They say it’s suicidal to poke the bear, but it’s equally as foolish to risk eternal scorn by ticking off fans of the Boston Bruins. A rabid bunch with long memories, those who root for the Black and Gold are passionate, prideful and never, ever let a cheap shot or a verbal jab slide. Make that mistake and you can bank on them praying you fail when it matters most or get the proper beat-down you deserve — from the moment you cross the line until the day you call it a career. Here are the opponents whom Bruins fans love to hate the most.
6. Sean Avery, New York Rangers
Avery hasn’t been one for theatrics during his last few
battles with the Bruins, but some of the self-proclaimed fashion
expert’s past antics have been of the unforgettable
variety.
Bruins fans always will reminisce about the time the then-Stars
winger got his comeuppance for a few cheap shots in a 2008 contest
when Andrew Ference nearly ripped his head off in a bout, and later
when he got a second serving of justice with the Rangers when Tim
Thomas fed him his waffle. Given that, it’s no surprise the
Blueshirts’ resident buffoon has kept a low profile of late
against Boston.
5. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres
Miller has long been a recipient of standard-issue jeering at TD
Garden, but fans of the Black and Gold never really had a strong
reason to despise him other than his wealth of success against
their favorite club. That was, of course, until Nov. 12.
The Sabres netminder came way out of his crease to prevent a Milan Lucic breakaway, only to get railroaded by the Bruins hulking winger. In typical Buffalo fashion, Miller hung around after the game to tell the inquiring media what a gutless piece of you-know-what he now thinks Lucic is. Want some cheese with that whine, Ryan?
4. Alex Burrows, Vancouver Canucks
Bruins fans were outraged when Burrows got away with chomping on
Patrice Bergeron’s fingers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup
Finals, and were even more angry when he dodged a suspension and
scored the winning goal in Game 2.
The Black and Gold got revenge when the Canucks winger’s endless string of flops were ignored and later in the series when Tim Thomas swiftly punched him in the mug, but Burrows’ recent “confusion” over the league’s decision to not suspend Milan Lucic (irony, anyone?) reminded us all that he was and always will be an absolute clown.
3. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
Luongo made himself Exhibit A for why no pro athlete should ever
run his mouth on the big stage. The 2010 gold-medal winner first
fretted over the fact that Tim Thomas — the opposing
netminder, for crying out loud — wasn’t showering him
with compliments during the Stanley Cup Finals, then had the
audacity to say he would’ve made the save on
Vancouver’s winning goal in Game 5.
But Thomas and the Bruins stuck it to him with victories in the final two games, lighting Luongo up and capturing the Cup at Rogers Arena — taking all the air out of the arrogant netminder’s proverbial tires in the process.
2. P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens
Most Bruins fans probably have no idea what Subban’s
initials stand for, but as far as they’re concerned, the
“P” must either be for punk or puke. The Habs
defenseman boils their blood like no other with his flair for
over-the-top celebrations, a penchant for dirty hits (which often
don’t go penalized) and a complete unwillingness to drop the
gloves with anyone remotely close to his size.
It’s often said players of Subban’s ilk are great to
have as teammates but torture to go up against, but even with his
wealth of talent, no self-respecting Bruins fan would ever want him
anywhere near a black-and-gold sweater.
1. Matt Cooke, Pittsburgh Penguins
No matter what Cooke does for the duration of his days on Earth,
one thing he’ll never earn is forgiveness from a single
devotee to the Spoked-B. Even if he somehow solves the
country’s financial crisis, brings home every last one of the
troops or even finds a cure for cancer, the Penguins winger will
forever be despised for essentially robbing Marc Savard of his
livelihood.
Cooke’s hit on No. 91 has left Bruins fans forever shaking their heads at the loss of one of their stars and eternally shaking their fists in the despicable forward’s direction.
This article originally appeared in the December 2011 issue
of New England Hockey Journal.
Jesse Connolly can be reached at jconnolly@hockeyjournal.com