East Hatred: Boston Bruins

The first of our new Eastern Conference foes to visit is the Boston Bruins. Now we can finally start to work up a little anger. Still, not because our teams have much history, but because this is the BROOOONS!! Old time hockey, defending Eastern champs, Bobby Orr, etc, etc, etc...

Oh the reasons to dislike the Bruins...

Let's start with the easy one, Jeremy Jacobs. Architect of Lockout '12. (No, not lockout number 12, we're not that far along in the NHL yet.) Jacobs didn't shy away from being the band leader of last year's Owners Lockout. Big market and big money already, he needed more. He even went all big, bad bully on one of the Jets' alternate governors during the lockout informing the "new kids on the block" when they would be allowed to speak in the NHL board room. All teams in the league were equal in the lockout, some were more equal than others.

Enough lockout...but, thanks for that, Jeremy!

As you may or may not have heard the Bruins are a member of the ORIGINAL SIX. Not a Bruins specific gripe, but they are the first ORIGINAL SIX team that the Jackets face this season. Ah yes, the NHL Marketing Machine which has trouble marketing itself most of the time has no problem marketing the ORIGINAL SIX. The history of the league should be celebrated, and these six franchises are clearly the cornerstone on which the current league is built. Regardless of the debate as to whether or not they are the original six franchises in the NHL, they are the ORIGINAL SIX. The league has now had more than six teams for 46 years, so some 12 year old in a Bruins jersey this afternoon gets to spout, "We're an ORIGINAL SIX team!" even though at best his grandfather is old enough to remember it.

Another reason we're going to get annoyed by the Bruins will be their fans. "This is Boston, BABY! Red Sox Nation!!" Oops, wrong sport...but still applies. They love their teams, they're loud, and they are in your faces about it. They're an old, established hockey market, too. So they automatically know the game better than you ever will. (But even Bruins Fan has less hockey knowledge than a new born in Canada, but that's a different subject.) And there will be plenty of transplanted Bruins fans at the game today. I know a few myself. They've lived in Columbus for years, they even sound midwestern now. The Bruins show up, they get this strange look in their eye, and the Boston accent comes rushing back to them.

Finally, we landed one of their players in free agency. With the Horton signing, we get a little bit of history with the Bruins and their wonderful, well spoken fans. The reaction after the signing was of course predictable as it was a long term, big money deal that media members love to pick apart as the first one of its kind. Internet commenters have a rich history of being at the top of the writing world, and Horton going to little Columbus brought out some of the finest. "What is he thinking?" being one of the kinder ones. Others such as, "Columbus has a team?" or, "Columbus should just fold already," were some other great insights from the mouth breathers who all have the login name Anonymous.

So with the Bruins visit to Nationwide, we will finally feel like we're in the Eastern Conference. Even though we have played ORIGINAL SIX teams fairly often in the old Central, Bruins Fan will act as if this is the first time it's ever happened to our little team, and that we should be grateful for it.

Enjoy the matinee, Jackets fans!