about. Negative living on an unsure day. Decide to the now and effects will come.
The ones ideas have guided Sir Bernard Law all over his profession. However ever so infrequently, Sir Bernard Law might be certain to pluck the entire fat image in.
It came about on March 30. David Pastrnak had simply scored 41 seconds into extra time to unwell Columbus and earn Boston its franchise-record 58th win of the season. It additionally connect its long-projected situation because the Presidents’ Trophy winners, a difference awarded yearly to the league’s regular-season issues chief (moreover, it promises Boston home-ice benefit all over the playoffs).
“It’s been a magical season so far,” the first-year schoolmaster mirrored. “We know the hardest part is ahead of us, and we’re looking forward to that grind.”
The most straightforward summation — till it’s absolutely unpacked. As a result of Boston is wading into traditionally tumultuous waters, combating the riptide round that ol’ President Trophy curse.
The hangover accompanying a Presidents’ Trophy victory has drowned adorned Stanley Cup hopefuls for years (we’ll get to the how’s and why’s of that in a while).
Most effective this Boston crew isn’t like every alternative — actually.
Those Bruins are so dazzlingly impressive they i’m ready an NHL checklist for wins (63) then simply 75 video games, passing the marvelous Nineteen Seventies-era Montreal Canadiens, vaunted Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers, dynastic Detroit Red Wings teams or even their closest peer in such jaw-dropping luck, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning. For an encore, Boston rewrote the books once more with a single-season issues checklist (133), passing the mark i’m ready greater than 40 years in the past via the 1976-77 Canadiens.
The Bruins’ purpose differential (plus-127) is the most efficient via a regular-season titleholder because the 1995-96 Purple Wings, and Boston has allowed fewer aims (2.10 in line with recreation) than any Presidents’ Trophy winner because the Bruins latter held that identify (2013-14).
Principally, Boston stands isolated in its dominance. So, wouldn’t it be improper after to deviate from Sir Bernard Law’s stay-in-the-moment philosophy and evaluate the Bruins to Presidents’ Trophy recipients of the occasion? As though the ones alternative fates will resolve what Boston can imminently accomplish?
It may be interesting to invest (so we will be able to). Why has regular-season luck so infrequently translated to playoff wins within the NHL? How does hockey stack as much as alternative sports activities in that appreciate? And can Boston be the crew to sidestep a Presidents’ Trophy jinx?
SUPERSTITIONS BEGIN SIMPLY ENOUGH. The Presidents’ Trophy was once presented again in 1985-86 via the league’s board of governors. It’s been awarded 37 occasions to 18 groups since after.
The 1986-87 Oilers have been the 1st recipients to additionally win a Stanley Cup the similar season. The Calgary Flames (in 1988-89), New York Rangers (1993-94), Dallas Stars (1998-99), Colorado Avalanche (2000-01), Detroit Purple Wings (in 2001-02 and 2007-08) and in the end Chicago Blackhawks (within the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season) would all declare hockey’s hockey grail then pacing the league in regular-season issues.
That’s 8 groups, out of 36 occasion Presidents’ Trophy winners, that experience completed their extreme purpose in an resulting postseason run. Over past, the alleged hex was extra pronounced.
Since Detroit’s Cup win in 2007-08, simplest 3 next “regular-season champions” have made it thru to the overall spherical of the playoffs (the 2014-15 Rangers maximum not too long ago went furthest via attaining the Jap Convention finals).
Boston in the past received the Presidents’ Trophy in 2013-14 and was once bounced in the second one spherical (the Bruins overlooked the playoffs solely please see season, certainly one of simplest 3 groups to have that occur following a Presidents’ Trophy-winning marketing campaign).
When Tampa Bay had the trophy in 2018-19, it was once famously swept in the first round via Columbus. Florida sat atop the league latter season with a franchise-record 122 issues and after slightly scraped in combination 4 playoff wins in 10 video games, dropping in the second one spherical.
