Boston Globe 10.8.03
Boston Globe 10.8.03
Changeover
Bruins open with new look
The Bruins will unveil their 2003-04 edition tonight in their opener against the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils at the FleetCenter, and they hope to answer questions about their season right out of the gate. They have a mostly healthy lineup, two new goaltenders, a rookie head coach in Mike Sullivan who is the youngest bench boss in the NHL, and a good deal of firepower up front. How much will that translate into success? It shouldn't take long to find out.
"We should be ready," said Sullivan. "To open the season against the Stanley Cup champions is a big challenge. We're going to get tested right off the bat. It'll be a pretty good barometer of where we stand as a team right after Game 1. I think our guys are as prepared as they can be and we'll move forward from here."
At forward, the Bruins have an outstanding line of left wing Sergei Samsonov, recovered from wrist surgery that cost him all but eight games last season, captain Joe Thornton, who broke the 100-point mark and finished third in the league in scoring with 101, and right wing Glen Murray, who scored a career-high 44 goals.
Behind them are the possible combination of veterans P.J. Axelsson, Brian Rolston, and Mike Knuble. In practice, Sullivan had Ivan Huml playing on the left side with newly-acquired center Travis Green and tough guy Sandy McCarthy. Working with the fourth-line group was Michal Grosek, Ted Donato, Patrice Bergeron, P.J. Stock, and Martin Samuelsson. Marty Lapointe and Rob Zamuner are injured but Lapointe should be back some time during the upcoming road trip.
On defense, the Bruins have their ice time leader Nick Boynton, veterans Hal Gill, Sean O'Donnell, Dan McGillis, and Ian Moran, and newcomers Jeff Jillson and Milan Jurcina.
In net will be either Felix Potvin or Andrew Raycroft.
Sullivan's work ethic, no-nonsense approach, and ability to communicate what he wants has had an impact on the players.
"He's been great," said Samsonov. "He's solid, he knows what he's doing. He's on top of everything. I think it's been a pretty easy transition. Most of the guys know Mike and everyone has huge respect for him. I don't think people think of him as a first-year coach. He looks like he's been doing it for 10 years. I've been pretty impressed with him."
Samsonov said every drill they've done in practice and every minute of ice time has a purpose.
"We're spending a lot more time playing out certain situations," he said. "Everyone knows where they're going. Sometimes he stops practices and tells people what's going on and I think that's important because if you're going to start off right, you have to do the little things right. I think we've been addressing a lot on the power play and penalty killing. I think he's been really tactical with us and has tried to put everyone on the same page."
Sullivan believes he has a proper mix of youngsters and veterans, as well as players with plenty of talent to compete against any club in the league.
"I like our team, I've said that from Day 1," he said. "I think we have some quality players, we've got some guys who bring different skill sets to the table and from my experience, that's what makes good teams great. Once again, we're trying to emphasize a team game and a team commitment. I think if we do that, we have a great opportunity to be successful.
"I think we have a ways to go. Most teams in the league would probably have the same response. It's a work in progress and always will be. But we're going to pursue it and I'm happy with where we are and the progress we've made but there's no question we have a ways to go and we have to get better in some areas."
Getting Boynton signed was no small transaction. He's the linchpin of the blue line corps. His late arrival because of a contract tussle hasn't seemed to affect him.
"I think he looks pretty good," said Sullivan. "He's got a real professional approach and he came to camp in pretty good shape. He's a talented player and he's a competitor and I'm sure it will probably be more demanding on him the first few games but I'm comfortable with where he's at."
Green will help, especially on a team that has struggled with faceoffs the last couple of years. Sullivan and Green were teammates in Phoenix and Sullivan endorsed him to general manager Mike O'Connell.
"I know Travis pretty well and I think he's a guy who can really help our team," said Sullivan. "He's very good on faceoffs. He competes on a daily basis. He's got a good work ethic and he's versatile. You can play him in a number of different roles and capacities and he can adjust.
"He's a skilled enough player that he can play with offensive guys and can produce numbers. He can also play on a checking line. He has the ability to kill penalties and I think he represents a lot of what we're trying to accomplish here. We really need to establish a team that has a relentless work ethic because that's how you win in this league."
Another way you win is to have strength in your last line of defense -- between the pipes. That was a weakness last season and the inconsistency had a domino effect through the remainder of the roster.
"They both have earned the right to play," said Sullivan of Potvin and Raycroft. "We feel we have two quality guys. Even if we identify a No. 1 and a No. 2, it won't be a case where one goalie will play 70 games and the other guy will get 10. They certainly up to this point have both earned the right to play so we feel comfortable with either guy in the lineup. That could change over time and I think performance will dictate that."
In many ways, this is a young team and Thornton said he doesn't think it will hurt that the core of the club is a year older.
"Everyone is focused this year," he said. "The skill level is high, I like our goaltending, I like our big defense and we've got some good depth up front, so I'm really optimistic about this year. If you look at last year's team and this year's team, if we can stay healthy, I think we're going to be a lot better than last year. Everybody is one year more mature and a little bit more focused, so I'm really excited."
And if some league prognosticators believe the Bruins aren't going to be successful, Samsonov said he doesn't give it a thought.
"We have a good team in here," he said. "The issues we had last year have been addressed as far as getting goaltending and [adding to] defense, so we're a solid team. We have to start off strong and prove to ourselves that we can play. There's no reason why we can't do well this season. We have all the tools. It's just a matter of putting things together."
The process continues tonight.
