Mike O Connell

Go ahead, Mike O'Connell. Gloat a little. It may not be your style, but there's nothing wrong with walking into a bar and raising a toast to yourself. You have to remember that being Mike O'Connell is not such a bad thing after all. After the necessary and smart trade you just made for Sergei Gonchar, you should direct-dial the boss -- before the drink -- and remind him of his gloomy, pre-Christmas commentary. Ten weeks ago, Jeremy Jacobs was saying, "I wouldn't want to be Mike O'Connell right now. " The Bruins were sliding, Jacobs was saying he couldn't be more displeased, and the owner was even suggesting...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- It has been a whirlwind three months for Bruins interim general manager Jeff Gorton. First came the firing of his boss and mentor, Mike O'Connell, March 25. Then came the interviewing process for O'Connell's position. The job went to Peter Chiarelli, and although he's in town for tomorrow's NHL draft -- as the assistant GM of the Ottawa Senators -- he won't be available to work for the Bruins until July 15. Gorton has been conducting the day-to-day business of the franchise, signing prospects, preparing contracts as league deadlines come and go, and he will spearhead the...

Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell has made no bones about the fact that he wants to build a team around captain Joe Thornton, not ship off the big center to another NHL franchise. Yesterday, he put his money where his mouth was, signing unrestricted free agent Glen Murray, 32, to a four-year contract worth $16.6 million. Thornton and Murray are close friends, and Murray's return to Boston from Los Angeles early in the 2001-02 campaign was a good fit both for the Bruins (who drafted him as an 18-year-old in 1991)

A few minutes past 5 in the afternoon yesterday, less than an hour before the Bruins were to hold a news conference, a club employee was making his way toward the home dressing room at the TD Banknorth Garden. He stopped just long enough to shake his head at what he knew was coming. "This," he said with a sigh, "is a sad day. " Just after 6, Bruins president Harry Sinden, flanked by interim general manager Jeff Gorton, announced that general manager Mike O'Connell, 50, had been relieved of his duties after nearly six seasons at the helm.

A few minutes past 5 in the afternoon yesterday, less than an hour before the Bruins were to hold a news conference, a club employee was making his way toward the home dressing room at the TD Banknorth Garden. He stopped just long enough to shake his head at what he knew was coming. "This," he said with a sigh, "is a sad day. " Just after 6, Bruins president Harry Sinden, flanked by interim general manager Jeff Gorton, announced that general manager Mike O'Connell, 50, had been relieved of his duties after nearly six seasons at the helm.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Imagine Sergei Gonchar or Brian Leetch on the Boston backline. The Bruins are imagining it, and after last night's 0-0 tie here with the Islanders, the idea of having one or both of those offensive forces in a Boston uniform could qualify as equal parts fantasy and downright necessity. According to a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations, the Bruins in recent days have made substantial offers for both Leetch, the soon-to-be-36-year-old Ranger, and Gonchar, the 29-year-old Capital who stands to be the prized catch of the NHL swap...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Their losing has become so standard, so matter of course, so expected, so mind-numbing, that it's hard to believe the Bruins can come up with new ways to register their nightly L. But last night, lo and behold, they got there again, a 3-2 loss at Continental Airlines Arena to the Devils, this time with an ending that bordered on bizarre. John Madden, a Bruin nemesis, totally undressed Joe Thornton on a faceoff to the right of goaltender Andrew Raycroft, leading directly to Alexander Mogilny's winning strike with only 31.4 seconds remaining in regulation.

It's Thanksgiving week, which means come Thursday we'll be feasting on apple pie and pumpkin pie. Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins blame pie needs to be carved on Causeway Street, but don't expect owner Jeremy Jacobs to fire himself or his sluggish players. Mike O'Connell and Mike Sullivan are at most risk. General managers and coaches always make for tasty treats when it's time to show your fans that you don't intend to keep losing. Losers of six straight games, bottom-feeders in the NHL's Northeast Division, the Bruins will gather on the Garden ice at 11 this morning to pose for the official...

DETROIT -- Leading up to last night, coach Mike Sullivan had pulled out all the stops in trying to spark the Bruins. He'd held meetings and even general manager Mike O'Connell addressed the club after Sullivan ran them through a double-session, two-hour practice Monday. He'd appealed to their pride, their professionalism, and during tough workouts on both Monday and Tuesday, the first-year coach didn't mince words, letting his players know how dissatisfied he was with their inconsistency.

BUFFALO -- Unable to roust an Erie County judge to issue a temporary restraining order, in hopes of preventing the NHL from shutting down this weekend for its annual All-Star Game, the Bruins begrudgingly went into the league's three-day lockdown riding high after extending their winning streak to five games with a 6-2 thumping of the Sabres last night at HSBC Arena. If only the court system could move as quickly and with as much finesse as the Bruins did as a half-dozen scorers, led by P.J. Axelsson's goal and two assists, put together Boston's most proficient attack of the season -- six goals on an...

