by Joe Despres | HWGB.com

"Can we pretend that the Boston Bruins, on the Garden ice are like super stars, they really need a wish right now"  Sorry guys, I had too I've been holding that one in for awhile now.

So here the Bruins stand for the second consecutive year, Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.  The paths they took to get there last year compared to this one are very different in nature.  Last year on May 12th I was out for dinner for my birthday while the B's were working hard to battle back from a 3-1 series deficit at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.  That evening I had just turned 21, sitting in a elegant restaurant sipping a birthday cake martini with my girlfriend.  Here I was, relaxed and enjoying myself while my friends were tossing text messages in my direction that consisted of Game 6 score updates.  They went on to win Game 6 by a 4-2 score and forced a seventh match up back at the Garden.

A year later on the evening of my 22nd birthday, I wasn't out to dinner this time but home in front of the jumbotron (my television) taking in yet another Game 6 Semi-Finals tilt.  Except this time it would the Flyers that were trying to fight their way back into the series to force a seventh battle, which would also be in Boston.  I was indeed part of the 17,565 that filled the Garden seats during Game 5.  The game that everyone thought would probably be the Flyers last, that earlier in the day Bobby Orr's magical moment was frozen in time next to the TD Garden sign and would bring a little magic to the current roster and push them into the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992.  Indeed the magic filled the air around the Garden and found it's way into the hearts of the fans (except the one that threw a half full beer at Thornton) but when it turned the corner to fill the Bruins locker room, the doors slammed shut.  As my section filed out in disgust, it was evident this wouldn't be the last time we saw our boys at the Garden.  The feeling was right.

Game 6 proved to be a slightly better effort for the Bruins but their goal scoring woes that haunted them so often in the regular season came raging back into play like a bull that had just seen red.  Although he obviously didn't see much red behind the almighty Leighton!  Tuukka Rask, despite Flyers average amount of goals per game rising in the past few games is not to blame for the Bruins lead in this series slipping away.  He has made the big saves when called upon and has been a victim of often swiss cheese like defense, errors that aren't often made but when they are have proven to be fatal.  Rask was top notch in Game 6 and made big saves at crucial moments, especially the superman glove save on the penalty shot that would have put the game out of reach if he had let it slip past.  In the end it came down to you simply cannot win games when you wait till there is only 60 seconds left in a game, sorry it just doesn't work that way.  I appreciate Lucic shoving the puck in with about exactly 1:00 remaining on the clock but it doesn't make up for him looking like one of those table top hockey players for the previous 55:00 (sorry Matt, had to use it). 

Tomorrow night at about 7:10 P.M on NESN, the puck will be dropped into the middle of the large Spoked-B that lives at center ice of the TD Garden.  Game 7.  I am not sure where I will be, but I do know that wherever I am watching it that nervous pinch in my stomach will be present until that final buzzer sounds.  The bullies smell blood, they know they have the Bruins on the run.  Excluding the embarrassing Game 5 loss, the Bruins have played excellent home playoff hockey fueled by a rowdy, electric Boston crowd that often threatens the life of the other team.  They are in OUR house, this is OUR series win or OUR series to lose.  I am still a firm believer that it is fate the Habs are patiently waiting for us to finish this thing off so the ancient rivalry can be renewed after a pathetic sweep in the Quarter-Finals last year. 

I'm not ready to shave and I'm not ready to retire my Bruins hat into the rafters of my room (a now 5-year tradition of mine).  It's not our time yet.

Whoever wants it more will get a berth in the Conference Finals tomorrow night.

HISTORY WILL NOT BE MADE!

by Chelsea Travers | CareMeridian.com

Hockey is arguably one of the most physical professional sports. Hockey players are constantly getting body checked, slammed into boards, falling to the ice, slapped by a stick, hit by a dense, speeding puck or getting punched during a fight. If that isn’t bad enough, hockey players take part in one of the longest regular seasons of any sport, effectively taking on harsher pain for a longer amount of time throughout the year.   Risk of injury couldn’t be clearer as you all too commonly see hockey players missing their front two teeth. With all of the injuries that can occur, one of the most dangerous is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). A TBI is a silent injury that can cause harm to the mind and body of an individual. An injury to the head or brain can alter someone’s life and can even require long-term rehabilitation and care from a skilled nursing facility. These injuries are often far too common in the sport of hockey and if not properly treated can permanently leave a hockey player's life challenging than the game they play.

TBI is an injury that Philadelphia Flyers player Ian Laperriere knows all too well. In game 5 of an NHL playoff game with the New Jersey Devils, Laperriere took a slap shot to the face that immediately caused him to bleed excessively from the wound above his eye and lose sight. Laperriere was diagnosed with a brain contusion after having a MRI a few days later. While Laperriere may have originally thought that losing sight in one of his eyes was the worst of the two injuries, in reality the bigger concern could wind up being the long-term effects of the brain injury.

