12.29.2007

It's deja vu all over again. Again.

Watching the Zamboni on cruise control during the 1st intermission at the 4 C's, where Portland leads Providence 2-1, I realize it's been three years since I covered the Providence Bruins on a daily basis.

Here's a list of what's the same in Providence, and what's not.

THE SAME: Scott Gordon is head coach.
DIFFERENT: Everybody sitting on the bench in front of him.

THE SAME: Trainer Michael Poirier, a Rhode Island native.
DIFFERENT: Without tough guy Steve Parsons on the roster, there's a lot less blood and broken knuckles for Poirier to tend to.

THE SAME: The P-Bruins are good enough to lead the AHL's Atlantic Division.
DIFFERENT: Their power play is atrocious, just 24th in the league entering the night. It's a far cry from the days when Lee Goren, Matt Herr, Martin Samuelsson and Keith Aucoin made the man-advantage go.

THE SAME: The Baby Bruins logo.
DIFFERENT: The Baby Bruins game sweaters.

THE SAME: Gordon probably still believes I don't have a clue about hockey.
DIFFERENT: Gordon's got a bona fide No. 1 netminder in Tuukka Rask this time around, instead of the Andrew Raycroft-Tim Thomas platoon of days gone by.

THE SAME: I gotta say, I still love going to the rink.
DIFFERENT: With 2 little pucksters of my own around the house these days, I get up a heck of a lot earlier on game days.

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