Who’s responsible? Well, both teams are guilty of trading blows, but there isn’t any question the Canucks have been the antagonists this series — and Roberto Luongo‘s comments regarding Tim Thomas are just the latest example.
After shutting out the Bruins in Game 5, Luongo insisted that the lone goal that Thomas gave up in that game would have been an easy save for him. That’s fine. To make such a claim is a bit bold, but it probably holds a degree of truth. The two goaltenders use completely different styles, and therefore one goaltender is going to make certain saves that the other might not necessarily make.
But it was the comments that Luongo came back with on Saturday that are troubling and downright silly.
Despite no response from Thomas between Luongo’s initial comments on Friday and him speaking to the media on Saturday, the Canucks goaltender again went out of his way to take a jab, insisting that he’s “been pumping [Thomas’] tires” all series and that he hasn’t heard his counterpart say one nice thing about him.
This begs the question: so what? Since when did the Stanley Cup Playoffs require sucking up to your opponent over the course of a seven-game series?
Not only is it not Thomas’ job — which he eventually said when addressing the media on Sunday — but it’s even less necessary when numerous players on the Canucks have conducted themselves with such classlessness that there existed a great deal of hatred between the two teams after just one game.
In fact, the Canucks’ level of arrogance has quickly catapulted them to near-Montreal Canadiens level when it comes to pure disdain in the minds of Bruins fans.
When Alex Burrows bit the finger of Patrice Bergeron in Game 1, it was dirty. When Maxim Lapierre proceeded to taunt Bergeron about the incident in Game 2, it was smug. And when Aaron Rome crushed Nathan Horton on a late hit over the middle of the ice in Game 3, it was enough.
It was at that point that the Bruins responded with pure emotion — even though it involved some questionable taunting antics on their part, as well. But when another team pushes your buttons repeatedly, injuring one of your best offensive players is going to have that “enough is enough” impact in the minds of the players.
The B’s have since tried to pull on the reins a bit when it comes to exhibiting pure emotion — or at least that’s what it looked like in Game 5 in Vancouver, when the Bruins looked a bit out of sync following two impressive victories in Boston. It might have something to do with Claude Julien‘s displeasure with Mark Recchi‘s and Milan Lucic‘s taunts in Game 3 in Boston, or it could have simply been a result of the lingering effects of a difficult travel schedule.
Whatever the case may be, the Bruins need to find that fire that they played with in Games 3 and 4. It’s do or die and they’ll need to recapture that sense of reckless abandon, even if it involves ruffling a few feathers.
Luongo said on Sunday that all he cares about is that he’s one win away from winning the Stanley Cup. The B’s need to come out in Game 6 and show that all they care about is keeping him that way –- no tire-pumping necessary.
Rather than suppressing the hatred that they seemed to develop during the first go-around in Boston, the Bruins need to embrace it. They’ve gotten this far due in large part to their toughness (mental and physical), and they’ve been the better team this series when playing the role of bully.
This point in the season is no time to be concerned with praising anyone, especially given the Canucks’ temperament throughout the first five games. It’s about winning hockey games. Sorry, Roberto.
What do you think the Bruins need to do in Game 6 to recapture the momentum they gained in Games 3 and 4? Share your thoughts below.
