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Bruins Part Ways with Mitchell Miller

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BOSTON – Two days after signing controversial defenseman Mitchell Miller to an entry level NHL contract, “the Boston Bruins have decided to part ways with Miller, effective immediately,” said team president Cam Neely.

“The decision to sign this young man was made after careful consideration of the facts as we were aware of them: that at 14-years-old he made a poor decision that led to a juvenile conviction,” said Neely in a prepared written statement. “We understood this to be an isolated incident and that he had taken meaningful action to reform and was committed to ongoing personal development. Based on that understanding we offered him a contract.

“Based on new information, we believe it is the best decision at this time to rescind the opportunity for Mitchell Miller to represent the Boston Bruins. We hope that he continues to work with professionals and programs to further his education and personal growth.

“We owe it to our fans, players, staff, partners and community to make sure that our practices and protocols are in keeping with the ethos that we demand from ourselves and as an organization. As such, we will be reevaluating our internal processes for vetting individuals who wish to earn the privilege of playing in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins.

“We are sorry that this decision has overshadowed the incredible work the members of our organization do to support diversity and inclusion efforts. We will continue to stand against bullying and racism in all of its forms.

“To Isaiah (the victim of Miller’s misguided activities) and his family, my deepest apologies if this signing made you and other victims feel unseen and unheard. We apologize for the deep hurt and impact we have caused.

“Finally, as a father, I think there is a lesson to be learned here for other young people. Be mindful of careless behaviors and going with the group mentality of hurting others. The repercussions can be felt for a lifetime.”

Miller, 20, skated in 60 games with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL in 2021-22, recording 39 goals and 44 assists for 83 points with a plus-43 rating. The 5-foot-10, 189-pound blueliner was named the USHL’s Player of the Year and Defenseman of the Year after the season in which he set league records for goals and points by a defenseman. Miller has appeared in 154 career USHL games with Tri-City and Cedar Rapids from 2017-22, totaling 51 goals and 82 assists for 133 points with a plus-54 rating. The Sylvania, Ohio native was originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Bruins Sign Controversial Free Agent

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney signed controversial defenseman Mitchell Miller to an entry-level contract. He is scheduled to report to the Providence Bruins minor league franchise.

“When I was in eighth grade, I made extremely poor decisions and acted very immaturely,” said Miller. “I bullied one of my classmates. I deeply regret the incident and have apologized to the individual. Since the incident, I have come to better understand the far-reaching consequences of my actions that I failed to recognize and understand nearly seven years ago. I strive to be a better person and positively contribute to society.

“As a member of the Bruins organization, I will continue to participate in community programs to both educate myself and share my mistakes with others to show what a negative impact those actions can have on others. To be clear, what I did when I was 14 years old was wrong and unacceptable. There is no place in this world for being disrespectful to others and I pledge to use this opportunity to speak out against mistreating others.”

“Representing the Boston Bruins is a privilege we take seriously as an organization,” said Bruins President Cam Neely.

“Respect and integrity are foundational character traits we expect of our players and staff. Prior to signing Mitchell, our hockey operations and community relations groups spent time with him over the last few weeks to better understand who he is as an individual and learn more about a significant mistakes he made when he was in middle school. During this evaluation period, Mitchell was accountable for his unacceptable behavior and demonstrated his commitment to work with multiple organizations and professionals to further his education and use his mistake as a teachable moment for others. The expectation is that he will continue this important educational work with personal development and community programs as a member of the Bruins organization.”

Miller, 20, skated in 60 games with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL in 2021-22, recording 39 goals and 44 assists for 83 points with a plus-43 rating. The 5-foot-10, 189-pound blueliner was named the USHL’s Player of the Year and Defenseman of the Year after the season in which he set league records for goals and points by a defenseman. Miller has appeared in 154 career USHL games with Tri-City and Cedar Rapids from 2017-22, totaling 51 goals and 82 assists for 133 points with a plus-54 rating. The Sylvania, Ohio native was originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft but was released after public pressure.

Bruins Sign Krejci; Await Pastrnak

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BOSTON – The Boston Bruins signed forward David Krejci to a one-year contract through the 2022-23 season worth $1 million, plus an additional $2 million in performance-based incentives. The announcement was made by Bruins GM Don Sweeney on the same day the club re-signed forward Patrice Bergeron.

