Tickets for Cuts for a Cause On Sale NOW!

"I thought they were only going to take a little off the top?"

 Tickets are on sale for 3rd annual Cuts for a Cause(don’t believe what the site says – it’s the 3rd one). Toucher & Rich from 98.5 The Sports Hub join up with the Bruins and shed some hair for a great cause.  All of the money raised goes to the Mass General Hospital for Children and will benefit pediatric cancer research. 

This year’s event is will be @ Ned Devines on March 31st and it’s a blast.  Don’t believe me? Here’s the link to my pictures from last year’s event to get you excited. It’s a great chance to meet the players, make fun of Adolfo(which is always a good time) and raise money for a great cause. Toucher & Rich should have the info on how to bid for the chance to shave someone’s head soon! Tickets are just $10 and you can purchase them by calling 617-746-5140. 

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make this year. I’ll be still in the hospital, so take tons of pictures for moi.  Oh yeah, if someone wants to make a “Where’s Cameron?” sign and take pictures of the players holding it & get it signed for moi – I’ll be your best friend! haha 

If you don’t go, Freddy T will be sad. 

 

Ristuccia Rink Report 1/11/10

Greetings from chilly Wilmington! I braved the cold today to watch the Bruins practice before they jet off for their West Coast series tomorrow morning.
Gone were the playful, light-hearted Bruins who usually take to the practice ice. This team was physical, determined, and showed more desperation than they have exhibited during the past few games. Practice consisted mostly of game-situation drills and short scrimmages; emphasizing puck possession, capitalizing on (and subsequently, recovering from) turnovers, and maintaining pressure into the corners. Their intensity was rather refreshing, after their lackluster efforts coming into today. As Blake Wheeler said earlier this week, “We have to quit treating this like it’s a privilege and a right of ours to come and play in front of 18,000 people every night. And start playing like it’s the most important thing to us. For whatever reason, I think we lost sight of that night in and night out.” Hopefully this attitude is shared with his teammates and they can start turning things around.

Byron Bitz was dressed and joined the team, without signs of injury or the back pain that has kept him out of the lineup as of late.

Most noticeable was the change in offensive lines. Today saw lines of Lucic, Bégin, Whitfield; Wheeler, Krejci, Ryder; Thornton, Paille, Sobotka; and Sturm, Recchi, Satan. Perhaps this shake-up is something that the Bruins need to regain their composure and recover from missing so many of their major play-makers. Let’s hope so.

Wheeler at bat

The serious air of purpose remained until the players began their cool-down. Thornton led the stretches, lightening the mood as he did so. Afterwards, some of the senior Bruins left the ice, and the young guns were left to goof off. Wheeler, Krejci and Sobotka were last to hit the showers, and entertained themselves by playing baseball while rounding up the pucks.

And of course, it wouldn’t be Wilmington without the fans. Today’s included a girl who shouted at the players that they were “cute,” made signs reinforcing this and held them to the glass. Honey, Shawn Thornton may have laughed when you held up your sign, but he was laughing at YOU and shaking his head. They’re at work; this is their job. If you thought a video store clerk was hot, would you shout at him and wave signs around while he shelved DVDs? On second thought, don’t answer that. Even the men were at it today, as one of them sniped Sobotka’s attempt to give me his stick (that’s what she said?). This was the same guy who loudly asked “Where’s Maaahk Savaahd?” and banged on the glass as if he were at the zoo. At least Sobotka broke his stick before handing it to the guy, and gave me an apologetic shrug.  It’s ok Vlado, we’re still BFFs.

Until next time,
xoxox Caroline

Bruins Practice January 6, 2010 – No one REALLY likes Wideman!

Iron Men On Ice!

Bruins practice was suppose to start at 11:30, but somewhere between last night’s win and this morning, practice became optional. I didn’t know this, and arrived at Ristuccia at 10:30, and saw Patrice Bergeron arrive, with laptop. (Maybe he had some e-mails to catch up on?) Bitz and Julian arrived shortly after. When my friend Colleen arrived, we headed into the Ice Box.

