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A14 sports
Tuesday 2 May 2023
Presidents’ Trophy curse hits record-setting Boston Bruins

By JIMMY GOLEN able to build together,”
AP Sports Writer Bruins forward Brad March-
BOSTON (AP) — The Presi- and said. “At the end of
dents’ Trophy curse was too the day, we play the regu-
strong — even for a team lar season to get a spot in
coming off the best regular the Stanley Cup playoffs, to
season in NHL history. play for a Cup, and that’s
After a record-setting year, the goal every year is to
the Boston Bruins failed to play for a Cup, not to dom-
get out of the first round of inate the regular season.
the playoffs, losing to the Special, what we built and
Florida Panthers in overtime what were able to do to-
in seven games on Sunday gether, but fell short of our
night. goal.”
And suddenly, Boston fans Next year could look quite
who were eagerly planning different.
for two parades – the Celt- Bergeron, who missed the
ics are primed for a long first four games of the series,
playoff run, too – instead said he was playing with a
are wondering where herniated disk but did not
this Bruins’ collapse ranks elaborate on whether the
among the city’s all-time injury would affect his de-
worst. Boston Bruins' Patrice Bergeron (37) greets teammates as they file off the ice after losing to the cision to return for another
“It’s not the outcome you Florida Panthers in overtime during Game 7 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff season, when he would
want, and we’re extremely series, Sunday, April 30, 2023, in Boston. Associated Press turn 38. Krejci wasn’t made
disappointed,” said Bruins available for comment.
captain Patrice Bergeron, mid-January. this group,” Bergeron said. In other sports, too, reg- Bergeron lingered on the
who teased retirement af- General manager Don “It’s a special group on ular-season records are ice long after the hand-
ter last season but returned Sweeney added Dmitry many levels. The individuals no guarantee of playoff shake line, giving the re-
for one more run at the Orlov and Garnet Hatha- we have … Obviously, it’s success: The 2001 Seattle maining fans a stick wave
Stanley Cup. “Especially way at the trade deadline far from the outcome that Mariners won 116 games and ushering his team-
with the team we had. It’s for toughness. Linus Ullmark we wanted.” but didn’t even make the mates into the tunnel. Af-
not where we want to be.” developed into a Vezina Finishing with the best re- World Series, and the 2016 ter a long embrace with
The Bruins fired coach Bruce Trophy runaway as the best cord in the regular season Golden State Warriors Marchand, Bergeron left
Cassidy after a first-round goalie in the league, with has become a dubious dis- broke the NBA record with the rink — perhaps for the
exit last year and replaced Jeremy Swayman rotating tinction: Only twice in 20 73 wins but lost in the finals. last time.
him with Jim Montgomery, in for one of the most pro- years has the Presidents’ And then there’s the 2007 “I’m going to take some
then coaxed Bergeron and ductive tandems in history. Trophy winner gone on New England Patriots, who time and talk with the fam-
David Krejci away from Put it all together and it to win the Stanley Cup — won all 18 games in the ily and go from there,” the
possible retirement in the added up to NHL records most recently a decade regular season and playoffs five-time Selke Trophy win-
hopes of getting a second of 65 wins and 135 points. ago when the Blackhawks before losing in the Super ner said. “Right now, it’s
NHL title in a dozen years. But the same playoff disap- beat Boston in the final. Bowl — a loss that still stings hard to process anything.
They won 17 of their first 19 pointment. Since then, only one team for local sports fans. Obviously, we’re shocked
games and did not lose in “I’m proud of everything has made it past the sec- “The regular season is very and disappointed. So that’s
regulation at home until we’ve accomplished with ond round. special, with what we were it.”q

MLB lefty batting average up, game time down 28 minutes

full month of the season, an quarter-century and scor- innovations, said Monday.
impact of baseball's new ing increased by 1.1 runs "The game had been veer-
rule changes. per game. ing in a direction where the
The biggest noticeable Pitch clock violations aver- only way to score was hope
impact has been when aged 0.74, and the New for a walk and a homer.
games are ending. Aver- York Mets topped the ma- And now we're seeing with
age time of a nine-inning jor leagues with 17 while an increased batting aver-
game is 2 hours, 37 min- the Los Angeles Dodgers age on balls in play, the in-
utes, down from 3:05 at the and Detroit tied for the few- creased rate of stolen-base
same point last year. est with four each. Of 313 attempts the improved
Clubhouse staff and play- clock violations, 204 were success rate of stolen bases
ers are getting home while by pitchers, 91 by batters a lot of rallies that start with
their families are still awake. and four by catchers. a single, then you have a
"It definitely makes life In addition, there were five stolen base and then you
easier," Cleveland's Shane penalties for batter time- have another single and
The pitch clock is visible as Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy outs, eight for pitcher disen- there's a run. And that's
Dean Kremer winds up to deliver during the sixth inning of a Young Award winner, said gagements and one for vi- more entertaining."
baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, April 24, 2023, in Monday. olation the shirt restrictions. Limits on infield shifts, a
Baltimore, Md. Boosted by new rules de- "The data looks really prom- pitch clock and larger bas-
Associated Press signed to speed play and ising so far," Theo Epstein, es were implemented in
By RONALD BLUM average for left-handed increase action, stolen the former Boston Red Sox an attempt to counter the
AP Baseball Writer hitters was up 13 percent- bases rose 40% to their and Chicago Cubs execu- impact of the Analytics Era
NEW YORK (AP) — Batting age points through the first highest level in nearly a tive who consulted on the suffocation of offense.q