James van Riemsdyk donned the spoked B for the primary time on the Bruins’ first captain’s follow on Tuesday after the 34-year-old left wing spent a lot of his profession as a Black and Gold rival.
It began off with a joyous bang for him, however he was extra typically on the mistaken facet of a pair completely different rivalries. Now he’s hoping get his personal profession again on observe whereas on the identical workforce attempting to increase this vastly modified Bruin workforce’s keep among the many league’s elite.
“I was certainly on the other side of some pretty intense rivalries for a lot of years,” stated van Riemsdyk, “but it’s been good to get here to the area, get acclimated and get to know a some of these guys a lot better. I’ve heard a lot of great things about a lot of the guys.”
Drafted second general by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2007, the previous UNH star and New Jersey native had an eventful rookie season in Philly – on the Bruins’ expense. He was a member of that 2010 Flyers’ workforce that pulled off arguably the best comeback in NHL historical past, storming again from a 3-0 collection deficit after which a 3-0 deficit in Game 7 to shock the B’s.
But that ignominious defeat turned out to be the important thing that unlocked the door to the B’s first Stanley Cup in in 39 years. Fueled by that loss, the B’s mashed the Flyers within the second spherical of the playoffs in a four-game sweep en path to the Cup in 2011.
Before the shortened 2013 season he was traded to Toronto in a lopsided deal that despatched Luke Schenn to Philly. While van Riemsdyk loved a few of his greatest years in Toronto (he had seasons of 30, 27, 29 and 36 objectives between 2013 and ’18), they didn’t embrace any playoff success. He can thank the Bruins largely for that.
Van Riemsdyk was a Maple Leaf for one of many B’s most memorable Game 7 comebacks after they frantically erased a 4-1 third interval deficit earlier than Patrice Bergeron struck the ending blow in additional time in 2013. In 2018, the Leafs took the B’s to a different Game 7, misplaced a one-goal third interval lead and made one other first-round exit.
As painful as a number of the recollections should have been, van Riemsdyk had come to admire what was inbuilt Boston.
“Over the years it was kind of a measuring stick game,” stated van Riemsdyk. “Even the years that I was at UNH, that was just kind of the start of that contending status. It seemed like every year that I’ve been in the league they were a team that had a chance to win. So going into free agency, that was exciting to get a call from these guys and exciting for a chance to be a part of that with all the great pieces that are here.”
Van Riemsdyk had been again in Philly for the final 5 years after signing a five-year, $35 million take care of his unique NHL workforce. He had a 24-goal season as lately as two years in the past however final season was a troublesome one for him. He and the Flyers acquired off to a good begin however he suffered a damaged finger in late October, requiring surgical procedure and limiting him to 61 video games. He completed with simply 12 objectives.
“When you’re coming back from an extended period off, you’re playing a little bit of catch-up,” stated van Riemsdyk, who’s trying ahead to a recent begin. “And then, it was a team that was in a little bit of a transition as far as trying to get a look at a lot of younger players. There were definitely some challenges in that sense. Certainly I would have liked to have been more productive and done a better job with some things. I think it’s something that I can learn through those experiences, so you try to take that going into your summer. You get back to your foundation as a player and work on some things where you think you can add some different elements.”
With so many groups banging up in opposition to the wage cap, van Riemsdyk signed with the B’s for a one-year, $1 million contract in July. One of the issues coach Jim Montgomery feels was a downfall for the B’s of their beautiful playoff loss to Florida was a scarcity of chunk in entrance of each nets. VanRiemsdyk ought to actually assist – at the very least at one finish of the rink, particularly on the facility play. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound wing has made a dwelling as an elite net-front presence.
“It’s the fine line of trying to fit in but also to stick with some of your strengths, which is playing in front of the net and playing below the goal line and things like that,” stated van Riemsdyk. “Those are things I’m trying to bring to the team and try to find some chemistry with some of the guys here.”
While issues can change shortly in coaching camp, Montgomery stated lately that he expects to attempt van Riemsdyk with Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak.
“Obviously (Pastrnak’s) an incredible player and the year he had was pretty special with 60 goals,” he stated. “There’s lots of excitement to get a chance to do that. There’s lots of great players in this room and I’m just excited about trying to find a place to fit in, do what I do and complement the group.”
But what the Jersey native at this stage of his profession most desires to do is play deep into the spring, like he did in 2010, when the Flyers went to the Cup finals.
“This is going to be my 15th year and I had had a couple of earlier playoff runs that went further but not too many lately, so this is about trying to find a way to win games and find a way to chase down the ultimate prize,” stated van Riemsdyk. “That’s what’s exciting about coming to a team like this with a lot of great players and all the success they had here last year in the regular season. Hopefully, that’s something we can build on this year.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com