Feb. 7, 2007. Vol. 82 Iss. 10.
The Salem State Log
Bruins’ All-Stars shine in Dallas.
As the National Hockey League closed out its All-Star break, Bruins fans finally had something to be proud of. With a single Young stars Game participant and a single skills competition/all-star game participant, the ‘Black and Gold’ didn’t have to charter a plane to transport rookie Phil Kessel and captain Zdeno Chara to Dallas for the festivities. Their performances, though, may have garnered a chartered flight home.
The first Bruin to showcase his talents was Kessel, Boston’s fifth overall pick in the 2006 entry draft. The Young stars Game features wide-open four on four play from the leagues premier under-25 year old players. Kessel played a substantial role in a 9-8 Eastern Conference shootout victory. The 19 year old Bruin recorded three goals for his squad, just weeks after having surgery for testicular cancer.
The most promising occurrence for fans of the ‘Big Bad Bruins’ came from the tallest player in NHL history. Six foot nine inch tall Zdeno Chara followed Kessel’s superb ‘rookie’ game hat trick with a sort-of triple play of his own. Competing in the hardest shot challenge, Chara showed great power, winning the competition with a slap shot registering at 100.4 miles per hour on the radar. Not only comprised of size and strength, ‘Big Z’ also utilized what hockey great Mark Messier regarded as “a scorer’s touch” to net a pair of goals for the Eastern Conference All-Stars, who fell to the West 12-9. Chara narrowly missed making history, as no defensemen has ever recorded a hat trick in an All-Star game.
Overall, the All-Star break was extremely successful for the Boston Bruins and may be a glimpse of better things to come from the team on Causeway Street.