Bruins-Canucks rivalry lingers four years later

Circa 2011, games between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins generated considerable buzz, along with plenty of venom. Now? Not so much.
But it was evident Friday that some of rivalry that reached a feverish height in the 2011 Stanley Cup final, when Boston overcame a 3-1 series deficit to win in seven games, is still there.
“Maybe a little bit,” said Canucks winger Alex Burrows before Vancouver hosted the Bruins. “I would have liked to win four years ago. But they’re a much different team and we’re a much different team now. So, personally, maybe a little bit. But now, we’ve moved on from that.”
Burrows was at the centre of many brouhahas with the Bruins, notably with Patrice Bergeron in a finger-biting incident. But, in a sign, perhaps, of lingering animosity, Burrows has not chatted amicably with Bergeron or anyone else about the memorable 2011 finals.
“Honestly, I don’t know where I could have (talked to) most of them,” said Burrows. “I know, maybe, (Patrice) Bergeron. But he’s from Quebec City. I’m from Montreal. That’s a four-hour drive. So it’s not like I see them or have any friends on the team, really. I’ve never really gone out of my way to talk about (the 2011 final loss) or anything. But I’ve been to Fenway Park and I’ve watched the Red Sox. That’s probably as close as I’ve gotten to Boston ever since then.”
Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said Boston is still “a team that brings out the best in us,” but the rivalry is not even close to what it used to be.
“When you play against them in the finals, the heat is going to be there,” he said. “But they have a lot of new faces, and we don’t have too many guys left from that year. So it’s different – for sure.”
The lack of games between the teams – only two per season – also prevents things from heating up.
“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “The only game where the same kind of rivalry has been there was the year after when we played them in Boston.”
Former general manager Mike Gillis believed that his club was never the same after that highly physical and emotional affair. But some Vancouver players, such as Zack Kassian, who was not with the team then, believe that the final loss “still stings.”
Times are much different now, because both the Canucks and Bruins are battling for playoff berths instead of vying for first overall in the NHL like they once did. But Bruins winger Milan Lucic, a Vancouver native, believes there always will be a strong rivalry between the clubs.
“That’s what makes these games so exciting,” he said.
But he also believes the fight for two points is what counts the most now.
“I think that whole revenge thing is out the window as far as the final goes,” said Lucic.
Bruins captain Zdeno Chara also believes the rivalry is much different. He noted that both clubs have changed many players and the Canucks “changed their whole management and coaching staff.”
But Chara thinks the rivalry would “probably” be more intense if the Bruins and Canucks faced each other more often.
“That’s what happens when you play teams more often,” he said. “Different things might cause more more emotional games (to) come out of that, but the schedule is set before the season and, usually, you only play some teams once or twice.”
Bruins coach Claude Julien has been known to stoke the fires between the teams. But the Bruins and Canucks have some ties now following former Boston executive Jim Benning’s appointment as Canucks GM last summer. So Julien actually had some nice things to say about a member of Canucks management.
“Jim is a good man,” said Julien. “He’s a good hockey man. He’s a good person. Great hockey knowledge. Very calm. Sees deficiencies. Sees also assets. I’ve had good talks with Jim. When he was in Boston, we chatted about our team and other players and stuff like that. In my mind, it was too bad that we lost a good man, but I think Vancouver made a really good decision. To be very honest in my comment, I think they got themselves a good man who’s gonna make this team a good team if you give him some time.”
Julien has also been known to say good things about former Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, an old friends. Of course, new Canucks coach Willie Desjardins wasn’t with the club in 2011. But Dejardins, who has won championships at every level, believes that a Boston-Vancouver game will always be emotional for Canuck players who were with the team in 2011.
“I don’t see how it couldn’t be,” said Dejardins. “That’s something you never forget, the guys that were here, the run, that series.
“I think it’ll always mean something to play against Boston.”