SB Nation - Andrew Ference

Festivus: Boston Bruins Style

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:39:39 -0000

December 23rd marks the celebration of Festivus. For those of you that don't know what Festivus is, check out this brief video explaining the story of Festivus and its traditions.

The Airing of Grievances

"Welcome, newcomers. The tradition of Festivus begins with The Airing of Grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people and now you're gonna hear about it!"

This is the part where I tell members of the Bruins how they have disappointed me in the past year.

The '08-'09 Team
You bastards spend all year looking like contenders. You made us all think that maybe this year would be the year that Lord Stanley would come to The Hub. Then you ran into an inferior team that figured out all they had to do to beat you guys was forecheck. You couldn't smooth a silk sheet if you had a hot date with a babe... I lost my train of thought.

Andrew Ference
You're too small to be a physical defenseman and you're not skilled enough to be a puck-mover. What do you bring to this team...besides a global consciousness?

Tim Thomas
Stop (allegedly) punching walls. You see that shadow creeping up on you? That's a small Finnish lad looking to steal your job. You can't afford to be doing stupid things.

The Power Play
My readers tell me you stink!

Milan Lucic
Stay healthy damn it! This team is so much better with you in the lineup.

Shawn Thornton
OK, we get it. You are a real hockey player. You're more than just an enforcer, but there has been something missing the past few games. Drop those mittens and throw some haymakers!

Dennis Wideman
Who is that guy out there wearing #6 for the Black & Gold? It certainly isn't the guy we saw last year. Right now you are just some guy in a Gord Kluzak jersey.

The Jacobs Family
I'll admit this franchise is heading in the right direction but that doesn't excuse you from a few indiscretions this year. The first hint of success and you raised ticket prices through the roof and priced out the average fan. Then you go and do something nice for the kids. You donate 200 tickets to youth hockey team, which is a nice gesture and all...if you did it out of the goodness of your heart and didn't plaster your tax write-off all over the Bruins website.

Marc Savard
If the players around you can't put the puck in the net, start looking for your own shot!

#81
Don't even get me started on Mr. October.

The Feats of Strength

"Now as Festivus rolls on, we come to The Feats of Strength."

Until you pin Big Z, this holiday is not over!

The Festivus Poll

Poll

If you are Claude Julien and you are faced with a must-win situation, who do you start?

This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic - Hawks 5, Bruins 4 (SO - Hawks win shirtless slap fight)

McClure — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:09:48 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Hey! Is that a ninja up there?

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The biggest United Center crowd of the year got to see the Hawks' most entertaining game of the year, outside of the obvious asterisk that the Calgary comeback ever shall be.

The Hawks' lineup looked quite a bit different on Friday, with Antti Niemi starting in net, Niklas Hjalmarsson sitting out because of feeling under the weather (rumor has it he hurt his knee in the Peterborough game), and Ben Eager sitting out presumably because he's a steakhead. Personally, I would have sat Tomas Kopecky again in favor of Eager, but I'm not the guy with the mustache...YET. Both teams traded chances in the opening minutes of the first, with the Hawks once again moving the puck very well, but only seemed to be able to manufacture shots from the perimeter against Tim Thomas, who appeared to be on in the early going with his Hasek-esque style. In their own zone, however, the Hawks were an adventure. Joel Quenneville very quickly into the game rearranged his defensemen, pairing Jordan Hendry with Brian Campbell in order to keep two pairs consistent in Hammer's absence- a result which paid dividends. It did not prevent David Krejci from opening the scoring, however, as Niemi failed to smother a dump in with his catch glove (which was suspect all evening), and the puck came to Krejci out front to poke home.

Early in the second, Kris Versteeg potted the Hawks' equalizer off of a careless pass from Andrew Ference which VERSTEEG! alertly snapped past Thomas. The ice then began to tilt in the Hawks favor, as Patrick Sharp gave the Hawks the lead banging home a rebound crashing the left post. After having some issues with the referee in the corner at the other end of the ice Brent Sopel (at his Sopel-est tonight), coughed up a turnover that led to Daniel Paille tying the game at two. However, in the waning moments of the second, Troy Brouwer threw a goal line pass from the corner to Jonathan Toews, who harpooned the puck between Thomas' legs to give the Hawks the lead after 40. All three Hawks' goal scorers in the period potted their tenth goals of the year.