As we waited (And waited) for the Bruins to take the ice; Wheeler, Morris, Boychuk and Savard all came in together through a side door. I yelled out “HI Blake Wheeler!” and got nothing in return. Whatever, Wheels!  Denis Wideman arrived, alone, and quickly went into the locker room.

The waiting continued and Colleen and I debated whether or not the Bruins were going to hit the ice, or if they were doing off ice training. Finally we decided to brave the weather and stand outside to see the players arrive (leave?). Outside were about 7 – 10 autograph hounds, with their stuff to sell on E-Bay. These people amaze me! For the most part, none of them know one player from the next and constantly ask “Who’s that?” then scramble to find something for that player to sign.

We saw Thornton and Bitz leave, each with their own Winter Classic jersey. Neither said why they had them. Wheeler came out, no jersey in his hand, and walk right by me. Again, I said “Hi Wheels!” and NOTHING!! Now, I know I’m short, but he’s not deaf! Blake Wheeler, you are dead to me!

Wideman came out then and no one….NO ONE stopped him for an autograph. I actually felt bad. So bad, that when Wideman said hi to me, I said hi back. But I didn’t like doing it.

Now I could hear noise coming from inside the rink and went in to see who was there. Milan Lucic, Mark Stuart (yay!)  Adam McQuaid and Patrice Bergeron were on the ice, with Tuukka Rask in net. Bergeron was working with John Whitesides, on one side of the rink; while the others trained with Doug Houda. Bergy did mostly skating and shooting drills, while the others did a timed shooting drill that turned into a skating drill. After Looch and Stuey failed to score on Rask; each had to skate back and forth, on the short part of the rink, four times. However, when Looch did score on Rask, Tuukka had to do the same, resulting in an over excited Tuukka slamming into the boards and sliding into the net. Needless to say, everyone had a good laugh. I thought Stuart looked great out there and was keeping up easily with Lucic. It will be a race between him and Bergeron on who will return, to the line-up, first.

Chara made an appearance, inside the rink. He spoke with a few people and said hello to the four fans, myself included, sitting in the stands. (See Wheeler! Chara said HI to me!).

By now it was 2pm, and everyone was finishing up. I had to leave to pick up my little guy from school, plus my feet were so cold, they were starting to hurt.

– @ComicGirl8

You can find Kathi’s pictures from today’s practice here….

2010 Winter Classic: A Fan’s Review

Winter Classic Image from CharlieOnTheRadio on Flickr

@ComicGirl8 is back and she wants to share with you her thoughts on the Winter Classic that just occurred. I’ll be posting later on about the game….I’ve finally recover somewhat. haha If you want, comment on what you thought of the Winter Classic and who do you think should be showcased next time around! – Cameron Frye

I, sadly, did not attend the Winter Classic. In the words of my favorite hockey player, “It wasn’t meant to be”. However, since the same game that was played at Fenway; was also on my tv, here’s my two cents.

The Devil Went Down to Boston

Hell has frozen over. Miroslav Satan has arrived in Boston and practiced with the Bruins this morning in Wilmington. Unfortunately, my car is about as good on the ice as Dennis Wideman, and I did not make it, but I had sources on the inside and can still tell you what went down.

Satan isn’t exactly fresh off his 2009 Stanley Cup-winning season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, so he was rocking a red “no contact” jersey when he took to the ice at Ristuccia. Joining him in red was Milan Lucic, who is still nursing his high ankle sprain. Both Satan and Lucic are expected to be game ready in 7-10 days. Mark Stuart was also skating, but did not participate in the practice drills. His return timetable is still unknown, but obviously due to the severity of his injury, it will be awhile before he suits up with the rest of the boys.

