New England hockey fans might recognize a familiar face walking up to the TD Garden ticket window Saturday before the Bruins host the Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. But they might not like what they see, especially if they've got roots in Maine.
Black Bears coach Tim Whitehead and his son have been supporting Tampa Bay throughout the season, and that has held true in the playoffs. After all, Lightning defenseman Mike Lundin will be the one leaving the tickets for Whitehead, who has a strong connection to the Tampa Bay roster. Whitehead isn't anti-Bruins by any means, but he's got too many close relationships on the Lightning.
Whitehead coached Lundin and forward Teddy Purcell at Maine, and defenseman Brett Clark also played at Maine, though not for Whitehead. Also, Whitehead was an assistant coach at UMass Lowell during goalie Dwayne Roloson's tenure.
"In our household, that's certainly the team we're rooting for with those four guys on board," Whitehead said. "Three Black Bears on one team is pretty unique, and they're all great guys."
Whitehead joked that he's like a chameleon with his NHL allegiances because they can change from season to season. He's also been a strong supporter this year of the Red Wings and goalie Jimmy Howard, and the Kings and Dustin Penner, who won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007.
"It does vary from year to year quite frankly," Whitehead said of his allegiances. "With all of the stops along the way for me, it's really more about which of our former players are playing where.
"It's actually pretty good because every playoff year, there's always been some Black Bears in the mix. We can kind of be like playoff chameleons, jump on one bandwagon and go to the next when guys get knocked out. It's been a lot of fun, and this year in particular has been great with [Howard] playing so well and the guys at Tampa Bay making such an impact. It's been even better than usual."
