This just in: Winning a Stanley Cup is difficult.

Most of the current Bruins roster knows that firsthand, as two years ago they had to erase 2-0 and 3-2 deficits against Vancouver. They, of course, did that, forcing a Game 7 in Vancouver and winning 4-0 to earn that title. This year, it’s too early to say whether or not their season will have the same end result, but they’re unquestionably in a much better position to do it this time around.

But now, the real work begins. Nothing in the world was more important to the Bruins than winning Game 3 on Monday night. Now, it’s meaningless history, because anything short of a perfect effort Wednesday night in Game 4, and the balance of power in the series will shift right back to Chicago. While it may seem like the Bruins seized control of the series with Monday’s 2-0 win, the fact is that the Bruins have outscored the Blackhawks by just two goals over the course of nearly 13 full periods.

Now, nothing in the world is more important for the Bruins than winning Game 4, thereby inviting Lord Stanley’s Cup to the Windy City this weekend and putting a world of pressure on Chicago going forward. Here’s a look at how they can do it.

1. Survive Early
The greatest mystery of Game 3 was the impossible-to-explain appearance of the Blackhawks simply not giving an all-out effort. The Bruins likely deserve some credit for imposing their will and making it hard for Chicago, but overall, there was very little desperation on display by the Blackhawks. Once they fell behind by two goals, they looked like a team waiting to lose rather than one willing to fight to win — or at least try to win.

If this were an early round and if the Blackhawks were the clearly inferior team, it might be safe to assume they’d roll over and quit. But this is the Stanley Cup Final, and these Blackhawks were the best team the NHL had to offer all season long. They will not fade away quietly, and I expect them to come out guns a-blazing early on in Game 4.

For the Bruins, that might mean treating the first 10 minutes like a road game. If the Bruins can stick with their defensive game plan, limit Chicago opportunities, lay big hits whenever the opportunity presents itself, block shots and allow Tuukka Rask to see shots, keeping the Blackhawks off the board early may deflate their sails, allowing the Bruins to mount an attack of their own.

The Blackhawks are going to hit the ice looking to get an early goal and take the crowd out of the game. It’s up to the Bruins to withstand the surge.

Click Here To Read More…

Sports Stories You May Also Be Interested In

• CBS Sports: Chris Bosh to the Fans That Left Game 6 Early: ‘Don’t come to Game 7′
• Woods to Rest Elbow until British Open
• CBS Sports: Bans Likely, MLB Starts Interviewing Players
• Pitcher Safety Against Liners Still Issue for MLB

He wakes up just before impact.

The real thing is a nightmare scenario that happens a couple times a season in the major leagues.

“Guys are bigger now and hitting the ball harder and we’re throwing the ball harder and when a guy hits one right on the screws bad things can happen,” Pestano said.

Most recently, it happened Saturday night in Florida.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb took a nasty shot off his head from the bat of Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer. That was the second time this season everyone in the stadium at a Rays game held their breath. In early May, on the very same mound, Toronto left-hander J.A. Happ took a nasty shot off his head.

Happ won’t return until July – at the soonest. There’s no timetable for Cobb yet, though he’s home from the hospital.

In the meantime, baseball is left to figure out how to protect pitchers before one gets hurt in a more serious way.

It’s not just a player’s health and livelihood at stake. Teams also lose money when their players are on the disabled list. While Major League Baseball has been auditioning various types of equipment to protect pitchers, nothing has made the cut yet.

Any gear would have to stay in place during the violent, whole-body motion of pitching, not hinder its effectiveness and, of course, effectively protect their heads in event of an impact.

“I really hope something gets done because it’s time to act,” Royals pitcher Bruce Chen said. “I know it will probably take a couple of years to get it done, but let’s do it. Too many guys are getting hurt.”

Every pitcher knows that any pitch could result in a ball flying 100 mph or more right back at his head. Not all of them agree that something must be done.

“No one’s forcing you to play this game, and we’re not children,” Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija said. “We’re playing big league baseball with grown men, so that’s the risk you take when you play this game.”

Samardzija played major college football as a wide receiver at Notre Dame before he went into professional baseball, so he knows about danger in sports, and is familiar with wearing a lot more protective equipment than he does on the mound.

He is adamantly against requiring pitchers to wear anything more than they do now.

“Absolutely not. No. This game’s been played the way it’s been played for a long time,” he said. “And when you sign up to play this game, no one’s forcing you to play. No one’s pulling you out there to do it. You’re choosing to do it. It’s what we love to do and obviously when you choose to play you take the risks that come with doing it.”

Each major league game has at least a couple hundred pitches thrown. And there are more than 2,500 games a season. Out of all those games and all those pitches, no more than a few have a pitcher getting hit in the head.

The rarity of those occurrences is such that most pitchers put it completely out of mind – out of necessity, if nothing else.

