Sports Redux: Beanpot Beatdown

Thousands of fans poured into the TD Garden on Monday clad in the colors of their hockey teams of choice, each fan absolutely convinced that his fan would be victorious when the final buzzer sounded.

We're clearly talking about a non-Bruins crowd. Instead, it was time for the first round of that that annual tournament of collegiate cheer and goodwill -- the Beanpot tourney. Shocking absolutely no one, Monday's ice doubleheader ended with Boston College victorious over Harvard, 6-0, in the early showdown and Boston University getting the best of Harvard, 6-0.

Yes. Gear up. BC and BU. Again. And if you're wondering if this seemingly inevitable final matchup is getting a little old, don't worry. Even BU's head coach agrees with you.

Let's give credit where credit is due, however. All four teams brought it on Monday, including a chippy Harvard team that played harder than the 6-0 losing score indicates and a Northeastern squad that almost pulled off a huge upset.

Speaking of upsets, wouldn't it be nice if the Bruins pulled off the upset of the month tonight with a win over the Capitals? Given the team's tendency to play to the level of its opposition, we wouldn't be too surprised to see Boston bring it against Ovechkin. After all, aho honestly thought that the team would walk out of San Jose with a win?

If the team does step up, though, they'll be doing so without Mark Stuart, who recovered from a broken sternum just long enough to step back onto the ice, say hello and break his finger. Out for four weeks. The sound you heard yesterday when word broke was that of Bruins fans slamming their heads against walls or desks.

The Celtics tapped back into their winning ways while on the road on Monday night. Down in Washington, DC, the Celts pulled off a 99-88 victory over the Wizards. Boston players responded by assuming the role of Captain Obvious - when you've been losing, it feels really good to win. We'd roll our eyes, but we're just psyched that the team figured out how to play in the fourth quarter.

Finally, the downward spiral of the sterling Patriots image continues today with word that Randy Moss reportedly played much of the season with a separated shoulder. Is this an example of a Manny Ramirez knee problem, a Dice-K dupe or an example of the team playing a WR who should be resting up? Any way you look at it, we're not digging it.

Photo by Bostonist's Victoria Welch