Sweeney has one other key free agent that remains unsigned in David Pastrnak. On his conversations with Pastrnak, Sweeney would not elaborate but indicated talks were on-going through-out the off-season.

“Ongoing would probably be the best way to describe it,” said Sweeney.  “We’ve been in regular communication. Obviously, David’s still over in Europe and the likelihood is he’ll come back and we’ll talk between now and then. When he gets back, we’ll maybe have a better idea of a deal timeline. But I don’t have one today and you guys know me well enough, I’m not going to comment publicly on ongoing negotiations, but we’ve been in regular contact with JP.”

Krejci, 36, played the 2021-22 season in the Czechia league for HC Olomouc. In 51 games, Krejci led his team in goals (20), assists (26) and points (46). The Sternberk, Czech Republic native also represented his country at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China and at the IIHF World Championship in Finland. In four Olympic Games, Krejci recorded one goal and three assists. At the World Championships, he finished second on his team in scoring with three goals and nine assists for 12 points to help his team win a bronze medal.

Prior to his season with HC Olomouc, Krejci played 15 seasons in the NHL, all with the Bruins. In 2020-21, the 6-foot, 188-pound forward appeared in 51 games, tallying eight goals and 36 assists for 44 points and plus-16 rating. In 11 playoff games, he recorded two goals and seven assists for nine points.

Krejci has appeared in 962 career NHL games with Boston, totaling 215 goals and 515 assists for 730 points. In 156 career playoff games with the Bruins, he’s totaled 42 goals and 82 assists for 124 points. He led Boston in postseason scoring in 2011 en route to winning the Stanley Cup. Krejci ranks seventh in Bruins history in games played (962), assists (515), eighth in points (730) and 10th in game-winning goals (41).

Krejci was originally selected by Boston in the second round (63rd overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Bruins Sign Patrice Bergeron for a Year

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Bruins signed forward Patrice Bergeron to a one-year contract through the 2022-23 season worth $2.5 million, plus an additional $2.5 million in performance-based incentives.  The announcement was made by Bruins GM Don Sweeney.

Bergeron, 37, is entering his 19th NHL season, all with the Bruins. The L’Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec native ranks third in Bruins history in games played (1,216) and game-winning goals (74), fourth in goals (400), assists (582) and points (982). The 6-foot-1, 195-pound centerman also ranks second in Bruins history in playoff games played (167), playoff points (127), third in playoff assists (78) and tied for third in playoff goals (49).

Among active NHL players, Bergeron ranks third in plus/minus (plus-254), ninth in points and games played, 10th in assists and 12th in goals. Bergeron also ranks seventh among active players in playoff points and playoff assists, eighth in playoff games played and tied for eighth in playoff goals.

In 2021-22, the Bruins captain appeared in 73 games, tallying 25 goals and 40 assists for 65 points with a plus-16 rating. In seven playoff games, Bergeron recorded three goals and four assists for seven points.

Following the season, Bergeron was named the winner of the 2022 Frank J. Selke Trophy, given annually to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game as judged by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. It was the fifth time in his career that Bergeron has won the Selke Trophy, the most ever by a player in NHL history. Bergeron previously won the award in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Bergeron was originally selected by Boston in the second round (45th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | July 31

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State of the Commonwealth Sports

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – From June 19th to 27th, all was well in the Nation of Sox. After a very well documented — call it crummy (10-19) — start to the 2022 season, the Boston Red Sox battled back to the .500 mark by June 5th at Oakland. While still mired in 4th place in the American League East, Boston clawed their way to a (35-30) record when – on June 17th – Sox SP Michael Wacha out-dueled his former St. Louis Cardinals teammate, Adam Wainwright, 6-5, for Wacha’s fifth victory (5-1).

After dropping a game to the Cards the following day, Boston went on to win seven games in a row and climb to second place in the AL East, 11 games over the coveted .500 mark.

As the calendar turned to July, all hell broke loose.

As this is being written from Fenway Park on a gorgeous New England Saturday afternoon, Boston (50-52) dropped a game to Milwaukee, is 7-19 in the month of July, and that includes a 3-13 mark over their previous 16 games. The not so secret sauce is the fact that since Uncle Sam’s birthday, Boston is playing teams with records plus-.500 up until August 3 when they face AL Central cellar-dweller Kansas City.

