Captain 14 in 2014 - BAH!
What has gotten into NESN to cling on so to former Boston Bruins that are no longer in the fold - EH?
Well, yeah, sure, Andrew Ference has been named the captain of the Edmonton Oilers - largely due to his great work ethic, undeniable leadership (the leading-by-example variety: the best kind) and proven track record, mostly after his recent campaigns spent as a member of the Boston Bruins.
(We have all forgiven him, in both cities, that he played before for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames! Nobody's perfect - right, Andrew?)
Sure, it is somewhat significant (in an amusing way) that he becomes the 14th captain in the history of Edmonton's NHL franchise, and he is, also, entering his 14th season in the NHL - plus, this captaincy is really good for 2014 (the Oilers see their new captain inspire the youthful core of players that they have there all the way onto a playoff berth and several cinderella-team story-like upsets over better, proven teams... Not gonna happen, but it is nice to dream, eh?) and so, this triple occurrence of the number 14 is... intriguing, maybe. But not much more than that!
And sure - as the Associated Press rehashed, Ference is 34 years-old, won the Cup in 2011 with Boston and, now, despite career stats that are somewhat less-than stellar (37 goals, 156 assists and 645 penalty minutes in 760 career games: not quite an all-star performance...) he finally gets treated like a star player indeed, the moment he joins his old hometown team's ranks, thus we can all feel good about this and be happy for him... (All the moreso due to his attachment to Beantown. For, to be honest, his real hometown remains Boston: he would have stayed put there, if NHL politics had not made it impossible for him to stay, salary caps this, arbitration that... But the fact remains that he was very well treated in Boston, being awarded a handsome yearly sum for his services as well as having the honor bestowed upon him to serve as an alternate captain for his last two years there: hence, the captaincy in Ed is simply a continuation of this treatment, rather than a promotion... really!)
Alas, Andrew has gone astray, just like Tim Thomas, Tomas Kaberle, Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Nathan Horton and, if one goes further back on the former-B-regrets list, Chuck Kobasew, Vladimir Sobotka, Brandon Bochenski, Petteri Nokelainen, Matt Lashoff, Mark Stuart, Aaron Ward, Cameron Mann, Glen Murray, Ted Donato, Peter Ferraro, Tim Taylor, Dmitri Khristich, Jon Rohloff, Bob Beers, Mariusz Czerkawski, Dave Reid, Steve Leach, Fred Knipscheer, Sandy Moger, Milan Jurcina, Bobby Allen (ok, he was no Orr, but...) Petr Kalus, Brad Boyes - heck, even Colton Orr, dammit!
So, NESN, why not re-adjust your aim here and put the spotlight on who fully deserves it right at this current time - not to, say, repeat the errors of the past, hmm?
Why not focus more on guys such as Reilly Smith and Jordan Caron indeed, one (the latter) relatively new to the team and the other (the former) freshly-arrived in the line-up this still aborning season - and both newbies are forming, with veteran Chris Kelly, the Bruins' most reliable offensive line so far!
Why not gear that ol' spotlight upon Carl Soderberg, poised and ready as he should be, in the coming months, to take over and pick up where Tyler Seguin (and, before him, Phil Kessel) had left off - when they were productive, that is!
Why not focus upon new B's guns Loui Eriksson and Jarome Iginla now -one of which did come from Alberta, Canada, coincidentally enough- rather than still tearfully look towards a guy who helped, helped a lot, but who, in the end, simply returned back where he came from -Alberta, Canada!- and, truth be told, he was never a game-changer here so how could he be one there, now, either...? (The Edmonton Oilers average three goals a game - but allow five. LOL)
So, yeah, NESN - Ference did contribute in bringing back the Stanley Cup to the city of Boston and we will always remember the moment when the Bruins visited the Red Sox dugout and Ference handed the Cup to Big Papi... However, now it is time to let go, NESN - the guy is no longer one of ours: he's in league with the enemy! Forget about him already! LET GO! As Andy himself did, when it came time to part with his playoff beard, this past summer...
