Yup. Boston Bruins - Hey I'm saying it with a straight face. 
Day 15 without hockey and I'm starting to get a little blurry.
Bruins make their appointment
Sullivan officially named coach
By Kevin Paul Dupont, Globe Staff, 6/24/2003
Five days later than expected, but many years earlier than he ever dreamed, 35-year-old Mike Sullivan yesterday was named the Bruins' head coach.
Sporting a charcoal-colored suit with a merlot tie trimming his pressed white shirt, Boston's new bench boss was introduced on the third floor of the FleetCenter, just down the hall from the dressing room he'll now be charged to direct, coddle, marshal, cajole, and otherwise lead to a new day.
Now 31 years beyond their last Stanley Cup, the Bruins once again have a favorite son running their bench. Much like Mike Milbury (Walpole) and Robbie Ftorek (Needham) before him, Sullivan (Marshfield) has been called on to provide a facelift to a franchise that has sagged badly over the last decade-plus. Be he plastic surgeon, miracle worker, or simply the grounded, no-nonsense hockey fundamentalist that he appears to be, the former Boston University captain (1990) now is the man in charge, the 12th head coach named in the Hub of Hockey over the last 24 years.
''I'd like to thank the Bruins for this marvelous opportunity,'' said Sullivan, who this October will embark on his first NHL head coaching odyssey after only last October making his coaching debut with Providence (AHL). ''I know I'm still a little bit wet behind the ears, so to speak, when it comes to the coaching ranks.''
Sullivan, his wife and children close by the podium where he spoke, and BU coach Jack Parker just across the room, originally was scheduled to be introduced to the media last Wednesday. Last Tuesday, the club released an afternoon media advisory that said it would name the new coach. But roughly a half-hour later came a second advisory, negating the first one, because of a ''scheduling conflict.''
General manager Mike O'Connell yesterday apologized for the mysterious case of the bollixed faxes, and explained that a number of scheduling conflicts, involving club president Harry Sinden, team chairman (owner) Jeremy Jacobs, Sullivan, and himself forced the rescheduling. A source with first-hand knowledge of the delay confirmed for the Globe last week that it was Jacobs, requesting that he meet with Sullivan prior to the news conference, who forced the delay of game. Sullivan had to meet with Jacobs, presumably in the owner's Buffalo office, prior to the anointing.
Only a few minutes before O'Connell introduced Sullivan, Hall of Fame defenseman Tom Johnson meandered along the edge of the assembled media. Head coach of the '72 Bruins team that won the Cup, Johnson, long the club's assistant general manager under then-GM Sinden, is now retired and lives on Cape Cod.
Upon spotting Johnson, with Sullivan yet to arrive at the podium, a senior reporter in the crowd asked if the surprise of the day was Johnson's return to the bench.
''I thought, uh . . .'' mused Johnson, breaking into his trademark wide grin, ''I thought they might want to win the Cup again.''
Like the two dozen Bruins head coaches before him, Sullivan faithfully placed his inspirational stamp on winning the Cup. The trappist New Jersey Devils, backed by perhaps the best goalie in the game in Martin Brodeur, only a couple of weeks ago won their third Cup in nine years. Very similiar to the Devils, Sullivan wants a team that is first and foremost responsible on defense, even if that means employing the entertainment-killing neutral zone trap.
More than once during his press conference, Sullivan defended defensive systems such as the trap, the two-man forecheck, and the left-wing lock. Whatever the system is that allows his club to regain possession of the puck, he'll not only live with it but preach it, sing it from the Vault's rooftop.
''The key,'' he said, ''is what you do with it once you get it.'' He also promised, ''You'll see a team that's exciting to watch.''
On the downside of that equation, the Devils proved that even repossession can be deathly boring to witness for the viewing public, be they seated in the home arena or watching on television. On the upside: The Minnesota Wild, led by trappist wonk Jacques Lemaire, were a joy to watch in the postseason, wrestling away pucks between the blue lines and then breaking out with lightning-fast transition play. If Sullivan can turn these broad-shouldered Bruins into Minnesota East, he'll be a wild success.
Sullivan was a skilled and efficient defensive center in his 11 NHL seasons, playing for the Sharks, Flames, Bruins, and Coyotes. No surprise, then, that he would build a game plan around a broad-based defensive scheme, and he made a point that he'll demand that defense even from the skilled likes of stars Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov. At the same time he promised ''not to take the sticks out of their hands.''
''We've got to make more of a commitment to defense,'' said Sullivan, who made himself a crafty faceoff specialist during his playing days. ''That's not to say we're going to turn our skilled [players] into lunchpail-type players, but I think we've got to play the game in a more responsible fashion.''
Sullivan took over somewhat of a fragmented, lesser-talented Providence squad last October and guided it to an impressive 41-17-9 record before being summoned to Boston to aid O'Connell at the end of March after the abrupt, surprising dismissal of Ftorek.
