Bruins Legend Passes Away

Jerry "Topper" Toppazzini (1931-2012)

Hockey fans in Sudbury, Ontario and Boston mourn the former Bruin

The Boston Bruins were saddened to hear of the passing Jerry "Topper" Toppazzini on April 21.

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Toppazzini, who was 81, played 659 games over 11 productive seasons with the Bruins and amassed 148-216-364 totals for Boston. A three-time NHL all star, the forward also earned the Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy for the Bruins player judged most outstanding in home games for 1956-57 and 57-58 seasons.

In a time when NHL clubs were not required to dress two goaltenders, Toppazzini also spelled injured B's goalie Don Simmons in 1960 to become the last position player to substitute in goal during a NHL game.

In all, Toppazzini played 783 NHL games, scored 163 goals and added 244 assists for 407 total points with Boston, Chicago and Detroit.

After professional coaching stints with the IHL Port Huron Flags as well as the AHL's Springfield Kings, Toppazzini Coached Junior Hockey's Sudbury Wolves for two seasons (1975-76, 1976-77) and was named OHA coach of the year in 1976 when the Wolves finished first overall in the OHA with 102 points. That year Sudbury also reached the OHA finals, but lost to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Hamilton Fincups.Some other highlights of Toppazzini's career include the Barrie Flyers Memorial Cup Championship in 1951 and Toppazzini's induction into the inaugural Sudbury Kinsmen/House of Kin Sports Celebrity Dinner and Awards Hall of Fame on May 4, 1960. He was later named Sudbury's Sportsman of the Year following the Wolves playoff run in 1976.

In 1977 Jerry Toppazzini, whose brother Zellio also played 49 NHL games for Boston, bought the Belvedere Hotel in Sudbury, renovated the building and even now his popular Bruins-themed Beef ‘n Bird Tavern is still family owned and operated.

Toppazzini, a devoted family man, will certainly be missed by everyone who knew him in Sudbury, but Jerry will also always be remembered by fans of his beloved Bruins in Boston.


*Information gathered from www.bruins.nhl.com

Bruins Get Black Aces Ready

Boston Recalls 10 Providence Bruins
April 19, 2012


The Providence Bruins, in their 20^th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that the Boston Bruins have recalled 10 Providence Bruins for the NHL playoffs. Defensemen Andrew Bodnarchuk, Kevan Miller and David Warsofsky and forwards Carter Camper, Craig Cunningham, Josh Hennessy, Lane MacDermid, Max Sauve, Ryan Spooner and Trent Whitfield will remain and practice in Providence.

Bodnarchuk, 23, enjoyed two recalls to Boston this season, though he did not appear in a game for the Bruins. Bodnarchuk skated in 63 games for Providence this year and tallied a professional career-high 17 points. The defenseman was selected by the Boston Bruins 128^th overall in the fifth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Miller finished his rookie season as the P-Bruins' plus/minus leader with a plus-20 rating. The Los Angeles, CA native finished second among team defensemen with 24 points, including 21 assists. Miller, a four-year product of the University of Vermont, registered 30 points (5g, 25a) and 97 PIM in 144 outings for the Catamounts. Miller, undrafted, was signed to an entry level contract by Boston on October 21, 2011.

Warsofsky made his professional debut with Providence last season after completing his junior season at Boston University. The rookie's 29 points (5g, 24a) finished first among P-Bruins' blue liners. In three seasons with the Terriers, Warsofsky had 22 goals and 46 assists for 68 points and 122 PIM in 113 games. The 5'9", 170-lb native of Marshfield, MA was originally selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fourth round (95th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. His rights were acquired by the Bruins on June 26, 2010 from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Vladimir Sobotka.

Camper, an undrafted four-year product of Miami University (Ohio) led the P-Bruins in scoring this year as a rookie with 48 points on 18 goals and 30 assists. The 5'9, 173-pound forward enjoyed his first NHL recall on February 20, made his NHL debut on February 22 and scored his first NHL goal and point on February 25 versus Alex Auld and the Ottawa Senators. Camper was signed by Boston as a free agent on April 7, 2011.

