Week in Review: Bergie and the Bruins

Photo courtesy of Dan4th at flickr.com

“Bergie did good,” my wife says.

Sitting in our favorite spots at our favorite Dunkin’ Donuts, we’re about to read different sections of the Boston Globe.

My wife and hockey companion isn’t talking about Patrice Bergeron, though; she’s praising the performance of our new car, which we purchased last weekend and named after the Boston Bruins’ center, for its ability to handle the choppy, sloppy snow spread across New England’s roadways this Saturday morning.

We had to trade-in our venerable vehicle, which we had named for the former Bruins’ captain who now plays for the San Jose Sharks. Acquired as a previously-owned car in 2003, Joey Jeep was losing his mojo and finding his way onto the service rack far too often.

Sad to see him go after having taken us so far on so many adventures to Canada, we were nonetheless convinced it was the right thing to do. The bold blue Jeep still sports a tinge of PEI red on its wheels, but it will be up to his new owner to determine Joey’s future travel destinations.

Bergie is now our go-to guy. The 2004 Ford Escape will take us to Newfoundland in May, but his primary role is to deliver us to Dunkin’ Donuts, to work, and to the rink.


On Wednesday morning at Concord Valley Sports’ Rink One, AMHL veteran Dave Mello caressed the puck on his stick blade. I watched from behind the Plexiglas behind the Sabres’ goalie as Mello strode toward me. He skated to his left to skirt a defenseman, fending off the opponent with his right arm. Dave, a right-handed shooter, cut to his right—across the crease—but then hopped back from whence he came, fooling the goaltender. Mello backhanded the biscuit into the basket. It was the niftiest goal I can recall seeing in warm-ups. Dave couldn’t duplicate that deke in the game.


On Thursday morning, Anthony Bonfiglio—my goalie on the Capitals—was making saves left and right. He was in a groove until the third period, stopping all but one shot, until a Bruins’ defenseman nailed our nimble netminder with a shot from the point. The puck stung Fig above the knee, where there’s a gap in protection. He made the save and then battled through the pain, but the Bruins beat him with another shot with about ten minutes remaining in the game. We couldn’t put the puck past the B’s backstop, Mike "the Eagle" Chase, so our record after the 1–2 loss is now a woeful 3–7, good for last place.

As Fig was probably nursing the bruised and swollen leg that night, another Capitals’ goalie stopped a shot from a Bruins’ defenseman. Washington’s Olaf Kolzig took one for his last-place team, the shot from Zdeno Chara striking Olie the Goalie just above his knee during the waning seconds of OT. Kolzig grimaced but put himself back in the crease for the shootout session. He stopped Marco Sturm but couldn’t prevent patient Patrice Bergeron from putting one past him (or Phil Kessel from capping the Black-and-Gold’s comeback).


So here we are this Saturday. Both Bergies have had good weeks. Our new car has plenty of miles left in him. Bergie and the Bruins best beat the Blueshirts tonight, however, if they want to continue their drive to make the playoffs.