Combined with the tougher comp, a slew of devastating injuries crashed down on the Sox. In no particular order:

  • June 12 – SP Nathan Eovaldi – lower back pain
  • July 2 – SP Rich Hill – left knee sprain
  • July 5 – SP Michael Wacha – right shoulder inflammation
  • July 9 – INF Christian Arroyo – groin strain after bout with COVID+
  • July 14 – 2B Trevor Story – right hand contusion (hairline fracture)
  • July 19 – SP Chris Sale – left hand, finger fracture
  • July 19 – J.D. Martinez – back spasms
  • July 23 – 3B Rafael Devers – right hamstring inflammation
  • 13 Red Sox players were on the IL at one point

In their place, Boston was forced to call-up “F-Troop” from their Triple A Worcester WooSox farm team, and the Red Sox became the Red SAAAwx for much of the month. Starting pitching prospects, a la Brayan Bello (0-3), Josh Winckowski (3-5) and Kutter Crawford (3-3) were thrown into the deep end of the drowning pool.

With the cumulative effect, the ‘22 Red Sox started to resemble a memorable team from 60 years ago, with comparisons to the expansion New York Mets.

The Sox are a calamity, whether it be fly balls falling between three players in the infield, throwing, fielding and mental errors costing runs, pitchers failing to properly cover first base on routine ground balls to the right side of the infield, batted baseballs lost in the sun or twilight gleaming in both right and center field at Fenway. You name it, and it happened to the home team.

The lowlight was a July 22 inside the park home run by Toronto’s Ramiel Tapia during a 28-5 beat-down of the Red Sox by the Blue Jays, and a score falling two runs shy of the MLB record for most runs scored in a single game.

Overall, it seemed the Sox fell apart when the long-expected return of their ace – Chris Sale – went flat after an inning as a come-backer broke the fifth finger on his pitching hand. The injury sucked the life from the team, as Story, Martinez and Devers were all absent from the line-up.

Thus is the “State of the Red Sox,” as of July 30.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: If there’s one thing the New England fan base can do better than any other in the land, it’s turn the page and change with the seasons. Just as the aforementioned Sox fade to the bottom of the AL East, the footballs are out at Gillette Stadium as NFL training camps began this week. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the 2022 New England Patriots.

On Day One of Patriots’ training camp, all eyes were on second-year QB Mac Jones who appeared to be all business, in great condition and prepared for the challenges ahead of the Patriots team in transition from its many waltzes to the Super Bowl. While coach Bill Belichick and the Pats are accustomed to being the favorites in the AFC East, this year, they’ll be fortunate to win 10 games (as they did a year ago) and finish second to the ‘21 division champion Buffalo Bills. In many circles, it is the Bills, not the Patriots, who are destined for AFC glory and a trip to the Super Bowl.

Belichick is beginning his 23rd season with the Patriots as the team avoids any sense of the word, “rebuilding,” but does face uncertainty at many key offensive positions. Meanwhile, a look to the south and AFC East rival, Miami, has stocked up with arguably the best wide-out in the NFL in former KC Chief Tyreek Hill to pair with second-year QB Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins won nine games a year ago and will fight it out with New England for a possible Wild Card berth, for sure.

Meanwhile, there’s a lot of news and speculation as the NBA off-season hits midstream. For the Boston Celtics, all eyes are on Nets F Kevin Durantwho has asked for a trade from Brooklyn and reports have the Celtics offering some unknown package of players (with one piece likely to be F Jaylen Brown).

Of course, the Celtics made the NBA Finals but simply saw the fatigue of prior match-ups vs. Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Miami finally take their toll against Jayson Tatum and the team. Boston made one major move to acquire a true point guard in former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdan for Milwaukee who the Cs acquired from Indiana in a multi-player trade in July.

The allure of an offensive threat, like Durant to pair with Tatum, is attractive to the Celtics and their fan base, but the lack of defensive intensity shown by Durant in the playoffs makes one wonder if his Achilles’ injury is limiting his defensive mobility against quicker players.

The foundation of the Celtics is “Team Defense” and the questions is whether Durant can buy-in? Brown’s contributions to that defense might be too costly a loss, never mind if 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smartbecomes part of the deal.

On the ice, the Boston Bruins are another team, like the Patriots, in total transition. Gone is goalkeeper Tuukka Rask, while Brad Marchand injured his hip and out for six months since his late May surgery. Then, there’s the uncertain status of forwards Patrice Bergeron and un-signed David Pastrňák, the club’s two best players.