Cunningham, also a first year AHLer, finished as the team's leading goal scorer with 20. Before arriving in Providence, the Trail, BC native split the 2010-11 season between the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) and Vancouver Giants (WHL). In 71 total game, the 21-year-old forward tallied 87 points on 27 goals and 60 assists. The 6'0", 191-pound forward was originally drafted by the Bruins 97^th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Hennessy, 27, skated in 69 games and finished second in scoring for Providence this season with 41 points on 19 goals and 22 assists. The Brockton, MA native enjoyed his first recall with Boston on February 13 and skated in three contests for the Bruins, recording two penalty minutes. Hennessy was originally drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. After spending time in the San Jose, Chicago and Ottawa organizations, he was signed by Boston as a free agent on July 5, 2011.

MacDermid, recalled by Boston twice this season, appeared in five NHL games and recorded five penalty minutes for the team. In Providence this season, the 6'3" 205-pound forward has four goals and 12 assists and 121 penalty minutes in 69 games. Last year, he recorded seven goals, 12 assists and 158 penalty minutes, which ranked third on the P-Bruins. MacDermid was originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in the fourth round (112^th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Sauvé was recalled on March 10 to Boston on an emergency basis and made his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 11. With Providence this season, the 6'0'', 185-pound Sauvé has 11 goals and 15 assists in 39 games. He played his first full pro season with Providence in the 2010-11 season, ranking second on the team in goals (21) and third overall in the club's scoring race with 21-17=38 totals. Sauvé was originally drafted by the Bruins in the second round (47th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Spooner joined the P-Bruins for their last five games after the Sarnia Sting were eliminated in the first round of the OHL playoffs. He ended the season in Providence with three points (g, 2a). In a season split between the Kingston Frontenacs and Sarnia, the 5'10", 175-pound forward recorded 66 points in 57 games. The center was originally selected by Boston 45^th overall in the second round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and was signed to an entry-level contract by Boston on July 20, 2011.

With Providence this season, the 5'11, 209-pound Whitfield had nine goals and seven assists, combining for 16 total points in 50 games. In the 2010-11 season, Whitfield finished fourth in the P-Bruins scoring race with 18-18=36 totals, despite playing just 45 games after missing the first half of the season due to injury. Whitfield was originally drafted by Boston in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, but did not play in the Boston organization until signing as a free agent in July, 2009.


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Providence Makes Roster Moves

McKelvie Returns to Providence; Farnham Released
April 11, 2012


The Providence Bruins, in their 20^th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that the Boston Bruins have reassigned defenseman Zach McKelvie to the Providence Bruins from the Reading Royals of the ECHL. In a separate transaction, forward Bobby Farnham has been released from his amateur tryout agreement.

McKelvie, 27, was reassigned to Reading on March 30. During his latest stint in Reading, McKelvie recorded three assists in five playoff games before falling to the Elmira Jackets two games to three. In38 games with Providence this season, McKelvie has recorded a goal, assist and 46 penalty minutes. The defenseman is a 2009 graduate of the United States Military Academy. The Brighton, Minnesota native notched 14-42=56 totals in four years with the Black Knights (AHA). Signed to a one-year contract in July, McKelvie originally signed with the Bruins in 2009, however contractual obligations with the US Army prevented him from moving forward with his hockey career at that time. He captained the Black Knights during his senior season, scoring 17 points and a career-high five goals. In 2009, the defenseman was selected as a first-team All-Atlantic Hockey Association all-star for the second consecutive year and named the Beukema Award winner as the Black Knight's MVP. The 6'2", 200 - lb defenseman won the fastest skater competition at the Frozen Four in 2009.

Farnham, 23, was signed to an amateur tryout agreement on March 3. In three games with Providence the forward recorded four penalty minutes. Farnham is a four-year product of Brown University, where he recently completed his senior season for the Brown Bears. As an assistant captain this season, the forward tallied a career-high 13 assists in 31 games, adding eight goals for a career-high 21 points. In four collegiate seasons, the North Andover, Massachusetts, native totaled 54 points (23g, 31a) and 128 penalty minutes in 129 contests.