“If you think about it while you’re out there, you’re not going to get your job done,” said Chris Jakubauskas, who was hit by a line drive early in the 2010 season.

He sustained a concussion but recovered fully and is now in the Cleveland minor league organization, trying to return to the big leagues. He has more immediate problems than something that statistically improbable.

“When you take into account how many balls are put in play every single year,” Jakubauskas said. “The risk is there, if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, you just hope you’re in a place where you can protect yourself a little bit.”

Of the more than a dozen pitchers and managers The Associated Press interviewed for this story, the one thing they all emphasized was just how much bad luck it takes to be hit in the head.

Sure, when a player gets hit, everyone notices, but the vast majority of balls put into play come nowhere near hurting anyone. And even the close calls emphasize how unlikely it is for a pitcher’s head and a batted ball to wind up in the same place in such a way that the pitcher is unable to turn or get his glove up.

“That ball’s not big, so for that ball to hit me right there, the percentage of chance of that happening to me is not worth doing all the headgear,” Giants pitcher Jeremy Affeldt said. “Unless you have to, I’m for that. That’s just your livelihood, I’m not going to die. I’m not going to do it.”

Reds starter Mat Latos, meanwhile, actually calculated some chances.

“Let’s see. You have five starters. No, wait, you have, what, 12 pitchers on a team? Do the math,” he said, pulling out his phone to use the calculator function.

“You have 360 pitchers … and two have been hit in the head. It happens. It’s a terrible thing. When guys like Happ and Cobb get hit in the head, you feel terrible. It’s not because they’re your teammate or your friend. You feel terrible.”

Nevertheless, Latos was skeptical of mandating safety improvements.

“It is what it is,” he said. “You know comebackers can happen.”

And they will continue to do so. The question is what can be done to prevent these rare but dangerous incidents.

Helmets? Protective cap liners? A protective screen, like in batting practice? All of these have been suggested. None have been acclaimed in baseball. Neither by rookies or veterans.

“I’m not going to overreact to that because I’m not real sure a guy can pitch with a helmet to be honest with you,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “I can’t imagine a pitcher out there pitching with an ear flap on. … I hate to sound cold about it because I don’t mean to, but I’m not sure that’ll work.”

Ideally, baseball won’t have to find out.

“Hopefully it doesn’t get to the point where there is a mandate to wear something,” Pestano said. “Because that would mean something tragic has happened.”

Before 20,250 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium, the Americans remained atop the six-team CONCACAF group. The United States (4-1-1) won three straight games this month, all since a 0-0 draw at Mexico gave it a boost toward the top.

It has also shut out its last two opponents, Panama and Honduras.

Honduras (2-3-1) was the last team to win at the United States in a World Cup qualifying match, back in 2001. The Americans have won or drawn 25 straight at home since then.

The visitors made it difficult on the Americans for much of the game by slowing the pace before Altidore broke through.

After several second-half near misses, the U.S. got its goal in the 73rd minute. Altidore took a cross from Fabian Johnson from near the end line and put it past goalkeeper Noel Valladares across the goalmouth inside the right post.

It was Altidore’s ninth goal in a qualifier as he finally develops into the scoring threat the United States has hoped for.

Both teams played physical soccer in the first half, leading to an emphasis on defense and a limited number of scoring chances on either side of the field. Just before the first period ended, though, Tim Howard was forced to make a difficult save when Andy Najar launched a running right footer from the right side of the box. Howard met the ball in the center of the box and deflected it outside the right post.

Eddie Johnson had a chance in the 17th minute when he latched onto a cross from Fabian Johnson. His left-footed shot from the center of the box was knocked away by Valladares.

When the U.S. stepped up the offensive pressure early in the second half, it put Honduras on its heels. Altidore had the finishing touch.

He even appeared to score earlier in the half. Moments after Graham Zusi sent a free kick into a crowd of players just outside the 6-yard box in the 56th minute, only to see Brad Evans’ header go right into Valladares’ gloves, Altidore got behind the defense. Clint Dempsey sent a through ball ahead to Altidore, who was ruled offside and his score was negated.

Valladares came up with another clutch save in the 69th minute. Zusi, who was particularly active all night after sitting out the win over Panama because of yellow card accumulation, sent a ball into Dempsey in the center of the box and he leaned into a point-blank header. The ball bounced off of Valladares’ hands and Michael Bradley sent a follow-up shot too high.

St. Louis has a long and distinguished place in professional indoor soccer history. Record-setting crowds watching the Steamers at the old Arena on Oakland Avenue. Ambush teams of the 1990’s packed with talented names like Moser, Reiniger, Doran, Kuntz, Swanner, Hundelt and more. The more recent incarnation of the Steamers that came within a hair of capturing the 2005-06 MISL Championship.