Mike O'Connell got the gate yesterday, nearly a dozen years after moving into the Bruins' front office, first as assistant general manager and then as GM. Based on how the last decade-plus played out, the end could have come years ago, because franchise success was hardly the hallmark of the former defenseman's stay on Causeway Street. So, why yesterday, at 6 p.m., with another season already burned to the ground, and a roster stocked all too deep with American Hockey Leaguers?

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Their losing has become so standard, so matter of course, so expected, so mind-numbing, that it's hard to believe the Bruins can come up with new ways to register their nightly L. But last night, lo and behold, they got there again, a 3-2 loss at Continental Airlines Arena to the Devils, this time with an ending that bordered on bizarre. John Madden, a Bruin nemesis, totally undressed Joe Thornton on a faceoff to the right of goaltender Andrew Raycroft, leading directly to Alexander Mogilny's winning strike with only 31.4 seconds remaining in...

It's Thanksgiving week, which means come Thursday we'll be feasting on apple pie and pumpkin pie. Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins blame pie needs to be carved on Causeway Street, but don't expect owner Jeremy Jacobs to fire himself or his sluggish players. Mike O'Connell and Mike Sullivan are at most risk. General managers and coaches always make for tasty treats when it's time to show your fans that you don't intend to keep losing. Losers of six straight games, bottom-feeders in the NHL's Northeast Division, the Bruins will gather on the Garden ice at 11 this morning to pose for the official...

A little more than a month after the Bruins opened training camp, a last straggler showed up at the doorstep yesterday when Nick Boynton finally agreed to a one-year contract. If you witnessed the relative state of Boston's blue line in the first four games, you know all about sight, sore eyes, and the 10-gallon tub of spackle embodied now in the person of the 26-year-old Boynton. OK, maybe the Bruins' defense wasn't a total horrow show, but it was impaired to the point that 37-year-old Brian Leetch averaged upward of 30 minutes a night at his new address.

Perhaps the Bruins would have signed Joe Thornton anyway. But general manager Mike O'Connell, who inked Thornton to a three-year, $20 million contract Thursday, can give an assist to unrestricted free agent Jiri Slegr for helping the Bruins close the deal. J.P. Barry, Thornton's agent, also represents Slegr, who agreed to a one-year contract with Boston Thursday. After Barry and O'Connell finalized the defenseman's contract without a hitch, they realized they could get two deals done in one day. "I think that spurred us on," O'Connell said yesterday.

Some 17 months after opting to deal for Sergei Gonchar instead of Brian Leetch, the Bruins yesterday lost Gonchar as a free agent to the Pittsburgh Penguins and signed Leetch -- who was ultimately dealt to Toronto in March 2004 -- to a one-year contract worth $4 million. "He's a very gifted defenseman, and we think he'll be a great fit for us," said Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell, adding Leetch to a list of free agent signings that included Glen Murray (four years/$16.6 million)

Perhaps the Bruins would have signed Joe Thornton anyway. But general manager Mike O'Connell, who inked Thornton to a three-year, $20 million contract Thursday, can give an assist to unrestricted free agent Jiri Slegr for helping the Bruins close the deal. J.P. Barry, Thornton's agent, also represents Slegr, who agreed to a one-year contract with Boston Thursday. After Barry and O'Connell finalized the defenseman's contract without a hitch, they realized they could get two deals done in one day. "I think that spurred us on," O'Connell said yesterday.

Some 17 months after opting to deal for Sergei Gonchar instead of Brian Leetch, the Bruins yesterday lost Gonchar as a free agent to the Pittsburgh Penguins and signed Leetch -- who was ultimately dealt to Toronto in March 2004 -- to a one-year contract worth $4 million. "He's a very gifted defenseman, and we think he'll be a great fit for us," said Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell, adding Leetch to a list of free agent signings that included Glen Murray (four years/$16.6 million)

Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell has made no bones about the fact that he wants to build a team around captain Joe Thornton, not ship off the big center to another NHL franchise. Yesterday, he put his money where his mouth was, signing unrestricted free agent Glen Murray, 32, to a four-year contract worth $16.6 million. Thornton and Murray are close friends, and Murray's return to Boston from Los Angeles early in the 2001-02 campaign was a good fit both for the Bruins (who drafted him as an 18-year-old in 1991)

Go ahead, Mike O'Connell. Gloat a little. It may not be your style, but there's nothing wrong with walking into a bar and raising a toast to yourself. You have to remember that being Mike O'Connell is not such a bad thing after all. After the necessary and smart trade you just made for Sergei Gonchar, you should direct-dial the boss -- before the drink -- and remind him of his gloomy, pre-Christmas commentary. Ten weeks ago, Jeremy Jacobs was saying, "I wouldn't want to be Mike O'Connell right now. " The Bruins were sliding, Jacobs was saying he couldn't be more displeased, and the owner was even...