BostonBruins.com - Well, that was something, wasn't it?
With the sports world on pause, a little bit of nostalgia is a welcome distraction and the 2011 Boston Bruins provided plenty of that on Tuesday night.
Twenty-one members of the Stanley Cup championship squad reunited virtually in the Locker Room Time Machine, presented by Bud Light, to watch NESN's re-broadcast of the team's Game 7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Tim Thomas, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, Tuukka Rask, Michael Ryder, Mark Recchi, Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley, Milan Lucic, Tomas Kaberle, Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk, Tyler Seguin, Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell, Adam McQuaid, Shawn Thornton, and Shane Hnidy joined the call and spent nearly two-and-a-half hours trading barbs, while also reminiscing about securing Boston's first Stanley Cup in 39 years.
Here are some - and we mean some - of the highlights:
A TOAST TO TIMMY - AND THE TEAM
OK, we'll get the sentimental stuff out of the way first. With the team back together for the first time in nearly a decade, there was certainly plenty of pent up emotion. Lucic made sure to convey that with a toast to Thomas, the Conn Smythe winner, during the third period.
"You know what? I haven't seen Timmy T in a long time. Cheers to you, Tank," said Lucic, as he raised a glass of red wine. "You were MVP that season. What you did that year - a .938 save percentage during the season, Conn Smythe."
At that point, Seidenberg chimed in with a chirp about Lucic's knack for remembering stats.
"I'm trying to give him a compliment," Lucic said, with some added choice words. "Anyways…Tank, I appreciate what you did that year. It was a historical year for a goaltender. What you did for us to become Stanley Cup champions, I love you, man. Cheers."
And as time was winding down in the third, Lucic raised another glass, this time to the entire team.
"Cheers to the fact that we got our names on the Cup. This is a family that we'll have for the rest of our lives. Love you guys. Cheers."
BERGERON vs. MARCHAND (sort of)
We know these two would never really go at it. But Marchand did sorta, kinda chirp Bergeron after Recchi asked if the B's alternate captain was at his home in Boston. When Bergeron answered in the affirmative, Marchand said, "Bergy's the one who's deciding whether it's open or shut down right now. He's the mayor."
Campbell then chimed in, calling him "Marty Bergeron" in a nod to Boston mayor Marty Walsh.
MARCHAND vs. CHARA
Right after his dig at Bergeron, Marchand checked in on the captain to make sure he was still awake.
"Zee, did you just put up a wax figure there? You still with us?"
Earlier in the call, Campbell also beaked Chara, asking "Did Zee go to sleep?"
Marchand, once again, delivered a jab, referencing Chara's current home in Florida: "He's in his tanning booth."
CAMPBELL VS. MARCHAND | PART I
The battle over who has better hair was, perhaps, the highlight of the night's chirp wars. Here's a sample.
Marchand:"Soup, you're going bald there, bud. You better relax."
Campbell:"I'm going bald? Your [expletive] forehead starts [expletive] eight inches back from your [expletive] eyes. I've seen your pictures lately. Embarrassing. Keep the helmet on next time."
CAMPBELL VS. MARCHAND | PART II
Marchand: "Anything to cover up that awful mop you've got going on."
Campbell: "Touché, ay Marchy. Whata ya got there, it's like a Donald Trump combover there, bud…look at your forehead. Take your hat off, take your [expletive] triangle hat off. Holy [expletive] me, man. It goes back to your [expletive] neck….and your younger than me too."
Marchand: "I know. You're old as [expletive]. You gotta hobble around with your walker."
Campbell: "I saw you on the blue line with Bergy. I feel bad for Bergy that you were standing next to him…this guy's winger is that ugly."
Marchand: "What do you mean, bud? Bergy's in GQ because of me…you were begging to get into GQ with me."
KELLY VS. MARCHAND
Naturally, Marchand was involved in the shenanigans for much of the night, including this bout with Kelly about what would happen to his game if Bergeron retires.
Marchand:"Kells is gonna get me traded tomorrow."
Kelly: "No chance. No one will take you…once Bergy retires, your game's gone to [expletive]."
BOYCHUK VS. MARCHAND
Yup, Marchand in the mix. Again.
Boychuk:"His nose has gotten crookeder."
Marchand:"Johnny, you dress like a picnic table."
NOSTRATHOMAS
Lucic and Boychuk revealed earlier in the call that the team referred to Thomas as Nostrathomas thanks to his prophetic intermission speeches. Although, Lucic needed some help from Boychuk to remember what they were.
Lucic:"Hey Johnny, do you remember what Nostrathomas said? We win a period, what do we win?"
Boychuk:"The game? The Stanley Cup?"
Hnidy also noted that Thomas said after Game 5 that 'we don't [expletive] lose again'…"pretty good speech."
BERGERON vs. BURROWS
Bergeron was asked by Lucic if he was actually bitten by Vancouver winger Alex Burrows in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Bergeron: "Yeah."
Peverley: "He's got the bite mark."
Bergeron: "Still have it."
RECCHI vs. THE MEDIA
Recchi wondered aloud a couple of times why certain storylines were being discussed in the media.
"They're saying it's my last game. How did they know? I didn't tell anyone."
"They keep talking about the Vancouver guys and how hurt they were. [Expletive], they didn't see our dressing room."
