Being from the Boston area, I am pre-disposed to being a Bruins fan. My family members are all Bruins fans (my dad grew up during the "Big Bad Bruins" era, and was even at the Garden for one of the Cup victories), my friends are all Bruins fans, and as much as I hate to admit it, deep down, I am a Bruins fan.
My formative hockey years were during the late '80's and early '90's, when the Bruins were one of the most entertaining, exciting and even dominant teams around. Looking back at those teams, it is hard to imagine how they didn't win a Stanley Cup. It's hard to imagine, that is, until you remember the plight of the Bruins: Ownership.
I was barely a teenager during that time period, just being introduced to the sport at the time. I knew most of the players on the team, and understood almost all of the rules. I was certainly no expert. But even at that stage in my hockey watching career, I could tell that they were always missing one piece. They were always one trade, one big name free agent signing away it seemed. And it was frustrating.
Finally, one year, Jacobs finally opened up his wallet (moths flew out, I'm sure) and spent big, on Kevin Stevens. Sure, he was a 50 goal scorer on a line with Lemieux and Jagr. He had to be good. But then again, so wasn't Sean Brown (and I know, you're scratching your head saying "who?"). It didn't work, for a multitude of reasons. And for years after, Jacobs used this as his reasoning for not making any other big splashes.
Now, years later, I actively root against the Bruins, even though at heart I am still a fan. They manage to continually botch chances at greatness (i.e. last year's Joe Thornton trade). As a fan of Phil Kessel, I was horrified when the Bruins drafted him- I didn't want to see him languish in Boston for years, wasting his vast potential.
Last night, watching the Bruins beat the Pens in overtime was bittersweet. I don't want to see Boston succeed, not until Jacobs is gone. But as a Bruins fan, born and raised, it was good to see them come back and win. And no matter what, you can't not root for Phil Kessel. The kid has been through enough already.