- 7 minutes ago
WEEI’s Morning Bru host Andrew “Razor” Raycroft joined the show to talk Bruins with Rich, Ken, and Ted. They discussed how well the young players are performing, the lack of scoring on the power play, which player should have their numbers retired, and more.
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00:00Andrew Razor Raycroft.
00:02Raykey.
00:03I don't know if you ever got one of those Canadian nicknames, Razor, but...
00:09Croftsy.
00:10Croftsy? Is that what they called you?
00:12What was your Canadian nickname?
00:14No, Razor.
00:15But that's not the Canadian one.
00:18It's like everyone's got these A-Z, you know, Bern-Z, N-E-R-Z.
00:22Everybody who's Ray has a Ray in their name, Ray first name, Ray, whatever it is, is Razor in Canada.
00:29Oh, I know that.
00:30Oh, Hagg's.
00:31Haggans would be Hagg's.
00:32Hagg's.
00:33Hagg's, just simple.
00:34Okay, not Haggsy. Good. I like Hagg's better than Hagg's.
00:37Hagg's.
00:38No, just Hagg's.
00:39Speaking of Haggsy, let's just start with him before we get to some of the things that are concerning.
00:44This team is very good, and they're fun to watch.
00:46But Haggans has been great, and it was weird, obviously, seeing him benched yesterday.
00:50He's been playing so well.
00:52What was the thought process behind that yesterday?
00:55Oh, so I'm not sure where the benching came from.
01:00Well, he didn't get a shift with five minutes left, right?
01:04It's not a benching, I guess.
01:05Just a, what would you call that?
01:07That's not a benching.
01:08It was a tie game, right?
01:10Or 2-2, 2-1 game?
01:11Yeah, yeah.
01:11Yeah, but he's been playing so well.
01:13It just seemed odd to me.
01:15He played great.
01:16He played great.
01:17He played great.
01:18He's a 19-year-old guy.
01:19They're on the road against Dallas.
01:21I mean, four minutes, five minutes left, that's only like four or five or six shifts.
01:27So they would have rotated through, you know, Elias Lindholm and Frazier Minton.
01:32And that's, no, there's no benching there.
01:34The kid played awesome.
01:35He had an awesome road trip.
01:39Very, very, very bullish on the fact that he got points.
01:44He's finding ways to score.
01:46Middlestat, Lindholm and himself are really good five-on-five.
01:50It's a nice mix.
01:51You see the pass from Middlestat was a great play.
01:55And Higgins is getting the feel, as a young guy, of getting free goals.
02:01And I say free goals.
02:03He's figuring out where to go, where pucks are going to go.
02:06And he's going to put a stick on the ice, and Middlestat's going to find him.
02:09Those are nice goals to get as a young kid.
02:13And he's only going to grow confidence-wise.
02:15So, no, I don't know.
02:18The benching is definitely the wrong word.
02:20I mean, there's a bunch of guys that don't necessarily play a lot in the last five minutes on the
02:24road in Dallas in a 2-1, 2-2 game.
02:27Do the players all understand that, Razor?
02:29Like, I'm sure that happens on a lot of teams, right?
02:31The bench shortens or whatever you want to call it.
02:32Is that just a common thing?
02:34Everybody knows the drill?
02:35Or do some players get pissed off at that?
02:38No.
02:39Very, very, very rarely is that going to happen.
02:43I think if David didn't see the ice in overtime for four shifts, then he'd probably be a little perturbed.
02:49You still wouldn't hear about it.
02:50But I'm sure you'd probably go to the coach at some point and be like, what's up with that?
02:56So, the high, high-end guys, they have an ability to say something.
03:01But, no, everybody else gets it.
03:02Everyone else kind of knows, and I'm sure James is, you know, kind of aware of that as well.
03:10He's going to have times where he's playing at the end of games, and he has already in the season.
03:14But there's going to be other nights where it just isn't, you know, the right fit to do that.
03:18But, no, at the NHL level, you're very, very, very rarely complaining about ice time.
03:24Okay, Razor.
03:26Man, I don't want you to beat me up because I'm going to ask about a benching.
03:29I think it was a legit benching.
03:30That was Nikita Zdorov after the incident on Saturday night.
03:34You know, Sturm, you know, benches him just because of an incident that happened in that game against the LA
03:42Kings.
03:43Just your thoughts on Sturm's coaching style, how that plays in the locker room.
03:47You know, somebody, an established player like, you know, Nikita like that.
03:51How does that play, and how do you think he handled that incident particularly?
