Sometimes you have to think outside the box amid frustrating times. The Boston Bruins did just that last week in the middle of their five-game losing streak.
During their practice outside of Washington D.C. a week ago Tuesday, the Bruins engaged themselves in a friendly line brawl a day after sustaining their third straight loss in Ottawa. Spontaneous in nature, the moment became an instant viral sensation.
Some of the Bruins caught wind of their lightheaded moment through various social media platforms after a fun, yet challenging practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia.
“We were scrimmaging 3-on-3,” Charlie McAvoy recalled, “and at the end of it we celebrated like we won and we were actually losing by a million. I think that bothered them, but it was kind of a fun practice and [the moment] was mild.”
“All hell broke loose” following that intrasquad scrimmage. Then there’s Tuukka Rask’s “tantrum.”
The winningest goalie in franchise history isn’t a stranger to outbursts. Milkcrates nor hockey equipment is safe whenever Rask displays his anger.
Yet, even Rask pokes fun at himself sometimes, which made his stick-breaking and net-tipping blowup last Tuesday even more memorable.
“It was great timing from the person who recorded it,” McAvoy said of Rask’s “meltdown. “I must have watched that video like 50 times.”
Yes, the Bruins needed to blow off a little steam during their season-long skid.
Bruce Cassidy admitted that they needed a little fun at the practice rink, especially with the stretches of come-from-behind wins before the losing streak. Yet, he still thinks the tight-knit group would’ve had a similar type of moment regardless of where the team stood in the standings.
“I think our guys didn’t have as much enjoyment as they should have, even before that,” Cassidy said regarding his team’s approach at practice. “There’s different reasons for that. Some days you come to the rink and you feel fatigued because of the schedule, the travel, the holidays…sometimes it’s good to take things light[ly]. I think they just felt like they needed to have a little fun at practice for their own well being.”
“Even if we only lost one game, I think they would’ve done that anyway,” Cassidy added. “When we were winning, you could feel the mental drain of it too. We had to come back a lot…the guys in the room you could ask that too. They knew we weren’t playing for 60 minutes. They knew it, but we got away with it, and this time of year, you have to bank your points, you can’t get too upset as a coach. So no, I don’t think it was specifically due to that losing streak, I just think we needed to have a little fun. We haven’t been on the road in a while and it was kind of those ‘boys being boys’ moments.”
Cassidy’s men breathed a little easier after snapping their five-game rut in Florida on Saturday night. The Bruins didn’t need another friendly “line brawl” on Monday, but they enjoyed a different type of unique moment — a one of a kind luncheon provided by former Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.
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