Who knows what O'Connell is going to do??? I'm just posting related newspaper articles on this situation and let you guys try to figure it out...because I have no idea.
Bruins Goaltending...
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Boston Globe 4-6-03
Boston Globe 4-6-03
There's no masking the uncertainty in net
Brace yourself, Bruins fans, because here is what the local NHL entry has headed into the playoffs: Goaltenders by committee.
Now there's a warm-and-fuzzy thought as the Bruins embark this week on a hunt to end their 30-year-plus Stanley Cup drought.
Oh, and club owner Jeremy Jacobs, quick to grasp the synergy of the situation, has ordered all Causeway concession stands to be stocked with Dramamine. Family-size jumbo packs, of course.
Game No. 82 of the regular season wrapped up yesterday with Tim Thomas standing guard in front of the priciest and shakiest 24 square feet of real estate in Boston proper. A door-to-door apple salesman in his youth, the 28-year-old Thomas had never played a minute at the Fleet. When it was over, his 40 minutes in relief of starter Steve Shields (tweaked knee) yielded him the win, and moved him temporarily toward the front of a long line of candidates to start in net when the playoffs open - most likely Wednesday night in New Jersey.
''They told me with a few minutes left in the first, `Be ready, you might be going in,''' said Thomas, who took center stage when Shields was hooked after the first period - a period that opened with his falling to the ice at 0:44 upon colliding with the Sabres' J.P. Dumont. ''So my nerves started to get up a little.''
Thomas played OK, too, especially for being in the breach of what was, for both clubs, a free-flowing afternoon of shinny-by-the-Charles. The Bruins scored more goals (8) than they had in any other game this season, and that was encouraging. Discouraging, though, was the fact that they needed a half-dozen to win. If they adhere to the same bend-and-break defensive schematic in the postseason, they'll be rubbed out just as they were at this time last year, when the eighth-seeded Canadiens delivered the cruel, but deserved, KO punch.
At present - and this is subject to change between practice drills tomorrow - it looks as if Shields will be the starter in Game 1, with Thomas filling the support role. But Jeff Hackett, trying to find a way to cope with a nagging fractured index finger on his blocker hand, is still considered to be in the mix. General manager/coach Mike O'Connell also said Andrew Raycroft (recently sidelined by a groin pull) remains one of Boston's Fab Four shot blockers, although Raycroft has been assigned to Providence (AHL).
''To eliminate the problem of four goaltenders,'' said O'Connell, explaining why Raycroft had been demoted.
Fitting three or four goalies into practice drills presents a problem.
Worse, though, is not being able to find one that can do the job adequately come the playoffs.
''If they weren't worthy, they wouldn't be here,'' said 30-goal scorer Mike Knuble, a true gift from the hockey heavens for the Bruins this season. ''In fact, they wouldn't have been signed in the first place if they couldn't do the job. It seems we've had four or five different ones this year, and as a player, hey, you have to sink or swim with whoever's in net.''
As Knuble talked, ex-Bruin Bob Beers, now the club's top-notch color commentator on the radio network, walked by in the dressing room.
''It doesn't matter if we have Beersie's grandmother in net,'' said Knuble. ''As long as she stops the puck, that's fine by us.''
Grandma Beers notwithstanding, O'Connell now must pick his poison in net. Shields looked pretty good in a 1-1 tie with the Devils Thursday night at Exit 16W. Thomas, too, was adequate, at times a cut above, two nights before in a 3-2 loss in Ottawa, when the mighty Senators were awarded no fewer than 13 power plays.
Hackett, acquired midstream this season to help stop the hemorrhaging in net, has yet to find a way to cope with the pain of his fractured finger. It could come down to his having to choose between having the finger shot with pain killer each game, or remaining in street clothes. Raycroft, possibly the franchise's netminder of the future, hasn't been seen since he worked overtime for a win in Los Angeles March 22.
''I don't know yet how we are going to proceed with the goaltenders,'' offered O'Connell. ''We'll wait and see how it goes, day to day. See how practice goes the next couple of days, and go from there.''
