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June Issue Highlights

Inside the Den Blog

All year round New England Hockey Journal and hockeyjournal.com editor Matt Kalman never rests and always takes you behind the scenes with the B's. Kalman can be reached at editor@hockeyjournal.com.

They did it
Sunday, April 29 | 10:55 p.m.

Well, I wasn't in Hartford tonight, and I didn't have to be.

I could hear the cheers of the Providence Bruins all the way back here in the Bay State, as they topped Hartford, 5-4, in Game 7 of the Atlantic Division semifinals.

Now they'll square off with first-place Manchester in the division finals starting Tuesday. Can't think of better experience for the Boston Bruins' prospects then going through a run like this.

Ben Walter was the hero tonight, as he recorded a hat trick. He'll never be confused for a speedster, but Walter has great offensive instincts and a nose for the net. The B's could do a lot worse than let him be their third- or fourth-line center next year if they decide to have Phil Kessel on the wing.

Hannu Toivonen made 40 saves, and isn't he getting the last laugh?

•Speaking of Kessel, he wasn't on the score sheet today (he did score once in a win over Austria Friday), but B's winger Brandon Bochenski registered an assist in Team USA's 5-1 win over Belarus at the 2007 IIHF World Championship in Moscow. Team USA is back in action Tuesday against the Czech Republic (featuring Petr Tenkrat).

•Defenseman Zdeno Chara scored in Slovakia's win on Saturday.

Going the distance
Sunday, April 29 | 11:02 a.m.

Those Providence Bruins just won't go away.

Down three games to two, the P-Bruins went to Hartford and pulled out a 5-2 win to force a Game 7 in the Atlantic Division semifinal series, tonight at Hartford.

Martins Karsums, the only one of the "K Kids" to not appear in Boston this season, scored twice, while Dwayne Zinger, T.J. Trevelyan and Marco Rosa also scored.

Hannu Toivonen made 18 saves, while the P-Bruins power play cashed in twice in five chances.

Hannu signs
Thursday, April 26 | 8:42 p.m.

No one can accuse Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli of being hesitant.

With what the GM called Finnish club teams circling goaltender Hannu Toivonen, waiting for the netminder's season to conclude with Providence, the B's inked the would-be restricted free agent to a one-year deal today.

Toivonen, according to Chiarelli, will make the same salary he did this season ($532,000) but on a one-way deal. Chiarelli said that a new rule in the CBA allows teams to extend a player on an entry-level deal before they become a Group 2 free agent.

In Providence for the P-Bruins tilt with Hartford, Chiarellil said this deal should give Toivonen "piece of mind" the goaltender should also take it as a vote of confidence. Knowing that Toivonen is just about to turn 22 later this month, Chiarelli sounded very much like a guy who isn't giving up on his young goaltender. Obviously, on the surface this looks like the type of deal that would make Toivonen tradeable, but there's a chance Chiarelli might want to give the Toivonen-Tim Thomas combo another shot this fall.

After the game, Toivonen said he's focused more on the playoff series at hand rather than his contract.

•Chiarelli was joined by almost every major member of the B's brass: assistant GM Jeff Gorton, Director of Player Development Don Sweeney, associate coach Marc Habscheid, assistant coach Doug Houda, goaltending coach Bob Essensa and more. Glancing at them in their own corner section of the Dunkin' Donuts Center, sitting in almost identical dark business suits, makes one think a hockey-themed Mafia show might be in the works.

•Are you watching the NHL playoffs and wondering what B's center Marc Savard thinks of the proceedings. Well read this David Amber article on ESPN.com to find out. Personally, I think as an analyst Savard makes a good playmaking center. Hey, if the players start doing the writing too, there won't be any jobs left.

Even up
Tuesday, April 24 | 11:36 p.m.

Didn't make it to Providence tonight for Game 4, and it seems the P-Bruins didn't miss me.

Behind a goal and an assist from Ben Walter and 23 saves by Hannu Toivonen, the P-Bruins beat Hartford, 5-1, to even the best-of-seven division semifinal series at 2-2.