The Hawks' assault on Thomas continued into the third, but Boston once again drew even, as Johnny Boychuk slapped a cross ice feed undereath Niemi's right arm. Less than two minutes later, Andrew Ladd received credit for redirecting a Brian Campbell point blast into the net after some fine perimeter puck movement by Campbell, Hendry, and Sharp. It would not be a lead the Hawks would hold onto. With less than three minutes remaining, the Bruins found themselves on a 3-on-2, with both Sharp and Marian Hossa late to return on their backchecks, which let Krejci pot his second of the night to tie the game up. After relatively uneventful OT, the contest needed to be decided with a couple rounds of rochambeau, with Q deciding to let the B's shoot first. Patrice Bergeron ran out of room on Niemi, and Toews made him pay with the now trademark snapper at the other end. Blake Wheeler got Niemi down and out but drew iron, which made Patrick Kane's backhader at the other end hold up as the winner. Hawks win.

Observations

Outside of Sharp and Hossa's lackadaisical backcheck, Niemi's glove, and Sopel being Sopel, I found very little to complain about from anyone else. No passengers for this game whatsoever. Even Tomas Kopecky's general invisibility was not for lack of effort.
I was very impressed with Jordan Hendry's ability to step in and play with Brian Campbell, one of the more difficult defenseman in the league to partner with, arguably the most. Credit to Quenneville as well for realizing very quickly that Cam Barker simply does not have the foot speed to recover in time to be paired with Soup at even strength, and making the change. As Sam said, why screw up two pairs with Hammer out?
The Hawks dominated in shots in the second and third, and give credit to the Bruins for capitalizing on the opportunities they got. This game could have been a case of water finding its own level with Antti Niemi, who did make some very good saves when they counted, but a couple of the B's goals - Krejci's first and Boychuck's - could and should have been stopped.
Apologies for the obtuse headline. I know it's a reach, but please bear with me. See what I did there?
I know the Hawks have two games in hand, but how the fuck are they only two points ahead of goddamn Nashville? That Barry Trotz really is something.
Credit the Hawks for not shying away from the monster that is Zdeno Chara. I witnessed Kane, Toews and VERSTEEG! initiate contact with that pituitary case, with Toews retaliating a bit on Versteeg's behalf at one point near the benches, and at one point Troy Brouwer and Chara came to within a hair on my sack from scrapping. It would have been a fight that Our Boy Troy would have been destroyed in, but the courage is admirable.
All eight goals came at even strength. For the top two PK units in the league, I know that's a shock.
Thanks to you, the reader, who now seems to understand that if there's a game on a weekend evening, it's pretty well implied that the wrap isn't coming until the following morning due to this blog's propensity for getting itself banged up before, during, and after games. The fact that the weekday games are now a coin-flip as well could be cause for concern, however. Knowing us, though, we'd make the inevitable intervention an open invite event at the Whirlaway.

Player of the Game

While this award could have gone a number of ways, I'll give it to everyone's, including seemingly Q's, favorite $7 million dollar whipping boy. Even with his Swedish security blanket out of the lineup, Brian Campbell managed to be a +1 with an assist during nearly 28:00 minutes of ice time in a back and forth game. Campbell created opportunities in the offensive zone, had an assist on a redirected slap shot, and was solid in his own end.

Byron Bitz wishes he was Suri Cruise and other fun facts from the Bruins Media Guide

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:35:20 -0000

I was perusing the '09-'10 Boston Bruins Media Guide and Record Book recently and discovered that there are some interesting facts in there. Let's get to know your '09-'10 Boston Bruins a little better.

Did you know...?

- If Byron Bitz could choose any two celebrities to be his parents, he would choose Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

- Patrice Bergeron's ideal linemate would be Peter Forsberg (....stay tuned).

- Andrew Bodnarchuk's biggest fear/phobia is the "the feel of cotton balls".