Translation: O'Connell has no idea. No one has any idea. He also could have told everyone to take two aspirin and see him before the puck drops for Game 1.
One Bruins goalie has a broken finger. Another, now in Providence, has a bad groin. Yet another twisted a knee in Game No. 82. Makes one wonder if the club unwittingly hired Voodoo Charters all season, doesn't it?
Then there's Thomas, whose parents some 15 years ago hawked their wedding rings to fund his way to a summer hockey/goaltending school. If there is a movie script behind these embattled backstops, it doesn't get any better than mom and dad (who, by the way, also have invited some 40 foster children into their Michigan home over the years) giving up their rings so young Tim could go for goaltending glory. Imagine if come June he were being fitted for a ring of his own.
Following Friday's practice, Thomas dwelled for a moment on his start Tuesday in Ottawa. Overall, he was pleased with his performance, and said he figured it might be the last time he played in North America. He doesn't have a contract for next season, and he is a veteran of European play. If no one wants him, he'll check out what's across the Atlantic one more time.
''Now look - I guess things happen, right?'' Thomas said before leaving the Vault yesterday. ''Sometimes it's just a matter of being healthy and being in the right place, that can get you the opportunity.''
Oh, things happen. Where things go from here is now in the hands of the goaltending committee.
Boston Globe 4-6-03
There's no masking the uncertainty in net
Brace yourself, Bruins fans, because here is what the local NHL entry has headed into the playoffs: Goaltenders by committee.
Now there's a warm-and-fuzzy thought as the Bruins embark this week on a hunt to end their 30-year-plus Stanley Cup drought.
Oh, and club owner Jeremy Jacobs, quick to grasp the synergy of the situation, has ordered all Causeway concession stands to be stocked with Dramamine. Family-size jumbo packs, of course.
Game No. 82 of the regular season wrapped up yesterday with Tim Thomas standing guard in front of the priciest and shakiest 24 square feet of real estate in Boston proper. A door-to-door apple salesman in his youth, the 28-year-old Thomas had never played a minute at the Fleet. When it was over, his 40 minutes in relief of starter Steve Shields (tweaked knee) yielded him the win, and moved him temporarily toward the front of a long line of candidates to start in net when the playoffs open - most likely Wednesday night in New Jersey.
''They told me with a few minutes left in the first, `Be ready, you might be going in,''' said Thomas, who took center stage when Shields was hooked after the first period - a period that opened with his falling to the ice at 0:44 upon colliding with the Sabres' J.P. Dumont. ''So my nerves started to get up a little.''
Thomas played OK, too, especially for being in the breach of what was, for both clubs, a free-flowing afternoon of shinny-by-the-Charles. The Bruins scored more goals (8) than they had in any other game this season, and that was encouraging. Discouraging, though, was the fact that they needed a half-dozen to win. If they adhere to the same bend-and-break defensive schematic in the postseason, they'll be rubbed out just as they were at this time last year, when the eighth-seeded Canadiens delivered the cruel, but deserved, KO punch.
At present - and this is subject to change between practice drills tomorrow - it looks as if Shields will be the starter in Game 1, with Thomas filling the support role. But Jeff Hackett, trying to find a way to cope with a nagging fractured index finger on his blocker hand, is still considered to be in the mix. General manager/coach Mike O'Connell also said Andrew Raycroft (recently sidelined by a groin pull) remains one of Boston's Fab Four shot blockers, although Raycroft has been assigned to Providence (AHL).
''To eliminate the problem of four goaltenders,'' said O'Connell, explaining why Raycroft had been demoted.
Fitting three or four goalies into practice drills presents a problem.
Worse, though, is not being able to find one that can do the job adequately come the playoffs.
''If they weren't worthy, they wouldn't be here,'' said 30-goal scorer Mike Knuble, a true gift from the hockey heavens for the Bruins this season. ''In fact, they wouldn't have been signed in the first place if they couldn't do the job. It seems we've had four or five different ones this year, and as a player, hey, you have to sink or swim with whoever's in net.''