Throughout the storied history of indoor soccer in St. Louis, only one team has captured a league championship. That team was the 1994-95 St. Louis Ambush. “One of our goals from day one is to put a quality product on the field and bring a championship to the great fans in St. Louis. Reviving the champion Ambush name fits perfectly with that goal,” said Haines. Although winning the league title is a goal, Haines remains focused on giving fans the most for their entertainment dollar. “I like to win, but at the same time I’m interested in the overall experience,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. As the team owner, I’m focused on fans having a good experience at the games.”

Daryl Doran, a St. Louis legend will be focused on putting a winning team on the Family Arena carpet. The name Daryl Doran is synonymous with soccer in St. Louis. He is the only player to play for every St. Louis pro indoor soccer team: the original Steamers, the Storm, the Ambush and the revived Steamers. He holds the record for most professional indoor soccer games played at 827. He has coached both the Ambush and Steamers. In fact, it was Doran who was at the helm of the 94-95 Ambush championship squad and he earned the Coach of the Year honor for his outstanding efforts. Throughout his career, Doran has maintained a commitment to the dignity of the sport and has passed that on to his players. He has earned the respect of fans, players and opponents alike.

Doran returns this fall as Head Coach of the Ambush. Team owner Haines said, “Daryl was our first choice to take the reigns of the new Ambush. I’m thrilled we were able to get him and I’m sure fans will be as well.” “Indoor soccer is in my blood,” Doran said. “I’m excited to return and encouraged by the commitment made by the new ownership. I think fans will like what they see from us. We have a lot of work to do and I’m ready to get started.”

The Family Arena in St. Charles will be home to the new St. Louis Ambush franchise. The venue sits just west of the Missouri River, midway between Highways 70 and 364 (Page), and is easily accessible to a wide portion of the populace in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

St. Charles County, owner of the arena, invested over $800,000 in improvements and upgrades earlier this year. “We were impressed by the commitment made by St. Charles County and it was among the reasons we chose this facility as the home of the Ambush and the Monsters,” Haines said. The improvements include new dasher boards and two 30’X25’ high-definition video and scoring displays, and ribbon boards running around the middle deck of the arena.

For more information about the St. Louis Ambush visit http://www.stlouisambush.com or call the team office at 636-395-0896.

“Robert fits everything that we are looking for as a scouting department,” said Cardinals Scouting Director Dan Kantrovitz. “He has outstanding stuff. He has plus fastball velocity, excellent command and an out-pitch in his curveball that was one of the best in the country this year. In addition to his stuff, he is a tremendous kid and a tireless worker. Although only 18-years old, we think he is mature enough mentally and advanced enough physically to hit the ground running.”

Today’s signees also include pitcher Andrew Pierce (8th round, Southern Mississippi), infielder Richy Pedroza (17th round, Cal-State Fullerton), infielder J.J. Altobelli (18th round, Oregon), pitcher Michael Holback (25th round, Cal Poly-SLO), pitcher Will Anderson (26th round, Fresno State) and Justin Ringo (28th round, Stanford). The team also signed two non-drafted free agents in St. Louis native infielder Kyle Grieshaber (Central Missouri State) and Frankie Rodriguez, a 17-year old catcher from Puerto Rico.

BOSTON (AP) — Five things learned in the Boston Bruins’ win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals Monday night:

___

SUPAH TUUKKA: Tuukka Rask is proving the Bruins right for putting their faith in him. Rask watched the Bruins’ entire 2011 Stanley Cup run from the bench while Tim Thomas led Boston to the NHL title, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in the process. But after the enigmatic Thomas decided to take a year off from playing there’s been no drop-off. Rask’s numbers this postseason are even better than Thomas’ were two years ago: 14-5 with a .946 save percentage and a 1.64 goals-against average. (Thomas was 16-9, .940, 1.98). Rask had 28 saves Monday night to post his third shutout of the playoffs and extend his shutout streak to more than 122 minutes. He’s the biggest reason the Bruins are ahead 2-1 in the series.

___

LIVELY LINE: The revamped third line of Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin paid off for the second straight game. Boston coach Claude Julien bumped Paille up from the fourth line in Game 2 and he ended up scoring the winner in overtime. Kelly scored Boston’s other goal in the 2-1 win and assisted on Paille’s goal Monday that put the Bruins up 1-0. “I think we are just putting pucks on net and reading plays,” Paille said. “I think we are managing the puck a little bit better. Just on my goal, you saw Kells go in, and I went in and then I shot. I think we are just not giving them enough time to think with the puck and we are able to get it.” Kelly and Paille also drew penalties that led to Patrice Bergeron’s goal with 5:55 left in the second, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead. “We’re having fun. The three of us are working hard and having fun, which is nice,” Kelly said. “It’s always fun, but some days are more fun than others.” Indeed.