- Andrew Ference's nickname is "Ferknuckle". I guess this nickname hasn't quite caught on yet. I'll stick with Fragile Ference and Captain Planet.

- Ference chose Oprah and Bono for his celebrity parents. Really? OK, so you would be super rich, but still you would have to spend time with Oprah and Bono. Are there two more overrated celebrities on the planet?

- Jeff LoVecchio appeared in a GMC commercial with Brendan Shanahan when he was in second grade.

- Andrew Bodnarchuk and Brad Marchand grew up together in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia.

- Zach McKelvie played one year with the U.S. Soccer Olympic Development Program.

- Most of the Bruins players were asked what they would bring to a desert island. I think Adam McQuaid might be the only one who would survive. His answer: food, water, and someone else. Marc Savard also had a great answer: a sand wedge, a golf ball, and a flashlight. Trent Whitfield had a similar answer: golf clubs, a 1,000 balls, and bug spray.

- Apparently Kevin Regan really wants to be a back-up goalie. When asked if he could play with any Bruin in history, he chose Andy Moog.

- Vladimir Sobotka's favorite band is Nickelback. I just lost a little bit of respect for Vlady.

- Sobotka also apparently wishes he was an orphan from a third world country. His choice for celebrity parents: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

- Marco Sturm does not have a very good eye for the ladies (or sense of historical perspective). If he could meet anyone in history, he would choose Steffi Graf.

- One of Tim Thomas' nicknames is "Cheeseburger". This one hasn't caught on yet either. It may stem from his pre-game ritual of eating a cheeseburger the day before a game.

- Blake Wheeler's father James was a pitcher in the Detroit Tigers system.

- Andy Wozniewski claims to have never been bitten by a mosquito.

Ference to be replaced as Bruins player rep

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:10:54 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

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According to several reports, Bruins defenseman and NHLPA players' representative Andrew Ference will not return as the team's player rep. Ference was criticized by many around the league including Hall of Famer Brad Park for his role in the firing of former NHLPA head Paul Kelly.

Ken Campbell of The Hockey News is reporting that Ference did not seek re-election for the position out of embarrassment that he would not be be voted back by his teammates. According to Campbell, Mark Stuart will take over as the team's union rep with Patrice Bergeron serving as alternate player rep. Campbell mentioned that Mark Recchi stated his desire to run for election for Ference's position. I'm not sure if that was typo or he was referring to Stuart. I'm just glad that Ken Campbell didn't write the reading comprehension section of my SATs. Matt Kalman of The Bruins Blog with Matt Kalman interpreted it to mean that Recchi was named the player rep and even went as far as to misquote Campbell to try to make sense of the original Hockey New piece.

TSN's Darren Dreger is also reporting that Ference will be out as the Bruins player rep, but he has a slightly different take. While Campbell reported that the vote has already taken place and Mark Stuart (or Mark Recchi, depending on how you interpreted Campbell's piece) will be the player rep, Dreger has Stuart and Dennis Wideman both vying for the gig.

Bruins NHL roster starting to take shape

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:32:40 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

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The Bruins made some steps today towards finalizing their roster for the start of the NHL season. The team sent Jamie Arniel, Kevin Regan, Andrew Bodnarchuk, and Jeff Penner down to Providence. Also, for the first time in training camp, Bruins head coach Claude Julien held separate practice sessions, one for NHL players and one for prospects and depth players. The lines and D-pairs for today's big club practice were as follows:

Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Marco Sturm
Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Michael Ryder
Mark Recchi - Patrice Bergeron - Chuck Kobasew
Shawn Thornton - Vladimir Sobotka - Byron Bitz

Matt Hunwick - Derek Morris
Andrew Ference - Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart - Johnny Boychuk

Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask

Note: Zdeno Chara and Steve Begin were given the day off and replaced in practice by Johnny Boychuk and Vladimir Sobotka. Julien indicated that Sobotka and Boychuk would have normally skated with the sub-NHL group.

Injury Report: Blake Wheeler (stitches after puck struck him in the face) and Marco Sturm (groin discomfort) both left practice early today. Neither player is expected to miss any time.