As Knuble talked, ex-Bruin Bob Beers, now the club's top-notch color commentator on the radio network, walked by in the dressing room.
''It doesn't matter if we have Beersie's grandmother in net,'' said Knuble. ''As long as she stops the puck, that's fine by us.''
Grandma Beers notwithstanding, O'Connell now must pick his poison in net. Shields looked pretty good in a 1-1 tie with the Devils Thursday night at Exit 16W. Thomas, too, was adequate, at times a cut above, two nights before in a 3-2 loss in Ottawa, when the mighty Senators were awarded no fewer than 13 power plays.
Hackett, acquired midstream this season to help stop the hemorrhaging in net, has yet to find a way to cope with the pain of his fractured finger. It could come down to his having to choose between having the finger shot with pain killer each game, or remaining in street clothes. Raycroft, possibly the franchise's netminder of the future, hasn't been seen since he worked overtime for a win in Los Angeles March 22.
''I don't know yet how we are going to proceed with the goaltenders,'' offered O'Connell. ''We'll wait and see how it goes, day to day. See how practice goes the next couple of days, and go from there.''
Translation: O'Connell has no idea. No one has any idea. He also could have told everyone to take two aspirin and see him before the puck drops for Game 1.
One Bruins goalie has a broken finger. Another, now in Providence, has a bad groin. Yet another twisted a knee in Game No. 82. Makes one wonder if the club unwittingly hired Voodoo Charters all season, doesn't it?
Then there's Thomas, whose parents some 15 years ago hawked their wedding rings to fund his way to a summer hockey/goaltending school. If there is a movie script behind these embattled backstops, it doesn't get any better than mom and dad (who, by the way, also have invited some 40 foster children into their Michigan home over the years) giving up their rings so young Tim could go for goaltending glory. Imagine if come June he were being fitted for a ring of his own.
Following Friday's practice, Thomas dwelled for a moment on his start Tuesday in Ottawa. Overall, he was pleased with his performance, and said he figured it might be the last time he played in North America. He doesn't have a contract for next season, and he is a veteran of European play. If no one wants him, he'll check out what's across the Atlantic one more time.
''Now look - I guess things happen, right?'' Thomas said before leaving the Vault yesterday. ''Sometimes it's just a matter of being healthy and being in the right place, that can get you the opportunity.''
Oh, things happen. Where things go from here is now in the hands of the goaltending committee.
Globe 4-8-03
Globe 4-8-03
The pipes are calling -- but for whom?
When the Bruins kick off their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series against the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night at the Meadowlands, one thing will be certain: Martin Brodeur will be in net for the Devils. But who will be in net at the other end? If the Bruins know, they aren't telling.
The smart money is on Steve Shields, who got dinged up in the season finale against Buffalo Saturday but went the distance in a workout at the FleetCenter yesterday. More important, he was stellar against the Devils last Thursday in a 1-1 overtime tie, his best performance as a Bruin. There is an outside chance it will be Jeff Hackett, who is recovering from a broken right index finger but has resumed practice. The longest shot is Tim Thomas, who replaced Shields against the Sabres and has been the backup recently while Hackett has been on the shelf.
Another scenario is that Shields gets the nod for Game 1 and Hackett, after a couple of extra days of rest, gets the start for Game 2. Bruins general manager/coach Mike O'Connell is playing his cards very close to the vest.
''It will probably be a game-day decision,'' said O'Connell. ''We'll have a better idea after [today] and then after the pregame skate. [Hackett] is coming along fine. I talked to him afterwards and he said he feels much better, but we'll see how he feels [today] and we'll go from there. You just hope we make the right choice, that the one you put in there plays very well.''
When the Bruins traded for Shields last summer, they believed he and John Grahame would battle it out for the No. 1 job. That didn't work out, and now Grahame is playoff-bound with Tampa Bay as the backup to Nikolai Khabibulin. Shields has had his ups and downs, which is part of the reason the front office made the deal in January that brought Hackett to Boston. After the New Jersey game, Shields said he had full confidence in his abilities. ''I like challenges, and the challenge for me is to play in the playoffs,'' said the 30-year-old Shields.
