Mike Milbury has new expectations for this Bruins team!
Is brought to you this week by Shaws and Star Market perfecting the art of fresh by Findmassmoney.com and and then I was off the following Thursday that was so awesome as somebody who grew up with uh my grandfather Ed Hill as a season ticket holder and used to go Mike and and watch that uh group of guys play hockey it was awesome to see you all out
There together again yeah I’m glad you changed the subject from the weather because I was about to go back to bed when I heard that Curtis and grinder segment it was only Courtney that woke me up I loved Courtney that’s what I’m here to do Mike exactly nice yeah it was
A great night I mean hadn’t seen some of these guys in like 40 years and um it was um it was really a neat a neat night and the Bruins have done a great job in setting up all the Centennial celebrations it’s been um fun I’ve been
To a couple of them and you know to see John Wii reenact his like invitation to the bench to come out and fight was was fabulous where do you rank him I I have him very close to the top all time no disrespect to lb but when it comes to
Bruins tough guys like very close to the top and Jay Miller too I get Jay Miller Jay Miller too and and Jonathan was there I mean you could H somehow you couldn’t you you could punch those guys in the head and they I don’t know how
They didn’t feel it I mean they just didn’t it didn’t react it didn’t seem to phase them in the least and you know wik was uh you know he was as tough as they come and you know I think I may have mentioned this story before but he was
In Providence playing in the minor leagues and he he got in a fight and get a guy down he was telling me this later and he said I had my finger behind his eyeball and I could feel the cords and I just didn’t know whether I should pull it all the way
Out wow that’s tough that’s tough somebody’s in the wrong profession they they should be like a leg breaker for the mob or something that’s old time hockey right there oh no was he he and he you know he was very serious about it he like he
Just I just couldn’t believe what I was listening to but when he did that thing with you know inviting the guys from Minnesota to fight him the entire bench you know somehow I wound up like 10 ft away and I just I shake my head is to
Think why why the hell would I be 10 feet away from this Maniac Mike it’s interesting like when you talk about this you know being in the world of being teammates with you know great players coaching guys like you know Ray B and now obviously seeing the new game
And and it’s got to be interesting what’s it feel like to be part of you know this world of hockey and the generations of greatness and to be able to see what the game has become but also kind of maybe seeing those type of players no longer existing in today’s
NHL is it a good thing is it do you miss those days as as somebody who’s been a part of this game for a number of years there’s there’s so many reasons to miss it I mean there were so many characters and so many so many things that they
Could do differently were outrageous that now would be considered you know sinful and uh so but the reason for the changes are are understandable I mean people with concussions and all that stuff if the fighting stuff had to be addressed and sort of limited helmets are in Vogue probably going to see neck
Guards pretty soon and and I I get it people change because information becomes available and you see Trends and you make those changes but I can tell you that um you know that I I felt that our our era and the era before us when
The Bruins won a couple of Cups was you know was as swashbuckling as you could you could hope for and it was fun to be a part of it and and we had so much so many laughs and so many so many days where you wanted to go to the rink and
Just be there with a bunch of guys that were you knew you’re going to have some fun with it it it’s not the same social media has made a different the the scrutiny that these guys are under um the sort of I don’t know guess just the
Rules have changed a little bit and I I don’t think it’s as as easy to have as much fun as we did and probably it’s a little bit safer and a little bit smoother but I liked it back then and I and it was great to see the guys that a
Guy like Al secort who was talk about tough guys was as tough as they come and later became an airline pilot you know I couldn’t believe that he was actually flying planes having known him for so long as a tough left Winger but it was um it’s a a different era different feel
I get it um but I I’m glad I I worked in my era and not now so Winter Classic over All-Star Game approaching Bruins in Winter Classic was that a Winter Classic or was Winter forgettable Seattle in Seattle I I I love that game so I I it’s
Never bad to me it really is see I think it loses its element when it’s not like cuz I’m I was kind of like Mike when it’s not like original six type of teams in locations where you go all you mean like it has to
Be at Fenway or it has to be in Chicago or you know some place like in Montreal I don’t know like some of those unique places with some of the unique yeah they had in Lake Tahoe right the one in Lake Taho was kind of cool yeah but I mean
Listen I get it they got to satisfy all the owners in the league and make everybody happy and so Seattle and Vegas which hardly hockey Heavens they had to be participants but at you know but at this point midpoint ruins in first place what what what’s your my take on that I
Mean are you kidding I mean did anybody see this coming that nobody saw this coming I mean who are these guys I mean it’s like Butch Cassy and the Sundance Kid you know they they chase everybody down I mean this this is a group that uh the go starts with the
Goenda menus ponok has done what he has to do Coyle and zaka have stepped up and anybody that they brought in Van rdik or geeki or you name it um they’ve all they’ve all been better than what they were expected to be it’s a it’s a it’s a
You have to tip your cap to these guys first place overall in the National Hockey League I mean they’re they’re every one of their except for goals four which is a little bit of a a problem their power play is good their penalty killing is good their goals against is