A number of his Baby B's players over the weekend said that Sullivan was universally liked in the dressing room, gaining the players' respect for being straightforward and instructional. He wasn't afraid to criticize, they said, but they interpreted his suggestions/admonishments as a sincere effort on his part to help them improve their games and make the jump to the NHL. If so, he successfully walked that fine line between criticizing and mentoring.
The biggest question now is, can Sullivan, a career role player, bring together the disparate parts that exist on every team? The superstar typically requires, and answers to, a message that is vastly different from the one sent to or required by the third- or fourth-line forward, the Nos. 6-7 defenseman, or the backup netminder. Everyone in the AHL could be captured by the vision of one day making it to the big time. Now Sullivan must find a way to sell and bring together those who are already here, some of whom are already multimillionaires.
''I think that it's important as a group that we establish an identity, right off the bat,'' he said. ''And I don't know if with the experience I had the last five to six weeks that our team really understood how we needed to play in order to give ourselves a chance to win.''
Proven time and again over the decades, teams with the best goalies have the best chance to win. Parker, recalling one of his favorite vignettes, reminded a reporter after the news conference how a close friend once said the game's name should be changed from ''hockey'' to ''goalie.'' Sullivan takes over at a time when the Bruins again are uncertain what to do about the priciest and deadliest 24 square feet of real estate in the game.
Rumors continue to swirl that they'll acquire veteran backstop Sean Burke from Phoenix. If not, O'Connell says he is prepared to begin the season with an Andrew Raycroft-Steve Shields tandem, which to critics sounds hauntingly similar to the John Grahame-Shields duo that led to disaster last season. Prior to the draft, a Coyotes official said the Bruins could have Burke by yielding their No. 16 pick in Saturday's draft -- a spot they yielded to San Jose in a swap that left the Bruins with the 21st pick Saturday and a couple of later picks, too.
The Globe yesterday reported the possibility of Burke coming here for prospect Andy Hilbert, one of Sullivan's top peformers last year in Providence.
His coaching experience thin, his netminding thinner, and the patience of Bruins Nation worn thinner than the threadbare rug beneath a Salvation Army kettle, Michael Barry Sullivan is now officially the head coach of the 2003-04 Bruins.
Sullivan was only four years old when John Bucyk held high Boston's last Stanley Cup and rhumbaed round Madison Square Garden in the sweet spring of '72. Starting with September's training camp, he finds out whether he can make 'em dance.
=====
I've said it (OK maybe I've whined a little) it ain't the coach - it's the ownership.
Day 15 without hockey and I'm starting to get a little blurry.
Bruins make their appointment
Sullivan officially named coach
By Kevin Paul Dupont, Globe Staff, 6/24/2003
Five days later than expected, but many years earlier than he ever dreamed, 35-year-old Mike Sullivan yesterday was named the Bruins' head coach.
Sporting a charcoal-colored suit with a merlot tie trimming his pressed white shirt, Boston's new bench boss was introduced on the third floor of the FleetCenter, just down the hall from the dressing room he'll now be charged to direct, coddle, marshal, cajole, and otherwise lead to a new day.
Now 31 years beyond their last Stanley Cup, the Bruins once again have a favorite son running their bench. Much like Mike Milbury (Walpole) and Robbie Ftorek (Needham) before him, Sullivan (Marshfield) has been called on to provide a facelift to a franchise that has sagged badly over the last decade-plus. Be he plastic surgeon, miracle worker, or simply the grounded, no-nonsense hockey fundamentalist that he appears to be, the former Boston University captain (1990) now is the man in charge, the 12th head coach named in the Hub of Hockey over the last 24 years.
''I'd like to thank the Bruins for this marvelous opportunity,'' said Sullivan, who this October will embark on his first NHL head coaching odyssey after only last October making his coaching debut with Providence (AHL). ''I know I'm still a little bit wet behind the ears, so to speak, when it comes to the coaching ranks.''
Sullivan, his wife and children close by the podium where he spoke, and BU coach Jack Parker just across the room, originally was scheduled to be introduced to the media last Wednesday. Last Tuesday, the club released an afternoon media advisory that said it would name the new coach. But roughly a half-hour later came a second advisory, negating the first one, because of a ''scheduling conflict.''
General manager Mike O'Connell yesterday apologized for the mysterious case of the bollixed faxes, and explained that a number of scheduling conflicts, involving club president Harry Sinden, team chairman (owner) Jeremy Jacobs, Sullivan, and himself forced the rescheduling. A source with first-hand knowledge of the delay confirmed for the Globe last week that it was Jacobs, requesting that he meet with Sullivan prior to the news conference, who forced the delay of game. Sullivan had to meet with Jacobs, presumably in the owner's Buffalo office, prior to the anointing.
Only a few minutes before O'Connell introduced Sullivan, Hall of Fame defenseman Tom Johnson meandered along the edge of the assembled media. Head coach of the '72 Bruins team that won the Cup, Johnson, long the club's assistant general manager under then-GM Sinden, is now retired and lives on Cape Cod.
