The NHL All Star Game is the perfect time for fans to get a glimpse of some of their favorite players up close. We hope you will enjoy these pictures, shot from the red carpet deep in the heart of Hurricane country.

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Photos: All images by Wendy Bullard.  Copyright 2011.  All Rights Reserved.

Brad Marchand, right, celebrates with teammates.

No, it’s not Tyler Seguin, the Bruins’ #1 choice (#2 overall) in the 2010 draft. And it’s not Jordan Caron, their #1 choice in 2009 (#25 overall). Nor is it Joe Colborne, #1 in 2008 (#16 overall). Caron and Colborne are playing in Providence with the AHL Bruins, and Seguin is doing fairly well in Boston but not exactly setting the world on fire.

No, the Bruins’ top rookie, a guy who in the past month has played himself into the Rookie of the Year conversation, is none other than Brad Marchand.

Who?

A native of Nova Scotia, Brad Marchand is a 5-foot, 9-inch, 190-pound (10 pounds of which appears to be
nose and eyebrows) ball of fire who was the third pick of the Bruins in the 2006 draft (#71 overall), behind Phil Kessel and Milan Lucic. He played the 2008-09 season in Providence, putting up 18 goals and 41 assists in 79 games, and adding seven goals and eight assists in 16 playoff games. But his biggest claim to fame in the P-Bruins’ final playoff series vs. the Portland Pirates is that he somehow managed to goad a Portland player into coming off the bench and attacking him during a game.

You could say that Brad Marchand made his name as an agitator.

He scored 32 points in 34 games in his second year in Providence and earned himself some time in Boston, but only recorded one assist in 20 games. Determined to make the big club this fall out of training camp, he outperformed veteral Daniel Paille and earned a spot on the fourth line alongside center Greg Campbell and Shawn Thornton.

Dubbing themselves the “Merlot Line” after the maroon color of their practice jerseys, the Marchand/Campbell/Thornton combination was the Bruins’ fourth line in name only. They were the go-to guys when coach Claude Julien wanted to get the Bruins rolling with their relentless forchecking and tenacious play. Thornton, who had never scored more than six goals in his NHL career, has seven already this season.

It took Marchand some time to find the net – he finally potted his first NHL goal on Nov. 3, appropriately enough, on a shorthanded breakway, showcasing his PK ability, his shot, and his speed:

But it really wasn’t the job of the Merlot Line to score, rather to agitate the opposition.

And did they ever. Though known as something of a punk in the AHL, Marchand (at the request of Julien) has toned it down a bit in the NHL, though he’s still a threat to draw penalties with his hard-charging style of play, and he doesn’t hesitate to throw a verbal jab when he can or stick up for his teammates, despite his small stature.

But as solid and impressive as he was on the Merlot Line, Marchand really started to take off due to an injury to Milan Lucic in early January, which caused some line shuffling. Paille took Marchand’s spot alongside Campbell and Thornton, and Marchand was moved onto a line with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi. And the result was magic.

Since joining the wiley veteran Recchi and Bergeron, one of the most complete players in the NHL, Marchand has scored seven goals and added four assists in 13 games. His plus/minus in those games is +12, and overall he is tied for fourth in the NHL in plus/minus at +21 (with Bergeron, among a few others), tops among rookies. He also leads the NHL in shorthanded goals with four, is sixth in rookie goal-scoring with 13 and second in shooting percentage at 15.5.

He’s come out of nowhere, surprised just about everyone (except maybe himself), and, just as he forced himself into the Boston lineup, he’s forcing himself into the NHL’s collective consciousness. He probably won’t win the Calder Trophy, but he certainly deserves the NHL’s attention.

Photo courtesy of bestlaidplans.org

It just seems that way. ;-)

Went to Bruins camp Friday (along with a few hundred other fans. The crowd was even bigger on Saturday; they were actually turning people away at the door. Unreal.)

Of course the big attraction is Seguin, no disputing that. But even discounting Tyler, it isn’t a bad way to spend a couple of hours if you’re jonesing for hockey.

Hey look, it's Tyler Seguin! (with Jordan Caron behind him.)

