Up until 9th grade, hockey was a huge part of my life. I played on various school teams and attended camps dedicated to improving my ice skills. The Bruins of my middle school years were a solid bunch, led by Ray Borque, Cam Neely and Adam Oates and were tantalizingly good but never achieved the dream of winning a Cup and faded into an afterthought through mismanagement and the end of my playing days. For the past 20 years, I have watched the team collapse year after year, losing painfully to the arch-rival Canadiens several times in the playoffs and even blowing a 3 game lead to the hated Flyers last year. My expectations for this year were extremely low…
But something was different this season. Tim Thomas set a record for best save percentage in the regular season and while they were not the best team in the league over the first 82 games, they started to look really sharp in the post-season. They took the Canadiens out in a thrilling 7th game, avenged last season’s collapse with a sweep over the Flyers then beat the Lightning in another game 7 to earn a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they played the best regular season team; The Canucks beat them in heartbreakers the first two games, but everything changed when they came back to Boston and, in their third game 7 of the playoffs, they dominated and won their first Cup in 39 years.
It has been an incredible run for Boston sports in the past decade, beginning with the Patriots’ out-of-nowhere triumph in 2001, followed by the amazing Red Sox reversal in 2004 and the Celtics Championship in 2008. The Bruins finally completed the grand slam. No sports experience will ever compare to being in the Superdome with my dad for the first taste of Patriots glory, but being with him in a Newton bar watching this was special in its own way. My family may have held season tickets to The Patriots for 20 years and The Red Sox may be the most popular team in New England, but Bruins fans may represent the character of the region the best. Hockey is BIG here, in part due to Bobby Orr & co. winning the cup twice 40 years ago and building a generation of rink rats and devotees. So when they put the finishing touches on the 4-0 7th game romp in Vancouver, it galvanized the fan base and brought a joy to the region that Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics victories never could.
I happened to be driving through Boston today and stopped by for the victory parade. Although Boston has hosted 6 other parades in the past 10 years, I have never seen one. It was beautiful. I will never forget my first glimpse of the Stanley Cup glimmering in the sun and seemingly floating above the crowds, held aloft by Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas on the first Duck Boat. This Cup carries a mystique that no other trophy in professional sports can match; it is unique and seems to have a life of its own, whispering stories from years of travel and worship. The fans were hungry for The Cup and overwhelmed with excitement to watch it pass, hoisted up by the players who brought it home. It was a euphoric celebration in the streets, erupting from years of dormant anticipation and firm belief that all the pain and suffering caused by every unfulfilled season would be repaid many times over by a glimpse of the prize and the feeling that it finally belonged to us.