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
Panthers head to Boston for Game 3. Canucks seek 2-0 lead on Oilers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers know what awaits them on Friday night. A fired-up crowd in Boston, an angry bunch of Bruins, probably a good amount of chirping and a tension the likes of which can only be created during the NHL playoffs.
Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk can’t wait.
“The best time of year,” Tkachuk said. “Everybody knows that.”
Game 3 of a knotted-up Eastern Conference second-round series between the Panthers and Bruins is Friday in Boston, the teams splitting the first two games in Florida — and tensions ran hot in Game 2. Tkachuk and Bruins star David Pastrnak fought in the third period, a rarity for offensive stars. It was just the third fighting penalty of the season for Tkachuk, and Pastrnak’s first since March 2018.
Florida won 6-1 and the only people busier than the ones logging the goals were the ones logging the penalty minutes, with 12 misconducts getting handed out in the third period alone.
“I don’t think there’s going to be any spillover to the next game,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “They’re two teams that are rivals. We played each other last year, playing each other this year, it’s going to be a series. And what I’m really proud of, I’m proud of Pasta. There’s so many guys out there pushing after a whistle when the linesmen are there. Pasta and Tkachuk, they just went out there and fought. That’s what you like. You like your hockey players to be competitors.”
Also Friday, Game 2 will happen in Vancouver between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers. Vancouver erased a three-goal deficit to win 5-4 in Game 1 on Wednesday night.
“It’s a resilient group,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. “Sometimes we’re not pretty. Sometimes things happen. But I just feel like it’s a real close group.”
The Panthers and Bruins — teams that met in a seven-game series in Round 1 last year, won by Florida in an upset — are pretty close groups as well. And Wednesday’s events probably brought the respective rooms even closer.
From Florida’s perspective, there were things to like: a five-goal win, holding Boston to 15 shots on goal, getting its first power-play score of the season against the Bruins, standing tall when things got physical late and above all else tying up the series. From Boston’s perspective, there was much to celebrate as well from its road trip: the Bruins got home-ice advantage by taking Game 1, still have beaten Florida in five of six meetings this season and know the crowd will be raucous.
“This is what playoffs are about,” Bruins forward Brad Marchand said. “This is where rivalries are built and obviously with last year, it kind of started there and they play a physical game and we’re able to do that as well. … It’s going to be a physical series. We know that. That’s what fans love. It’s exciting.”
Florida may get forward Sam Bennett back; he hasn’t played yet in the series because of an upper-body injury sustained in Round 1 against Tampa Bay. Bennett will go through morning skate on Friday before the Panthers make a final decision.
The Bruins will have a choice in net, either going back to Jeremy Swayman for an eighth consecutive start or opening with Linus Ullmark. He relieved Swayman in the third period on Wednesday once the Bruins got down 4-1.
“Friday night in Boston, playoffs, it’s going to be a lot of energy in the rink,” Tkachuk said. “Two teams that are very familiar with each other and two teams that really want to win. So, this is a really good series right now.”
EDMONTON at VANCOUVER, Canucks lead 1-0, 10 p.m., TNT
Rick Tocchet’s Vancouver Canucks are apparently never out of a game. After coming back from down two goals with under three minutes left to win in overtime last series against Nashville, they erased an even bigger deficit down 4-1 in the second-round opener before beating the Oilers in regulation.
“This is when you need a close group, these situations,” said Tocchet, a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year.
And sometimes you just need a save, which the Oilers could have used from Stuart Skinner on Conor Garland’s shot that became the Game 1 winner Wednesday night.
“There’s going to be games where they’re not his ‘A’ game, and he will be the first to admit today wasn’t his ‘A’ game,” coach Kris Knoblauch said. “But we’d never doubt him with how he plays and more importantly how he responds after a game that wasn’t his best. Stu has played very well for us throughout this time, and he’ll play really well for us in the games going forward.”
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
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.”
Craig Ferguson set out on foot from Los Angeles with a remarkable goal: to walk 3,500 miles across America. It took him 109 days.
Last week, I had the privilege of joining him for his final steps into Boston. In those first moments after completing his journey, I asked him what the experience had been like. Without hesitation, he called it the hardest thing he had ever done.
What began as a mission to raise money for SAMH, a Scottish charity that provides mental health and social care support, became something far greater. Along the way, Craig inspired thousands of people and helped raise more than $1 million. His arrival in Boston also came amid the excitement surrounding Scotland’s appearance in the World Cup, giving his home country even more reason to celebrate.
Craig’s commitment to mental health advocacy is perhaps best expressed in his own words: “Mental health doesn’t care who you are or where you’re from. It can meet you along the road, sometimes when you least expect it.”
Those words resonate deeply with me. I was raised by a mother who faced significant mental health challenges, and I know firsthand how important support systems can be for individuals and families. Organizations like SAMH provide hope when people need it most. Equally important is continuing to normalize conversations about mental health and recognizing that it is a health issue that touches every community and every walk of life.
There are countless routes Craig could have taken and many cities where he could have chosen to conclude this extraordinary journey. The fact that he finished in Boston is something we should be proud of.
Boston has always been a city defined by resilience, compassion, and perseverance. Those qualities are why “Boston Strong” means so much to so many people. Craig Ferguson may be Scottish by birth, but through his determination, his generosity, and his commitment to helping others, he has embodied that spirit.
As we welcome him to our beautiful and sports-loving city, we thank him for reminding us that even the longest journeys begin with a single step, and that no one should have to walk through life’s struggles alone.
Craig Ferguson is Boston Strong.
Anne Brensley is the Republican-endorsed candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts.
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