The Most Inspiring Team I've Ever Seen

I woke up this morning and still could not believe the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup Wednesday night. I haven't updated this in a few days because much of this post rested highly on the result of this series. I also knew that the next post would involve the Bruins since it is all I've been thinking about lately. Now, I could go through and give you stats, talk tactics, and tell you why the Bruins won from an Xs and Os standpoint but I won't. Frankly, I don't watch or know enough about hockey to do that, but I think we can all learn a lot from this team. Hockey fan or not; this team is inspiring.


I'm not going to go through the whole series and how this Vancouver team is a bunch of dirty, diving, classless players. You all already know that. I want to focus on one big point where this team inspired me. This team relied on no one except themselves to reach their ultimate goal. Throughout the course of this series, the Canucks were trying to buy penalty calls and were constantly looking to the referees to solve their problems. The Bruins on the other hand, never turned to the officials. The Bruins played physical, old time hockey. They didn't need the officials or the NHL to hand out suspensions when the other team was biting them (literally). They didn't need the media to tell them they were an amazing, talented team (like that head case Luongo needed everyone to tell him). They handled their own problems on the ice.

Case and point would be in game 6 of this series when rookie Brad Marchaud got up in Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin's face and punched him 4 times with no response from Sedin. Sedin looked at the official, asking for a penalty because he did not have the guts to solve the issue himself. Vancouver was a team of cowards and this Boston team was ALL courage.

This is what really inspired me about this team and I think we can all learn from it. Too often I find myself in my own life, relying on the powers that be to solve my problems for me. This attitude has not brought me to the goals and accomplishments that I want to get out of my life because, the "officials" will call the game and step in when needed, but in the end, it's up to you to get out there and take it. That is the lesson the 2011 Bruins have taught me.

No one gave this team a chance. People were calling for Claude Julien to get fired all year: he just won a Stanley Cup. People were calling for Tim Thomas to be traded last year or be pulled for Tukka Rask (as recent as the Philly series!): he just won a Stanley Cup and was the NHL playoffs MVP. The entire city (this guy included) felt this team was going to bring us nothing but sorrow in another round 1 loss to Montreal: they just won A STANLEY CUP! 

If we could all be a little more like this team and have that fire that burns inside you when everyone else has counted you out to keep pressing on. When all the critics, pundits, etc. tell you that you have no chance; you have to decide you're just going to win. To paraphrase Tony Mazz, this team won the Stanley Cup on pure heart, balls, and courage. I think this is why, even after all the the titles the City of Boston has shown me in my 27 years, this one and this 2011 Bruins team will forever be in my heart as the most inspiring team I've ever seen in any sport.

I'll see you at the parade tomorrow.