With
that, they secured a 4-1 series triumph in the AHL’s best-of-seven New England
Division Final. The closer came 24 hours after the P-Bruins averted a sweep
with a 2-1 squeaker at the Providence Civic Center.
Wednesday
will end the mind-boggling wait for the next Calder Cup playoff bout between
the AHL’s two most time-honored New England cities. To compound the hiatus, the
teams that succeeded the Providence Reds and Springfield Indians are two of
only seven surviving AHL franchises from the years of their previous playoff meetings.
After
nearly 17 full years, the 22-year-old Providence and 20-year-old Springfield
franchises will commence their third all-time postseason encounter. (The other
came in the first round of the 1996 dance, when the Falcons zapped the Bruins,
three games to one.)
Due
to venue scheduling complications, the seventh-seeded Bruins will host Game 1
of this best-of-five Eastern Conference quarterfinal at the Dunkin Donuts
Center. The higher-seeded Falcons will have the home ice they earned at
MassMutual Center for Games 2, 3 and, if necessary, 5.
For
those who have been in protracted seclusion, the two Civic Centers are still
around, yet no more. The corporate bug bit the “Bear Den” and “The Nest” alike
since the last Providence-Springfield series.
Here
are 17 other developments from the past 17 years for the Bruins, Falcons, their
cities and states, the sports world and the world in general:
· The
P-Bruins have made 12 playoff appearances, facing opponents from 14 different
cities in an aggregate 26 series. Those include multiple engagements with teams
from Hartford, Lowell, Manchester, Portland and Worcester.
· The
Falcons have undergone five affiliation changes. They went from a joint
partnership with the Whalers and Coyotes to linking up with the Kings,
Islanders, Lightning, Oilers and now the Blue Jackets.
· The
Hartford Wolf Pack have replaced the Whalers, won a Calder Cup, faced the
P-Bruins in four playoff rounds, faced the Falcons in three and momentarily
changed their identity to the Connecticut Whale.
· The
P-Bruins have made seven coaching changes, including a three-year reign for Rob
Murray, who captained the Falcons in the ’90s.
· Lowell
gained professional hockey in the form of the AHL’s Lock Monsters, then lost it
12 years later in the form of the AHL’s Devils.
· The
AHL has introduced 39 new franchises, 16 of whom no longer exist due to
relocation or folding.
· David
Cicilline has entered and exited the office of mayor of Providence with eight
years of service in between.
· Michael
Albano has given way to Charles Ryan and then Domenic Sarno as mayor of
Springfield.
· Donald
Carcieri entered and exited the office of governor of Rhode Island.
· Paul
Cellucci, Jane Swift and Mitt Romney each entered and exited the office of
governor of Massachusetts.
· Boston-area
teams have combined to win five NCAA men’s hockey titles, three Super Bowls,
three World Series, an NBA championship and a Stanley Cup.
· Kevin
Faulk and Matt Light began and ended their NFL careers, both spent exclusively
with the Patriots.
· Various
Major League home run records and Tour de France dynasties have been set and
subsequently called into question.
· Keith
Olbermann went from ESPN to anchoring duties with Fox Sports, MSNBC, Current TV,
TBS and a new position with ESPN.
· Titanic had its initial
theatrical release, followed by a re-release 15 years later on the 100-year
anniversary of the event it depicts.
·
Jimmy
Fallon passed his Saturday Night Live
audition, then went on to star in Fever
Pitch before hosting NBC’s Late Night
and moving up to The Tonight Show.
· Providence
has faced Springfield in 172 regular-season games, holding a 106-49-17 edge.
Although, with six wins out of 10 meetings this season, the Falcons won their
first regular-season series over the P-Bruins in 12 years.