___

FACE-OFF FOLLIES: Patrice Bergeron won 24 faceoffs on Monday night. That’s eight more than Chicago won as a team, and nobody had a worse night in the circle for the Blackhawks than Michal Handzus, who was a perfect 0-for-10 for a Bluto-like average of 0.00. “That’s definitely something that we take a lot of pride in and we talk about a lot,” Bergeron said. “We have some really good centermen, so it’s not just about the four centers, it’s about everyone on the ice chipping in and helping to get those battles.”

___

DAVE’S NOT HERE: Chicago defenseman Dave Bolland had a rough night. He was called for three of Chicago’s six penalties and made two mistakes that helped lead to Boston’s two goals. The first was a turnover that led to Paille’s goal 2:13 into the second period. The second was cross-checking Kelly into the net and Chicago goalie Corey Crawford with 8:00 left in the second. A second Chicago penalty led to a brief 5-on-3 for Boston. Bolland was out of the penalty box, but didn’t have time to get back into the play before Bergeron put Boston up 2-0 with 5:55 left in the second. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville didn’t have much to say about Bolland after the game. “Haven’t talked to him yet,” Quenneville said. “We’ll reassess and reevaluate the game.”

___

HISTORY MAY NOT HELP: The Chicago Blackhawks trailed the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 in the Western Conference finals then won the next three games. So a 2-1 deficit against the Boston Bruins certainly isn’t too big to overcome. It’s just that one comeback may not be the same as another. “I think they’re a little bit different team than Detroit was,” Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford said of the Bruins. “They’re able to sit back and wait for us to collapse defensively. You can’t block everything. But we made some plays, we had some good shots and had a couple of the chances went just wide.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Australia beat Iraq 1-0 in Sydney before a crowd of 80,532, with Josh Kennedy scoring on a header in the 83rd minute. The Aussies began the game knowing a win over Iraq would put them through to a third straight World Cup appearance.

“Sorry, it wasn’t pretty,” Australia captain Lucas Neill said. “But we’ve beaten what was in front of us and pushed ourselves on to a very exciting tournament.”

Iran won 1-0 on a goal by Reza Ghoochannejad in the 60th minute at Ulsan, South Korea. Iran finished first in its group and reached the World Cup for the fourth time.

South Korea secured second place on goal difference after finishing even on points with Uzbekistan, which won 5-1 at home against Qatar. South Korea is going to its eighth straight World Cup.

“When Korea created opportunities, our players fought for our lives,” Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said.

The win set off wild celebrations across Iran, where the government had given rare approval for fans to spill into the streets. In separate messages, outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and President-elect Hasan Rowhani congratulated the team.

Uzbekistan scored all five goals in the second half in a surging finish that threatened to knock South Korea out of second place. But the Uzbeks ran out of time and finished third. They now enter a playoff against Jordan or Oman.

“We will continue to battle in the next round, although we need a little time to recover,” Uzbekistan coach Mirdjalal Kasimov said.

After nearly three full games (13 periods), the Bruins and Blackhawks got past their pleasantries and engaged in a full-on brawl in the waning seconds of Game 3.

With roughly 20 seconds to go and the Bruins leading 2-0, Zdeno Chara dumped Bryan Bickell to the ice on front of the Boston net. Bickell tugged on Chara’s jersey and then cross-checked the much taller defenseman in the side.

Had the cross-check come in the middle of the game, Chara no doubt would have let it go without responding. Such is the price one pays while protecting the front of the net. However, with the game in hand, Chara decided to send a message to the Blackhawks that if they want to camp out in front of the net, they’re going to have to pay a price.

Chara clobbered Bickell, smothering him into the ice and remaining on top of him for several seconds until a sea of white and black sweaters converged upon them.

Out of the scrum emerged Brad Marchand and Andrew Shaw, who said before the series that he’d like to model his game after the pesky Bruins winger. Neither player landed any punches while standing, but after they wrestled each other to the ground, Shaw delivered a heavy right punch to Marchand, who was lying on his back on the ice. It may have violated “the code,” but it likely just canceled out Chara’s bullying of Bickell.

Given there’s so much at stake during these games, it’s almost a guarantee that neither team will be going out of its way to retaliate or threaten to drop the gloves in Game 4 and beyond — at least not unless a game is pretty much over, like it was in Game 3.

Regardless, messages were sent loud and clear. The Blackhawks, who could not generate any traffic in front of Tuukka Rask all game, know they’re going to have to endure a certain level of punishment if they hope to accomplish that. And both ways, the Bruins and Blackhawks know that they won’t be receiving Christmas cards with friendly holiday greetings from each other come December.

Game 4 will take place Wednesday night at the TD Garden.

After playing four extra periods in the first two games, the Bruins made an early night of it with second-period goals by Daniel Paille and Patrice Bergeron to win 2-0 and take a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup finals.

