The Boston Bruins have quietly climbed into third place in the NHL in points with 22 games to play.
They are three points ahead of Toronto, who has two games in hand. But it’s hard not to like what the men in black and gold have done as of late. So why are the Bruins continuing to fly under the radar?
Some Bruins fans like to think of their city as a hockey city, but in reality, Boston has always been either baseball or football-centric. Throughout the 20th century, most fans kept their full attention on the Sox as they continued to try to end an 86-year championship drought; the Bruins and phenom Bobby Orr were just afterthoughts.
Ray Bourque and Cam Neely might have been at the epicenter of the largest attention put on the Bruins when they went to two Stanley Cup Finals in three years. One against Edmonton with Wayne Gretzky at the helm, one with Gretzky gone and Mark Messier in his place; both losses.
Sure, the Bruins won a Cup in 2011, but the larger focus in the new millennium has been the Patriots and their unprecedented dynasty. Myra Kraft died that year, and the Patriots lost to the Giants again; fans seemingly had no time for hockey before the Final, despite a number of unforgettable regular season and postseason games before that point.
Even this year. The Red Sox? Championship. The Patriots? Championship. The Celtics are a walking reality TV show, and people can’t stop talking about the latest Anthony Davis rumor. The Bruins have once again quietly been putting together a tremendous campaign. Three wins over archrival Toronto. Hard-fought wins against the likes of San Jose and Pittsburgh. A Winter Classic win over Chicago in Notre Dame Stadium. Yet they continue to get low ratings.
With Spring Training underway and the Patriots in the offseason, this should be the time people pay attention to the Bruins as opposed to the soap opera that is the Celtics. Fans, tune in. You won’t be disappointed.