03:56Well, I think, so, it's old school, or at least a generation old, when Sturmy and I played, that would
04:04happen quite often.
04:05It doesn't happen quite often anymore, so I suppose it's a little bit more of a story.
04:11But I think, listen, that just doesn't come out of nowhere either, right?
04:16There would have been talk at the end of last season or during last season, at the start of this
04:22season, about discipline.
04:23The Bruins took the most minors than everybody last season.
04:27Nikita Zdorov had the most penalties in the National Hockey League last season.
04:31So, there definitely had been communication about that.
04:36And then you have another piece of that is the Bruins have eight defensemen right now.
04:40Another piece of it is that the Bruins had won four in a row on the road.
04:46They're cooking along in the California trip, and it's at the start of the season.
04:50So, you can set the tone.
04:51It was really good, from a coaching standpoint, if you take a step back and think about it as a
04:57coach,
04:57you have an unbelievable opportunity to set the tone for the team, set the culture with a veteran guy,
05:04and also have that veteran guy recognize that this year, we have to be serious about this.
05:09Because I'm sure they've talked about it before, and they talked about it last season,
05:12but they didn't really have an opportunity to enforce, you know, maybe a bad penalty at some point.
05:19But this time, he took a double minor.
05:22The first penalty, maybe not his fault, maybe up in the air 50-50 call, but the next one is.
05:28And it's at the end of the second period on the road when you're trying to get back into the
05:31game.
05:31And now you can use this as a teaching tool for the entire team.
05:36And I'm sure Nikita wasn't happy about it on Saturday morning when he found out.
05:40I'm sure he wasn't happy about it Saturday night.
05:42But he goes right back in Tuesday.
05:44So, when that happens, for me, it's a non-story and something that no one really even has to explain
05:50what was the deal.
05:52Because it seems obvious.
05:53Razor, for a team that hasn't had a hard time scoring lately, why does their power plays think?
05:59I think the power play just comes and goes at certain times in the year.
06:04And I think it hasn't been going right now.
06:07Tampa Bay Lightning, for everyone who knows hockey, has been the best power play
06:12or one of the best power plays in the National Hockey League the last five years.
06:16It didn't change.
06:18Victor Hedman actually came back this year.
06:20And they were clipping at 10% going into last night, which is right at the bottom of the league.
06:24So, it's early in the year still.
06:26Well, they've got to get better.
06:28Don't get me wrong.
06:29They've had a couple of nights where they went three for four.
06:31And that works pretty good, too.
06:33So, in Anaheim, the power play won you the game.
06:36It would have been nice to punch one in last night.
06:39But Dallas, too, guys.
06:40You've got to give Dallas.
06:41Dallas has given up one power play goal on their last 32 opportunities.
06:45So, it's not like they're a bunch of clowns out there, either.
06:48So, it's hard.
06:49And they have to continue to work and find a rhythm.
06:53They haven't gotten the rhythm that you would like to see.
06:55So, I'll grant you that.
06:57But it can be here tomorrow night.
07:00Well, Razor, I find myself changing my expectations for this team.
07:04Our 620 goal scores are coming into form here nicely, maybe even 7.
07:09How about you?
07:09Have you changed your thoughts on where this team can go after, as you say, it's still early?
07:14No, I haven't.
07:16You know, I said that it's going to still be a grind to get into the playoffs.
07:20So, let's not overlook that.
07:23This is, you look at the team.
07:25The Montreal Canadiens aren't in the playoffs right now.
07:27And everybody had them winning the Atlantic Division at the start of the year.
07:31So, Ottawa's good.
07:32Tampa's good.
07:33Boston's good.
07:34Florida's good.
07:35Montreal's good.
07:36And Buffalo Sabres are good.
07:37All six of those teams cannot get into the playoffs.
07:41It's mathematically impossible.
07:43Three teams have to get in from the other division.
07:45So, one of those teams that I just mentioned aren't getting into the playoffs.
07:50So, it's going to be a grind all the way through.
07:52But what I did believe going into this season is that if and when the Bruins get into the playoffs,
07:59they're going to be better than what they were last year.
08:01And I think that's what I've seen is that they are a team that has taken another step.
08:06They are better.
08:07But they've got a long grind in front of them still.
08:10Razor, if I remember correctly, there was an early kind of road series, if you will, for the Bruins that
08:16started in Vegas last year.
08:18It was a three-game road stretch where it started in Vegas.
08:20And I think they went out there early and they all kind of hung out and, you know, kind of
08:24did, you know, the let's hang out and get, you know, get this group tight and kind of get to
08:30know each other.
08:31And then they went and lost the three games on the road.
