BRUINS: A LOOK BACK AND AHEAD
1. Claude Julien sacked
Claude Julien, the all-time winningest Bruins coach, appeared to be a dead man walking when Peter Chiarelli was fired as the GM in 2015. He lasted a year-and-a-half under successor Don Sweeney but the plug was finally pulled in February. But it was a terrific run that lasted nearly a decade, and saw the team end a 39-year Stanley Cup drought in 2011, and go to another final two years later.
2. A new era begins
When Bruce Cassidy took over on an interim basis, the Bruins got an immediate jolt, which often happens with a changing of the guard. But he is proving this season that the sprint to the spring was no fluke, incorporating a handful of rookies and putting them in key spots. The job was made tougher by injuries to veterans in the first couple months of the season. The B's survived that stretch, grew from it and are now one of the hottest teams in hockey. Cassidy, who has preached a more uptempo four-man attack, also played an unexpected goalie controversy perfectly.
3. A postseason return
After missing the postseason for two seasons, the 18-8-1 mark under Cassidy to finish last season, put them back in the tournament. Without three regular defensemen (Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo and Adam McQuaid) for much of the first round series, they suffered a couple of hard-luck losses, and bowed to Ottawa in six games.
4. A star is born
Don Sweeney has stocked the organization with good prospects, but Charlie McAvoy appears to be the first home run. Thrust into postseason action as a 19-year-old just weeks removed from his days at Boston University, McAvoy rose to the occasion. In six postseason games, he climbed the depth chart to the top pair with Zdeno Chara. While proving as a rookie this season he can handle 20-plus minutes a night, he's also demonstrating a flair for the dramatic, scoring his first career goal on opening night and contributing a couple of shootout winners.
5. Bergy goes fourth
Winning Selke Awards, given to the league's best defensive forward, has become a bit ho-hum for Patrice Bergeron. But capturing his fourth Selke was more momentous. It tied him with Hall of Famer Bob Gainey, giving him automatic Hall of Fame cred. Gainey and Bergeron are not perfect comparables. As a member of a loaded Canadiens team, Gainey did not have the offensive production or responsibility given to Bergeron, who has topped the 50-point plateau nine times, something Gainey did not do it once.