This is laughable.
Quote:
WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Team unity has been a hallmark of Bruins squads over the past couple of years.
Sure, there are disagreements about favorite teams and attractive starlets, but for the most part there's a lot of togetherness. On Friday after practice at Ristuccia Arena, there was one hot topic every member of the Bruins team fell on the same side of: The ice surface at TD Garden is awful.
The words most of the players used were harsher -- and, at times, more off-color -- than "awful." But we'll stick with that adjective.
More than anything, the players want to solve the problem rather than just complain, because it's more than a quality-of-play issue; bad ice can also be an injury risk for the players.
"I'm sure they're trying to do a better job," one Bruins player said. "We need to find some solution to make it better.
"I'm not ripping anybody and I'm not saying that somebody's not doing a good job. It just needs to be better, it could be better."
Maintaining an ice surface in a multipurpose facility like TD Garden is an arduous task. The ice is never going to be perfect, especially when the Celtics and Bruins play on consecutive days. And players' complaints tend to blend in among the other troubles of millionaires, like a lack of pillows on the charter flight and a scratch on the new BMW.
However, when one high-profile player begins speaking out on the matter, and other players begin to chime in, it becomes a serious issue.
The 0-0 tie (which became a 1-0 shootout loss) on Thursday against Florida was a last straw for many Bruins players. There were frustrated by the type of play that was created by the poor conditions -- the soft, snowy surface, as well as the inconsistent boards and glass.
"When we go to other arenas, you kind of see pucks are pretty much coming off [the boards] the same way nine out of 10 times. In our arena, it's the opposite way -- nine out of 10 times it's different," one player said.
"One time it comes off flat, the next time it's 5 feet in the air," another Bruin said.
Then there's the physical toll. One Bruins player estimated that half the players have to ice their groins and hips because of the struggles of getting around between the boards at TD Garden.
"If the ice is soft, you're digging so much deeper. And obviously, if you have to dig deeper it's harder for your groins and hips," said a star Bruin, who also pointed out the warmth at ice level causes the players to sweat more and expend more energy. "It is something that definitely can be improved and we're hoping it can be getting better. And we understand that the schedule of the Garden is busy with concerts, circuses, Celtics. We totally understand that. But …"
Recent complaints haven't been restricted to the Bruins' dressing room. Members of the Edmonton Oilers were heard voicing their displeasure to workers at the Garden when they were in the Hub a couple of weeks ago.
General manager Peter Chiarelli went on record to say he will do all he can to "rectify the situation." So that's a step in the right direction. One Bruins player pointed out that the Garden's proximity to Harvard and MIT might provide the opportunity to bring in a genius or two to solve the problem. It probably won't come to that.
Sure, there are disagreements about favorite teams and attractive starlets, but for the most part there's a lot of togetherness. On Friday after practice at Ristuccia Arena, there was one hot topic every member of the Bruins team fell on the same side of: The ice surface at TD Garden is awful.
The words most of the players used were harsher -- and, at times, more off-color -- than "awful." But we'll stick with that adjective.
More than anything, the players want to solve the problem rather than just complain, because it's more than a quality-of-play issue; bad ice can also be an injury risk for the players.
"I'm sure they're trying to do a better job," one Bruins player said. "We need to find some solution to make it better.
"I'm not ripping anybody and I'm not saying that somebody's not doing a good job. It just needs to be better, it could be better."
Maintaining an ice surface in a multipurpose facility like TD Garden is an arduous task. The ice is never going to be perfect, especially when the Celtics and Bruins play on consecutive days. And players' complaints tend to blend in among the other troubles of millionaires, like a lack of pillows on the charter flight and a scratch on the new BMW.
However, when one high-profile player begins speaking out on the matter, and other players begin to chime in, it becomes a serious issue.
The 0-0 tie (which became a 1-0 shootout loss) on Thursday against Florida was a last straw for many Bruins players. There were frustrated by the type of play that was created by the poor conditions -- the soft, snowy surface, as well as the inconsistent boards and glass.
"When we go to other arenas, you kind of see pucks are pretty much coming off [the boards] the same way nine out of 10 times. In our arena, it's the opposite way -- nine out of 10 times it's different," one player said.
"One time it comes off flat, the next time it's 5 feet in the air," another Bruin said.
Then there's the physical toll. One Bruins player estimated that half the players have to ice their groins and hips because of the struggles of getting around between the boards at TD Garden.
"If the ice is soft, you're digging so much deeper. And obviously, if you have to dig deeper it's harder for your groins and hips," said a star Bruin, who also pointed out the warmth at ice level causes the players to sweat more and expend more energy. "It is something that definitely can be improved and we're hoping it can be getting better. And we understand that the schedule of the Garden is busy with concerts, circuses, Celtics. We totally understand that. But …"
Recent complaints haven't been restricted to the Bruins' dressing room. Members of the Edmonton Oilers were heard voicing their displeasure to workers at the Garden when they were in the Hub a couple of weeks ago.
General manager Peter Chiarelli went on record to say he will do all he can to "rectify the situation." So that's a step in the right direction. One Bruins player pointed out that the Garden's proximity to Harvard and MIT might provide the opportunity to bring in a genius or two to solve the problem. It probably won't come to that.
Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/news/story?id=4654110