Edwards receives a heartfelt send-off
Frederic nets the 7th Player Award
The timing of Jack Edwards’ retirement announcement might have taken some people off guard, but the Bruins’ long time play-by-play man for NESN did get a nice sendoff from B’s fans.
Introduced prior to the B’s-Ottawa Senators game by the network’s Sophia Jurksztowicz, Edwards — who’ll finish up his 19th and final season calling B’s games with the firstround playoff series — was greeted by a standing and well-deserved ovation by those Garden fans not stuck in traffic. NESN CEO Sean McGrail gave Edwards a gold stick, which the announcer held over his head to the roar of thee crowd.
Edwards is a true icon of the organization.
As the B’s popularity surged once again leading up to and after their 2011 Stanley Cup run, Edwards was the voice of the team, bringing the same snarl to his call with which the B’s played on the ice.
Edwards gave no on-ice remarks but he did, for the last time, announce the winner of this year’s 7th Player Award — Trent Frederic.
With the Bruins unexpectedly occupying the uppermost tier of the NHL standings all season after after undergoing some generational turnover in the offseason, there were several good candidates for NESN’s 7th Player Award for the player that goes above and beyond expectations.
In the end, Frederic was the people’s choice, and perhaps a fitting one considering he plays the type of game Edwards has always appreciated.
Frederic not only set career highs in goals (18) and points (40) going into Tuesday’s regular season finale, he also chipped in at the center position, something much needed this season with the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci and the elevation of Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha, last year’s 7th Player recipient.
Frederic had gone a bit cold in the goal scoring department with just one goal in 17 games, but he’s remained a physical presence on the ever-changing third line. Despite his physical style and willingness to go into the tough areas of the ice,, Frederic is also one of four players to play all 82 games with Brad Marchand, Coyle and David Pastrnak being the other three.
Megna gets call
The Bruins rewarded 34-year-old veteran Jayson Megna with a call-up for Tuesday’s regular season finale at the Garden.
The center, who had played 203 career NHL games, has had an excellent season in Providence, posting 18-33-51 totals in 67 games for the P-Bruins.
“We hadn’t seen him yet. He’s had a really good year but in the last two months has really caught fire and been consistently really good down there. We’ve looked at a lot of players down there and this was just an opportunity to look at him,” said coach Jim Montgomery.
To make room under the cap, John Beecher was loaned to Providence.
Asked if Beecher is still considered an option for the playoffs, Montgomery said “Absolutely.”
Forbort return?
Derek Forbort, whose season was believed to be over when he was put on LTIR at the trade deadline, is trying to make himself available should the B’s go on a playoff run. Forbort, troubled by groin and upper body injuries, had been skating for the last couple of weeks and joined the full team practice last Friday, albeit in a non-contact jersey.
And on Tuesday, Forbort was sent to Providence on a conditioning loan. He’s expected to see game action with the P-Bruins this weekend.
Forbort is on the final season of a three-year contract and had been a solid contributor as a stay-athome defenseman and penalty kill specialist until he was beset by injury troubles last year. He struggled in the B’s seven-game playoff loss to the Florida Panthers and that continued this season as he was in and out of the lineup due to health issues. If he can regain the form he had two years, Forbort could be a valuable depth piece for the B’s if they can extend a run.
“We’re really happy, elated that he’s at this stage where he can go down and get some conditioning with Providence. We’re off (Wednesday) so it’s just really good. He’s trending the right way. There’s no timeline as to when he’ll be available for us,” said Montgomery.
Loose pucks
The B’s decided against playing Pat Maroon, who is coming off Feb. 7 back surgery, in back-to-back games.
“We just talked and we think it’s best for maintenance right now so he can be ready for a game Saturday in the best possible condition,” said Montgomery
With Maroon out, James van Riemsdyk drew back into the lineup. … Brandon Carlo, who left Monday’s game in Washington after his second shift in the third period, was a scratch on Tuesday.
“Just maintenance. He’ll be ready Saturday,” said Montgomery. … Matt Grzelcyk drew back into the lineup. … Europeans must have a thing for heartbreak. According to the sportsbook comparison site My Betting Sites Canada, the two most supported NHL teams across the pond are the Toronto Maple Leafs at the top of the list followed by your very own Bruins, according to research that analyzed Google search data over the last 12 months.
While the Leafs were far and away the the continent’s most supported team, the B’s ranked first in France, Lithuania, Romania and, no surprise, Pastrnak’s home country of Czechia.