*Information gathered frrom www.providencebruins.com

Friday Night Debut For Tommy Cross

Boston College Defenseman Signs ELC
April 10, 2012

Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has signed Boston College defenseman Tommy Cross to an entry-level contract. Cross will report to the Providence Bruins and is expected to make his AHL debut on Friday, April 13 when the P-Bruins host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at 7:05 p.m.

Cross captained Boston College to the 2012 NCAA National Championship this season and set career highs in games played (44), assists (19) points (24) and penalty minutes (66) during the regular season. 2011-12 marked Cross' fourth as a member of the Eagles and the National Title was his second, having also been a member of the 2010 championship squad. In his career at BC, Cross skated in 134 regular season games with 17-33=50 totals.

The 6'3'', 215 pound native of Simsbury, CT was originally drafted by the Bruins in the second round (35th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old has participated in all five of the Bruins Summer Development Camps, dating back to 2007.   


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com
     

Providence Hanging On Till The End

Providence's Two Weekend Victories Keep Their Playoff Hopes Alive
April 9, 2012


Eastern Conference Standings

1	y * Norfolk Admirals	GP  73	W 52	L 18	1	2	PTS  107	0.733	261	175	25-0-0-0	10-0-0-0	3-2	1402
2	y * St. John's IceCaps	73	42	23	5	3	92	0.630	234	208	1-0-0-0	4-5-0-1	4-3	1017
3	x * Bridgeport Sound Tigers	73	39	25	3	6	87	0.596	224	213	0-1-0-0	7-2-0-1	4-6	1310
4	x Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	73	43	23	2	5	93	0.637	229	207	2-0-0-0	7-3-0-0	7-5	1180
5	x Hershey Bears	73	38	23	4	8	88	0.603	237	211	0-3-0-2	5-3-0-2	7-8	1540
6	x Connecticut Whale	73	36	25	7	5	84	0.575	204	199	1-0-0-0	4-4-2-0	7-5	1212
7	Syracuse Crunch	73	35	28	5	5	80	0.548	233	227	1-0-0-0	7-1-1-1	7-5	1194
8	Manchester Monarchs	72	36	31	2	3	77	0.535	192	197	1-0-2-0	5-3-2-0	5-3	1274
9	Portland Pirates	73	34	30	4	5	77	0.527	213	246	2-0-0-0	5-2-1-2	5-5	1265
10	Adirondack Phantoms	73	36	33	2	2	76	0.521	197	207	0-1-0-0	6-3-0-1	3-2	1242
11	Providence Bruins	73	34	32	3	4	75	0.514	187	204	3-0-0-0	7-3-0-0	7-4	1066
12	Springfield Falcons	74	34	34	3	3	74	0.500	210	228	0-1-0-0	4-6-0-0	5-3	1236
13	Albany Devils	73	30	32	6	5	71	0.486	184	217	0-4-0-0	3-7-0-0	2-5	1226
14	Worcester Sharks	72	29	31	4	8	70	0.486	189	209	0-1-0-1	2-7-0-1	2-8	1579
15	Binghamton Senators	74	28	40	4	2	62	0.419	196	239	0-3-0-0	3-6-1-0	2-2	1155

MacDermid Returns to Providence

Forward Returns After Second Recall

April 6, 2012

Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has assigned forward Lane MacDermid to the Providence Bruins (American Hockey League).

In Providence this season, the 6'3" 205-pound forward has four goals and 11 assists and 115 penalty minutes in 65 games. Last year, he recorded seven goals, 12 assists and 158 penalty minutes, which ranked third on the P-Bruins.

MacDermid was recalled for the second time this season on Wednesday, April 4 and was a healthy scratch in the team's win over Ottawa on Thursday, April 5. He has appeared in five NHL games this season and recorded five penalty minutes for the team.

MacDermid was originally drafted the Boston Bruins in the fourth round (112th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.       


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com  

2 Forwards Added to Providence Team

Spooner and Glendening Join the Fold
April 4, 2012


The Providence Bruins, in their 20th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that the Boston Bruins have reassigned forward Ryan Spooner from the Sarnia Sting (OHL) to the Providence Bruins. In a separate transaction, the Providence Bruins have signed forward Luke Glendening to an Amateur Tryout Agreement.