On the other hand, the Bruins dealt for Hackett believing he would carry them to postseason success. But bad luck intervened, and he has been out of the lineup since March 15, when he was struck by a shot in pregame warmups.
It appears the worst of that is behind him, but Hackett said it's been one of the toughest times of his career. He is 34 years old, will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and came in wanting to prove so much.
He had hoped to get in one more game in the regular season, but it didn't work out.
''Today is the first day I've really had a full practice with the team,'' he said after the workout. ''You feel a little bit rusty but I would've liked it to be a situation where I could have got on a roll before you come in. But that didn't arise and I'll just take everything day by day right now and see what happens.''
Once he is cleared to go, the call is up to O'Connell.
''I tried a couple of things to help with the pain,'' said Hackett. ''It seemed to help. I think everything is going to be OK. It was a bit frustrating when the injury happened because it's something I'd been waiting for a long time to get a chance to do, but I've never done anything easy, so why would I start now?''
Globe 4-8-03
The pipes are calling -- but for whom?
When the Bruins kick off their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series against the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night at the Meadowlands, one thing will be certain: Martin Brodeur will be in net for the Devils. But who will be in net at the other end? If the Bruins know, they aren't telling.
The smart money is on Steve Shields, who got dinged up in the season finale against Buffalo Saturday but went the distance in a workout at the FleetCenter yesterday. More important, he was stellar against the Devils last Thursday in a 1-1 overtime tie, his best performance as a Bruin. There is an outside chance it will be Jeff Hackett, who is recovering from a broken right index finger but has resumed practice. The longest shot is Tim Thomas, who replaced Shields against the Sabres and has been the backup recently while Hackett has been on the shelf.
Another scenario is that Shields gets the nod for Game 1 and Hackett, after a couple of extra days of rest, gets the start for Game 2. Bruins general manager/coach Mike O'Connell is playing his cards very close to the vest.
''It will probably be a game-day decision,'' said O'Connell. ''We'll have a better idea after [today] and then after the pregame skate. [Hackett] is coming along fine. I talked to him afterwards and he said he feels much better, but we'll see how he feels [today] and we'll go from there. You just hope we make the right choice, that the one you put in there plays very well.''
When the Bruins traded for Shields last summer, they believed he and John Grahame would battle it out for the No. 1 job. That didn't work out, and now Grahame is playoff-bound with Tampa Bay as the backup to Nikolai Khabibulin. Shields has had his ups and downs, which is part of the reason the front office made the deal in January that brought Hackett to Boston. After the New Jersey game, Shields said he had full confidence in his abilities. ''I like challenges, and the challenge for me is to play in the playoffs,'' said the 30-year-old Shields.
On the other hand, the Bruins dealt for Hackett believing he would carry them to postseason success. But bad luck intervened, and he has been out of the lineup since March 15, when he was struck by a shot in pregame warmups.
It appears the worst of that is behind him, but Hackett said it's been one of the toughest times of his career. He is 34 years old, will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and came in wanting to prove so much.
He had hoped to get in one more game in the regular season, but it didn't work out.
''Today is the first day I've really had a full practice with the team,'' he said after the workout. ''You feel a little bit rusty but I would've liked it to be a situation where I could have got on a roll before you come in. But that didn't arise and I'll just take everything day by day right now and see what happens.''
Once he is cleared to go, the call is up to O'Connell.
''I tried a couple of things to help with the pain,'' said Hackett. ''It seemed to help. I think everything is going to be OK. It was a bit frustrating when the injury happened because it's something I'd been waiting for a long time to get a chance to do, but I've never done anything easy, so why would I start now?''