Walter, by the way, looks to me like a much better option as a fourth-line center than Mark Mowers. But that's for next fall.

Anyway, Game 5 is set for Thursday night in Providence. No word on Scott Gordon asking the P-Bruins to ban me from the building, considering they lost the one game I attended and then bounced back and won tonight.

•I've said it once, I'll say it again. The Dallas Stars are going to need to shake up their franchise and dealing Marty Turco might be one of their moves. So the B's should be first in line to get the goaltender.

A change in scenery will no doubt do him good. And considering the porous B's defense corps that will be tough to upgrade with cap restrictions and long-term deals on the books, Turco's puck-handling abilities will do wonders to help the blueliners move the puck out of the zone. Anyone who watched the Stars-Vancouver series and thinks Dallas' loss had anything to do with Turco being outplayed is out of their mind.

•Remember Dave Lewis and Peter Chiarelli talking about the gritty, sandpaper-type players they want to acquire. Well one such player was available this winter and the B's didn't pounce — so he ended up in New York. Read this New York Post story by Larry Brooks to find out why the B's should've done everything they could to acquire Sean Avery.

•B's prospect Wacey Rabbit was named the Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week last week after he totaled four goals and five points to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 2-0 lead in their playoff series.

Tale of two goalies
Monday, April 23 | 6:07 p.m.

Long before the final horn sounded to signal a 5-2 Hartford win over Providence in Game 3 of the best-of-seven AHL Atlantic Division semifinal playoff series Saturday night, I was struck by the contrast in the handling by the Bruins and New York Rangers' organizations of their respective goaltending prospects.

While Hannu Toivonen will turn 23 later this month, Al Montoya turned 22 in February. While Toivonen has twice been asked to step up and at least share, if not dominate, the B's NHL crease, Montoya has yet to get into a regular-season NHL contest.

Now the Rangers obviously have the luxury of Henrik Lundquist as their No. 1 with the big club, and the Swede's presence might actually force the Rangers to make a tough decision on what to do with Montoya in the near future. But you can't ignore the improvement in Montoya's numbers from last year to this, nor overlook the poise he plays with even under playoff pressure.

After the game Saturday, I asked P-Bruins head coach Scott Gordon (a former NHL goaltender) to compare the two young netminders.

"I think Hannu is more like the prototype goalie. Montoya's stance is a little bit different. He holds his glove different than most goalies do. His lateral movement is different," Gordon said. "One thing about Hannu, you don't see him on his butt or his back too often. And Montoya's movements ... we had a chance where he actually made the save on his back. Those are usually technical things that can get the goalie in that situation.

"But obviously, they both make the big-league saves, have good size, they're both quick. And I think that both those guys have tremendous careers ahead of them."

I agree with Gordon that both should have solid careers when they're thrust into the NHL limelight. But Toivonen's future would've been brighter had the B's taken the type of approach with him the Rangers are taking with Montoya.

•In case you're wondering, banished New York Islanders defenseman Sean Hill posted three assists and a plus-3 rating in four games against the B's. Of course, we'll never know if he did it cleanly.

•Well, Calgary's playoff run is done after just six games against Detroit. For those not counting. ex-B's defenseman Brad Stuart registered one assist and a minus-3 rating, while center Wayne Primeau put up two assists, a minus-1 rating and 14 penalty minutes. Still doesn't justify B's GM Peter Chiarelli not getting more for a No. 2 defenseman like Stuart.

By the way, don't be surprised to see Primeau, a close friend of B's center Marc Savard and winger Marco Sturm, return to the Hub.

•Any story involving a No. 1 goalie has to perk up the ears of B's backers. In Minnesota, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune writes that Manny Fernandez is prepared to be traded.

And in Tampa, Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times writes that Johan Holmqvist might have emerged as a legit No. 1 netminder. But he's a UFA, so who knows where he'll continue to ply his trade.

•And while we're on goaltenders, South Boston, Mass., native and B's prospect Kevin Regan was named winner of the Roger LeClerc Award as UNH's MVP. Regan was 24-9-2 with a 2.06 goals-against average and a school-record .935 save percentage this season. He's scheduled to be a senior in the fall.

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