Well, yeah, sure, Andrew Ference has been named the captain of the Edmonton Oilers - largely due to his great work ethic, undeniable leadership (the leading-by-example variety: the best kind) and proven track record, mostly after his recent campaigns spent as a member of the Boston Bruins.
(We have all forgiven him, in both cities, that he played before for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames! Nobody's perfect - right, Andrew?)
Sure, it is somewhat significant (in an amusing way) that he becomes the 14th captain in the history of Edmonton's NHL franchise, and he is, also, entering his 14th season in the NHL - plus, this captaincy is really good for 2014 (the Oilers see their new captain inspire the youthful core of players that they have there all the way onto a playoff berth and several cinderella-team story-like upsets over better, proven teams... Not gonna happen, but it is nice to dream, eh?) and so, this triple occurrence of the number 14 is... intriguing, maybe. But not much more than that!
And sure - as the Associated Press rehashed, Ference is 34 years-old, won the Cup in 2011 with Boston and, now, despite career stats that are somewhat less-than stellar (37 goals, 156 assists and 645 penalty minutes in 760 career games: not quite an all-star performance...) he finally gets treated like a star player indeed, the moment he joins his old hometown team's ranks, thus we can all feel good about this and be happy for him... (All the moreso due to his attachment to Beantown. For, to be honest, his real hometown remains Boston: he would have stayed put there, if NHL politics had not made it impossible for him to stay, salary caps this, arbitration that... But the fact remains that he was very well treated in Boston, being awarded a handsome yearly sum for his services as well as having the honor bestowed upon him to serve as an alternate captain for his last two years there: hence, the captaincy in Ed is simply a continuation of this treatment, rather than a promotion... really!)
Alas, Andrew has gone astray, just like Tim Thomas, Tomas Kaberle, Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Nathan Horton and, if one goes further back on the former-B-regrets list, Chuck Kobasew, Vladimir Sobotka, Brandon Bochenski, Petteri Nokelainen, Matt Lashoff, Mark Stuart, Aaron Ward, Cameron Mann, Glen Murray, Ted Donato, Peter Ferraro, Tim Taylor, Dmitri Khristich, Jon Rohloff, Bob Beers, Mariusz Czerkawski, Dave Reid, Steve Leach, Fred Knipscheer, Sandy Moger, Milan Jurcina, Bobby Allen (ok, he was no Orr, but...) Petr Kalus, Brad Boyes - heck, even Colton Orr, dammit!
So, NESN, why not re-adjust your aim here and put the spotlight on who fully deserves it right at this current time - not to, say, repeat the errors of the past, hmm?
Why not focus more on guys such as Reilly Smith and Jordan Caron indeed, one (the latter) relatively new to the team and the other (the former) freshly-arrived in the line-up this still aborning season - and both newbies are forming, with veteran Chris Kelly, the Bruins' most reliable offensive line so far!
Why not gear that ol' spotlight upon Carl Soderberg, poised and ready as he should be, in the coming months, to take over and pick up where Tyler Seguin (and, before him, Phil Kessel) had left off - when they were productive, that is!
Why not focus upon new B's guns Loui Eriksson and Jarome Iginla now -one of which did come from Alberta, Canada, coincidentally enough- rather than still tearfully look towards a guy who helped, helped a lot, but who, in the end, simply returned back where he came from -Alberta, Canada!- and, truth be told, he was never a game-changer here so how could he be one there, now, either...? (The Edmonton Oilers average three goals a game - but allow five. LOL)
So, yeah, NESN - Ference did contribute in bringing back the Stanley Cup to the city of Boston and we will always remember the moment when the Bruins visited the Red Sox dugout and Ference handed the Cup to Big Papi... However, now it is time to let go, NESN - the guy is no longer one of ours: he's in league with the enemy! Forget about him already! LET GO! As Andy himself did, when it came time to part with his playoff beard, this past summer...
Say Goodbye, Andy!
Photo: NHL Properties
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Labels: Bostonian Dreams simulpost
posted by Luminous (\ô/) Luciano™ at
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