Think no one picked a Bruins-Blues Final? Think again
Be honest now. At the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, did you predict that the Bruins and Blues would meet in the Final?
I’ll believe the Bruins part. Even the most cynical among us have parochial tendencies when it comes to predictions, and Bruce Cassidy’s well-rounded and talented team did finished tied with the Flames for the second-most points in the regular season.
But the Blues? Sorry, not buying that song and dance. We all know you took Winnipeg.
There is, however, at least one known person who predicted this matchup before the postseason began. Brian Lawton, who played briefly for the Bruins in his 10-year NHL career and is now an NHL Network analyst, made what seemed at the time like a bold call on the network’s “bracket challenge’’ among its analysts.
But Lawton never thought it was a bold call. Especially when it came to choosing the Bruins.
“I felt like the Bruins were a little underrated because Tampa Bay was so good,’’ said Lawton, the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft out of Mount St. Charles Academy in 1982.
“They had an incredible season but probably didn’t get their due because they were in the same division of the Lightning.
“But they weren’t forgotten for me, and I really jumped on their bandwagon when they made the acquisitions of [Charlie] Coyle and [Marcus] Johansson. That’s when I said, ‘My goodness, they have everything they need.’ ’’
As for choosing the Blues, who started the season looking like they should be relegated to the AHL but led the NHL in points after Jan. 3, Lawton said it was a matter of waiting for smart offseason moves to pay off, particularly the acquisitions of Ryan O’Reilly, Patrick Maroon, and Tyler Bozak.
“I expected big things for the Blues out of the gate, and honestly, I was kind of embarrassed when it didn’t happen,’’ said Lawton. “We were off the mark. We weren’t even close. But they became what I thought they would, especially after [Jordan] Binnington settled down the goaltending situation.’’
Lawton said Bruins fans shouldn’t dwell on the turnabout in Game 2, when the Blues dominated play in the third period and overtime in a series-tying 3-2 win.
“You go down, 2-0, to the Bruins, and you’re not going to win four out of five after that,’’ said Lawton. “I think St. Louis recognized the gravity of the situation. They just outworked Boston, quite frankly.
“It’s funny, when they’re playing well, both teams essentially do the same thing. They get the puck in deep, they have a lot of offensive zone time, they play very little in their own defensive end. For both teams to be able to do that at the same time is an impossibility, so whoever can win that matchup more consistently or more often in a given game is going to win the series.’’
It should be noted that Lawton picked the Bruins to beat the Blues in his bracket.
“A lot of people after Game 1 said this could be a four-game series,’’ he said. “I never thought that. This was always going to be a six- or seven-game series, most likely seven.
“Structurally, the teams are similar, though I will say I haven’t seen anyone when they’re on their game play at the level the Bruins do. They’re almost unbeatable when they’re on top of their game, when their skill players are showing up, and when their depth is there.’’
Minihane lands
When former WEEI morning show cohost Kirk Minihane officially and contentiously parted ways with Entercom Communications last week, he touted himself as the greatest free agent in sports media history.
There was one most logical landing spot all along: Barstool Sports. And that’s where he’s going.
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy tweeted Thursday night that Minihane was joining the company, and Minihane later confirmed with a tweet of his own.
Barstool Sports has a series of popular podcasts as well as a Sirius channel. Minihane is expected to have a prominent presence at both.
Minihane, who brought high ratings and frequent controversy to WEEI’s morning show before leaving last November, announced May 22 he no longer worked for Entercom,
Minihane had been in limbo since departing the “Kirk and Callahan’’ program, where he was a cohost since 2013.
He was supposed to host his own show on the Entercom-owned Radio.com app, and was still producing his popular podcast, “Enough About Me.’’
But the Radio.com role did not materialize. Minihane and the company split after his mid-May ultimatum in which he demanded his own channel on Radio.com and did not want to be involved with their sports-only programming.
Minihane, like Portnoy, built popularity with a no-holds-barred style that was sometimes humorous and often crude and personal.
Minihane has appeared on Barstool programming in the past, including before the Super Bowl in February.
Poor form
In different phases of their careers, Michael Wilbon and Stephen A. Smith were both respected journalists. Both swapped objectivity for access, celebrity friendships, and fat paychecks a long time ago. But they took shamelessness to a new level this week with their nothing-to-see-here interview with Magic Johnson in the aftermath of ESPN reporter Baxter Holmes’s deep dive on the Lakers dysfunction on Johnson’s watch. It’s a terrible look for ESPN to allow Smith and Wilbon to disparage actual quality journalism on account of their desperation to remain in Johnson’s good graces.
