1996 NHL All-Star Game Plate

As far as the Boston Bruins, my college years weren’t very kind to me. My freshman year, they were swept out of the first round after only losing 4 regular season games in March and April (three of those playoff games were OT). In 1994, they beat the Habs in a first round 7 game series, but lost to the Devils in the 2^nd round after winning games 1 and 2 in New Jersey (I went to game 4 in Boston, which was an OT loss – thank you very much Stephane Richer). In 1995, I had finally made the decision to stop drinking, but the Bruins again lost to the Devils. My senior year, it was the Florida Panthers that knocked the B’s out of the playoffs in the first round, and I had to wear a Flyers jersey because of a bet with my college girlfriend – the person whose team was eliminated first had to wear the other team’s jersey for a week (people were looking at me like someone had kidnapped the real me).

Still, there was something memorable about that 1995-1996 season. Not only was the NHL All-Star game in Boston, the B’s captain Ray Bourque played a pivotal role in the outcome:

But when I think of this All-Star game, I think of two BC guys I met my senior year that have become two of my closest friends. I met Carl in my senior year psychology practicum class and he introduced me to one of his friends Scott (Scott and I were in a class together junior year, but only spoke briefly once when he told me how much he loved my “Fuck You You Fuckin’ Fuck” T-shirt). We were walking down Comm Ave not too long after this game, and I found out that Scott was a huge hockey fan too (a fan of the Islanders). I was saying that it was great Bourque got the All-Star MVP in Boston and Scott’s comment was something like, “Yeah, and it will be the only trophy he lifts up too.” Little did he know that this would be happening 5 years later…

Even though Carl and Scott have enjoyed making fun of me for being such a diehard Bruins fan and telling them “this is the year” on more than one occasion, I know they are both rooting for the B’s in the finals – and not because they are huge Bruins fans. They are two of my closest friends, and I didn’t even know them the last time the B’s made it this far. I was happy to see Bourque win it, but I think he Bruins have all the pieces in place. Here’s to many more years of friendship with Carl and Scott, a The Cup coming back to Boston – where it belongs…GO B’S!!!!!