Boston Heavily Relying on its Veterans going into Stanley Cup Final against Blues

As the Boston Bruins head into the Stanley Cup final, they will be relying on their experienced players to help them win. Five of those have helped Boston win the Stanley Cup before, and they will be paramount to their success against the St. Louis Blues.

Those five include Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask. That was at a time when the five were much younger and less experienced. Now their ages show a little more and the aches and pains more prevalent. Four of the five are now married and raising a family, and it makes a difference.

That was in 2011, and it was the year the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup. It is rather remarkable that those same five are still with the team eight years later and are now core members of Boston success during the regular and post-season. For punters, that is key to consider when placing bets with the likes of Sports Interaction. Commenting on that, Patrice Bergeron stated,

“It’s been special. It’s been a great bond. Obviously, we’ve been together for a while and, first of all, winning with all of those guys — you create even more memories with that, but that being said, we have kids of our own now. It’s been a long journey. It’s been a lot of fun. Obviously we’re more than just teammates, we’re close friends.”

The reality is, all five have been instrumental members of the team that Boston built around them. They are the core to its heartbeat, leadership and soul. Speaking on the demographics of the team and their focus leading the younger the players, Bergeron said,

“We’re trying to follow along in the footstep that we’ve learned ourselves when we were younger players, and try to share that to the younger guys, The way that we’ve built this team is about everyone contributing, everyone being important, everybody’s voice being heard.”

That collection of skills and comradery has made the job of Don Sweeney, the general manager of the Bruins, a lot easier. He has been able to build the team around five proven players with the skills to compete at the highest levels. It means he doesn’t have to worry about the demographics in the dressing room and the respect given to all by its five top players. Commenting, Sweeney said,

“I think for me, having the ability to tap into that resource — I’m not in the locker room — but to have the pulse of that room, coming from guys that you trust, that are always putting the team in front of themselves as individuals, I think goes a long way. It sets the standard in what we try to accomplish organizationally on and off the ice.”

That comradery was one David Backes saw immediately upon joining the Bruins. A former captain with the Blue’s, he saw the way that positivity impacted the team as a whole. Those with the potential to be inducted into the hall of fame were those still working harder than anyone else. Commenting, Backes said,

“I think [it’s] their blue-collar work ethic, still with all the success that they’ve had. I don’t know what I was expecting, but the way that they continue to desire and outwork their opponents really impressed me. I thought with that fire still burning in them after all the success they’ve had, this is a special group and something we can build on.”

Going into the finals, that was, for Bruce Cassidy, even more important as the team had to manage a ten day break while waiting for the series between the Blues and San Jose Sharks played out. Now all that is left is to see where it all leads and whether it is enough to win.