Accolades and controversy - not to mention Dmitri Khristich - swirled around goalie Byron Dafoe. (Barry Chin Photo)

Another small stop on the road back to Cup contention

By Kevin Paul Dupont, Globe Staff, 12/25/1999

he rebuilding process isn't finished by any means, but the Bruins in 1999 finally won a playoff round, knocking off the Carolina Hurricanes (nee Hartford Whalers) in six games.

Boston's first playoff win since '94 would not come easy, as Steve Heinze found out when he got whacked by Carolina's Kevin Dineen. (Globe Staff Photo/Jim Davis)

Backed by Byron Dafoe's steady netminding, including shutouts in Games 1 and 6 of their first-round playoff series last April, and helped by the emergence of young forwards Joe Thornton, Jason Allison, Anson Carter, and Sergei Samsonov, the Bruins were shaping up as true contenders in the Eastern Conference.

Until, that is, they met up with the Buffalo Sabres in Round 2. Baffled by Buffalo's strong checking, especially the line of Michael Peca-Dixon Ward-Vaclav Varada, the Bruins could generate little offense after winning the opening game of the series. They lost the next three, by a collective score of 9-3, and eventually were dismissed in a sixth game at Buffalo, their offense just too shallow and unproductive.

Overall, it was the best hockey year in the Hub since 1994, the season the Bruins knocked off the Canadiens in Round 1 before being rubbed out by New Jersey in Round 2. After first-round flops in '95 (New Jersey) and '96 (Florida), failing to qualify in '97, and then getting dismissed in Round 1 again in '98 (Washington), the franchise finally appeared to have established a young core of talent that could be the nucleus of a winning team for years to come.

The offseason brought its usual amount of contract-related tension. After all, what's summer in Boston without the usual harangues and holdups when players engage in financial arm wrestling with Messrs. Harry Sinden and Mike O'Connell?

When the smoke cleared this time, reliable center Tim Taylor had moved on to the Rangers as a free agent; defenseman Dave Ellett and forward Ken Baumgartner had their contracts bought out; and - setting an NHL precedent - the Bruins had walked away from the $2.8 million salary Dmitri Khristich was awarded in arbitration, ultimately dealing his rights to Toronto for a second-round pick.

Coach Pat Burns and president Harry Sinden watched in disgust as the Bruins got off to a terrible start. (Tom Herde Photo)

The 1999-2000 season got off to a rocky start, with No. 1 netminder Byron Dafoe holding out in a contract dispute. The Bruins opened with a nine-game winless stretch (0-5-4), the Black and Gold's worst start in 35 years. A month into his holdout, Dafoe signed a three-year pact worth $9.45 million, less the month's pay he forfeited while haggling.

As the calendar year draws to a close, Pat Burns's bunch is attempting to recapture the stride and emotion that was there in the spring. Still without a Stanley Cup since 1972, their fan base still incredibly loyal, the Bruins need toadd some reliable scoring if they're going to make a real run for it come April.

This story ran on page D11 of the Boston Globe on 12/25/1999.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.