"It was just important to put our team -- four lines and six D's together -- and go from there. It allowed us to have a better-quality practice because the players kind of know what we're looking for out of them. We picked up the pace as well."

- Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien about today's practice via Boston.com

Claude Julien will likely have his opening night lineup (or something close to it) on the ice Saturday when the Bruins host the Columbus Blue Jackets at The Garden for their final preseason tune-up.

2009-10 Boston Bruins Season Preview

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:23:06 -0000

I was planning on writing my big season preview closer to the start of the regular season, but James Mirtle and the SBN Hockey crew decided to have 2 blogs write season previews for each the 15 days leading up to the start of the regular season (one from the East and one from the West each day). The order was determined by alphabetical order, so here is your early edition Bruins season preview.

2008-09 Season Recap

The B's surpassed all expectations last season, finishing first in the Eastern Conference with a regular season record of 53-19-10 (116 points) and regaining mainstream relevance in the Boston sports landscape. Goaltender Tim Thomasand defenseman Zdeno Chara both had career years in '08-'09, winning the Vezina and Norris respectively. 08-09 also saw the emergence of several young players including David Krejci (22-51-73), Phil Kessel (36-24-60), Blake Wheeler (21-24-45), Matt Hunwick (6-21-27, +15), Milan Lucic (17-25-42, 1 broken pane of glass) and Mark Stuart (5-12-17, +20). Offseason signing Michael Ryder proved the doubters wrong by potting 27 goals, while playmaker Marc Savard led the team in points (88) and assists (63).

The Bruins roared into the first round of the playoffs by dismantling the hated Montreal Canadiens in 4 games. However, the Bruins would hit a roadblock in the second road when the ran up against the Carolina Hurricanes. The B's took the Canes to 7 games, but ultimately Carolina would advance...on a goal from Scott Walker of all people.

Who's In

The Bruins didn't dive head-first into the free agent market this offseason but they were able to make a few additions that should help the hockey club.

Derek Morris (D, free agent signing)
The Bruins seemed to be lacking that highly-coveted puck-moving defenseman last season and struggled at times trying to start the attack from their own end of the rink. Hopefully, Derek Morris can be that guy for the B's this season.

Steve Begin (F, free agent signing)
Steve Begin was the guy that B's fans loved to hate when he was wearing Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge, but they will probably love him now that he is in Black & Gold. He a Grade A pest that will create traffic in front of the net and provide plenty of grit. Begin will likely fill the role vacated by Stephane Yelle...only with a little more nasty.

Tuukka Rask (G, call up)
The much-heralded goaltending prospect will likely get a crack at being a full-time NHL player this season. The 22 year old Finnish puckstopper will likely be the backup to Tim Thomas this season.

Dany Sabourin (G, free agent signing)
The Bruins signed Sabourin to give the Bruins some depth at the goalie position. It's never a bad thing to have another goalie with NHL experience.

Marco Sturm (LW, return from injury) and Patrice Bergeron (C, return from injury)
OK, so Sturm and Bergeron aren't technically additions to the team but it will be nice to have these guys healthy and back in the line-up.

Other Depth Additions: Matt Dalton (G), Trent Whitfield (C), Andy Wozniewski (D), Drew Larman (C), Drew Fata (D)

Who's Out

Aaron Ward (D, traded to Carolina)
The veteran defenseman was shipped back to his former team in a salary dump move. I have to say I am going to miss Ward Wednesdays on Toucher & Rich.

Steve Montador (D, signed with Buffalo)
The Steve Montador experiment didn't go exactly as planned.

Shane Hnidy (D, signed with Minnesota)
I can't say I am really sad to see The Sheriff leave town.

Phil Kessel (F, RFA/expected to be traded or sign elsewhere)
All summer long there has been a lot of speculation regarding Phil Kessel's future in Boston. At this point, it looks like #81's days in The Hub could be numbered.

Manny Fernandez (G, UFA/still looking for a team)
The oft-injured veteran goaltender was contemplating retirement after the Bruins let him walk at the end of the season, but decided to test the free agent waters. So far, there has not been any nibbles for Manny.