Rask stopped 28 shots for his third shutout of the 2013 playoffs.

Corey Crawford made 33 saves for the Blackhawks.

Game 4 is Wednesday night in Boston before the matchup of Original Six teams returns to Chicago for a fifth game. The teams split the first two games there, with the Blackhawks winning Game 1 in triple-overtime and the Bruins stealing home-ice advantage on Paille’s goal in the first OT of the second game.

But this time the intrigue came before the opening faceoff instead of after the end of regulation.

Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara and Chicago forward Marian Hossa were both injured during warmups. But while Chara needed just some stitches after his collision with teammate Milan Lucic, Hossa was a late scratch with an unspecified injury.

Hossa, who has three game-winning goals in the playoffs this year, was tied for the team lead with 15 playoff points and was third on the Blackhawks with 17 goals during the regular season.

It was a loss the Blackhawks couldn’t afford.

Not with Rask stopping everything that came his way.

The Bruins’ goalie, who was a backup to Conn Smythe-winner Tim Thomas in the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup run, didn’t face as difficult a test as in the first period of Game 2, when the Blackhawks sent 19 shots at him but managed just one goal. But he stymied them all game and got some help from the post on Bryan Bickell’s shot with 42 seconds left in the game.

The puck caromed off the right post and the goal light flickered on briefly, but play continued for another 30 seconds before the whistle blew and the game degenerated into fisticuffs. Chara was on top of Viktor Stalberg, pounding away, and Andrew Shaw got the better of Brad Marchand.

By the time it was all sorted out, the benches were a little emptier but the scoring column for Chicago was still blank.

After a scoreless first period, the Bruins made it 1-0 when Paille slapped in the puck at 2:13 of the second, falling to one knee for extra power. It stayed that way until late in the second, when the Bruins picked up their first power plays of the game on two nearly identical plays, with a Bruin racing to the net and a Blackhawk undercutting his skates and sending him crashing into the left post.

Boston set up their offense during the 11-second two-man advantage, and just five seconds after it expired — but before Dave Bolland was able to get back into the play — Jaromir Jagr slid one across the middle, past Lucic in the center to Bergeron on the other side for the easy one-timer.

It was Jagr’s 197th career playoff point in 199 games, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the NHL’s all-time postseason points list.

Notes: Jagr had been tied with Paul Coffey on the career postseason scoring list. … Two of Jagr’s playoff points came on goals scored against the Blackhawks when they were swept by Penguins in 1992 final. … Boston’s Gregory Campbell, who broke his leg blocking a shot in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, attended the game. … The Bruins have killed off 27 straight penalties in the playoffs. … Boston’s David Krejci entered the game tied with Chicago’s Andrew Sharp for the most goals in the postseason with nine. The Bruins center entered the game leading all scorers with 23 points. … The Bruins are attempting to win a Cup for the second time in three seasons for the third time in their history. They also did it in 1939 and ’41 and again in 1970 and ’72. … Bruins won their seventh straight home playoff game. … The Blackhawks fell to 3-5 on the road in the postseason. … Ben Smith, who played just one game this regular season and none in the playoffs, replaced Hossa in the lineup. … Stalberg replaced Brandon Bollig in the lineup for Chicago.

(© 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)

Well, Crosby’s not even doing the complaining himself, leaving his agent, Pat Brisson, to be his mouthpiece. As Damien Cox of the Toronto Star passed along on Friday, “Sidney Crosby’s agent is convinced Zdeno Chara of the Bruins intentionally punched Crosby where he had broken his jaw in Game 1. Nasty.”

Game 1, in case you have forgotten, took place two full weeks before the agent spread the word. The reason may be because it took a while to not only find footage of the “punch” but to then display in slow-motion in such a way that it looked to be a heavy blow to the jaw. In real speed, Chara’s “punch” of Crosby was nothing more than a shove with his left arm, which only came after Crosby had grabbed the back of Chara’s shoulder pads following a whistle in front of the Boston net.

But in super slow-motion, and with some sort of mega zoom, Crosby and his agent were convinced that Chara had purposefully taken the time to carefully target Crosby’s exposed jaw with a direct jab in the middle of a scrum. And so they gathered the video and sent it along to TSN, which was happy to “report” on the wretched assault on hockey’s golden boy. (TSN’s Darren Dreger actually took Chara aside to show him the video. Chara is in the middle of playing for the Stanley Cup.)

The play in question came just five minutes into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tuukka Rask covered a puck, and Chara shoved Brenden Morrow out of the crease. Crosby reached out with his left hand and grabbed the back of Chara’s neck. Chara turned, saw Crosby grabbing onto him, and shoved him with his left hand to separate himself from Crosby. The Penguins’ captain did not let go of the Bruins’ captain, and after exchanging a few words, they were eventually separated by officials.