On defense, more injuries and surgeries. Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk will be out until late November after shoulder surgeries. Mike Reillyis recovering from May ankle surgery.

In goal, Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark will share the netminding duties, trying to replace the talents of Vezina Trophy-worthy and former winner Rask has officially retired after some back-and-forth during the pandemic.

All the while, Boston is welcoming new coach, Jim Montgomery, to a team that is deep with talent but largely uncertain of its short term destiny.

If you take a step back and look at all four major pro sports, it’s a one for-four (.250) average for sure-fire success and that is only the Celtics.

DIAMOND DUST-UPs: Trade winds are blowing in Major League Baseball prior to Tuesday’s (August 2 – 6pm ET) trading deadline. Of course, the big fish in the MLB pond are Washington’s Juan Soto, who turned down a megabucks deal of 15-years and $440 million, and possibly Boston’s J.D. Martinez. The Seattle Mariners already acquired former Cincy ace Luis Castillo in a deal for a ton of top prospects. The terms “Buyers” and “Sellers” will be over-used this week.

Others MLB players reportedly on the block:

  • Josh Bell, 1B, Washington Nationals
  • Wilson Contreras, C, Chicago Cubs
  • Ian Happ, OF, Chicago Cubs
  • Tyler Mahle, SP, Cincinnati Reds
  • Frankie Montas, SP, Oakland Athletics
  • Noah Syndergaard, SP, Los Angeles Angels

That leads us to the extremely slim chance of the LA Angeles moving Shohei Ohtani before the deadline. The multi-talented Ohtani would be a game-changer as a starting pitcher and DH for any contender, but the question would be: “At what cost?”

 

Bruins Name Montgomery Coach

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Bruins named Jim Montgomery as the 29th head coach in team history.

“The Boston Bruins are pleased to introduce Jim Montgomery as the next head coach of the Boston Bruins and welcome Jim, his wife, Emily, and his children, JP, Colin, Ava and Olivia, to the city of Boston,” said Bruins GM Don Sweeney. “Jim has a winning history, and throughout the interview process he conveyed his ability to connect with all types of players while also demanding that his teams play with structure. We are excited for Jim to begin to make his imprint on our team.”

Montgomery will be officially introduced in a press conference with CEO Charlie Jacobs, President Cam Neely and Sweeney at TD Garden during the week of July 11.

Montgomery, 53, served as an assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues from 2020-22. Prior to his time in St. Louis, Montgomery served as head coach of the Dallas Stars from 2018-2020. Montgomery led the Dallas Stars to a 43-32-7 record in 2018-19, leading the team to its first playoff appearance in three years.

Before being hired as the head coach in Dallas, Montgomery served as the head coach for the University of Denver from 2013-17, where he led the Pioneers to the NCAA tournament in each of his five seasons, including two Frozen Four appearances (2016, 2017) and a National Championship victory (2017). Montgomery was also named the NCAA Coach of the Year in 2017.

Prior to his time with the Pioneers, he served as the head coach for the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints from 2010-13.

In his first year at the helm, he led the Fighting Saints to win the 2011 USHL championship. He would go on to lead the team to another Clark Cup win in 2013.

Prior to his time in the USHL, the Montréal, Quebec, native spent time as an assistant coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2006-10) and Notre Dame (2005-06).

Montgomery spent 14 seasons as a forward in the NHL and AHL from 1993-2005. Montgomery skated in 122 NHL games for five different teams, (St. Louis Blues, Montréal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars) tallying 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points and 82 penalty minutes.

Montgomery also appeared in 451 AHL games for the Hershey Bears, Philadelphia Phantoms, Kentucky Thoroughblades, and Utah Grizzlies, amassing 165 goals, 328 assists, 490 points, 674 penalty minutes, and a plus-84 rating.

Prior to making the jump to professional hockey, Montgomery played four seasons at the University of Maine from 1989-93. In 1993, Montgomery captained the Black Bears team that set the NCAA record for wins in a season with 42. Maine went on to win the NCAA championship behind Montgomery’s efforts as the team’s leading scorer, including his hat trick in the third period of the 1993 Championship game to help seal victory.

Cassidy Fired; Bruins Begin Search

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) –  Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, June 6, that the team has relieved Bruce Cassidy of his duties as head coach.  Cassidy has served as head coach of the team since February 7, 2017.

The search for the next head coach of the Boston Bruins will begin immediately.