The day started at 10 a.m. (the on-ice day, anyway; it started for ME at 7:30, when I hopped in my car. It’s further to Wilmington, where the Bruins’ practice facility is located, than it is to Boston. The things I do for you guys haha.)

Anyway, the kids skated out on the ice to applause and, after a brief stretch, went right into skating and passing drills. Down the boards, cutting into the middle; then breakdouts down the center, taking center ice feeds from defensemen. Some nice moves and shots here and there, occasionally draws oohs and aahs from the crowd.

There were close to 30 skaters in camp. This year, helpfully, they provided names as well as numbers (there were rosters provided at the door) on the kids’ backs, but it’s still difficult at times to distinguish individuals in the drills, as they’re switching in and out and back and forth and going all over the place.

I did experience a Goldilocks moment at one point by observing defensemen Tommy Cross (big), Steve Kampfer (little) and Matt Bartkowski (middle) in a tete-a-tete by the side boards. But my real fangirl/squee moment came from watching top draft choices Seguin (2010), Jordan Caron (2009) and Joe Colborne (2008) in a brief but intense discussion (complete with Gallic gesticulations from Caron) before an offensive drill.

What made watching those three fun was recognizing their unmistakeable yet incredibly diverse talents. Colborne moves extremely well for a big man (showing little of the coltish awkwardness I saw last year) and loves to shoot from the slot, Caron has a wide body that he uses to good effect around the net, and Seguin — well, let’s just say the hype isn’t far off. He is an absolute treat to watch. And not just barrelling aorund on offense; I think my favorite moment came during the late scrimmage when he skated back on defense, picked up his man, and rode him away from the net. I didn’t see Claude Julien there, but I’m quite certain that’s the sort of play that would give him the warm fuzzies.

There were many Bruins fans who were upset when Boston used its #32 pick on Jared Knight, but Bruins fans are going to love this kid. He’s crazy. At one point during the scrimmage (playing on a line with Caron and Seguin — squee!) he flew down the wing, crashed into the defenseman, knocked the net off its pins and went down in a heap along the boards. Much consternation amongst the crowd and his teammates as he skated slowly to the bench and sat for a couple of shifts, but then he came back out on the ice and scored the prettiest goal of the day, using a defenseman as a screen and snapping off a beauty. More ooohs.

All in all, the kids looked happy as clams to be out on the ice after all their dryland (and pool) training. They were having fun, even though they were working hard.

A few more scattered thoughts:

Russian defenseman Yuri Alexandrov (his second time around) is undeniably talented, and has grown and improved since last year, but he is not ready for the NHL. He needs to spend a year or two in the AHL and learn the North American game. Bruins fans need to temper their expectations on this kid and let him develop out of the spotlight.

Cross, hampered by knee injuries for a couple of years, is finally healthy and looks like a force out there. Reminds me a bit of Mark Stuart.

Alex Fallstrom (a Swede who’s attending Havard; how common is that?) had the session’s funniest moment when he grabbed a puck that had popped up in the air off the goalie, threw it into the net and celebrated.

Max Sauve (who recently had surgery to take the pins out of a reconstructed ankle) was on the ice for the late stages of practice and stayed out (as the guys left in twos and threes) to take shots on goalie Michael Hutchinson. Colborne stayed with him, and they practiced shots/tip ins. Colborne’s wrist shot reminds me a little of David Krejci’s in that it always seems to catch you by surprise.

The final image left me smiling: Colborne ducking to pass through the locker room door. ;-)

(Photo: Bruins development camp by Goddess Savvy. Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.)

“Chiarelli needs to move heaven, earth and draft picks in order to get the player he values highest, and – if that means sending a fool’s ransom to Edmonton in order to make it happen – then so be it.

If Hall is the goal-scoring jackpot, then it’s time for Chiarelli to go all in for the good of the Bruins.”

– Joe Haggerty, CSSNE.com

Taylor or Tyler?

The scene: Several men in business suits sit around a long table in a boardroom. Empty pizza boxes and Chinese take-out cartons litter the room. The low hum of an air conditioner fills the air, its monotonous tones overridden only by the random taps of fingers on laptop keyboards, and the regular clink of a coin on the table.