While the Zapruder-esque slow-motion footage provided by TSN looks damning for Chara, the video at regular speed (uploaded to YouTube by user @dafoomie) of the “incident” shows it for it is: nothing.

First and foremost, if Crosby’s jaw was not able to withstand the punishment that takes place during Stanley Cup playoff games, then the plastic shield guarding his jaw should never have been removed from his helmet. But it was, and that’s not any opponent’s fault.

“[Team doctors are] comfortable with it coming off, being hit and things like that,” Crosby said of the removal of his face shield prior to the series against the Bruins, thereby indicating his jaw was OK.

If Crosby wanted special treatment due to an injury from which doctors determined he had already recovered, then he shouldn’t have been on the ice at all.

Secondly, and perhaps worst of all, is the fact that this may be the first time in history that a hockey player has complained publicly about generic post-whistle roughhousing two weeks after it happened. Hockey is a man’s game, played by self-respecting tough guys who can get gashed open by a skate blade and still pretend like it doesn’t hurt. And yet, there is Crosby, upset he was shoved by a man whom he had grabbed seconds earlier. Accusing Chara of targeting his jaw two weeks after the fact is no doubt an unprecedented move in hockey’s rich history. (Continued…)

The “intentional” assault on Crosby’s jaw was used to explain why the 25-year-old was so upset at the end of the second period of that game. On his way off the ice after the second with the Bruins leading 1-0, Crosby said something to Chara, drawing a laugh from the 6-foot-9 defenseman. Crosby then bumped into Rask and appeared willing to get into a jousting match with the netminder. Then, after Evgeni Malkin and Patrice Bergeron fought each other and fell to the ice, Crosby and Chara confronted each other at the center ice faceoff dot. They exchanged words, with Chara leaning over to look Crosby eye-to-eye, and they eventually walked to their respective locker rooms.

Crosby went on to be held without a single point as his Penguins were swept by the Bruins.

Crosby did sort of refer to the play in question after the game.

“They’re letting a lot go out there, and the more it gets like that, the more it’s going to escalate,” Crosby said of the referees, who penalized him for interference as well as slashing in Game 1. “You can only control and channel that stuff so much. You keep letting guys do that stuff, you’re just going to push the envelope. That’s something we obviously want to stay away from, but it’s kind of a natural thing when it gets like that.”

Crosby might not have referred to the “punch” specifically at the time, because he knew his video team would need some time to rewrite history before it went public.

Just like the many instances of Crosby doing things on the ice that the most talented player in the world does not need to be doing, it’s disappointing to see. It’s why those of us who had hoped we were seeing the next Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux have come to terms with the fact that we simply are not. Crosby may be more talented than anyone else on the planet, but the more he gets caught up in nonsense like this instead of simply dominating hockey games, the less likeable he becomes.

That shift Crosby had in double overtime of Game 3 in Boston, when he lost his helmet and went on a determined rampage to try to score the game-winning goal? That’s the Crosby we all want to see. Knowing he’s capable of that but seeing him get tangled up in this is what makes it so difficult to embrace Crosby as this generation’s greatest player.

By coming out and not only claiming a regular post-whistle shove was a direct punch but also claiming Chara purposely targeted an injured jaw is a legitimately low and contemptible action by Crosby, who continues to act like he is bigger than the game. Hopefully some day, he’ll learn he is not.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

-I remember not too long ago when Cardinals-Cubs games weren’t only fun, but were meaningful. I miss the days of the rivalry meaning just as much on the field as it does off the field. Hopefully, the Cubs are on the verge of becoming relevant again.

I say that because there’s something special about Cardinals-Cubs games that have big time meaning in the NL Central race. Don’t get me wrong, the series are still fun no matter what, but I believe that baseball suffers when some of the best rivalries in the game aren’t also the most competitive.

I think the Cubs will eventually become relevant again for more than the bickering that the organization has done with the rooftop owners around Wrigley Field, and I look forward to those days. Fans of both teams should as well.

 -I wrote before the NBA Finals started that the Spurs weren’t getting enough credit from people for the type of basketball team that they are. For some reason, a lot of fans are lazy, and still think San Antonio is a defensive-minded, slow-paced, grind it out team.

The truth is, they are anything but that. This series has been all about the Spurs taking the Heat out of their comfort zones on both end of the court, and it’s worked magnificently in the 3 San Antonio wins. Just about the only way to neutralize LeBron James for stretches is to throw everything you have at him. The Spurs have done that, hitting James with a different look almost each possession.

I don’t know if it will be enough for the Spurs to win one game in Miami, but it’s certainly been a competitive and compelling series. Oh, and, it helps that Danny Green has hit just about everything that he’s looked at.

-Some people love that the US Open can make the best golfers in the world look average or even worse, and some can’t stand it. Count me as someone who doesn’t really mind one way or the other, as long as big names are involved and the storylines are compelling.

