It's Not Yankees Red Sox, But It Ain't Bad...

BY ALASTAIR INGRAM

So this afternoon I sat down, flicked on NESN, and watched a replay of last year's Game 6 Bruins win over the Canadiens at the Garden. Call me a loser if you want, I deserve it. I was in attendance that night after driving 5 hours back from Syracuse and paying 60 bucks for some good old fashioned nosebleeders. It was the best sporting event I'd ever attended. Clearly the bonkers 6 goal 3rd period didn't exactly detract from the excitement. But that game was all about the atmopshere. Outside of European soccer, I really don't know if it can be replicated in American professional sports.

Fans lucky enough to hold a ticket to tonight's playoff opener on Causeway Street will never hear a louder "Let's Go Bruins" chant. Rene Rancourt will never have his distinctive voice rendered so quiet by the Garden crowd, who will belt out the national anthem as though it was being unveiled in 1776. Parents will never shield their childrens' ears so frequently, as Montreal's well known "Ole" chants are changed into something slightly more offensive. And if it's even possible, the French will never be viewed in a more negative fashion.

Having the Canadiens in town gives Boston sports fans a bitter taste of their own medicine. The Habs are the Red Sox of the NHL. Hockey is truly a religion for their fans, because quite frankly, they don't have anything else (unless the Alouettes take home the Grey Cup). Canadiens fans travel in huge numbers, and they make life miserable for hometown fans throughout the league. There will be so many pockets of red tonight at the Garden that you'd think BU was playing in (and most likely winning) a Beanpot final. That's why Canadiens-Bruins is different. Bruins fans treat these games like a foreign invasion, because in a way, that's exactly what it is. And as is the case throughout sports, everything is magnified in the playoffs. So don't be surprised if you get goosebumps as you proudly sing the Star Spangled Banner (I know I did). And don't be surprised if you have the sudden urge to grab one of those red berets, dunk it in your beer, and send it tumbling towards the Loge. It's not Yankees-Red Sox, but in many ways, that rivalry can't touch the one you'll see tonight. ...Read more