Most notable was Satan’s choice of numbers. In Pittsburgh, Satan wore #81. And who was 81 for the Bruins last year? None other than Spencer Pratt, err, I mean, Phil Kessel, our own version of The Devil. Once again, the Bruins will have an 81, so if you’ve covered Kess’ name with a demonic slur of some sort, your protest jersey now isn’t too far from fact.

Seriously folks, the jokes write themselves.

xoxox, SweetCaroline04

You can't make this shit up.

Looch-Watch ’09!

Milan Lucic in his natural habitat.

 The Bruins may have lost last night, but Looch-Watch continues. Got word from a few of the ladies on Twitter that Milan was in Wilmington, ComicGirl8 submitted this report! 

I didn’t know the Bruins practice was cancelled in Wilmington today, until I got there. My friend Colleen and I were informed by some skinny woman, whose husband “saw it on Twitter. I’m not lying!” This was the same woman who earlier, grilled me on the ins and outs of Ristuccia. I should be paid by the Bruins, to give out all this info to the newbies. However I saw Milan Lucic arrive to the rink, so I knew someone was going to use the ice. 

Needless to say, Wilmo was pretty busy, with about 50 people showing up; mostly kids who were on school vacation. Most of whom left before the practice ended. 

Milan Lucic practiced alone, with Coach Doug Houda. Houda put Looch through the typical skating and stick handling drills, and from my completely uneducated opinion, Lucic looked great. He seemed to have a lot of movement on his left leg and his stick handling has improved greatly. 

About half way through the practice, Mark Stuart made an appearance, at the far end of the rink. He was dressed this time, so I can’t comment on his balls. He spoke with Looch for a few minutes, and then disappeared. 

However, after practice had ended, and I stood out in the unbelievable cold for 25 minutes, I learned the sad truth. 

Milan Lucic: (after I waved to him) How are you? 

Comicgirl8: Cold! How are you feeling? 

ML: Pretty good. 

 C8: Are you going to be ready to play on Friday? 

ML: No, it’s still not 100% healed yet. I’ll probably be out another 7 to 10 days. 

I wished Milan a Happy New Year, and he smiled and said “Same to you.” And then drove off. By now, I was so frozen, all I could do was, sadly, leave as well. 

So no Looch on Friday. I’m not that surprised. I mean, we all kind of knew he wouldn’t be playing.  I just think we wanted to admit it. *Le Sigh*

 - ComicGirl8 (Thanks for the report!)

Want to go to the Winter Classic & support a great cause?

"Well, look at this handsome fella....wait a second! That's me!"

 So if you haven’t heard, there’s a little game going on at Fenway Friday(possibly Saturday) between the Bruins and the Flyers. It’s kind of a big deal and the hottest ticket in town since the last Ernie & The Automatics gig. 

So if you’re looking for a way in, Milan Lucic is here to help! Milan has teamed up with Celebrities for Charity and wants to help you get into the sporting event of the season. Just head on over to NetRaffle.org and purchase a raffle ticket for $2.00(minimum purchase is 5) and you’ll be entered to win 4 tickets to the Winter Classic at Fenway Park and an autographed Milan Lucic Winter Classic Jersey. 

Proceeds of the raffle will be going to the Joey Fund. The Joey Fund, which works in partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and was started in November of 86 in memory of Joey O’Donnell and has raised over $35 million dollars. For more info on The Joey Fund, click here. 

If you are interested in buying a couple tickets, better act fast – the raffle closes on tomorrow, December 30th @ 1pm! Good luck!! 

Click here to buy tickets!

Bruins Practice Log 12/22/09

Even after last night’s 2-0 victory in Ottawa against the Senators, the Bruins were back in Boston this morning and ready for practice.  The team had a bit of a late start, allowing injured forward Milan Lucic to take the ice.  Lucic skated with assistant coach John Whitesides for about 15 minutes; doing fast laps and stick-handling/passing drills. He bounced a lot of shots off the glass, which were received by shrieks from the fangirl troupe huddled near the doors.  Note: hockey is loud, keep this in mind before coming to Ristuccia.  It is also cold, so stop whining loudly about how the heat’s not working.

