Bruins Blog Project: Game 2 10/24/08 v.Atlanta

Final Score: Bruins 5 Atlanta 4
Attended With: Katelyn

Pregame: Polar opposite of last game, really. Not much emphasis on pregame and much more on post. We cruised from Wollaston in good time and got to the Garden at about 6:45. They tweaked the intro montage to include the two big hits from Thursday's Leafs game (Wideman's hit on Stajan was in the middle and Lucic's glass shatterer on Van Ryn ended the entire montage. The place went nuts.) Like good Americans, we got beer during the Anthem. Whoops.

The Game: Like I said, polar opposite of Monday's game. The Bruins played like garbage in the first period and the goals were fast and furious. Down 2-0 after 1, most of the building was grumbling. I went on a search for one of those foam bear claw things for Katelyn. It's kind of an inside joke that dates back to Opening Night 2007 and involves frightening a child. I won't go into it. Anyway, they were no where to be found. I walked around the entire Balcony level like an idiot. It was tough maneuvering, especially around the Hungry For Hockey section. That's the all you can eat section of the Garden. It looks like the cleared out a Fan Zone and made a food stand/cafeteria type deal out of it.

Back to the action, the second was a totally different story. Stephane "Old" Yelle(r) actually scored the first Bruins goal on a great tip in. Next up was the man, myth and legend Milan Lucic. Was wide open in the slot and Ryder found him to tie it up. All 3's after 2.

Katelyn will tell you, that after Lucic's second goal, I said, "How about a Milan hat trick?" and sure enough it happened! The place went bonkers. A hat trick, coupled with a game winning goal with under 2 minutes left in the period combined to drive fans into a euphoria.

Once again, here's another video I took:



The Looooooooch chant is really taking off, too. It's the next Youuuuuuuuuk (which was the next Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu [which was the next Drewwwwwwwwwwwww.])

Post-Game: There's nothing like a hapy exiting crowd, things just seem better. A couple of nice guys complimented me on my great game today (I was wearing my Lucic jersey) and we had a laugh.

Then it was off to Hurricane O'Reilly's for post-game drinks, of which I was happy to take part in. We had a good spot watching the Penn St/OSU game until some nerd wearing a full Philadelphia Phillies uniform had the bartender change the channel to the World Series. I checked my watch and noticed that the game didn't start until after 10:00 p.m. and I felt a twinge of horror for all of my FOX co-workers stuck at work until the game ended. We eventually moved to a better area to watch football (not before talking to a real live French Canadian in a Quebec Nordiques shirt!) and left shortly thereafter.

While waiting for the train, there were these 4 dudes playing kick hockey with an empty Mountain Dew bottle. They were all wearing Bruins jerseys (including a Manny Fernandez jersey, wtf?) and, seeing how I was a bit buzzed and had the need to take part in some sort of game, I stood a few feet away and, would you know it, the bottle came to me and I kicked it over to them. I felt like the last kid picked in gym class.



T ride home was uneventful. I may have booed the Ashmont train, but I may just be making that up. I'll have to ask for confirmation. Talked to my brother on the phone who was at USC/Arizona, and hoped for the upset for him then passed out.

Bruins Blog Project First Star: Those of you who frequent Celtics games may know who Soulja Boy, Jr is (LINK) and the Bruins may have found their match. They showed this little kid on the Jumbotron who was probably around 6 years old. The kid popped his shirt off and had a full Bruins logo painted on his chest. It was pretty impressive. He danced and flexed and served as the Bruins Jumbotron mascot all night. I hope he's a fixture.

Bruins Blog Project Last Star: The Harp. I like to go to The Harp after most every Bruins or Celtics game I go to. No, it's not because I'm an alcoholic, it's because I don't like insane crowds. Going to the T after immediately after a game is like taking part in a human cattle call. Going after 1 drink is like being an extra in 28 Days Later. It's a ghost town, and a no-brainer if you hate crowded trains. Anyway, we got in line and found out it's a $10 cover AND you can't wear hats. Most everyone was OK with the cover, but the hat thing was a deal breaker for half the line and a lot of people left. Didn't The Harp realize that 67% of their crowd was heading there directly from a hockey game? What's up with that?

So, it was off to Hurricane's. $5 cover and fucking hats EVERYWHERE.