Shaughnessy doesn't really get sports, does he?
Today he calls the Bruins a feel-good team on the level of the '67 Red Sox, the 1970 Bruins or 2001-02 Patriots.
For anyone who was watching, there's a big difference. The 1966 Red Sox finished 9th in the American League, 26 games behind the World Series winning Orioles. They has not been to the World Series since 1946 and were not expected to break that streak in 1967.
The 2000-01 Patriots finished 5-11 and in last place in the AFC East. They had missed the playoffs the year before as well, and had never won a Super Bowl.
The 1970 Bruins, on the other hand, were coming off one of the best seasons in club history, having set a franchise record 100 points and making it to the Eastern Division finals. They did not sneak up on anyone.
As for the 2011-12 Bruins, they won the Northeast Division with 102 points. They were the defending Stanley Cup Champions. They did not sneak up on anyone either.
The Red Sox and Patriots teams were utter surprises. The two Bruins teams are just doing what we expected them to do.
Look away.
The '66 Red Sox did not finish 26 games BEHIND the O's; they finished one-half game AHEAD of the Evil Team from The Bronx.
ReplyDeleteAmazingly Shank even forgot about the 2010-11 Bruins that won the Cup a year after blowing the 3-0 series lead to the Flyers.
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