Peter Schaefer News

By his own admission, Blake Wheeler ran out of gas last season, and probably deserved to be out of uniform when the Bruins concluded the second round of the playoffs against Carolina.

It's finally here: The end is in sight. Now? We're simply left with the Northeast.

Bruins coach Claude Julien and his players were back on the TD Garden ice yesterday for the first official practice of camp.

After spending most of his post-lockout hockey career with the Phoenix Coyotes, Derek Morris was pretty thrilled to see the Bruins fans that filled the side sections of TD Garden's lower bowl for the first official practice of the new season.

This time, the Toronto Maple Leafs could not hide behind a consolation point in the standings.

After every season, most players pause for a breather upon concluding exit meetings and returning home.

After an action-packed first day that saw a total of 51 players sign new contracts for the 2009-10 season, day two slowed down quite a bit.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli held a conference call with the media this afternoon to discuss free agency, which begins tomorrow at noon.

Peter Schaefer #72 of the Boston Bruins looks to make a pass from behind the net in the game against the Montreal Canadiens during Game 3 of the 2008 NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at the TD Banknorth Garden April 13, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Boston Bruins took a few baby steps into free agency Thursday, signing veteran forward Steve Begin and re-signing defenseman Johnny Boychuk and forward Byron Bitz.

Instead of diving headlong into the free-agent pool on the first day, as has been their custom the last three years, the Bruins are content to stick their toe in today and test the waters before deciding whether even to get wet.

Three veteran NHLers have been placed on unconditional waivers, for the purposes of buying out their contracts.

If all of the rumors swirling around here yesterday come true, Vincent Lecavalier will be traded to the Canadiens today, Jay Bouwmeester will cut a long-term deal with the Flyers, and Dany Heatley will land in Los Angeles with his bag of hat tricks.

In retrospect, the Hershey Bears could have made things easier for themselves if they emulated defenseman Bryan Helmer.

The Providence Bruins' dreams of winning their second Calder Cup in franchise history came to an end Monday evening with a 5-2 loss to Hershey in Game Five of the Eastern Conference finals.

The knife fell first on Phil Kessel, the speedy winger undergoing shoulder surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital last week, which should prevent the Bruins' top goal scorer from participating in the US Olympic camp in August.

A 2003 fourth-round draft pick out of Cornell with one OK season in AHL-Providence under his belt, Bitz did not figure into a Bruins team deep enough to send Peter Schaefer and his $2.1 million salary, as well as promising youngster Vladimir Sobotka, to Providence.

Throughout their long and storied history in the American Hockey League, the Hershey Bears have made a habit of being one of the toughest teams around.

Hershey s Bryan Helmer winds up and fires the puck toward the Providence net as the Bruins Peter Schaefer defends last night.

Feeling a little left out, fellow Bruins fans? Hate the early and disappointing exit? Worried about the salary cap next year? ...then have I got some good news for you.