The top 10 reasons to be thankful for the Bruins on this Thanksgiving 2011

There are so many reasons to be thankful for the Bruins on this Thanksgiving, where to begin. On October 6th, 2011, the Bruins hoisted their first banner to the rafters in 39 years, and the event in itself brought tears to grown men's eyes. Tyler Seguin- In a six month period, he has elevated his game to an entire new level. A level it takes years for some players to get to, if it all; and he is making it look easy. His speed, defense, skill, vision, all has blossomed! He is absolutely one of the top 10 players in the NHL right now! How good do you think he will be when he gets into his 20's? The amazing 10 game win streak the Black & Gold are currently on, after the dramatic win in Buffalo last night! I could go on, and I will. So let's start with the top 10 reasons we should be grateful for the Bruins on Thanksgiving this year,


10. They’re Actually Playing – Unlike same professional sports leagues that shall remain nameless but happen to have a franchise that shares a building with the Bruins, the B’s and the rest of their NHL brethren are actually playing games this winter. Such a novel concept. The NHL may be wise not to trumpet that fact too much, though, considering they did lose an entire year to an owners’ lockout themselves and the CBA signed to end that nightmare expires after the season.

9. November to Remember – The Bruins aren’t just playing games, they’re winning them. Every single one so far in November. After a forgettable October as the Bruins struggled to shake off the Stanley Cup hangover and opened the year 3-7-0 to fall to last place in the East, Boston has put together one of the most memorable regular-season runs in its history this month. After winning Wednesday’s showdown with the Sabres, the Bruins have rattled off 10 straight wins by a combined count of 47-17 and climbed all the way up to first place in the Northeast Division.

8. Julien’s Steady Guidance – A big reason for the Bruins’ turnaround is the calm, confident approach of their leader behind the bench. Just as he didn’t panic when the Bruins opened the playoffs with back-to-back losses at home, Claude Julien once again remained poised when the club struggled out of the gate this season. Julien was pro-active in switching up line combinations, alternating long, grueling practices with days off and mixing him a healthy dose of teaching with extra video work, but he never strayed from his faith in his system and his players’ ability to execute it. Just as he was last spring, Julien has been rewarded by the team’s steady rise up the standings, and Peter Chiarelli and the Bruins have been rewarded for sticking with Julien over the frequent calls for his head by fans throughout his tenure in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

7. Chara’s Towering Presence – One of the reasons Julien’s system is so successful is the fact that he has one of the best defensemen in the game that he can rely on being on the ice for much of the game every night. Zdeno Chara is again among the league leaders in ice time, averaging 25:16 a game, and as always he makes the most of those minutes. Chara has 2-12-14 totals and is tied for seventh in the league at plus-12. He’s done the bulk of that during their current win streak, posting 1-9-10 totals and a plus-11 in the last nine games. Like Julien, Chara also was a steadying force for the club, helping prevent frustration and panic from setting in when the team struggled early on. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

6. Depth Up Front – While Tyler Seguin has emerged as a breakout star, the real strength of the Bruins’ attack is its depth. Few teams can rival the amount of options Boston has when the Bruins have everyone going, which has been the case throughout this November run. Opponents can’t key on one line with the Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton unit just as dangerous as the Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Seguin line. With Chris Kelly (5-4-9, plus-10 in last 9 games) and Rich Peverley (1-6-7, plus-7 in last 7 games) also proving consistent threats and even the fourth line of Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton capable of providing constant forechecking pressure and some timely goals, opposing defenses never get a respite against the Bruins. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

5. Team Chemistry – As can be seen from the previous entries on this list, the Bruins do have ample talent on their roster. But the real key to their success isn’t their skill, but their camaraderie and determination to play for each other. Bruins fans saw first-hand what can happen to a team that doesn’t stick together and stick up for each other when the Sabres collapsed after no one stood up for Ryan Miller after his collision with Lucic. Lucic was brutally honest after that game when he noted, “We wouldn’t accept anything like that. We would have taken care of business, but we’re a different team than they are.” The Bruins are a different team. They’re a tight-knit group that’s close on and off the ice and willing to sacrifice for each other. That was a major reason they won the Cup last spring, and an even bigger reason for Bruins fans to be grateful for the way they play. (AP Photo/ The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

4. Easy Group to Root for – The Bruins don’t just like each other though. They also make it easy for the region’s fan base to embrace them. Hockey players by their nature are by far the most accessible pro athletes, but even by NHL standards this Bruins team has formed a unique bond with the town it plays in and the fans that cheer them on. That was never more evident than in the summer-long celebration of the team’s first championship in 39 years. This is a team full of personality, from the cocky brashness of Brad Marchand to the quiet class of Patrice Bergeron; from the smile that never leaves Nathan Horton’s face to the one-liners constantly coming out of Shawn Thornton’s mouth. Even Zdeno Chara, the most serious Bruin of all, isn’t above donning a giant pink bunny suit to help cheer up some sick kids on Halloween. There are plenty throughout the hockey world who may despise the Bruins for their physical style and roughhouse tactics, but Bruins fans know they couldn’t have a better group of guys representing their team and city. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

3. Great Goaltending – Tim Thomas wasn’t supposed to be able to repeat his historic campaign from a year ago, but heading into Thanksgiving there he is again putting together more amazing numbers. He’s 9-4-0 with a 1.75 GAA that’s actually better than his league-leading 2.00 GAA of a year ago, while his .938 save percentage is equal to his NHL-record mark of last season. He hasn’t allowed a goal on the road for 222:16, posting three straight shutouts away from the Garden. And while understudy Tuukka Rask struggled at times last year, he’s been nearly as effective this season at 3-3-0 with a 2.32 GAA and .919 save percentage. Rask has won his last three starts with a 1.95 GAA in that span. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

2. Seguin’s Breakthrough – No single Bruins player has created more excitement this season than second-year phenom Tyler Seguin. The Bruins hoped the 19-year-old would show progress in his second season after a rocky rookie year, but his first two months have been beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Seguin leads the team with 11-10-21 totals through 19 games, matching his goal output and just one point shy of his totals in 74 games as a rookie. And most of those goals have been highlight-worthy gems as he shown the dazzling speed and skills that made him the second overall pick in 2010. More important than the gaudy numbers and flashy moves, Seguin has shown an improved commitment to his overall game, contributing more defensively (his plus-17 is second in the entire league) and being more willing to go into the dirty areas to make plays. (Flickr/slidingsideways)

1. New Banner in Rafters – There’s no shortage of reasons for Bruins fans to be thankful this year. But if there’s ever a moment when that appreciation is waning a bit, just take a quick peek up at the new addition in the rafters. It took 39 years for the club to be able to raise that 2011 Stanley Cup banner. There was plenty of heartache between celebrations, but the pain of too many men in Montreal, missed open nets against Edmonton and blown leads against Philadelphia just made the victory over Vancouver that much sweeter. And the permanent presence of that sixth banner should make Bruins fans very thankful for years to come.