Mike Miccoli

Mike Miccoli covers the Boston Bruins for The Hockey Writers and has been a credentialed member of the media for all Bruins' home games for the past five years. As a former player, coach and official, Miccoli has been around the game of hockey since the age of three. Along with his work on THW, Miccoli has also been published in the New England Hockey Journal, Improper Bostonian magazine and on BostInno.

Legend of Carl Soderberg is Coming to Life

For years, Carl Soderberg was a legend–just not in the way that you’d suspect.

Acquired via trade from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for once-promising goaltender Hannu Toivonen in the summer of 2007, Soderberg became a myth of a prospect. He was a player whose NHL rights belonged to the Bruins, but he never made an appearance anywhere in the organization’s pipeline.

The truth was, no one really knew if Soderberg would ever make his way to Boston, especially after playing six seasons in Sweden. Now, more than a quarter into the 2013-14 NHL season, it’s hard to imagine the Bruins roster without the presence of Soderberg on the third line.

Bruins’ Successful Homestand Gets Them Back on Track

Maybe it was just what the Bruins needed: five games at home to find their collective energy and accumulate some movement in the standings.

After their first lengthy home-stand of the season, the Bruins leave the TD Garden on Thursday night collecting nine of ten possible points, capped off with a 3-2 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. For a team that was a bit inconsistent to start the season, it was a step in the right direction even if the full-60 minute effort still isn’t there.

Dougie Hamilton Building Momentum in Second Season

Before the season began, I considered Dougie Hamilton to be the Bruins’ seventh defensemen on the depth chart.

What a mistake that was.

To be fair, this had been coming for some time. Hamilton had put together a string of solid games in his sophomore season that included a goal and two assists in his last three games prior to Saturday’s 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Once Adam McQuaid left the game due to a lower-body injury in the first period, that’s when Hamilton really stepped up.

Bruins Team-First Philosophy is Key to Success

Before the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins could drop the puck on Thursday’s game, Claude Julien’s simple answer to a question about a former teammate set the tone for the entire night.

“They’d be right,” said Julien, when asked if the Bruins don’t win a Stanley Cup without Tim Thomas. He went on a bit further.

“Tim Thomas doesn’t win the Stanley Cup, if our team doesn’t play as well as they did in front of him,” finished the Bruins’ head coach. “So, this is an honest statement: Tim played well but I think our team played just as well in front of him.”

Forget what he said about Thomas. Julien set the tone by stressing the importance of playing as a team, in order to be successful. It was a common theme that came full circle. The Bruins needed to go back to the basics and play their game in order to win. After a bumpy first period, it’s exactly what they did.

On Seguin’s Return to Boston and the Fake Art of Winning Trades

Every time Seguin touched the puck, boos rained down on the Stars’ top-line center. He may have been wearing a different number, but Seguin had a target on his back for the entire night. Not because he decided to sign somewhere other than Boston. Not because he demanded to be play for another team. Not even because he injured a current Bruin. Seguin was being booed for something he had zero control over: an offseason trade.

Game of Seconds Redux: Devils Burn Bruins Late

With about 100 seconds left in Saturday’s game, the Boston Bruins were clinging onto a one-goal lead against the one-win New Jersey Devils. After a double-minor high sticking call against Torey Krug, followed by a delay of game penalty on Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins would be outnumbered by two. Exit Martin Brodeur, approximately 39 minutes later than everyone would have guessed after allowing three goals on eight shots in the first period, enter the extra attacker for the Devils, who were already two for three on the power play, and you’d double the amount of New Jersey skaters on the ice against Boston’s.

It only took 23 seconds for the Devils to score twice on the power play to take the lead and the eventual 4-3 win.

Game of seconds, right?

Rask Continues Stellar Play in Bruins Win Over Sharks

Before the puck even dropped, one could imagine what the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks would look like on the ice based on what they did the night before. You’d probably guess that the Bruins would seem lifeless after coming off of a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, while the San Jose Sharks would appear well-rested after having the night off in Boston, preparing for their game against last season’s Eastern Conference Champions.

You’d guess right.

After the Sharks outshot the Bruins 16-3 in the first period, it became painfully obvious which team was more prepared. For 59:59.52 of the hockey game, the Sharks had the upper-hand, even after Jarome Iginla opened up the scoring with his first goal as a Bruin late in the second period.

Hockey games are 60 minutes long for a reason.

Boston Bruins vs Tim Thomas and the Florida Panthers Part 1: A Running Diary

This season alone, the Bruins will face an absurd amount of former teammates from their 2011 Stanley Cup Championship run. All former teammates who switched jerseys this past offseason after playing a crucial role in the Bruins’ success in winning their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. However no matter what anyone says, there’s no bigger contest than tonight when the Bruins play against the Florida Panthers, anchored by goaltender Tim Thomas, the most important piece of the 2011 Bruins’ Championship team.

Lucic and Landeskog Steal Attention from Avalanche Win Over Bruins

What happens when Milan Lucic wants to fight Gabriel Landeskog?

It’s a weird question, right? Take a talented, young captain of an Avalanche team who is on the verge of winning their fourth-straight game to start the season under new coach Patrick Roy, and pair him with the Bruins’ top-line winger who is no stranger to mixing it up with opponents.

So, who wins? Nobody, really.

2013-14 Bruins Season Predictions Part 5: Returning to the Stanley Cup Finals

Even with the shakeups from the offseason, the Boston Bruins remain a good team. A very good team, if we’re being honest. One that has the ability to play sound defensive hockey within Claude Julien’s system, score goals, and house one of the best goaltenders in the league to anchor the team. The team’s biggest weakness last season was their rabid inconsistencies throughout the regular season. After adding Jarome Iginla and Loui Eriksson in the offseason, two players valued for their durability and steadfast game, the Bruins automatically address a flaw that hurt them so much in the regular season.