Wheeler makes a statement with a familiar feel to it
The sight of a Bruin squared off with his gloves on the ice wasn’t that unusual. Not even this season when Boston hasn’t exactly been piling up the penalty minutes.
But when a closer inspection revealed that there was a 26 on the back of the sweater of the Bruins about to engage in the bout, that was definitely a bit of a shock. Bruins forward Blake Wheeler engaged in his first career fight yesterday afternoon in Montreal, taking on Habs defenseman Ryan O’Byrne.
It wasn’t much of a bout, with Wheeler throwing two rights that appeared to come up short, then losing his balance and falling before O’Byrne could throw any punches in return. But the important thing was the message it sent, as Wheeler’s willingness to do something that’s obviously not his forte showed the kind of emotional investment and intensity the Bruins have lacked much of this season.
“It’s been a frustrating time,” said Wheeler. “You do whatever it takes. I just got challenged and decided maybe that was the time to drop the purse. That’s just what it was and it was great to see the guys respond when something like that happens.”
It wasn’t the first time a Bruin wearing 26 became an unlikely combatant in an attempt to snap out of a slump. Almost exactly three years ago, the last Boston player to wear the number had a similar encounter. On Feb. 1, 2007, Brad Boyes had his first and only NHL fight when he took on Buffalo’s Toni Lydman.
Boyes put on a little better show than Wheeler, outslugging Lydman in a lengthy toe-to-toe exchange that drew a rare standing ovation in the Garden during Dave Lewis’ one-year tenure behind the bench. But while the fights may have varied greatly in quality, the meaning behind them was identical.
Wheeler had been mired in a slump, scoring just one goal and one assist while being a minus-5 in his last 10 games. Boyes, likewise, had gone 16 straight games without a point when he reached his boiling point and dropped the mitts.
“I was just trying to get something going,” said Boyes after that game. “I’m not a tough guy at all. I’m not scoring right now, so I just wanted to do something to try to help the team.”
Wheeler and Boyes weren’t alone in their struggles. The current edition of the Bruins had lost 10 straight games before yesterday’s 3-0 win. That was also the first time in 10 games the Bruins scored more than two goals. In 2007, the Bruins lost their fifth straight the night Boyes fought, scoring just four goals (and allowing 22) in that span, which was part of a longer 3-11-1 slump.
The good news is that both Boyes and the Bruins picked their game up after his rare display of pugilism. He snapped his scoring drought with a goal in the following game and put up 9-11-20 totals in the final 31 games of the season after scoring just eight goals in the first 50. Of course, only 12 of those remaining games came with Boston before he was traded to St. Louis for Dennis Wideman. Boyes’ career really took off with the Blues, with 43-22-65 and 33-39-72 totals the following two years, but he did post 5-3-8 totals in his final 12 games with Boston after the fight.
The Bruins also fed off Boyes’ energy, snapping their losing streak with a 4-3 win at Carolina in their next game, starting an 8-2-0 run. Boston still finished last in the Northeast Division that year and Lewis was fired that summer, so a single fight isn’t exactly a guaranteed cure all. But it might provide at least a little comfort to know that Wheeler’s willingness to leave his comfort zone and get more involved physically could be a key spark for the club.
A few other coincidences beyond the numerical symmetry of Wheeler’s fight and Boyes’ bout:
- Marco Sturm scored the Bruins’ only goal the night of Boyes’ fight, and Sturm also scored both Boston goals yesterday after Wheeler’s fight.
- The game before Boyes dropped the gloves, then-rookie David Krejci suffered a concussion when hit with a dirty elbow by Adam Mair in Buffalo. Yesterday, Krejci was hurt again, suffering a leg injury in the first period.
Boyes, by the way, entered tonight with just one goal in his last 23 games with the Blues (though he does have 10 assists in that span). St. Louis is also 13th in the West, seven points out of the final playoff spot. So maybe it’s time for time for fight No. 2 for Boyes?