And how about the storylines on Sunday? Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker & more. Huge name after huge name at the top of the leaderboard.

I enjoyed the coverage of the tournament, and thought it was a fun finish at Merion, with a few guys having and ultimately blowing opportunities before Justin Rose took advantage and won the Championship. It’s too bad Tiger wasn’t in the mix, but there wasn’t a shortage of marquee storylines for me.

The biggest race going on right now is between Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, and Buster Posey, the backstop for the San Fransisco Giants. Posey now leads Molina by less than one hundred thousand votes, and that margin keeps getting smaller day by day.

Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran has also managed to bring in a lot of votes, 2,385,240, surpassing Justin Upton and Bryce Harper for the current top spot in the outfield, Matt Holiday has moved into sixth place in voting for that position.

Other Cardinals that are trying to push their way into the lineup are first baseman Allen Craig, currently in third place, second basemen Matt Carpenter, in third place, and third basemen David Freese, who is also in third place.

Click here for more on the National League voting race.

Cobb was released from the hospital Sunday, but the talk of doing more to protect pitchers continues. Former minor leaguer and current youth baseball coach Lance Shermann suggests a specially designed helmet. “Something that would protect the temple area, especially maybe the eye socket.”

But major leaguer Matt Whiteside, says while requiring pitchers to wear helmets sounds like an easy solution, it really isn’t.

“There are so many things you have to take into consideration when you’re pitching,” says Whiteside. “If your head moves around — I don’t think, at least nothing I’ve seen, would be secure enough or stay stable enough so it wouldn’t be in your way.”

Whiteside now coaches young pitchers at All Star Performance.

He tells KMOX putting Kevlar in caps makes sense, but that wouldn’t protect the face.

He believes you’ll never be able to completely eliminate the risk faced by pitchers.

This season’s winner is Pittsburgh Penguins’ center Sidney Crosby.

Crosby wins his second Lindsay Award after posting 56 points in just 36 games, before breaking his jaw and missing the team’s final 12 games.

“It is nice to be recognized by the guys that you play against,” Crosby said. “I think it’s obviously a compliment.”

The Penguins’ captain returned to the form he had reached before his concussion issues began at Heinz Field during the Winter Classic in 2011.

“I was well rested,” Crosby joked. “I got [back] to the level that I wanted to.”

Crosby was also nominated for the Hart Trophy, which is the official league MVP. That award went to the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin.

Crosby wanted to win, but said losing out on the award will not cause him any lost sleep.

Crosby’s teammate, Kris Letang was nominated for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman. The award was given to Montreal’s P.K. Subban.

RELATED LINKS:
Ray Shero Named NHL GM Of The Year (6/15/13)
More Penguins News
More Sports News

Maybe they sensed that there would still be a lot more hockey before the night was over.

Ten periods into their championship series, the Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks headed to Boston for Game 3 on Monday night. No one would be surprised if this one’s as close as the first two.

“I think it’s pretty much what everybody expected,” Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask said Sunday. “I mean, I don’t know if anybody expected to go to triple overtime the first game, but still it’s been tight, one-goal games. That’s usually how the playoffs go.”

Neither team skated on the off-day on Sunday, instead choosing to conserve their energy after playing four extra periods while trading overtime victories that left the series tied at one game.

“It’s a lot about getting your rest,” Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said after arriving in Boston about an hour late because of air traffic. “It’s not rocket science, you just get sleep and do as best you can and do all those little things to get ready to go.”

Read: 3 Keys For A Game 3 Victory

After their triple overtime win in Game 1, the Blackhawks dominated the first period of Game 2, outshooting the Bruins 19-4. Heading off the ice for the first break, Tyler Seguin ditched the microphone he had been wearing as part of the TV broadcast.

Then he went back into the dressing room so the team could hash out its problems in peace.

“It was really a mix of everybody saying something,” Seguin said. “I definitely knew it was coming, so I threw my shoulder pads in the training room and put a towel over it so no one could hear what we were saying. I think we needed that team wake-up call.”

Only Rask prevented things from getting worse.

“Not much needed to be said after that first period,” said Chris Kelly, who was one of the more vocal players in the dressing room.

“I think Tuukka pointed out that was a pretty terrible period by our team. If it wasn’t for Tuukka, it would have been a lot worse.”

Neither Kelly nor coach Claude Julien nor any of the other Bruins would divulge what was said in the room.

But something snapped them out of their funk.

“Claude came in a little bit later, but I think we were all equally upset about that first period,” said Daniel Paille, who scored at 13:48 of overtime to end it.

“Definitely, Claude let us know and it was a way for us to wake up. And, also, players were keeping each other accountable, too, so it was good.”

Whatever was said, the Blackhawks managed only 15 shots over the next two-plus periods to Boston’s 24.

