JULIEN AND CHIARELLI HAVE BOSTON IN THE HUNT AGAIN

The Boston Bruins haven't won a Stanley Cup Championhip since 1972. During the drought, the B's have had some good teams, they've even had some great teams, but haven't had that extra something that propells some teams to titles. Horrid ownership, poor decision making upstairs, and flat out cheapness have contributed to the decline in one of the original six teams, and attendance figures and fan support have waned.

But now, the big bad Bruins are back. I know that during the past 36 years there have been some good Boston clubs, but the 2008-09 incarnation just seems different. Head coach Claude Julien and general manager Peter Chiarelli have the Bruins on top of the league again, and poised to make a run for that long awaited next Cup.

The potent combination of system and smarts are why Boston is in such good shape. When Chiarelli took over the Bruins, he vowed to make them younger and quicker. Julien's system has worked perfectly for the players that Chiarelli acquired, and the team has really bought in to their head coach's pleas.

The Bruins are much better defensively now, keeping pucks out of their own net. Smart neutral zone plays (not a full out trap, but getting there) lead to offensive rushes, and the B's have certainly been able to convert.

The combo of smart free agent signings (Savard, Chara, Ryder, Stephane Yelle, Blake Wheeler) and perfect drafting (Lucic, Kessel, Krejci), with a few trades thrown in (Dennis Wideman for Brad Boyes) have produced one of the deepest, most talented teams in hockey.

With Chiarelli upstairs (with Cam Neely) making the personnel decisions, and Julien on the ice with the players, Boston is, as NESN so often reminds us, a hockey town once again. The B's, who lead San Jose by five points in the race for the President's Trophy, certainly have captured the city's imagination and have Boston thinking Stanley Cup once again.