Starters Triple Post: Three Bruins

As you may or may not be aware, hockey season started on Thursday. Perhaps because I grew up in Vermont, where the weather is already cold this time of year, or maybe simply because the game is played on ice, hockey season always signifies to me that it’s time to gather up nuts, store them under a tree, and hibernate for the nice, long New England winter.

For simplicity’s sake, already a fan of the other three major Boston sports teams, I have always rooted for the Bruins. Admittedly, I didn’t follow them closely until the ‘07-‘08 season, as the young team started to congeal, but this was a year before many more people joined the bandwagon as they tied for the best record in the NHL. Without further ado, here are my three favorite Bruins, in no particular order, and a few reasons why they are Starters:

1. Milan Lucic, wing.
Lucic is a beast. Drafted 50th overall in 2006, Lucic has quickly risen to be one of the leaders of the team with his ferocious style of play. Lucic can hit, fight, score goals, and isn’t afraid of anyone. Plus, he’s only 21 and has room to improve — he increased his points total from 27 to 42 in his first two seasons, and added nine more in ten games in last year’s playoffs.

Here’s a fight that established the Bruins as a team to reckon with last season: Lucic v. Mike Komisarek. And here’s the now-famous clip of Lucic hitting Mike Van Ryn through the glass: This is why there are so many #17 jerseys in and around the Garden.

2. David Krejci, center
Krejci was, like Lucic, another great second round pick for the Bruins who has blossomed into one of their best players. With both Krejci and Phil Kessel RFAs at the end of last season, it was the consensus among B’s fans that the team needed to lock up the multidimensional Krejci over the extremely talented but less versatile Kessel, even though the latter had just scored 36 goals in a 70-game season shortened due to mono. That they did, signing Krejci to a three-year deal while trading Kessel to Toronto.

Just 23, Krejci is as skilled as Lucic is powerful, and it’s a joy to watch him pass and shoot. Like Lucic, if he can improve even a little, he will be a superstar.

Here’s Krejci scoring a hat trick. The second goal is particularly brilliant, and typical of what he can do as a player.

3. Byron Bitz, wing.
First of all, Byron Bitz has a great name, and any reader of the site knows how important that is to us. But he’s also a very easy player to root for, for though he was an unheralded fourth round pick and has never put up big numbers on any level, he is a very “high-effort” player who goes all-out for you. While they don’t rely on him by any means, he took the chance he was given last year and ran with it, and has solidified a spot on the fourth line, which he is well-suited for.

*Photo courtesy of rubyswoon via Creative Commons License