P.J. Axelsson(LW, UFA/signed with Swedish team)
The Bruins decided not to re-sign the long-tenured Bruin and P.J. returned to his home country. Axelsson's game started to decline a bit in the last few years, but his presence on the PK will be missed.

Stephane Yelle (C, UFA/signed with Carolina)
Yelle was solid defensively and at the dot last season, but I think others can fill this role just fine.

Team Strengths

Like most Claude Julien teams, the Bruins are strong in their own end of the rink and play a puck possession game, however that doesn't mean that they can't put the puck in the net. The Bruins are returning a solid nucleus of young talent with an extra year of experience under their belts. On paper, their goaltending is the strongest it has been in years, but this is the first time that Tim Thomas has been called upon to be the definitive starter. Hopefully, he can prove that last season wasn't a fluke.

Team Weaknesses

Last season, the Bruins did not fair well when they ran up against a team that forechecked aggressively. The Bruins need to do a better job off creating offense from the defensive zone and moving the puck. Derek Morris could help them out in this area. Depth on blue line could be an issue for the Bruins at some point during the season. Other than the top 6 defensemen, the B's don't have a lot of D-men with NHL experience. Also, if Kessel is sent packing, the Bruins will need to find a way to make up for his 36 goals. The penalty kill also took a big hit when PK specialist P.J. Axelsson left for Sweden.

Depth Chart

This is what the lineup could look like this year:

Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Michael Ryder
Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Mark Recchi
Marco Sturm - Patrice Bergeron - Chuck Kobasew
Shawn Thornton - Steve Begin - Byron Bitz/Vladimir Sobotka

Zdeno Chara - Derek Morris
Andrew Ference - Dennis Wideman
Matt Hunwick - Mark Stuart

Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask

Depth/Minor League Forwards: Mikko Lehtonen, Jamie Arniel, Zach Hamill, Drew Larmen, Jeff LoVecchio, Jordan Knackstedt, Brad Marchand, Matt Marquardt, Trent Whitfield, Levi Nelson, Yannick Riendeau

Depth/Minor League Defensemen: Johnny Boychuk, Drew Fata, Andy Wozniewski, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Adam McQuaid, Jeff Penner, Zach McKelvie

Depth/Minor League Goaltenders: Dany Sabourin, Kevin Regan, Adam Courchaine, Matt Dalton

Predictions

This is the part I hate most about writing a season preview, because everyone can look back a few months from now and tell him how much of an idiot I am. I'm going to say that the Bruins will finish 3rd in the East (1st in the Northeast).

I'm looking forward to another great season of Bruins hockey and I hope you will all join me here at Stanley Cup of Chowder all season long.

Poll

So, what do you think? How will the Bruins finish in the East this year?

1st

118 votes

2nd

107 votes

3rd

48 votes

4th

14 votes

5th

3 votes

6th

3 votes

7th

1 votes

8th

2 votes

Miss Playoffs

3 votes

299 votes | Poll has closed

More Bruins show up in Wilmington

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:29:49 -0000

Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe is reporting that more members of the Bruins have arrived in The Hub to participate in informal skates at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington. 16 players were on the ice in Wilmington today, including new arrivals Matt Marquardt, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Milan Lucic, Steve Begin, Andrew Ference, Dennis Wideman, Byron Bitz, and Johnny Boychuk.

The Bruins will open up rookie camp on Saturday when the Bruins youngsters will head to Kitchener, Ontario to participate in a rookie tournament, before joining the big boys on Saturday, September 12th when the veterans begin training camp.

Fisher goes to El Salvador, sees "extreme poverty"

PeterR — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:43:53 -0000

More photos » by Fred Chartrand - AP

Senators centre Mike Fisher, seen here bodyslamming Braydon Coburn of the Philadelphia Flyers, recently spent several days in El Salvador working with some of the country's poverty-stricken citizens.

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Pretty cool story in the Ottawa Citizen today about Mike Fisher's summer trip to El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America where almost a third of the population lives below the poverty line. The trip was with World Vision, which is a "Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice". Fisher spent four days in several villages outside the country's capital, San Salvador, working with villagers and filming a commercial for the charity.

