A run-it-back, ‘Last Dance’ approach from the Bruins in pursuit of one more Stanley Cup did not go as planned.
In fact, what the Bruins hoped would be a two-month run to glory and a Duck Boat parade through the streets of Boston was cut short — and in absolutely stunning fashion — in less than two weeks.
For the core of this team, it’ll be the fuel that powers their offseason workouts. For others, it’ll be their final memory in Boston before cashing in elsewhere. But for guys like Bruins center David Krejci, who came back to Boston for another run with the only NHL team he had ever known after a year in the Czech League, the unknown of it all only adds to the pain.
“I have lost some tough years before, but this one I would put probably right next to 2019,” Krejci, holding court in front of his stall at Warrior Ice Arena on break-up day, admitted. “This one’s going to hurt.”
Krejci also didn’t hide from the elephant in the room when it comes to the extra ‘hurt’ of this first-round exit.
“Then you have another thing: That could’ve been my last game,” Krejci acknowledged. “There’s just lots of emotions. I don’t even like to talk about it, because we have talked about it with lots of guys in the last couple days.
“It gets emotional and [I’m] just not ready right now.”