Good they just they have a little trouble scoring goals but they’re scoring enough to win games uh and they and they work hard every single night and I I that’s the kind of team Boston has come to expect from the Bruins and they’ve been getting it for for decades
Now from for most of most of the years from 1970 really when Harry sindon took over till till today the there’s a there’s a tradition that you you know you have to show up and you have to work hard and these guys have bought into that and credit to them to Neely to
Sweeney to Montgomery um I mean I they’re not as fun to watch as they used to be last year but damn it they win yeah so Mike you you talk about the the lack of goal scoring at times and it I think that’s even gonna come they’ve
Started to score a little bit more now but that’ll even find its level you know when Kevin shaton Kirk isn’t scoring three times in two games or something and so I’m curious now that we’ve kind of seen this team through 36 games do you have a changed level of expectation
For them when it comes to the playoffs like last year it was Stanley CER bust and they completely swung and missed this year going into the season I was just happy with get to the playoffs maybe maybe win around and like I was good do do we change our expectations
Now with how good they’ve played this year you you have to change your expectations or or at least your hopes for this team because they’ve been they’ve been so good the question will be can they score score enough goals and can they can they be tough enough I mean
Florida punched them out in the first round last year can they punch back uh we won’t find that out until you know the games get seriously meaningful in in April and you know I mean they’ they’ve shown some ability with guys like Frederick to punch back but it’s it I
Don’t know if there’s enough of that just it’s going to be an interesting point to to ponder as we enter the playoffs but it’s a you know other than goal scoring there’s there’s not much that this team hasn’t done right Mike you have been critical of Montgomery in
The past though and you bring up Van Reams Dyke that new line pairing with Heinen Frederick and him Montgomery’s done a good job moving things around on this team to make it work better would you give him credit for that yeah I do I think we’ve talked about it before like
Some you get a good pretty good line there right well just because they have a bad period doesn’t mean you have to change it up again I get it once you change a line everything sort of is in a jumble and it gets everybody’s attention
And that’s not a bad thing and and but when you get a line like that that’s producing if they have tough game you know show enough faith in him to let it go and now they’ve got you know Marian playing you know some pretty good hockey
With Coyle and debrusk and so if they have a bad game then let it go and and let it run with it and you know maybe address it but I don’t think you have to shuffle the deck every time you know you have a bad period but well give him
Credit he’s got to the point where now they have you know they’ve got a couple of combinations that are working really well and have to give him credit since he’s been here all he’s done is is Win except in the game games that really meaning are meaningful and that’s
Something he’s going to have to address in April Mike you’ve been a player and a coach in this league and and you talk about how good the Bruins are playing but is there that like space in their head that might be being rented out and thinking like okay we played great last
Year in the regular season and then we get to the playoffs and we kind of you know pee down our leg is that like something that players and coaches think about when they have like success in the regular season again and our expectation expectations are starting to change in a positive
Direction I don’t think they’re going to be I don’t think they’re going to worry about that first of all they got a lot of new faces that weren’t here last year and and don’t have to deal with the memories of a difficult loss um and you’ve got a fresh start when you start
The playoffs and and I think these guys will be I don’t think they’ll have that hanging over their head no the other the other thing to that I think they have to to address is can they be tough enough physical enough can they respond to physical play and and those guys will
Answer it in a different way than they did last year and hopefully in a more positive way this is Mark from Medford Mark what’s up hey what’s up guys a pleasure to be on with Mr milberry there Mike one thing I need to stress here since the since
The departure of cran berson this theme has been absolutely atrocious in the faceof circle Circle especially in the defensive Zone with important faceoffs they need to improve on that tremendously yeah well it’s a you know those were pretty good Faceoff guys that you’re talking about particularly berson
But I mean I mean coil can be effective the other guys have to get down and dirty I mean I I know that it’s not a it’s not strictly skill when it comes to Faceoff wins you got to get down you got to get heavy you got to get strong you
Got to get Det determine you got to want it it’s really a determining factor and the outcome of the face off is to make sure that you’re in the right position and you’re strong on your stick and you determin that this is just not another Faceoff this is something that could
Determine the outcome of the game it’s a it’s an interesting little aspect of the game that sometimes people don’t study enough and and but when you get a guy like berson who can win and critical moments you know when 10 seconds are left on the clock and you got a face off
In your defensive Zone then you realize just how how important it is all right Mike well I hope you have gas for the snowblower gas for the snowblower no I don’t have any gas I have guys that come and and take it away and you know and
When I want to know what the weather is I just look out the window all right Mike milver we’ll talk to you again next week thank you as always see you all
Mike Milbury joins the Greg Hill Show to discuss the Bruins recent play, the lack of scoring, and the expectations for the Bruins midway through the season.
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