The scarlet V is all over Boston. Bruins fans, doing their normal Bruins thing and gathering at local watering holes, wearing their Bruins t-shirts and jerseys, have taken to pinning the letter on their jerseys, over their heart.
The "V" signifies the mark that had poxed this team and its management. They are violators, scofflaws to the rules, rebels on the wrong side of the tracks, outlaws without a cause. The once-proud franchise of Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque, the honored yellow-and-black "B" logo is now shamed by the red pin-on letter.
The Boston Bruins have run afoul of the league management for failing to maintain a proper roster. League rules dictate a minimum number of players per position which a league must carry, and while the Bruins front office were working on a series of trades and signings to try and get in compliance with the pro roster, the junior roster - which like Boston University football is a forgotten, bastard child of the sports psyche - is still in violation.
A series of threatening faxes and emails arrived in the franchise's office to the attention of General Manager Joshua Anderson. For almost a month - from late December through mid-January - they were thrown away by Heidi, the voluptuous secretary (pictured at left), as jokes. "Profanely negative message were nothing new," she explained while leaning over her desk, "and they usually come in the middle of the night. Of course they were probably jokes."
When Anderson saw one come through while "working late" with Heidi, though, he realized these were official, and the result of the League President, Ryan Long - a man affectionately referred to as a mixture of Willy Wonka and Mussolini - hiding from the Canadian law in the land down under.
These league bulletins made crude references to Anderson's mother and wife, while two even made reference to his dead dog, which many in Boston found to be quite untoward. Arson threats ensued - "Get in compliance or be fired! :)", read one of the early messages - until finally, a UPS package arrived from Australia. It contained a large leather V, with an unsigned memo on league letterhead, instructing Anderson to wear it daily until the team was in compliance, or someone would be die. Laughing, Anderson ignored the package and tossed the V on his "to do" pile, right on top of Heidi. When he left the next day - V-less, of course - he waved good-bye to Heidi as she started her 2006 Monte Carlo SS.
Anderson sat down in his own car and saw a second, smaller, red V with a post-it note, reading "We told you..." He finished reading the note as he heard and saw the explosion of Heidi's car.
Yesterday, as he announced the acquisition of Peluso and Caulfield, Anderson was wearing the red V as a large lapel pin. When pressed by media members of the exclusive home for Bruins hockey, NBC5 WHDH, as Mike Peluso railed against statements made by Anderson about Peluso's performance, he informed the reporters it was "a Bruins team thing, a show of solidarity. We'll be selling them on the team website as part of the "Save Our Juniors and My Ass" campaign, and they will soon be available through all local stores. All proceeds will go to covering signing bonuses for warm bodies for the junior squad."
He smiled and turned to Peluso as he finished a statement about Tom Kozlowski and moistening self-abuse, telling the player it was all for motivation. He then left the pressroom, went back to his offices, gazed at the scarred parking lot with a tear in his eye, and went back to the phones to try and make some deals.
Oilers GM Schmuck made his first big acquistion Tuesday acquired LW Darcy Tucker from the Chicago Blackhawks in turn for Edmonton's 2008 1st Round Draft pick and Prospect Konstantin Glazachev. Tucker has been in Chicago for the last 3 seasons scoring 50+ points each year, Chicago was in cap trouble and needed to shed salary badly. Tucker's 4.2 Million contract will mean some changes roster wise in Edmonton as well, Defensman Mattias Norstrom and his 2.75 mill contract has already been dealt for a 4th round pick and veteran centerman Doug Weight is also rumored to be on the block. Tucker last season had 52pts with 21 goals and 31 assists, Darcy will more then likely start of the Oilers first line with Parrish and Captain Allision.