Here's part of the story, from the Citizen:

In El Salvador, Fisher spent the first working day visiting villages of squalor, seeing first hand the living conditions of the poor. The conditions of the land alone was a challenge.

"We went up in trucks into the mountains," Fisher says. "It was quite the ride even by truck, and the local people walk in. It takes four hours for this one family just to get into town."

He won't forget visiting the tiny shack of one family, no food on the premises and eight children living in the one room, about 10 feet by 10 feet.

The World Vision program is designed to help provide the basics of food and water, but also to help break the cycle of poverty by helping the poor help themselves.

On the second of his working days in El Salvador, Fisher was shown some of the success stories of the program, including a girl setting up a market outside her tiny home. She sold farm produce, including eggs from a small chicken farm World Vision had helped her set up.

"It seems to be really working," Fisher says.

Again, pretty cool thing to do, and brings to mind the work of other NHLers like Andrew Ference, Steve Montador, and Zdeno Chara, all of whom are strong supporters of the charity Right to Play.

A Closer Look at the Bruins Salary Cap Situation

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:27:58 -0000

More photos » by Eric Shelton - AP

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The Bruins are right up against the cap and GM Peter Chiarelli has some difficult decisions to make in the next few weeks. Let's take a look at the Bruins current salary cap situation.

	Cap Hit (millions)
Marc Savard	$5.000
Patrice Bergeron	$4.750
Michael Ryder	$4.000
David Krejci	$3.750
Marco Sturm	$3.500
Blake Wheeler	$2.825
Chuck Kobasew	$2.333
Milan Lucic	$0.850
Shawn Thornton	$0.517
Vladimir Sobotka	$0.750

Zdeno Chara	$7.500
Dennis Wideman	$3.875
Aaron Ward	$2.500
Andrew Ference	$1.400
Mark Stuart	$1.300

Tim Thomas	$5.000
Tuukka Rask*	$0.850

17 Players	$50.700

Glen Murray's Buyout	$1.383

Total on the Books	$52.083

Estimated Salary Cap	$55.000
Less Total on the Books	-$52.083
Bonus Cushion	$2.115

Estimated Cap Space	$5.032

Unrestricted Free Agents

Johnny Boychuk (Rule VI)

Martin St. Pierre (Rule VI)

Ryan Stokes (Rule VI)

Restricted Free Agents

Phil Kessel

Byron Bitz

Matt Hunwick

Kevin Regan (Arbitration Eligible)

Carl Soderberg

Wacey Rabbit

Ned Lukacevic

Assuming that the salary cap next season will be in the neighborhood of $55 million, the Bruins have roughly $5 million to spend on three players to round out their NHL roster. The cap space needs to come from somewhere. But, where? The way it stands right now, I don't think the Bruins can afford to re-sign Phil Kessel. If Phil Kessel is asking for a contract in the neighborhood of $5 million as speculated, that would leave the Bruins with no cap room to sign Matt Hunwick, Byron Bitz, and other free agents. The Bruins either need to trade away roster player(s) to free up cap space to sign Kessel, trade Kessel, or let Kessel sign an offer sheet with another team and take the compensatory picks.

*Tuukka Rask is on the books for $3.2 with bonuses, but is not expected to reach any of his bonus goals for '09-'10.

Information from NHL Numbers and NHLsCap were used to compile this report

A sign the Habs are throwing in the towel?

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:01:19 -0000

More photos » by Paul Chiasson - AP

Montreal Canadiens head coach Bob Gainey leads practice prior to Game 1....back when he still had hope for this team. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Paul Chiasson)

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The day before the Montreal Canadiens face elimination in Game 4 of their opening round playoff series with the Bruins, coach Bob Gainey decided to make today's practice optional. The Habs played hard for most of last night's game and some players probably legitimately needed a breather today, but to have 8 players show up for practice the day before you face elimination to me shows that this team just doesn't care.

Meanwhile, the Bruins had a full practice this afternoon in Montreal with all of their healthy players on the ice. WEEI's Joe Haggerty is reporting via his Twitter page that Andrew Ference skated on his own this morning. Ference is not expected to return to game action in this series.