A concussions have been dismissed as minor injuries because the physical nature of most sports causes them to occur regularly, but, frequently occurring or not, they are still head injuries where the brain is forced to move violently within the skull and the way it functions could change permanently. When the brain moves in such a manner, it can bruise, bleed, and even tear, which can cause irreversible damage to the victim. For a sport like hockey, this type of injury is very common and unfortunately at times ignored. Many hockey players don't take into account the possible effects of the injury and because it might not seem like a serious problem exists at first, they keep on skating as if nothing occurred. Their unawareness of the injury makes the it so much more dangerous because a mild brain injury can turn into a life threatening injury in a very short period of time without seeking immediate medical treatment.

Studies by the National Academy of Neuropsychology's Sports Concussion Symposium in New York have shown that since 1997, 759 NHL players have been diagnosed with a concussion. Broken down, that averages out to 76 players per season and 31 concussions per 1,000 games of hockey. That is far too frequent of an occurrence for such a serious injury. It's a frightening statistic that should send up a red flag to hockey officials that actions need to be taken to further prevent this type of injury from occurring.

The best, and sometimes only, treatment for TBI is prevention. For the National Hockey League new rules are being considered that preserve the game but also help protect the players. Rule changes concerning blindside hits, rink size (which effects players space from each other and their proximity to walls), and stronger helmet requirements all have been considered to help curb TBI and its effects. This demonstrates that the NHL is aware of the seriousness of the injury and is taking proactive steps to help prevent it from happening.

Hockey is one of the most popular sports in North America and has millions of people participating in it every year. Unfortunately, the sport comes with the risk of a TBI.  With the right awareness of the injury and the necessary precautions in place, the game should be able to continue with players excited to lace up their skates and enjoy it.

Chelsea Travers is an outreach representative for CareMeridian, a subacute care facility located throughout the Western United States for patients suffering from traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury or medical complexities, such as neuromuscular or congenital anomalies.

Message from Joe Despres - A big thanks to Chelsea for reaching out to me and providing this original article for Here We Go Bruins!

by Matthew Despres | HWGB

In the end, Marc Savard saw the line nobody else did, a sweet piece of irony and ecstasy for a man who has spent the better part of the last eight weeks in the dark. On this afternoon, in the overtime that by all accounts should never have been, Savard turned and fired on a gift of an opportunity, the result of a Dennis Wideman pinch-in, a puck that knuckled its way down to earth like a punt lost in the sun. With the rest of us, Savard kept his eyes locked as the shot left his blade, sweet-talked its way over the left shoulder of Brian Boucher, and forced a delay in his reaction, a shared disbelief in the moment.

 We won? We won.

Continue the story after the jump:

According to Nancy Marrapse-Burrel over at the Bruins Blog:

"Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli has just announced that center Marc Savard has fully recovered from a concussion and has been cleared to play.

Chiarelli said Savard met with an independent neurologist and, in concert with the team medical staff, say the veteran is ready to join the Bruins for the second round of the playoffs."

Potential impact? Enormous. This is a Bruins squad that has been succeeding, largely, because of grit, and overcoming mistakes due to sheer determination. While this would likely provide an enormous emotional lift....

....who stays and who goes? Assuming Savard takes the ice, Julien has some juggling to do. Begin, Wheeler and Paille are all likely targets.

Post your ideas in the comments below.

To add a little twist to the friendly competition going on here among the HWGB staff I have incorporated a point system for each series. 

Correct winner of series = 3 points
Correct # of games the predicted winner won the series in = 3 points

Getting the winner and in the correct amount of games will make the difference in deciding the first HGWB! champion! Next year I would like to include fans in the fun as well.

To keep yourself updated on how we are doing, click on the "2010 playoff predictions" link at the top of the site to see the updated standings after the conclusion of every series!

CURRENT STANDINGS AS OF APRIL 27th 

#1 - Morpheus Blak // 30 points
#2 - Joe Despres // 15 points
#3 - Ryan Elliot // 12 points

QUARTERFINALS

Boston beats Buffalo in 6
Joe: Boston in 7 (3 points)
MB: Boston in 6 (6 points)
Ryan: Buffalo in 6 (0 points)

Flyers beat Devils in 5
Joe: Devils in 6 (0 points)
MB: Devils in 6 (0 points)
Ryan: Devils in 7 (0 points)

Pittsburgh beats Ottawa in 6
Joe: Pittsburgh in 5 (3 points)
MB: Pittsburgh in 6 (6 points)
Ryan: Ottawa in 7 (0 points) 

San Jose beats Colorado in 6
Joe: Colorado in 7 (0 points)
MB: San Jose in 6 (6 points)
Ryan: San Jose in 6 (6 points)

Chicago beats Nashville in 6
Joe: Chicago in 5 (3 points)
MB: Chicago in 6 (6 points)
Ryan: Chicago in 5 (3 points)

Vancouver beats L.A in 6
Joe: Vancouver in 6 (6 points)
MB: Vancouver in 6 (6 points)
Ryan: Vancouver in 7 (3 points)

Washington tied 3-3 with Montreal
Joe: Washington in 4
MB: Washington in 5
Ryan: Washington in 5

Detroit tied 3-3 with Phoenix
Joe: Detroit in 6
MB: Phoenix in 6
Ryan: Pheonix in 6

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