NHL Notebook: Thoughts and prayers for Hingham's Brian Boyle

The hockey world was stunned this week when NHL veteran Brian Boyle announced he’d been diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia.

The disease was discovered thanks to blood tests conducted during his normal pre-training camp physical with the New Jersey Devils. Doctors said it’s treatable with medication, and Boyle said he hopes to return to hockey soon.

Still, it was difficult news to hear, especially since Boyle, a 32-year-old native of Hingham, is one of the most well-respected players in the game. Bruins forward David Backes first met Boyle when the two were roommates during the NHL combine as a pair of 17-year-olds.

Backes learned of Boyle’s diagnosis on Twitter.

“It gives you a little perspective,” Backes told Bostonsportsjournal.com. “You wish nothing but the best for the guy, and I hope he’s well and his family is well. At the same time, hockey becomes secondary at that point. The game’s great and it’s been great to all of us and it’ll continue to be great. But he’s a person first, and his family needs to be taken care of first, and hopefully he’s able to return and keep playing hockey and continue doing what he loves to do. I wish him nothing but the best and we’re sending our thoughts and prayers to him.”

Backes reflected on the time he and Boyle were roommates at the combine.

“We were both scared out of our minds,” Backes said. “We didn’t know what the NHL combine was and all these interviews and testing. We didn’t spend too much time in the room.

“I didn’t know much about hockey outside of the Midwest or Minnesota, and here’s this kid from Boston with 12 siblings and I was like ‘What the hell is going on with this?’ But the nicest guy ever. Big guy, playing against him for years and still say ‘Hi.’ We still battle each other hard, and he’s just an honest, good guy.

Boyle’s father, Artie, beat terminal kidney cancer years ago.

Other NHL notes/thoughts:

Several players throughout the league have publicly complained about the new faceoff violation rule during preseason games. Bruins forward Brad Marchand hasn’t held back his feelings on the stricter policy, calling it “an absolute joke.”

If two players from the same team are in violation, a minor penalty will be called. The center is ejected from the faceoff dot if he or one of his wingers moves prior to puck drop. Time and again this week, Marchand complained. What he didn’t know was his teammate, Backes, was on the committee that voted to enforce the rule this season.

“I get to hear his gripes and it makes me chuckle a little bit,” Backes said.

When the committee examined faceoffs, the conclusion was they were “scrum draws,” as Backes explained.

“The intent was to have a cleanly-won faceoff,” he said. “Whether it’s the second center in there that’s petrified to get a penalty, or the first guy that has to be really honest, the draws are won more cleanly. It’s not every draw the puck’s dropped, and it’s two guys colliding and guys banging heads like they’re football players.

“It’s certainly a skill that needs to be developed. (Patrice Bergeron) didn’t like it and he was 50 percent (Thursday) night, and I bet you next game he plays he’ll be 85 percent and it’ll be a great rule. He’s smart enough and he’ll adjust and everyone will adjust. You’ve just got to be honest.”

Natural centermen all have different styles, and yes, most of them cheat. This new rule is an attempt to even the playing field. Plus, on-ice officials are strict during the preseason, so it’s likely they’ll be a little more lenient during the regular season.

Unless Bruins fans have been living under a Zamboni, they know Bruce Cassidy wants the team to play a faster, up-tempo, offensive-minded style of play. His practices are similar and they’re fun to watch. Players are crashing, banging and flying around the ice with a controlled sense of reckless abandon. However, a few players have been on the receiving end or more bumps and bruises as a result.

There are been some serious collisions during practice but the players aren’t concerned. As Backes explained, there’s a difference between speed and “not-smart speed.”

“Guys buzzing around at a million miles-per-hour with really nowhere to go is dangerous,” he said. “The way some of these guys can skate, especially the young kids, if they can channel that, save it and then have that burst at the right time with some intelligence to it, that’s a great tool to have.

“Some of these kids, the way that they fly is spectacular. It just needs to be done intelligently and it’s a real good asset. If it’s not done intelligently, you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off. That can be learned. It can be taught, but it’s a process.”

The NHL game is so well-orchestrated that players know all the time where they should be positioned and where the puck is and it starts in practice.

“There’s more to fast than 'I’m going to beat you from the goal line to the red line,'” Backes said.

At one point last week, Cassidy did slow things down and worked on defensive zone breakouts. The strategy is to win the faceoff and make two crisp passes in order to break out quickly and effectively. Cassidy actually added a Penguins-style breakout where the second “pass” is chipped into the neutral zone and race is on for the puck. Pittsburgh was extremely effective with that play during its 2016 Stanley Cup run.

Because there’s so much competition in camp this season, it’s taken the Bruins longer than usual to make cuts. Cassidy said he expects the training camp roster to be trimmed on Sunday. The Bruins did send 18-year-old prospect Jack Studnicka back to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL.

Boston selected the forward in the second round (No. 53 overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He participated in the Prospects Challenge earlier this month in Buffalo, N.Y. and he was impressive.

“He played very well and opened some eyes,” Cassidy said. “You never know when young kids come in, regardless of what round you’re selected, some of them come in and (impress), and he did that and that’s why he played a game, because we wanted to get another look at him.”

Cassidy said Studnicka learned it’s a man’s game and the advice he was given before he went back to junior was to gain strength and learn to be heavier on pucks.

“He’ll go back to junior and hopefully have a lot of success making plays and scoring goals,” Cassidy said. “He’s the captain there, so there are a lot of positives, and maybe next year he comes in and makes a good push for a young guy.”

This week’s edition of Drill of the Week focuses on defensemen receiving and handling a bouncing puck, settling it down and getting a quick shot on net. This is a good drill for younger defensemen because most times at the U-12 or U-10 levels, the puck is thrown up the boards on an attempted breakout. Through repetition this will help the defensemen react and get a shot on net. Can’t see from the video, but the passes aren't good ones intentionally so the defenseman can handle a bad pass.

 

 



Untitled from Boston Sports Journal on Vimeo.