08:34So, that didn't work.
08:35But, man, you know, for this last road trip, they get seven out of eight points on this last road
08:39trip.
08:40Do you see anything different in this road trip that maybe is there a different way of approaching it than
08:45maybe did last year?
08:46And just your thoughts on the success on this road trip.
08:50Well, I bet, I'm probably sure that they had some fun on this trip as well in the same way.
08:57It would be my guess.
08:58At least I would try to if I was still in the league.
09:01That's for sure.
09:03But there's no question.
09:04They got smoked on the road basically all year, right?
09:07It wasn't until the last month and a half where they started to pick off some road wins.
09:11It started really bad on the road.
09:14And this year it's been the exact opposite, which is massive.
09:17Because you can't sustain a whole lot if you don't win on the road.
09:21And you can't also expect to win 20 in a row like they did at home ice last year.
09:27So, this road record was huge.
09:30I think they're just much better composed.
09:33They've got the defensive structure down that Marco wants to play.
09:35They didn't at the start of last season.
09:37And when you're on the road, you get exposed with matchups.
09:40You get exposed a little bit more if you're not good defensively.
09:43I think what we've seen is that they can grind out wins a little bit differently nowadays in this season.
09:49And they've done so on the road.
09:51So, I think they're just a better team, especially at this point in the season than what they were at
09:56last year.
09:56At this point in the year.
09:58And that allows them to have some success on the road.
10:01All right.
10:01Razor, finally, this December, Patrice Bergeron is going to have the old No. 37 put up there in the rafters.
10:08Is there anybody else in your mind from that championship team whose numbers should also go in the rafters?
10:17That's really interesting.
10:19It's for some reason I was thinking.
10:21I don't know if it was this morning or if it was yesterday.
10:23I was actually kind of thinking about it.
10:26I added a couple messages or whatever it was that pertained to 37.
10:32And I happen to think like, man, there's been a lot of ceremonies for this team the last few years.
10:38Whether it's the 100-year anniversary and all the guys coming back, the different eras.
10:43Then you have Zidane retired and then Berge retired.
10:45I was thinking, there's probably not going to be one of these for a long time.
10:49And who would it be?
10:51So, I guess the two numbers that stand out before 88, whenever 88's ready, because he's trending in that direction
11:02at this point, are 46 and 63.
11:05Yeah.
11:06Yeah.
11:06I mean, Marchand's definite, I would think.
11:10The Krejci one is an interesting debate.
11:12I believe, it's funny, when you look at Krejci's records and just the pure numbers that he holds, it seems
11:17to stand out.
11:19Maybe even Tim Thomas borderline, no?
11:20That's what I was about to say.
11:21But Tim Thomas is the one that's hanging in the balance.
11:24Do you think Tim Thomas deserves to have his number put up in the banners?
11:31Well, if it was Timmy, why not Tuca, I guess would be the question I would ask.
11:37I guess because even though that Tuca is officially on the Stanley Cup, Tim Thomas won you one.
11:44Yeah.
11:45So, I think because, I guess I would lean the fact that you can actually have that debate, or you
11:52can ask that question, if one goes the other might.
11:56One guy's got the most wins.
11:58One guy's got numbers that are incredible off the charts.
12:03One guy's got Veznas as well, all through that same era.
12:07Yes, of course, Tim had that incredible run in the playoffs, and he won his trophies as well.
12:14But the longevity wasn't there quite the same.
12:17So, it almost, maybe they cancel each other out.
12:21I don't know.
12:22Now, our Bills question of the week, Razor.
12:24Are you being emotionally tortured by this team despite their wins?
12:27I mean, it just seems like every year, you can't just enjoy a Bills season, can you?
12:32Well, you've got these guys spitting on everybody.
12:36You know, I used to, I won't even go on the radio about what I see.
12:45But yeah, so certainly, it's just typical.
12:48It's just typical emotional wreckage that the Bills give, or it gives everybody, and I think that's part of the
12:55package.
12:55So, yeah, that's what we're dealing with this week.
12:58It'll be something else next week, probably, you know, some kind of an injury or something.
13:02But listen, the reality is they're still right where they need to be.
13:08All right, well, Andrew Razor-Acroft, love having you on.
13:11You can hear him on the Morning Brew with our buddy Billy Jaffe as well, Saturday mornings at 8 a
13:16.m. right here on WEI.
13:18Razor, I appreciate it, man.
13:19Thanks for coming on with us, buddy.
13:20Thank you, Razor.
13:21Love it, fellas.
13:22Have a night.
13:23See you, bud.