Spooner, 20, joins the pro ranks following his most successful junior season yet. In a season split between the Kingston Frontenacs and Sarnia, the 5'10", 175-pound forward recorded 66 points in 57 games. The native of Kanata, ON split the 2010-11 season with the Peterborough Petes and Kingston, amassing an impressive 35 goals and 81 points in 64 regular season games. Spooner made his professional debut with Providence following his third junior season and skated in three games and recorded three points (2g, 1a) for the P-Bruins.

The center was originally selected by Boston 45th overall in the second round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He was signed to an entry-level contract by Boston July 20, 2011.

Glendenig, 22, is a four-year product of the University of Michigan. He recently completed his senior season, during which he recorded a career-high 21 points (10g, 11a) in 41 games for the Maize and Blue. The Grand Rapids, MI native also set career-bests with 10 goals and a plus-18 rating during his final season with Michigan. Glendening, a 5-11, 193-pound was honored by the CCHA as the league's Best Defensive Forward and earned the Howard Colby Award for sportsmanship from the Michigan Hockey Dekers Blue Line Club.

In four seasons with the Wolverines, Glendening skated in 165 games and recorded 70 points and a plus-57 rating. Undrafted, the forward is one of only eight players in Michigan history to captain the team for multiple years and is one of only three Wolverines to wear a letter for three seasons.


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.net

Zach McKelvie Receives Honor

McKelvie is Selected as Providence Award Winner
April 2, 2012

The Providence Bruins are proud to announce that Zach McKelvie has been named the team's winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Providence community during the 2011-12 season.

In his first year in Providence and his first professional season, McKelvie was always the first to volunteer his time to local schools and community organization. The defenseman frequently visited local schools to talk to children and also appeared at the Boys and Girls Club of Oakland Beach in addition to several other local Rhode Island community events.

McKelvie, a 2009 graduate of the United States Military Academy, has also participated in various community events throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts to benefit the military and veterans. The First Lieutenant offered his services to Homes for Our Troops, which provides specially adapted homes for our severely wounded service members all over the country at no cost to them. On January 19, McKelvie volunteered to take part in a fundraiser for HFOT at the Texas Roadhouse in Brockton, Massachusetts. With his help, the event raised over $1,000 for HFOT.

McKelvie played a crucial part in coordinating an early March visit to the military base at Quonset Point, RI. The team trip was set up after McKelvie befriended an active duty serviceman who had written the team while stationed in Afghanistan. Thirteen members of the team and staff were taken high above Rhode Island in a C-130 for a scenic tour prior to meeting with military members on the base.

McKelvie is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL's 2011-12 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League in the coming weeks.

*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Khudobin Gets The Call

Goaltender Khudobin Heading North
April 2, 2012

Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has recalled goalie Anton Khudobin from the Providence Bruins (AHL). Khudobin will join the team on Tuesday, April 3 for the team's Morning Skate at the TD Garden at 10:30 a.m. and be available for that night's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This marks Khudobin's first recall to Boston of the 2011-12 season. So far with Providence this year, the 5'11", 203 lb. goalie has gone 21-19-3 in 44 games while recording two shutouts. He currently has a 2.61 goals against average (GAA) and a .919 save percentage. After missing time at the beginning of March with an injury, Khudobin returned to action on March 23 and has gone 2-2 in his last four games back.

In the 2010-11 season, Khudobin went 9-4-1 in 16 appearances with the P-Bruins after splitting the first part of the season between the Minnesota Wild (NHL) and the Houston Aeros (AHL). With Providence, he had a 2.40 GAA and recorded one shutout.

Khudobin has appeared in six NHL games in his career with the Minnesota Wild, seeing his first NHL start on February 6, 2010 where he recorded a 2-1 victory over Philadelphia. He recorded his first NHL shutout with a 4-0 victory vs. Vancouver on January 16, 2011.

Khudobin was originally drafted by Minnesota in the seventh round (206th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He was traded to Boston by Minnesota for Jeff Penner and Mikko Lehtonen on February 28, 2011.


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com