The characters: Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini, hockey ops president Kevin Lowe, assistant GM Kevin Prendergast, assistant GM Rick Olczyk, director of player development Mike Sillinger, and coach Pat Quinn.

Kevin Prendergast: Heads Hall, tails Seguin. Call it.

Rick Olczyk: Tails.

KP: Heads!

RO: How about best 400 out of 700?

(General Manager Steve Tambellini enters the room.)

ST: Gentlemen! Today’s the day! Today we make our decision!

KP: Finally! These guys are starting to reek!

ST: OK, let’s go over it again, one last time.

(Loud groans)

RO: Not again! We’ve done this a thousand times!

ST: And we’ll do it once more. Let’s hear it.

RO: Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin. Both 6-1, 185. Seguin: 48 goals, 58 assists; Hall: 40 goals, 66 assists. Both can play all three forward positions. “I think they’re so close, they could be flip-flopped.” – E.J. McGuire.

ST: So you’re saying there’s no difference between them.

I see... Tyler Seguin

KP: We’ve been saying that for WEEKS!

ST: Duly noted. So who do we choose?

Pat Quinn: Seguin.

Kevin Lowe: Seguin.

Mike Sillinger: Hall.

KP: Hall.

RO: Hall.

ST: I vote Seguin. (sighs) Well, gentlemen, we’re stuck again. Put that loonie away, Prendergast! We’ll have to solve this the hockey way.

(Olyczyk and Quinn eargerly start to pull their suit jackets off.)

ST: What are you doing?

RO: You said the hockey way! Time to throw down!

ST: No, no, no! With logic and reasoning!

RO: (mutters) Since when is that the hockey way?

ST: Somebody convince me that Hall is the better pick.

MS: The fans want Hall.

ST: OK, you’ve convinced me. We’re taking Seguin. Thank you, gentlemen!

(Tambellini’s cell phone rings.)

ST: Hello? Oh, hi Peter! What can I do for you? (covers phone) It’s Chiarelli!

(The room falls silent.)

ST: What’s that noise, Peter? What? Your office is surrounded by a mob of angry fans demanding Hall? Did you lock the door? They’re breaking it down? Send Neely out there! Isn’t that why you hired him?

"I need Tayor Hall!!"

(Tambellini pauses, listens.)

ST: You’ll give us ANYTHING to switch draft spots? Well, sure, Peter, hold on a minute, OK? (covers phone) It’s Christmas! Who do we want?

KL: Bergeron! Oooh, ask for Bergeron!

KP: No, Krejci! Hell, I’ve give anything to have that kid at center.

MS: Rask! (the others stare) Hey, he said anything!

RO: He’s got a crapload of draft picks and prospects, remember. Ask him for Toronto’s second this year, Toronto’s first next year, Caron, and Krejci.

PQ: The picks, yes. But not Krejci. Ask for Lucic.

(The room falls silent. All stare at Quinn.)

ST: Lucic? Peter will never give up Lucic. He’s a monster. He’s only 22. And the fans love him.

PQ: No they don’t. (looks at laptop) Check out the Internet posts: “Lucic’s gone soft! Get rid of him! He SUX!”

RO: He was playing hurt! Are they insane?

PQ: I take it that’s a rhetorical question. Ask him, Steve.

(Eyes gleam around the room. Heads nod. Hands rub together. Tambellini uncovers the phone.)

ST: OK, Peter. Peter? Get under your desk if you have to! Peter, we’ll let you have Hall, sure. For Toronto’s second this year, Toronto’s first next year, Jordan Caron and Milan Lucic. Yeah, I’ll hold. (covers phone)

KL: I can’t believe he’s doing this. Has he lost his mind? All he has to do is pick second and he’s got a great player! No pressure at all!

ST: You’d lose your mind too, dealing with those nutcase fans and media. (uncovers phone). Yes, Peter! You say OK? Sounds good! You can fax the paperwork anytime. See you in L.A.!

(Whoops and shouts, high-fives and general hilarity. Fade out.)