Boston Herald 4-8-03
Boston Herald 4-8-03
Mystery in net: O'Connell waits to name starting goalie
Interim Bruins coach Mike O'Connell did not name his starting goaltender for tomorrow's Game 1 of the team's first-round playoff series against the Devils yesterday, but he narrowed it down to Steve Shields, Jeff Hackett and Tim Thomas. Gerry Cheevers is not reported to be in the running.
``It could be any of the three,'' the general manager said. ``I really don't have an indication which way I'm going to go. It'll probably (be) a gameday decision. We'll have a better idea what's what after (today) and (tomorrow's) pregame skate.''
Hackett, out since March 15 with a broken right index finger, went through a full practice yesterday and appears nearly ready to play.
``I'm starting to feel better,'' Hackett said. ``This was really my first full practice. I don't know anything yet. I'm just taking it day by day to see how everything reacts. (Yesterday) was a positive step. That's about all I can tell you right now.''
Shields, who left Saturday's season finale after one period with a minor knee injury, was fine yesterday and said he is preparing as if he will be the Game 1 starter. He finished the season 12-13-9 with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.
Thomas remains on hand, at least until Hackett is ready to play.
O'Connell now has to make the most important decision of his brief coaching career.
``I just hope we make the right choice,'' he said. ``And (we hope that whoever) we put in there as the goaltender plays very well.''
Boston Herald 4-8-03
Mystery in net: O'Connell waits to name starting goalie
Interim Bruins coach Mike O'Connell did not name his starting goaltender for tomorrow's Game 1 of the team's first-round playoff series against the Devils yesterday, but he narrowed it down to Steve Shields, Jeff Hackett and Tim Thomas. Gerry Cheevers is not reported to be in the running.
``It could be any of the three,'' the general manager said. ``I really don't have an indication which way I'm going to go. It'll probably (be) a gameday decision. We'll have a better idea what's what after (today) and (tomorrow's) pregame skate.''
Hackett, out since March 15 with a broken right index finger, went through a full practice yesterday and appears nearly ready to play.
``I'm starting to feel better,'' Hackett said. ``This was really my first full practice. I don't know anything yet. I'm just taking it day by day to see how everything reacts. (Yesterday) was a positive step. That's about all I can tell you right now.''
Shields, who left Saturday's season finale after one period with a minor knee injury, was fine yesterday and said he is preparing as if he will be the Game 1 starter. He finished the season 12-13-9 with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.
Thomas remains on hand, at least until Hackett is ready to play.
O'Connell now has to make the most important decision of his brief coaching career.
``I just hope we make the right choice,'' he said. ``And (we hope that whoever) we put in there as the goaltender plays very well.''
i dont know how you dont play shield if he is healthy...thought he played just fine the last few weeks...Hacket coming off an injury may be rusty...think the first game has to be shields..and if he falters because of poor play then maybe a change...
cooz
cooz
bostonbruins.com 4-8-03
bostonbruins.com 4-8-03
Starter still up in the air
O?Connell said he has yet to decide which goaltender will start Game 1.
?[I?ll] Probably [decide] tomorrow,? said O?Connell. ?Maybe later on tonight, but most likely if we are not sure tonight, it will be tomorrow.
?Everyone should prepare to go in and be ready to play. If they both thought they were playing, they?ll both prepare the same way. I think every goalie should go into games that way.?
Jeff Hackett (blocker hand finger injury) looked comfortable during the practice, making repeated stops with his stick blade.
?He looked really good today,? said O?Connell. ?He looked much more comfortable in there.?
bostonbruins.com 4-8-03
Starter still up in the air
O?Connell said he has yet to decide which goaltender will start Game 1.
?[I?ll] Probably [decide] tomorrow,? said O?Connell. ?Maybe later on tonight, but most likely if we are not sure tonight, it will be tomorrow.
?Everyone should prepare to go in and be ready to play. If they both thought they were playing, they?ll both prepare the same way. I think every goalie should go into games that way.?
Jeff Hackett (blocker hand finger injury) looked comfortable during the practice, making repeated stops with his stick blade.
?He looked really good today,? said O?Connell. ?He looked much more comfortable in there.?
