David Krejci

 David Krejčí

Quite possibly the biggest news coming out of the Bruins' offseason is the departure of long-time Bruin, David Krejci, as he decided to return to his home country of the Czech Republic to play in the Czech Estraliga (EHL). 

We can talk about Krejci's contract all you want as he was the highest paid Bruin at $7m per year, how he played with a revolving door of wingers for season after season, or how he was really emerging himself as a strong leader along side Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron for years. We can talk about all of that, but to say that he won't be missed by the team, fans, and especially myself is an understatement. 

However, when it's all said and done, Krejci meant more to this team and did not have the appreciation he truly deserved and earned for that matter. It's easy to compare him to Patrice Bergeron as many have because Krejci was the number two center behind Bergeron, but many fans have short term memories and seem to forget that Krejci was the number one center for several years and had immeasurable success at doing so.

Let me put it this way. Remember when the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup ten seasons ago? Well duh, of course you do, we all do. But do you remember what happened the year prior? Yes, that. Let's talk about the infamous collapse of the 2010 playoffs against Philadelphia. We all remember losing game 7 after being up 3-0 in the series AND in the game. But very few remember the turning point in that series being when David Krejci got hurt in game 4 on a hit from Mike Richards. The Bruins lost game 4 of the series 5-4 in overtime nonetheless, and the Flyers certainly never looked back. I have to give the Flyers credit here, but the Krejci injury was catastrophic as he suffered a dislocated wrist and BOOM he was done for the playoffs. It's hard to say what would have happened if Krejci did not suffer a season-ending injury that year, but not having Krejci contributed to the horrible, horrible collapse.

That offseason sparked some much needed puzzle pieces coming into the team. Yes, the Bruins had the 2nd overall pick (thanks Toronto and Kessel) and drafted Tyler Seguin, but we also saw Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell acquired via trade from the Florida Panthers. Once Nathan Horton, David Krejci, and Milan Lucic were that top line, the Big Bad Bruins were back. Following Krejci's wrist injury, he put up solid numbers during the regular season with 13 goals, 49 assists for a total of 62 points. Now, we all know Krejci followed up that performance in the playoffs with a league leading 23 points in 25 games (12 goals and 11 assists). Krejci and his fellow Bruins hoisted the Cup and the rest is history.

I don't want to get into the 2013 Cup run too much because it wasn't a fun ending for any Bruins fan, but Krejci AGAIN led the league in playoff points with 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists) in 23 games. After the 2013 season, we saw the departure of Nathan Horton and welcomed Jerome Iginla to the Black and Gold with Milan Lucic still on Krejci's left. Krejci had a fantastic regular season that year with 19 goals and 50 assists for 69 points leading the Bruins to a President's Trophy, but an early bounce in the second round of the playoffs. A lot of moves were made that offseason leading to Milan Lucic being traded and Jerome Iginla signing with the Colorado Avalanche as a UFA leaving Krejci with no tenured wingers on his line.

What happened over the next several seasons was now GM Don Sweeney attempting to fill the hole(s) left on Krejci's wing(s). We saw David Backes, Ryan Spooner, Loui Eriksson, Danton Heinen, Karson Kuhlman, Peter Cehlarik, Rick Nash, Andres Bjork, Jake DeBrusk, on Krejci's wings and the list goes on and on. Krejci still put up great numbers considering the laundry list of wingers he played with but he was no longer the number one center, with now coach Bruce Cassidy loading up with top line with Patrice Bergeron alongside Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Bruins made another Cup run in 2019, but before that David Krejci became the number one center after Bergeron came down with an injury that left him sidelined for 17 games. With Krejci playing with Marchand and Pastrnak, Krejci tied his career-high in points with 73 (20 goals, 53 assists) in 81 games. To me, and this should also prove to you, that when he was playing with talented wingers, he makes great things happen. When Bergeron returned, Krejci played with Jake DeBrusk and David Backes at times or Karson Kuhlman, or somebody else. You get the idea.

It is unfortunate that Krejci was the scapegoat for many years for early playoff exits, but it was only last season when we saw the emergence of what used to be a real threat from Krejci's line with the acquisition of Craig Smith during the offseason and Taylor Hall at the trade deadline. Now Smith didn't start on Krejci's line, but once he was moved up to play with Krejci, that line was lethal to finish out the shortened season and that continued into the playoffs. I know we were all excited to see what the Hall-Krejci-Smith line could do together in a full 82-game season, but Krejci made other plans that were best for him and his family. 

Of course we'll miss Krejci's playmaking abilities on the ice and his ability to make phenomenal passes. He would look for the best opportunities on the ice, not necessarily the flashiest of plays, but he made the players around him better, too. We can't forget his ability to score too, because when Krejci was going the Bruins were a much better team. However, what we'll also miss is his leadership and presence on the ice and off. Krejci, though not as vocal as other players, was a leader on the Bruins since he was first called-up from Providence in 2007. He gave everything he had to the Bruins for 15 years and I only wish the fans knew how much he meant to the team for all of that time. With the Bruins core dwindling to Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand from the 2011 team (hopefully we can add Tuukka Rask back to that list), I can't help but think of missed opportunities when Krejci's right-wing was not addressed for years. 