Upon spotting Johnson, with Sullivan yet to arrive at the podium, a senior reporter in the crowd asked if the surprise of the day was Johnson's return to the bench.
''I thought, uh . . .'' mused Johnson, breaking into his trademark wide grin, ''I thought they might want to win the Cup again.''
Like the two dozen Bruins head coaches before him, Sullivan faithfully placed his inspirational stamp on winning the Cup. The trappist New Jersey Devils, backed by perhaps the best goalie in the game in Martin Brodeur, only a couple of weeks ago won their third Cup in nine years. Very similiar to the Devils, Sullivan wants a team that is first and foremost responsible on defense, even if that means employing the entertainment-killing neutral zone trap.
More than once during his press conference, Sullivan defended defensive systems such as the trap, the two-man forecheck, and the left-wing lock. Whatever the system is that allows his club to regain possession of the puck, he'll not only live with it but preach it, sing it from the Vault's rooftop.
''The key,'' he said, ''is what you do with it once you get it.'' He also promised, ''You'll see a team that's exciting to watch.''
On the downside of that equation, the Devils proved that even repossession can be deathly boring to witness for the viewing public, be they seated in the home arena or watching on television. On the upside: The Minnesota Wild, led by trappist wonk Jacques Lemaire, were a joy to watch in the postseason, wrestling away pucks between the blue lines and then breaking out with lightning-fast transition play. If Sullivan can turn these broad-shouldered Bruins into Minnesota East, he'll be a wild success.
Sullivan was a skilled and efficient defensive center in his 11 NHL seasons, playing for the Sharks, Flames, Bruins, and Coyotes. No surprise, then, that he would build a game plan around a broad-based defensive scheme, and he made a point that he'll demand that defense even from the skilled likes of stars Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov. At the same time he promised ''not to take the sticks out of their hands.''
''We've got to make more of a commitment to defense,'' said Sullivan, who made himself a crafty faceoff specialist during his playing days. ''That's not to say we're going to turn our skilled [players] into lunchpail-type players, but I think we've got to play the game in a more responsible fashion.''
Sullivan took over somewhat of a fragmented, lesser-talented Providence squad last October and guided it to an impressive 41-17-9 record before being summoned to Boston to aid O'Connell at the end of March after the abrupt, surprising dismissal of Ftorek.
A number of his Baby B's players over the weekend said that Sullivan was universally liked in the dressing room, gaining the players' respect for being straightforward and instructional. He wasn't afraid to criticize, they said, but they interpreted his suggestions/admonishments as a sincere effort on his part to help them improve their games and make the jump to the NHL. If so, he successfully walked that fine line between criticizing and mentoring.
The biggest question now is, can Sullivan, a career role player, bring together the disparate parts that exist on every team? The superstar typically requires, and answers to, a message that is vastly different from the one sent to or required by the third- or fourth-line forward, the Nos. 6-7 defenseman, or the backup netminder. Everyone in the AHL could be captured by the vision of one day making it to the big time. Now Sullivan must find a way to sell and bring together those who are already here, some of whom are already multimillionaires.
''I think that it's important as a group that we establish an identity, right off the bat,'' he said. ''And I don't know if with the experience I had the last five to six weeks that our team really understood how we needed to play in order to give ourselves a chance to win.''
Proven time and again over the decades, teams with the best goalies have the best chance to win. Parker, recalling one of his favorite vignettes, reminded a reporter after the news conference how a close friend once said the game's name should be changed from ''hockey'' to ''goalie.'' Sullivan takes over at a time when the Bruins again are uncertain what to do about the priciest and deadliest 24 square feet of real estate in the game.
Rumors continue to swirl that they'll acquire veteran backstop Sean Burke from Phoenix. If not, O'Connell says he is prepared to begin the season with an Andrew Raycroft-Steve Shields tandem, which to critics sounds hauntingly similar to the John Grahame-Shields duo that led to disaster last season. Prior to the draft, a Coyotes official said the Bruins could have Burke by yielding their No. 16 pick in Saturday's draft -- a spot they yielded to San Jose in a swap that left the Bruins with the 21st pick Saturday and a couple of later picks, too.
The Globe yesterday reported the possibility of Burke coming here for prospect Andy Hilbert, one of Sullivan's top peformers last year in Providence.
His coaching experience thin, his netminding thinner, and the patience of Bruins Nation worn thinner than the threadbare rug beneath a Salvation Army kettle, Michael Barry Sullivan is now officially the head coach of the 2003-04 Bruins.
Sullivan was only four years old when John Bucyk held high Boston's last Stanley Cup and rhumbaed round Madison Square Garden in the sweet spring of '72. Starting with September's training camp, he finds out whether he can make 'em dance.
=====
I've said it (OK maybe I've whined a little) it ain't the coach - it's the ownership.
