According to ESPN, Boston has emerged as a leading destination in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. No deal is on the table (that we know of), but the mere possibility might raise a few concerns.
Boston, MA
NHL Power Rankings
We are past the halfway mark in the NHL season. Teams that we thought would be contenders have shaken off slow, nearly disastrous starts to get right back in the mix. Other teams we thought might fade are sowing they’re no pretenders. When play resumes in earnest after the bye weeks and All-Star break, teams on the bubble have little more than a month to decide whether they’re buyers or sellers at the March 8 trade deadline. So with the playoff races starting to crystallize, here are this month’s NHL Power Rankings:
1. Vancouver Canucks – The plus-59 goal differential gives the ‘Nucks the slight edge. Hard to imagine Rick Tocchet not getting the Jack Adams at this point.
2. Boston Bruins – Understandable that some folks can’t bring themselves to jump on this bandwagon yet considering what happened last spring. Still, what they’ve accomplished so far is no small feat. The B’s face Vancouver for the first time on Feb. 8 at the Garden.
3. Florida Panthers – The gut feeling here is that the Panthers are the best team in the East. But whenever they get close, the B’s create some distance between them.
4. Colorado Avalanche – The Avs are as explosive as any team in the league, but their mediocrity on the road (12-9-3) is a head-scratcher.
5. Edmonton Oilers – Pay no attention to their third-place standing in the Pacific. The Oilers have won 16 in a row and are performing like many of us expected – or better. They’re keeping the puck out of their own net and they haven’t been overly reliant on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Stuart Skinner still has to prove himself in the playoffs.
6. Carolina Hurricanes – After incorporating some new players, the ‘Canes are surging. Like the Oilers, goaltending will be the question about this team.
7. Dallas Stars – This team just chugs along, safely under the radar.
8. New York Rangers – The Blueshirts own two wins over the B’s, but they’ve been sliding. They’re still in first place, but it seems inevitable that the Canes bypass them.
9. Winnipeg Jets – The Jets have been in a mild, injury-induced tailspin, but they should get their mojo back when Mark Scheifele returns.
10. Vegas Golden Knights – After a torrid start, the long grind of the Stanley Cup run could be getting to the Knights. The 11-10-4 road record is telling.
11. Toronto Maple Leafs – It’s true that the Leafs swept the Jets in a home-and-home last week, but still not buying the top-heavy Leafs.
12. Tampa Bay Lightning – As one might expect, this proud team won’t go away. Though they’re giving up a lot of goals (23rd in the league at 3.29 GAA), they’ve still got a lot of proven winners in the lineup.
13. Detroit Red Wings – If the season ended now, the Wings would be a first round opponent of the B’s. And, yeah, it would be a tough, maddening one.
14. Philadelphia Flyers – What John Tortorella has done with this team has been remarkable. But thanks to some injuries, not to mention the Carter Hart situation, the Flyers are currently in a spin-out (five straight losses).
15. St. Louis Blues – The coaching just might get them into the playoffs. That’ the best the Blues can hope for.
16, Los Angeles Kings – The Kings aren’t getting much bang for the buck out of Pierre-Luc Dobois. And they’re only on the hook for $8.5 million for seven more years.
17. Pittsburgh Penguins – Sidney Crosby just might will the Penguins into the playoffs. The Pens still have four games in hand on the Flyers, who are holding third in the Metropolitan Division
18. Nashville Predators – The Preds have somehow been hanging in there without Juuse Saros needing to be other-worldly.
19. New York Islanders – So far the Patrick Roy bump has lasted for one game. Still, the Islanders have the netminding to make a run to the post-season.
20. Seattle Kraken – The Kraken started slowly, surged and now have leveled off again. They remain well within striking distance.
21. New Jersey Devils – The Devs would have been challenged with their goaltending anyway, but injuries (Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton) have really thrown their playoff hopes into a tailspin.
