Sports Redux: There's No Cute in Hockey

The good news out of the TD Banknorth Garden on Monday night is that the Bruins managed to pull out a win. The new It Team on the Boston sports scene (confirmed by a Sunday Globe front page story and Improper Bostonian cover) managed to rely on an early crushing of lead over Tampa to skate to a 5-3 victory in front of an eager Boston crowd.

But there is the reality that the team's later-game play left much to be desired. Tampa, showing some moxie that reminds us an awful lot of typical Boston mentality, refused to go out quietly. The Bruins could have lost the game. The cause? We say laziness, but members of the organization have a different term for it: cuteness.

"We just tried to be too cute," was the word of Zdeno Chara; coach Claude Julien echoed when he said, "Once we got a comfortable lead, we decided to get cute. And that doesn't really go well with our hockey club."

That this is perhaps the only time the words "cute" and "Zdeno Chara" will go together. We have nothing but love for the guy, but "imposing," "terrifying" and "could crush you with his pinkie" seem to be more applicable language describing the guy. But we are the fanbase of Dirt Dogs and Matt Light, the Truth and the scrappy Revolution we really ought to pay more attention to. We don't do cute, especially when it comes to our hockey.

Let this be a reminder, Bruins: the eyes are on you now. Don't go getting all cutesy now. That's not what you want, it's not what we want.

Out in warmer lands (Vegas, baby, Vegas), Terry Francona sounded terribly lost as he tried to speak with the media and figure out how Theo Epstein wants to play the Winter Meetings Game, but otherwise, it seemed there was little to report. The Red Sox may have met with CC Sabathia, but they're not confirming that they did. Theo doesn't think anything is going to be completed during the meetings. Red Sox fans are continuing to check the pilot light during this Hot Stove season.

There's more news on the Pats front, but little of it is good. It sounds as if Tedy Bruschi might be finished for the season. It hurt to type those words.

Photo of the Bruins being non-cute by flickr user rubyswoon