“Today I informed Bruce Cassidy that I was making a head coaching change,” said Sweeney. “After 14 years working with Bruce, this was an extremely difficult decision. I want to thank and acknowledge Bruce for all his work and success with the Bruins organization. His head coaching record for the Bruins is impressive, and we are appreciative of Bruce both professionally and personally. After taking some time to fully digest everything, I felt that the direction of our team for both this season and beyond would benefit from a new voice. I want to wish Bruce, Julie, Shannon and Cole much success as a family and with their future opportunities.”

“On behalf of the Jacobs family, I’d like to thank Bruce and his family for their dedication to the Boston Bruins organization,” said Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs. “Throughout his time in both Providence and Boston, Bruce’s deep passion for the game and pride he showed in representing the franchise was undeniable. We wish Bruce, Julie and his entire family nothing but success in the future and thank them for all they’ve done for the team both on and off the ice.”

“I want to thank Bruce for his time and service to the Boston Bruins organization over the last 14 years,” said Bruins President Cam Neely. “Bruce has been a fantastic coach and has helped this team win many games and achieve success over his tenure behind the bench. I also want to extend my gratitude to Bruce and his family for everything they’ve done over the years to support the New England community and Bruins organization. We wish them continued success in the future.”

“I have the utmost confidence in Don to conduct a thorough search to identify the best candidate that is going to help our team reach its full potential,” Neely added.

 

Bruins Extend Lindolm Contract

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Bruins agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension with defenseman Hampus Lindholm, said Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney in a statement. The deal will call for an annual cap hit of $6,500,000.

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Lindholm, 28, was acquired by the Bruins on March 19 along with  Kodie Curran in exchange for defensemen Urho Vaakanainen and John Moore, a 2022 first-round draft pick, a 2023 second-round draft pick and a 2024 second-round draft pick.

As part of the deal, the Anaheim Ducks retained 50-percent of Lindholm’s salary.

The 6-foot-4, 216-pound defenseman has tallied five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 61 games for the Anaheim this season. The Helsingborg, Sweden native has appeared in 582 NHL games with Anaheim, totaling 57 goals and 165 assists for 222 points.

Lindholm was originally selected by Anaheim in the first round (6th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

 

Bruins Add to D – Acquire Lindholm

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Team News Release) – The Boston Bruins acquired defenseman Hampus Lindholm and defenseman Kodie Curran from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, defenseman John Moore, a 2022 first-round draft pick, a 2023 second-round draft pick and a 2024 second-round draft pick. The Anaheim Ducks will retain 50% of Lindholm’s salary.

Lindholm, 28, has tallied five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 61 games this season. The 6-foot-4, 216-pound defenseman has appeared in 582 NHL games with Anaheim, totaling 57 goals and 165 assists for 222 points. The Helsingborg, Sweden native was originally selected by Anaheim in the first round (6th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Curran, 32, has appeared in 37 games this season for the San Diego Gulls, recording 1 goal and 15 assists for 16 points. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman was signed as a free agent by Anaheim on June 3, 2020.

Vaakanainen, 23, has recorded four assists in 15 games for the Bruins this season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman has appeared in 31 career NHL games with Boston. The Joenssu, Finland native was originally selected by Boston in the first round (18th overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Moore, 31, has appeared in seven games for the Bruins this season. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound defenseman has recorded one assist and a plus-two rating. The Winnetka, IL native has appeared in 544 career NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Ranges, Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins, tallying 38 goals and 80 assists for 118 points. Moore was originally select by Columbus in the first round (21st overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Bruins to Honor Rask March 31

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BOSTON – The Boston Bruins will honor the career of Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask on Thursday, March 31 when Boston hosts the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden at 7 p.m.

Rask, who spent all 15 seasons in the NHL with the Bruins, will perform the ceremonial puck drop prior to the start of the game. The goaltender amassed a record of 308-165-66 during his time in Boston, with a 2.28 goals against average and .921 save percentage. Rask is Boston’s leader in wins (308) and is second among the franchise’s goaltenders in shutouts (52).

The Savonlinna, Finland native won multiple awards with Boston throughout his career, including the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2019-20, the Vezina Trophy in 2013-14, and a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2010-11. Rask was also voted to the NHL First All-Star Team in 2014 and the NHL Second All-Star Team in 2020.

Rask announced his retirement on Wednesday, February 9, 2022.