22. Washington Capitals – Alex Ovechkin has nine goals in 44 games and the Caps are 30th in offense. Times are changing.
23. Arizona Coyotes –After an interesting start, the ‘Yotes are slowly sliding into seller mode.
24. Buffalo Sabres – Sometimes I think the Bruins’ culture gets talked about a little too much. Then I look at the Sabres and think we don’t talk about it enough. All those first round picks and they’re headed for another DNQ.
25. Calgary Flames – Just waiting for the inevitable sell-off.
26. Montreal Canadiens – The Habs play with a lot of edge, sometimes too much (hello, Brendan Gallagher). They just don’t have enough talent yet, especially on the back end.
27. Minnesota Wild – Hard to believe this is still the team that handed the Bruins two losses in December.
28. Columbus Blue Jackets – The Jackets have a growing number of interesting pieces but they can’t seem to put it altogether. Hopefully Patrik Laine, who entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program last week, can get his life and career back on track.
29. Ottawa Senators – The installation of Jacques Martin as interim head coach has helped a bit defensively, but it’s another lost season in Canada’s capital.
30. Anaheim Ducks – Great to see Frank Vatrano having a breakout season but coach Greg Cronin, as expected, has a lot of work to do with this team.
31. Chicago Blackhawks – Not much to see here with Connor Bedard (broken jaw) on the sidelines.
32. San Jose Sharks – The Hawks are giving the minus-93 Sharks a run for the best lottery odds, but the Sharks don’t have a Bedard returning to their lineup at any point.
Boston is allowing outdoor drinking in two neighborhoods this summer while the city welcomes a wave of international visitors during the World Cup, Mayor Michelle Wu announced.
The social districts opened Friday and will run through July 31.
Boston public drinking zones
Patrons will be allowed to consume alcoholic beverages outdoors within designated areas at Union and Marshall streets in Downtown Boston’s Block Historic District, as well as on Temple Place in Downtown Crossing.
According to the city, the initiative along with the decision to extend last call until 3 a.m. for the World Cup “is creating vibrancy for patrons and expanding opportunities for Boston businesses during one of the region’s busiest summers in recent years.”
“As Boston welcomes people from around the world to gather and enjoy our city this summer, these new social districts will create even more opportunities to build community and have fun responsibly,” Wu said in a statement. “These districts help us open our streets in a safe environment for residents and visitors to enjoy themselves, ‘sip and stroll,’ and make lasting memories in our beautiful city.”
Last week, Gov. Maura Healey signed a new law that allowed for cities and towns to create designated areas for public drinking.
How drinking zones work
In order to participate, businesses within the designated zones must file a one-day amendment application with the Boston Licensing Board that states they wish to be included in the districts.
Businesses cannot sell alcohol for public consumption until they receive approval from the Licensing Board.
Hours for the Union-Marshall Street Social District will be 9 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. The Temple Place Social District will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Drinks sold for public consumption will be in clear plastic containers with a sticker or other label that shows where they were sold. Businesses cannot sell more than one 16-ounce alcoholic beverage for public consumption per customer in a single transaction.
Outside alcohol cannot be brought into businesses.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to activate our downtown, support businesses, and create a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere in two of Boston’s entertainment districts,” Corean Reynolds, director of nightlife economy, said in a statement. “Both residents and tourists can benefit from these Social Districts. After the summer, we look forward to continuing our work creating a nightlife infrastructure that works for everyone.”
Concern numero uno is obvious. Giannis is one of the handful of players capable of altering the championship picture by himself. Pairing him with Jayson Tatum would create an impressive combination of size, athleticism, versatility, and star power. The question is whether Brad Stevens and the Celtics can actually pull it off without creating a new set of problems for themselves.
Boston’s path to Giannis is narrower than it first appears. The Celtics would almost certainly need to move Jaylen Brown, either directly to Milwaukee or through a third team. Reports indicate Brown has little interest in joining the Bucks (in paraphrase: “Milwaukee?! Yuck!”), which complicates matters further. We start moving from a blockbuster trade to a three-team puzzle involving contracts, draft compensation, and competing agendas.
