Above the Quiet There's no Buzz

"Years of silence, not enough
Who could blame us giving up?

Above the quiet there's a buzz
That's me trying" -- Nick Hornby

While that might well describe the team effort this season, it brings to mind something else: the Bruins buzz. There isn't any. Not even the tiniest whisper.

There was a time when the Bruins were on every hockey fan's mind, regardless of where they lived or who they rooted for. They were everyone's team. Some hated them, most loved them, and everyone was talking about them. The buzz was deafening.

At the time we all knew it was special. Some may have realized it would one day pass. But few would have predicted that it would one day fade into near silence.

Even the worst team in the league gets people talking, if only about how bad they are. But the Bruins now live in that nether world of obscurity between 8th place and the bottom. As far as the hockey world is concerned, the Bruins are simply forgotten. How else can you explain how one of the top five most talented and exciting players in the world, third in points behind only Crosby and Thornton, didn't make the cut for the all-star game? If you think about it, that's rather extraordinary.

The thing is you can't make the all star game without at least a little buzz.

Look at Pittsburgh last year. There was enormous buzz, even though they were pretty bad and rumored to be moving. People watched them just to see Sid the Kid. But nobody, and I mean nobody--watches the Bruins unless they bleed black and gold.

I don't usually play wannabe GM unless it's NHL '07, but I'd like to see some buzz. I know PC is working toward a Sabres kind of team that rolls three scoring lines. It seems he dreams of fast forwards swirling into the offensive zone and overwhelming the defense with their speed. And that may yet come in time. But until then, we need some buzz. Until then, we need something to get people talking about the Bruins again.

I think that thing could be a high-scoring first line. We already have two of the pieces. With Savard at center and Murray on right wing, all we need is a big-time, high-scoring power left winger. If we get one line scoring at league-leading levels--and with Savard we can--that would cause some buzz. And that buzz might spark the team. And that spark might bring back some pride. And with pride this team can make the playoffs.