Extra steadily than now not, the Presidents’ Trophy forecasts unhappiness. There are adequate theories as to why, with a couple of usual stories.
Pundits ceaselessly argue that having to overcome one crew 4 occasions in a playoff sequence — versus dealing with a pristine challenger each and every night time — finds a membership’s weaknesses. Changes are temporarily made, and each membership is uncovered for what it’s at its perfect — and worst.
It’s now not about what may also be carried out throughout 8 months, however perhaps simplest 8 days. Sticks move from piping scorching to icy chilly. Goaltenders have an off recreation.
When the margin for error disappears, even essentially the most unstoppable workforce from a generation in the past may also be ousted from rivalry. It’s very true when enjoying an unfamiliar crew outdoor your category. Even a radical pre-scout received’t account for the desperation and urgency manifesting within the playoffs.
Necessarily, regular-season luck is going out of the window. And from rewarding that — with out similar playoff effects to observe — a “curse” was once born.
Boston has succumbed to the Presidents’ Trophy curse on 3 earlier events (1989-90, 2013-14 and 2019-20). However those 2022-23 Bruins don’t glance again … proper?
THE NHL PROVIDES a trophy to its peak squad then 82 video games, kind of like a comfort prize for the disappointment to come back.
No longer each primary sports activities league arms out related {hardware}. However there’s an affordable correlation between ruling the steady season and after failing to reside as much as postseason prospective.
Hockey’s stats had been established: Within the wage cap period (that’s since 2005-06), two of the occasion 17 Presidents’ Trophy winners have additionally received the Cup.
Within the NBA, 5 of the occasion 17 groups to “win” the steady season went directly to clinch a championship.
In Main League Baseball, it’s been six of the occasion 17 regular-season champs going all of the means (which contains the Los Angeles Dodgers in a pandemic-shortened season).
And in the end, within the NFL, 4 of the former 17 peak seeds additionally claimed a Lombardi Trophy (and none because the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles).
That’s 17 titles in 17 years throughout 4 leagues, with NHL groups too much the least most likely of all to show that Negative. 1 billing into the extreme prize.
In point of fact after, what’s home-ice (or -court or -field) benefit were given to do with it?
All over the wage cap stretch, 128 NHL groups have entered the postseason with out home-ice benefit. Fifty-three of them moved occasion the 1st spherical, 23 complicated out of the second one, 12 made the convention finals, and 5 received the Cup.
It’s a common sports activities fact: When the playoffs start, all bets are off. Boston has skilled all sides of that cliché within the occasion, dropping out as a Presidents’ Trophy winner and in addition beating a Presidents’ Trophy winner (the Vancouver Canucks) within the 2010-11 Cup ultimate.
Which finish will the Bruins finally end up in this season?
EXPERIENCE MUST BE EARNED. And Boston has realized the juiceless means about postseason failure.
Hanging a pin for a negligible in all the ones jaw-dropping triumphs the Bruins have produced this season, would they have got been conceivable if Boston hadn’t been thru agony in potential-packed seasons of the occasion?
The Bruins aren’t latter season’s Panthers on an exhilarating, first-of-its-kind run thru an offensively dominant steady season. They received’t be depending on playoff beginners who’ve by no means weathered the ups and downs of a tough postseason spherical.
Boston is battle-tested, with the scars to turn out it. The Bruins’ Spherical 1 go opposed to Carolina latter 12 months obviously stung. Plethora in order that veteran Patrice Bergeron returned for another kick at a Cup as a result of he believed there was once extra within the Bruins’ — and his personal — tank.
In 2013-14, Boston was once ousted in the second one spherical. Identical factor came about in 2019-20. Receiving acclaim within the steady season that in the end quantities to so negligible isn’t simple, but it surely does grant Boston with a psychological blueprint on how you can recover from that hump on this postseason.
Surely, the Bruins have all of the essential belongings and attributes to win a Cup presently.