For the game, the Bruins had 50 hits — 10 by Milan Lucic — to 34 for Chicago.

“They’re in the Stanley Cup final for a reason,” Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane said. “It’s not like you’re going to have the momentum or dominate for three periods. Obviously, we’d love that.

“We know momentum is huge in the playoffs. You want to keep it as long as you can.”

But Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland said they relaxed after taking an early lead and dominating the first period. Another goal was disallowed when the referee lost sight of the puck and blew the whistle moments before it rolled under Rask and over the goal line.

Read: 5 Things We Learned In Game 2

“You always have to have your foot on the gas against this team,” Bolland said. “They’re a physical team. You see the guys they have. They’re a big team and they play hard and they’re going to hit, so you’ve got to be ready for that.”

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said he didn’t think the team lost momentum by having an extra day off before Game 1 on Wednesday and Game 2 on Saturday.

“We had a great first period,” he said. “We did everything we wanted except get to two (goals).”

Follow Jimmy Golen on Twitter at 
http://www.twitter.com/jgolen
 .

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

While it was mission accomplished in that sense, both of these teams know the series is a long way from being decided. The winner of tonight’s Game 3, though, will be in the driver’s seat with a 2-1 series lead.

For the Bruins to gain that lead, here are three keys to Game 3.

Milan Lucic, Wrecking Ball
In the days of Mark Recchi, the nickname “Wrecking Ball” was thrown around for the veteran’s willingness to skate to the dirty areas and take and give out the punishment that comes with the territory. But even Recchi himself never actually resembled a wrecking ball, at least not like Milan Lucic did in Game 2.

Sports Final: Bob Beers On Bruins’ Game 2 Win, Previews Game 3 Of Stanley Cup Final

The big-bodied left winger used his size to his advantage in Game 2, absolutely bullying the Blackhawks with clean but heavy body checks all night long. On the stat sheet, Lucic was credited with a game-high 10 hits, four more than any other player, and though there’s no way to properly quantify their impact, there’s little doubt he helped wear down the Blackhawks. It was evident in the third period, when Lucic would enter the Chicago zone on the forecheck. By that point, Blackhawks D-men could be seen taking circuitous routes to the puck in order to let Lucic get there first. The D-men likely figured they’d have a better chance battling for the puck than they would getting crushed into the end boards.

The question for Game 3 is whether Lucic wore down himself with all that hitting. After more than 38 minutes on the ice in Game 1 and a punishing 24:33 time on ice in Game 2, Lucic is no doubt a little tired heading into Game 3. Then again, so is everyone else. If Lucic can once again impose his presence the way he did in Game 2, it’ll be another long night for the Blackhawks.

Tuukka Being Tuukka
At this point, there’s really not much left to say about Tuukka Rask. He saves just about every single puck he sees, and even some he doesn’t. His numbers are absurd, and he was the sole reason the Bruins had any chance to even win Game 2.

Stanley Cup Notebook: Rask, Thomas Remain Connected

Fortunately for him, it would be hard to believe it could get much tougher than the first period of Game 2, when he stopped 18 of 19 shots, with only a Patrick Sharp shot through a couple of bodies finding its way into the net.

Unfortunately for Tuukka, the man across the ice has been just as good. Here’s how Corey Crawford’s numbers compare to Rask this postseason:

Crawford: 13-6 record, .935 save percentage, 1.72 goals-against average
Rask: 13-5 record, .944 save percentage, 1.73 goals-against average

For Rask, that means there’s no room for a letdown. While he didn’t really have much of a chance on three of Chicago’s four goals in Game 1, he may have to make an impossible save or two to keep similar shots out of the net going forward. Knowing how solid Crawford’s been for Chicago, it looks like these games will all come down to one goal. Rask is going to have to maintain his out-of-control pace as the team’s MVP for the Bruins to keep winning games.

O From D
A major part of the Bruins’ somewhat surprising run to the Cup Final was unlikely scoring from the blue line. Though Adam McQuaid made the play to keep the puck in the Chicago zone for the game-winning goal in Game 2, the defensemen have yet to find the back of the net for the Bruins this series.

Prior to the Final, the blue-liners chipped in with a healthy dose of complementary scoring. Johnny Boychuk netted five goals, which is still tied for fourth-most on the team this postseason. Torey Krug, quite memorably, scored four goals against the Rangers in the second round, while Adam McQuaid doubled his regular-season goal total with two, including the lone goal of the Bruins’ Game 4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In this series, goals from the D-men won’t be a necessity, but they may be the biggest key if the Bruins hope to try to build a lead bigger than one goal. Whether it’s a Boychuk blast through traffic, Krug on the power play or a well-placed wrister by Andrew Ference, Game 3 would be a good time for the D-men to get on the score sheet.

Read more from Michael by clicking here, or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.