MY 5 FAVORITE BRUINS OF ALL-TIME

The recent book Black and Gold: Four Decades of the Boston Bruins in Photographs is amazing. Photographer Steve Babineau has shot the B's for the past forty years or so, and has snapped some of the most memorable and transcendent pictures in hockey history. The book has reminded me countless times of my own past with the team. My first game, back in January, 1993 was between the Bruins and the fledgling San Jose Sharks. I remember the distinct smell of the old Boston Garden, an odd combination of age, cigarettes, and popcorn; and then B's forward Joey Juneau's collision with a Shark, causing his stick to fly straight up high into the air. As I grew up, I continued to follow the Bruins. I saw the Garden torn down and replaced by the new building, the third jerseys turn an ugly mustard yellow, and hall of fame worthy players come and go on numerous occasions. So, with that said, I think it's time for me to look back at five of my favorite players that I distinctly remember watching don the spoked B. This eliminates Bruins greats like Orr, Esposito, and O'Reilly, but those guys were all a little before my time. Here goes...

5. SERGEI SAMSONOV
The eighth overall pick of the 1997 draft, Samsonov is still lacing 'em up, now for the Carolina Hurricanes. The 5'8 winger was an incredibly gifted stickhandler, often confusing opponents with ridiculous dekes and drags. Just a couple years ago, Sammy scored a jaw dropping goal by taking a feed and wristing the puck between his legs and over the shoulder of the Philadelphia goalie. An immensely talented player.

4. JOE THORNTON
Sticking with Bruins first round picks in 1997, we come to Joe Thornton, the top overall selection that year. Thornton was a much maligned figure in Boston for some reason, as media members and fans jumped on his back for not winning the big one right away, and not deserving the captain's C. What I remember though, is one of the most talented, strong, tough players I've ever seen. He's one of the best passers in NHL history, and someone who was extremely fun to watch. Since his trade to San Jose, Thornton has thrived, helping the Sharks to one of the best starts in NHL history this season.

3. ANDY MOOG
One of my first memories as a Bruins fan was watching Andy Moog make some tremendous glove saves. My friends and I would imitate him playing hockey in my basement, always taking turns to see who could make the best save with the glove, just like Moog. He only played in Boston from 1988-93, but was great in that span, helping lead the B's to two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, both losses to his old team, the Edmonton Oilers.

2. CAM NEELY
Current Bruins President Cam Neely ranks number two on this list, as he was one of the most iconic and skilled Bruins ever. Neely played thirteen NHL seasons, the last 10 with Boston, but was forced to retire young because of knee and hip problems, largely because of cheap shots by Ulf Samuelsson over the years. But while he was on the ice, Neely was pretty much unstoppable. One of my favorite memories of Neely is him deking through the entire Ottawa Senators team, including the goalie, for an easy tally. Neely pretty much revolutionized the "power forward" position in the NHL as well.

1. RAY BOURQUE
Bourque was the reason I wore number 77 in my first year in hockey. His early years were before my time, but as I grew up, he remained one of the best players in league history. His offensive prowess was amazing for a defenseman, as he scored 410 goals in his illustrious career. Who can forget an aging Bourque, playing in the 1996 All-Star Game in front of him hometown fans at the Fleet Center, scoring in the final minute to give the East a 5-4 win and taking MVP honors to boot? Bourque was one of the best players to ever wear the spoked B, and that's why he ranks first on my all-time list.

A TEAM THAT'S (GASP!) BETTER THAN THE BRUINS?

The Bruins hot start has shocked many in the world of hockey. It's been another team, however, the seems to be pushing hockey slowly back into sports fans' collective consciousness: the San Jose Sharks. The Pacific Division leading Sharks are actually off to the best start in NHL history, with 53 points in 31 games, surpassing the 1929-30 Bruins for most points (52) in a team's first 30 games.

The Sharks raw numbers are staggering. They are 25-3-3, and lead the (more) talented Western Conference by eight points, and the Pacific division by 15. Through 31 games this year, San Jose has scored 110 goals, most in the NHL. On average, the Sharks score the second most goals per game in the league (3.55), and allow the third fewest (2.32).

Most impressively, though, is the fact that the team is only 15th in home attendance. Now, why would that be impressive? Because even without that advantage, the Sharks are so damn good at home. Inside "The Shark Tank", they are 16-0-2, and have potted 68 out of their 110 goals.

Here are three reasons the Sharks have had this kind of success so far, and will continue to dominate the NHL in 2008-09.

EVERYBODY CONTRIBUTES
Much like the Bruins, the Sharks seem to have the right mix of developing youngsters, and veteran stars who show them how to play the game "the right way." Devin Setoguchi, San Jose's 21-year-old right wing is an emerging superstar, and has taken off playing on a line with former Bruin Joe Thornton and captain Patrick Marleau. Setoguchi has 16 goals and 17 assists (33 points) in 31 games, compared to last year when the rookie appeared in 44 games and scored 11 goals with 6 helpers (17 points) for San Jose.

Starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has struggled with injuries at times in his career, so the stellar play of backup Brian Boucher has been a tremendous boost as well. Boucher is 8-1-1 in 10 starts this season, with a goals against average of 1.88, and two shutouts to boot. Should Nabokov go down for an extended period of time, Boucher has proved that he can hold down the fort until the starter comes back.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The Sharks penalty killing unit has been solid, and their play with the man advantage has been huge. Ryane Clowe, who scored a career high 16 goals for the Sharks in 2006-07, already has eight power play goals so far this season, good for third in the league. As a team, San Jose is also third in the league in power play goals with 34 , and second in the NHL in short handed goals, having tallied seven shorties so far this season. Special team success, of course, comes from puck possession, and the Sharks face-off percentage is up to 52.8%, trailing only Detroit and Nashville in that category.

DEPTH
San Jose, like most teams, has struggled with injuries at times this season. Jeremy Roenick is now out three weeks with a shoulder injury, but that shouldn't hinder the Sharks approach much at all. Torrey Mitchell, a breakout rookie one year ago, fractured his leg in the preseason and hasn't played a game yet. Young bucks like Riley Armstrong and Tom Cavanaugh have filled in when necessary and San Jose hasn't lost a beat. Of course, the team's every day lineup is plenty strong, with Thornton, Marleau, Jonathan Cheechoo, and Joe Pavelski up front, and Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, Marc-Edouard Vlasic (pickles!), and Christian Erhoff on defense, so it will take a lot more than one injury to slow this team down.

The Sharks dominance is an extraordinary story, and hopefully they will continue to put hockey back in the spotlight, at least for a little while. Of course, San Jose is a team that has struggled in the playoffs before, so they will need to buck that trend to truly make this season a success. Through 31 games though, they are off to a start nobody could have possibly imagined.