The Bruins made three Cup Finals, with one Stanley Cup, and two President's Trophies with Krejci as a reliable center for it all. There is undoubtedly a hole left with his departure on the ice, but also in the locker room. But it's time for a new player to step up. I hope to see Charlie Coyle make an impact playing with Craig Smith and Taylor Hall or maybe we'll see the emergence of a young kid with Jack Studnicka as the season goes on. With the season looming in just a few days time, Bruins fans will miss our reliable center and I am glad he is finally receiving the respect he deserved. I can't help but smile when I come across Krejci highlights of him tearing it up in the Czech league.

We will miss number 46 in Black and Gold, but thank you David Krejčí for all that you gave to this team💛

My Love for the Boston Bruins

Seeing the Stanley Cup at the Hockey Hall of Fame!

The Glue My Family Needed.
How I Grew to Love the Boston Bruins:

I am the first to admit that I am absolutely obsessed with the Boston Bruins and really I love all the Boston teams. This might seem strange to some since I am not a Bostonian or even a New Englander for that matter. In fact, I grew up in Southern Arizona far from what many would define as a "hockey town." Yes, Arizona has the Coyotes, but you and I both know they have had an unfortunate lack of success. I have been to many Coyotes games over the years, but I mostly go with my family when they're playing the Bruins. But the question still remains: how does a girl who grew up in Tucson, AZ fall in love with a hockey team over 2,500 miles away?

It’s often difficult for me to put into words what the Boston Bruins and hockey mean to me. I find myself crying over losses and crying some more for wins, but those are happy tears of course. I threaten to burn my Bruins stuff in frustration, throw my hat, cry some more, but I’m also genuinely happy for wins regular season or playoffs. For those who don’t like sports, it can be viewed as strange because I display so much emotion over the Bruins, but to me, that emotion is what makes watching the Boston Bruins so wonderful and what truly ignites my passion. I think the power of rooting for a team creates an ability to escape realities. Sports provide examples of strong work ethic, perseverance, and teamwork. Sports throughout history have glued us together as a society creating special bonds that people share. These bonds and the glue are similar to those that I share with fellow Bruins fans and my family.

I often get asked why or how I’m a Bruins fan given that I’ve lived in Arizona my whole life. No, I’m not one of those bandwagoners who fell in love the year they won the Cup or because of their successes of the past decade. Nope, I actually grew up watching the Bruins since I was a five year old kid in the desert of Southern Arizona. My stepdad came into my life in 2000, when I was a young five year old girl. This period of my life involved a lot of change and uncertainty. I had a new father figure whom I was just getting to know, my parents were divorced, and many things were going on around me that I did not have the ability to comprehend. However, it was hockey that really glued my family together. My stepdad Dave exposed me to hockey and the Boston Bruins. Dave loves hockey and the Bruins and perhaps at one time, he loved them more than I do now. He was a young boy when Bobby Orr was wearing the spoked-B and Dave said he flipped on the television one day to see the greatest player to ever play. Orr is still Dave’s sports idol to this day, but not only because of his hockey playing ability, but because of the kind of person Bobby Orr is. Witnessing the great Bobby Orr was all it took for Dave to become fixated on the Bruins for life.

Again, being a five year old, I wanted to bond with my new stepfather and began watching the Bruins with him during this time. These were the days when Bill Guerin, Paul Coffey, and who can forget Jumbo Joe Thornton were all playing. This team was mediocre at best going 36-30-8-8, but sitting on the couch watching Bruins hockey was a bond I shared with Dave and I was hooked. I was fascinated by the speed of the game, the hard hitting, fighting, flashy goals, and ridiculous athleticism and toughness of hockey players. Needless to say, Dave had morphed me into a fellow Bruins fan in the house. Dave also showed great emotion, we’d often be in bad moods for the rest of the day if the Bruins lost (sorry Mom!) and watched as much hockey together as possible. 

Dave bought Center Ice through our cable provider season after season throughout my childhood so we could watch Bruins games together on NESN, but of course we would keep track of other teams too, especially our hatred for the Bruins’ fiercest rival, the Montreal Canadiens and our hometown team then known as the Phoenix Coyotes. I learned so much about other teams this way by Dave allowing me stay up past my bedtime to watch games on the West Coast, which often started at 8pm local time. 

