If you ever wondered if the Garden is freezing cold when there’s no ice in the rink, we can answer that question for you – it is and we’re still trying to thaw out. Last night we neglected to bring our winter coat when we attended the second annual State of the Bruins, a town hall meeting for the season ticket holders to find out what’s expected this season from the black and gold.

The event was moderated by NESN’s Andy Brickley, who fielded questions from the audience and answered questions, including: What is the organization going to do to make sure the youth wants to stay here after they’re molded into the player that the organization wants them to be; How are they going to make attending a Bruins game a unique experience that people want to attend? Exactly how big is Zdeno Chara?

General Manager Peter Chiarelli told the captive audience that he was happy that the Bruins were a team “that was hard to play against” last season. He saw an abrasive side and a consistent effort by the team, but wasn’t happy with the way things ended last April and thought they deserved a better fate. Chiarelli also touched upon the loss of Glen Metropolit to the Flyers and informed everyone that they did in fact make him an offer, but he decided to pursue other opportunities. With every door closing, a new one opens, and this year that door is Michael Ryder. Coach Claude Julien feels that Ryder, who’s coming off of an unsuccessful year in Montréal, is a talented player; he just needs to be put into a position where he can succeed.

More information about last night's event, including team captain, Zdeno Chara's health after the jump!

Charlie Jacobs attempted to make a joke by saying there was no pressure to live up to the expectations of the fans and to live up to the winning standards set by the teams in the area, but it fell flat with the ticket holders. He later stated he felt that the mixture of youth (the Bruins have eight players all under the age of 25) and the experience of veterans could be a winning combination. Jeremy Jacobs also touched upon that subject and also said he was happy to see the organization rejuvenated. He felt that the energy in Garden during game six of the playoffs was reminiscent of the Bruins of old. It's a sentiment that Bruins Vice President Cam Neely also agreedwith. Neely made it very clear that the fans deserve more than they’ve received in recent years.

Team Captain Zdeno Chara was in attendance last night and told the audience that the shoulder he had surgery on wasn’t one hundred percent yet but that it is getting better. He hopes to be ready for the beginning of the season. Chara also felt that the team had a lot to prove and that the ultimate goal was to win a championship. According to him, everyone on the team seems to have a common goal. Veteran and three time Stanley Cup winner Aaron Ward, who also participated in last night’s event, felt they needed to keep their goals high and focus on bringing the cup back to Boston.

The event closed with the unveiling of the newest jersey the team will be wearing this season. Milan Lucic, whom one fan called “a gift from God to Boston,” modeled the new jersey.

Not all of the questions were answered last night. The question “What are you going to do about one beer per person rule during Montréal games?” still hangs in the Garden air.

Preseason hockey starts in a few weeks and the start of the season is a month later. Time will tell if the Bruins will be as successful as they want to be. But for all of you naysayers out there, it wasn't too long ago when the Patriots where in the same position as the Bruins. And then there's the abysmal 2006/2007 season of the Boston Celtics. Have a little faith in the B's like you do with the other sports teams in the area. Those dark clouds hanging over Causeway Street are starting to move.