Lucic left the ice, and in the lull before the regular practice, Tim Thomas strolled by me, decked out in tight Under Armor and gym shorts.  The Starbucks barista in me noticed that he was drinking generic coffee.  For shame, Timmy.  He made up for it by wishing me a Merry Christmas.

Also spotted was Vladimir Sobotka, rocking a taped up right lower-thigh and workout gear.  As you will recall, Sobotka took a Chara shot to the leg and left the ice for part of last night’s game.  Mark Stuart was also wandering around off ice, which pleased me greatly.  Not only because I like the defenseman, but because his shorts were very, umm, flattering in the crotchal region, and he seemed to know it, the way he was parading himself around the arena.  He and Sobotka appeared to be doing off-ice workouts, and contrary to other reports, they were both in attendance.

The rest of the team took to the ice about a half hour later than scheduled, wearing their Winter Classic pants and helmets.  The pants are dark brown with a gold stripe down the leg, and apparently Johnny Boychuk’s were too big, as he had to drop his gloves to tighten and readjust himself.

Practice consisted mostly of game situation drills.  They all looked pretty confusing to me, but one in particular even tripped up the players.  Luckily, they all found their confusion hilarious.  The offensive lines were pretty messed up, due to absences, but it worked out well in the end.

Other observations worth noting: Dennis Wideman did not fall.  Adam Wozniewski almost did.  The Bruins began practice by shooting on a child-size two-foot high goal with Tuukka Rask defending.  I’m not sure what purpose this served, but it was pretty comical to watch.  Sobotka, Stuart, Derek Morris, and Michael Ryder were missing from the on-ice festivities.  And the fangirl squad ended up leaving before the team even came out. *** By @SweetCaroline04

Milan Lucic takes to the ice

For your consideration….

With the Bruins gaining popularity, some local companies have tapped some of the boys to be spokesmen for their business. Milan is doing his best to sell AC’s and Shawn Thornton is trying to get you to buy one of his affordable cars.

Listen, James Lipton won’t be inviting them to speak to the students at the Actor’s Studio anytime soon – but A for effort? This is where you give the boys a sticker that says, ‘Grape Job!‘ and when you scratch it – it smells like grapes. I want one!

So if you had to choose, who would you give the Clio award to? Looch or Thornton?

For your consideration….

Milan Lucic

Shawn Thornton

*Thanks to ComicGirl8 for the heads up on the Milan commerical!

At least we’re not the Leafs….

Taken by moi @ last year's Cut's for a Cause fundraiser.

So if Chuck Kobasew being traded wasn’t enough of a shocker, according Joe Haggerty at WEEI.com, Matt Kalman at ESPN Boston and the dude who shines shoes in my building, Milan Lucic will be out for the next 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery on his broken right index finger. Bruins GM, Peter Chiarelli, wouldn’t confirm if Lucic broke his finger picking his nose during the B’s 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars, as previously reported.

Ok, so that’s not true – but it would be funny if it was. With Kobasew gonzo & Lucic on IR, Wanna-B’s Brad Marchand & Vladimir Sobotka got called up. Marchand & Sobotka will be joining Guillaume Lefebvre, who just had his stay in Boston extended. Lefebvre was practicing on the fourth line yesterday with Steve Begin & Shawn Thornton, covering for Byron Bitz and his mystery ailment. No word on what’s wrong with Bitz, but I’m thinking it’s either malaria or the ebola virus. But Wideman was back on the ice, so we got that going for us?

I know it seems like a lot to take in and the team is 3-4,  but it could be worse. They had a slow start last year and it’s bound to get better. Mark my word, by mid Novemeber – everyone will be climbing off the ledge and being cramped by all of the bandwagoners. If that doesn’t help – how about this:  Look at where we are compared to Toronto or the Islanders? See! It could always be worse….