Though I loved hockey already, it wasn’t until 2009 when I became fully invested in it. I would sit in my room with my iPod Touch watching YouTube videos from around the league, highlights, interviews, insiders, reading articles and you name it, often when I should have been sleeping or doing homework (sorry again Mom!) I was determined to learn as much about hockey as I could. In fact, this was the year that I first saw the Bruins in person. My stepdad took me to a Coyotes game against the Bruins, a game that has since become tradition. I have been to every game the Bruins are in town since, but have also seen them play in Anaheim and Los Angeles. From my first Bruins game in 2009, I have a video of the players coming onto the ice, this is of very low quality because cell phone cameras were terrible back then, but that game, which the Bruins lost 4-1 by the way, solidified me as a Boston Bruins fan for life. I remember seeing Tuukka Rask and not really knowing much about him, but quickly grew to love after seeing the video of him throw a milk crate on the ice when he was with Providence. I remember seeing Zdeno Chara tower over everybody on the ice and dominate defensively, and I got my first glimpse of Patrice Bergeron, the embodiment of a true professional. My first Bruins jersey was a gift for Christmas that year, which I still have of course. A black Reebok jersey, donning the spoked-B with no player name or number. I would wear this to school with pride, even though very few students knew about hockey, some even thought it was a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey given that they have the same colors. Yuck!

Photo from the first Bruins game I saw live in Glendale, AZ.

Well, we all know what happened when the Bruins lost in overtime of game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. I still remember how dejected my stepdad looked when we saw the puck in the net past Tim Thomas at the hands of Joel Ward. That was the first of now many times, I cried after a Bruins loss and the first time my stepdad and I shared real disappointment at the hands of the Bruins together. 2010 was another rough year for Bruins fans after the Bruins fell in game 7 against the Philadelphia Flyers after being up 3-0 in not only the series, but game 7 too. That was the first year my family and I started doing NHL playoff brackets, before the NHL made it cool to do. Of course I picked the Bruins to go all the way and was emotional after the collapse, but I did not jump ship, it was the Bruins from then on out.

2011. The year it happened. The playoffs this year and the Cup run for the Bruins was everything to me. My stepdad waited those LONG 39 years after he was convinced they’d never win again in his lifetime. We shared those victorious moments together, something I’ll always remember (more on this later). 2013 was the year we experienced the 17 second collapse, which I still refuse to watch the highlights of and never have to this day.

One of my Facebook posts from the Cup run.

My family's playoff brackets from 2011 playoffs.

Year after year while growing up, I knew I could watch the Boston Bruins with my stepdad and have into my adulthood. The power of rooting for this team is something I hold deeply in my heart. When things were so uncertain as a five year old, I knew I could crawl up on the couch next to my stepdad and watch the Bruins. The Bruins brought us together and helped me learn that everything was going to be okay. For that, I am internally grateful. The Bruins brought my family together, gave us something to look forward to, to bond over, to love, and cry over.

Dave, myself, and my mom at a Bruins-Coyotes game.

Hockey is something that has brought me so much in life. It brought me my wonderful boyfriend of six years who grew up playing hockey in Southern California. We met in freshmen English at Northern Arizona University and bonded over writing an essay on the movie, Miracle. Trent soon realized I knew more about the NHL than he did, little did he know what he got himself into with me. ;) I had also decorated my dorm and apartment with all Bruins merchandise. Trent's story of what hockey means to him is truly quite remarkable due to his health and an injury that I will share at a later time too. He played hockey at NAU for five seasons. One of the craziest times of college was when I decided to buy second row tickets for the Ducks-Bruins game in Anaheim a week before my final exams. I drove seven hours to Anaheim from Flagstaff, AZ, watched the Bruins lose, and drove seven hours back all in the same day. Not to mention I had class early the next morning (sorry again Mom!)

Trent and I on his senior night at NAU.

Fast forward to 2019 Trent and I went to Boston for game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. My second time in my favorite city of Boston and first time at TD Garden seeing the Bruins, which I admit was long over due. We also went to Fenway for a Sox game earlier that day too! This experience was truly one of the best days of life, I only wish my stepdad could have been there (more on this experience later too). 

Game 1 of the Final, 2019.

Currently, I am still living in Arizona, while in grad school at the University of Arizona. Once I finish my PhD I hope to move to Boston. I am currently conducting research on youth hockey here through Trent’s team that he is coaching as he wants to pay it all forward. I am also working for the AHL affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes, the Tucson Roadrunners. Not the Providence Bruins I know, but still an incredible experience and so much fun. I also decided to enroll myself in an adult learn to play hockey program through the Coyotes. I always wished I could have played growing up, but there was no access to ice in Tucson, but I figured better late than never. I have seen the game grow here in Arizona so much, but don’t you worry, I remain loyal to the Boston Bruins and will forever. 

Myself and fellow Rally Runners.

Hockey has done so much for myself and my family. From so much uncertainty as a five year old to creating the wonderful bond I have with my stepfather. So thank you hockey and thank you to the Boston Bruins, for being the glue that my family needed, for getting me through some tough times, for bringing me the love of my life, and for all the smiles, laughter, and tears.