Even if Boston finds a way through that maze, there’s no guarantee the resulting team will succeed.
Giannis may be a better asset than Brown, but championships are not won by comparing players one-for-one. They’re won by building complete teams (case in point: YOUR WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS ).
Brown averaged more than 28 points per game last season while defending multiple positions. He can create his own offense, punish smaller defenders, and absorb primary scoring responsibilities when Tatum is unavailable (as Tatum was for most of last season, recovering from a torn Achilles). Replacing him with Giannis raises Boston’s ceiling, perhaps, but also changes the structure of the roster.
The Celtics have spent years building an ecosystem around two star wings. Remove one and the supporting cast suddenly becomes more important, which means Stevens would have many more decisions to make before the start of training camp.
What catches me up is, if the Bucks believed that Giannis has more great years ahead of him, would they so quickly offload him to a conference rival? Might he actually be a distressed asset?
Giannis will turn 32 this season. He has generally been durable over his career but has dealt with increasing lower-body issues (especially calves and knees) in recent years, leading to more missed time. To wit:
• 2022–23: 63 GP / 19 missed
• 2023–24: 73 GP / 9 missed
• 2024–25: 67 GP / 15 missed
• 2025–26: 36 GP / 46 missed
Wouldn’t that just be the worst if the Celts parted with Brown to get him, and then Giannis missed extended time due to injury? Like, the absolute worst? (Insert diabolical laughter.)
A healthy Tatum-Giannis pairing would present unique challenges for New York. The Knicks would need to defend relentless downhill pressure while also containing one of the league’s best bucket creators. But, given their depth, New York may be better equipped than most teams to handle it.
So if the Celtics’ pursuit of Giannis causes an initial flutter of worry, you can let that just drift on by. The scenario only noses toward Red Alert if Boston nabs him while somehow also acquiring a guard who makes up for what they’d lose with Brown’s departure.
But wait! This just in: Chris Haynes has pushed back on the idea that a Giannis Antetokounmpo-to-Boston deal is close. He writes that Boston does not appear to be a promising destination and suggested the situation could extend into July. Additionally, Marc Stein reported that the Celtics are frustrated by speculation involving Jaylen Brown, while Brian Windhorst said Brown has not been formally offered in a trade. So, to quote the great William Goldman (also a Knicks fan), “Nobody knows anything.”
It’s worth noting that the Miami Heat are also reportedly in the mix. We’ve heard that the lack of income tax is alluring to the Greek Freak. Plus Florida offers sunny, warm weather, which is not a defining feature of Wisconsin. In the end, though, joining Boston would allow Giannis to keep all his favorite green-themed items in his wardrobe, and shouldn’t looking good be a priority, too?
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins said Thursday they are retiring Patrice Bergeron’s No. 37 as part of a ceremony next season.
The date will be shared later, following the NHL schedule release that is expected next month.
Bergeron is set to join fellow 2011 Stanley Cup champion Zdeno Chara with his number in the rafters. Bergeron, when it happens, will be the 14th player to have his number retired by the storied franchise.
He spent his entire 19-year career in the league with the Bruins, playing 1,464 games counting the regular season and playoffs. That included the title run in 2011 and more trips to the final in ’13 and ’19.
“Patrice was the kind of rare, generational talent that every team wanted,” owner Jeremy Jacobs said in a statement. “He was a deftly skilled playmaker and the undeniable greatest defensive forward in the NHL’s history. But it was the leadership he provided on the ice and in the locker room that made him truly stand apart and an all-time legend of the Boston Bruins.”
Bergeron succeeded Chara as captain in 2020 and served three seasons in that role before retiring. He called this an honor that is difficult to put into words.
“When I arrived in Boston as an 18-year-old, I could never have imagined receiving this recognition one day,” Bergeron said. “I have always believed that any success I had was only possible because of the people around me. I was fortunate to play alongside incredible teammates, learn from outstanding coaches and staff and be supported by an organization that believed in me from the very beginning.”
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