Boston excelled in virtually each regular-season division: The Bruins have been 2nd in aims (3.64 in line with recreation), first in aims opposed to (2.10), had the Negative. 1 penalty blast (87.4%) and have been top-10 in photographs opposed to.
Pastrnak was once peak 5 in league scoring, with 60 aims and 111 issues. Bergeron and Brad Marchand each handed 20 aims and are as unhealthy on anyone shift as ever. Hampus Lindholm has garnered Norris Trophy buzz in a phenomenal, career-highlight more or less marketing campaign; he and Charlie McAvoy had been workhorses on Boston’s blue sequence, averaging team-high mins each and every night time.
David Krejci stepped again into the NHL and not using a hitch and the Bruins’ scoring intensity — that includes stunning seasons from Pavel Zacha and Jake DeBrusk — is just about unrivaled.
And Linus Ullmark? He paces NHL starters in wins (39), save proportion (.938) and goals-against reasonable (1.89). Ullmark’s extra, Jeremy Swayman, may be top-10 in GAA (2.22), with a .921 SV% to check.
Sir Bernard Law got here on this season to interchange Bruce Cassidy, and it’s been a continuing have compatibility. His simplistic, easy way has steadied the Bruins, made them resilient opposed to inevitable tricky occasions and apparently ready them to triumph over any problem.
(Take note when Marchand and McAvoy needed to leave out the beginning of this season convalescing from respective hip and shoulder surgical procedures, so everybody wrote the Bruins off solely? Ah, recollections!)
There’s no person undisclosed sauce that has made the Bruins a behemoth. Any abstract will simplest scratch the outside on how mind-bendingly excellent the crew has constantly been this season.
On paper, there’s each reason why to suppose Boston can push occasion all comers and be the unedited Presidents’ Trophy winners to fracture the cycle of postseason letdown.
However they aren’t shoo-ins.
THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ceaselessly change into a struggle of attrition, because it’s the crew that survives perfect that wins the extreme prize.
Some would argue it’s the hardest championship hill to climb in all of sports activities.
The Bruins made it glance simple within the steady season, however that’s additionally months of hockey already underneath the belts of a veteran-heavy crew with a large goal on its again. Everybody desires to look a juggernaut fall. Is Boston up for — and ready to stick wholesome thru — any other 8 weeks of attrition?
Sir Bernard Law gave some gamers remainder unwell the stretch, however even that may finally end up being a detriment. Boston is set to stand a Florida Panthers crew that needed to scratch and claw its means right into a playoff spot. Momentum is an impressive, unexplainable pressure, too.
The Bruins even have handled late-season accidents to Krejci, Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno. The ones can impact a roster, too, each when the gamers step again in and via now not permitting guys as a lot past to develop chemistry — like Corridor was once meant to do with industry cut-off date acquisition Tyler Bertuzzi on a projected 3rd sequence for the Bruins.
Later there’s Boston’s energy play games. The Bruins have been the Twenty second-ranked crew with the too much guy since Jan. 1 (18.0%), a baffling statistic taking into account how totally dominant they’ve been in every single place else. Boston perceived to enhance at the energy play games because the steady season closed out, however in a tightly contested sequence, any insufficiency of execution of particular groups may also be gruesome.
Will that come again to chew the Bruins?
THAT TAKES US BACK to the “curse.”
If Boston fails to win the Cup, it received’t be on account of some voodoo emanating from a genuinely-earned, hard earned Presidents’ Trophy (even though they’ll be any other vile statistic).
Upsets are a usual prevalence within the Stanley Cup playoffs, even for groups that experience dominant steady seasons — the Bruins can ask the 2018-19 Lightning about that.
However that’s how playoffs paintings. Somebody can win. Heroes emerge each night time. Historical past may also be written at any second. The Bruins had been evidence of that every one season.
Age conduct can steadily be an finest indicator of day efficiency.
Even for Sir Bernard Law’s Bruins, who’re nonetheless enamored with dwelling of their miraculous provide.
