Columnists
Reflections on the loss of the Bulls
I searched high and low last week at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, to speak to Danny Cleary. He had skated in the warmup for the Red Wings, but did not dress for the game. After the game, I strolled out to my car. I noticed a very distinguished- looking gentleman near the parking lot chatting with friends, including former Wings’ goalie Chris Osgood. The man had a nicely trimmed beard, wore spectacles and resembled Harrison Ford— in his distinguished Professor Indiana Jones role. A second glance convinced me it was Cleary.
“I want you to tell everybody in Belleville how sorry I am that the Bulls are leaving. I am sure that it must be devastating for everyone,” Cleary says. Belleville was Cleary’s home for several years, in his junior Bulls days. Without question, Cleary is one of a small group of people who put Belleville on the hockey map. He brought great skills to the rink as a youngster from Newfoundland. He refined those skills under coach Larry Mavety, and has had a long and distinguished career in the NHL. And he’s also the first Newfie to hoist the Stanley Cup, I might add.
One of the young Panther players also paid tribute to Mavety after the game. Eric Gudbranson is becoming one of the anchors on the Panther defense, along with rookie sensation Aaron Ekblad. Gudbranson played OHL hockey in Kingston. He told me that it upset him when he found out the Bulls were leaving.
“There was such a great rivalry between the Bulls and our team. This is crazy.” He says he owes a great deal to Mavety as his mentor in hockey. “Mav was so important to me in my career. I still talk to him when I get a chance.”
Ekblad also skated a few times on the cavernous pad in Belleville. He was shocked by the news. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. It was so sudden.” Ekblad is having an outstanding season for the Panthers. He has already broken all the existing scoring records for a rookie Panther defenceman, and is in the upper echelon of most categories for all rookie defenders in the league—blocked shots, assists, goals, etc. He is closing in on the rookie point total of another pretty good defenceman, Bobby Orr. Orr had 41 points as a rookie. No one would be surprised if Ekblad surpassed that mark. And by the way, he and I had a good chuckle about his picture on the cereal box.
With only a dozen games remaining in the season, the fight for a playoff spot has intensified in the east. The Bruins have struggled lately, and have allowed the Panthers and the Senators to close the gap. By next week, the picture will be a little clearer. If you know how this is going to end, your guess is better than mine—I have not yet purchased my playoff tickets.
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