The Providence Bruins have experienced quite a run of success since the
franchise moved from Portland, Maine, to Rhode Island for the 1992-93 season.
In 26 seasons of hockey, the Bruins have only finished below a .500 winning
percentage six times, missing the playoffs in only five seasons.

The franchise captured a Calder Cup in 1998-99, finishing the season with an
astounding 56-16-4-4 record. Only one other team in Providence history came
close to that mark, the 2007-08 team cruised through the regular season with a
league-best 55-18-3-4 record. Unfortunately, the 2007-08 P-Bruins won't be
remembered for a heart-stopping playoff run. How did it go wrong? What
minor-league roster quirks and factors led to the dominant team's demise?
Here's an end of summer trip down memory lane.P-Bruins Tested Early

The 2007-08 P-Bruins quickly established themselves as one the league's top
teams, despite fighting an uphill battle from the start. The Dunkin Donuts
Center was in the middle of a three-year renovation plan that most notably
added 20 luxury boxes. As part of that plan, the P-Bruins were forced to play
their first 10 games of the season on the road.

To say the team quickly bonded would be an understatement, Providence was
already 8-1-1-0 before the Nov. 14 home opener against the Portland Pirates.
The stretch included Tuukka Rask's debut as a pro in North America, posting a
6-1-0 record with a 2.01 goals against average and .893 save percentage. While
his numbers weren't stellar, he was able to adjust to life in North America
playing behind the AHL's second-highest scoring team, averaging 3.5 goals per
game.Tuukka Rask (Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

The offense wasn't exactly paced by household names to NHL fans. Pascal
Pelletier had a career-year with 37 goals. The undrafted Pelletier found some
magic playing alongside Bruins second-round pick Martins Karsums. The duo
finished atop the scoring leaderboard on the 2007-08 Bruins.

To remain consistent enough to finish with the league's best record in the AHL,
 the unpredictable roster fluctuation has to go in your favor. The Bruins
received a mid-season boost when a young David Krejci was sent down to join the
 squad. The Czech forward paced the offense, proving to the organization the
lower level was no longer competition for him. While Krejci averaged over a
point per game, the team won 19 of 25 games during his stint from mid-November
to the end of December.

In that dominant 25 game stretch, the Bruins offense tallied five goals or more
 six times. Aside from the Krejci stint, the team enjoyed a pretty stable
roster up front throughout the course of the season. Pelletier, Karsums,
veteran Jeff Hoggan, Matt Hendricks, and captain Nate Thompson were the
mainstays that chipped in at forward.

Looking back at the blueliners, once again there wasn't one high-profile future
 NHL-er leading the way. Brett Skinner ad Sean Curry were players who spent a
majority of their careers in the minor leagues or Europe, but led defensemen in
 points for the Bruins.Balanced Attack Leads to Consistency in Providence

2005 first-round pick Matt Lashoff had a good season in Providence, but would
never live up to the expectations that come with a high pick. Adam McQuaid was
in the midst of his first professional season. McQuaid and Matt Hunwick were
the only two defenseman to find success at the next level.

There are different ways to win at the AHL-level. The 2007-08 Bruins might not
have been loaded with prospects, but a group of players with some minor league
experience or over-looked young players. The group was able to bring intensity
on a nightly basis, with few slip-ups. The worst stretch of the season was a
late four-game losing streak that required travel to Rockford, Illinois,
Chicago, Houston, and San Antonio.

The Bruins were lucky in the sense that some of the factors that typically
de-rail a minor league team didn't happen. They remained relatively healthy and
 call-ups were manageable throughout the season. Although Krejci had a
mid-season stint, it was a luxury when he was on the roster. The team finished
with five players reaching the 20-goal plateau. Rookies McQuaid and Hunwick
progressed on the back end. Rask would slowly improve his numbers, appearing in
 45 games with third-year pro Jordan Sigalet also appearing in 19 games between
 the pipes.David Krejci gave the Bruins a mid-season boost (Bob DeChiara-USA
TODAY Sports)

Providence looked like a heavy favorite in the East heading into the playoffs.
They fell just one win shy of the Calder Cup winning team in 1998-99. The
roster was mostly intact, receiving a boost after making quick work of the
Manchester Monarchs with a first-round sweep.

The big club would be eliminated in a first round 7-game series with the
Montreal Canadiens. Boston opted to add Vladimir Sobotka and Petteri Nokelainen
 to the Bruns' roster for the remainder of the playoff run. Both forwards had
brief stints with Providence in the regular season and both were point per-game
 players. In what was already a special season, the P-bruins appeared to be
getting another lucky break.

Next up for the Bruins was the division rival Portland Pirates. Portland played
 the Bruins tough in the regular season, with Providence holding a 5-3-1-0
advantage. The last meeting in the regular season was a demoralizing 7-1 win
for the Bruins.

If there was one concern heading into the series, Portland's NHL affiliate in
Anaheim was also out of the running for the Stanley Cup. For the Pirates, it
meant youngster Bobby Ryan was available for the series.

Ryan, the second overall pick in 2005 behind Sidney Crosby, was an elite
offensive talent in the league in 2007-08. Whether he lived up to the hype of
his draft position or not, Ryan was a dangerous player in the AHL in 2007-08.
He got his first taste of the NHL that season, but when in the Pirates lineup
he haunted the Bruins for 6 goals and five assists in 8 regular season games.
If there was one weakness to the balanced Providence squad, there wasn't a
gamebreaker like Ryan. They would also be up against a goaltender with over 200
 NHL appearances in Jean-Sebastien Aubin.Bobby Ryan, Anaheim Ducks )Photo
courtesy of Bridget Samuels)

None of that seemed to phase the Bruins, who steamrolled to a 2-0 series lead
at home, outscoring Portland 11-1. Game 3 in Portland is when the second-best
season in Providence history would begin to come off the rails in heartbreaking
 fashion. Holding a 3-2 lead in the third period, Providence was on the cusp of
 going up 3-0 and remaining undefeated in the playoffs. That would all change
when Ryan netted the tying goal with 57 seconds remaining. The Pirates would go
 on to win Game 3 in overtime.

The next game would be just as frustrating, with Aubin stopping 33 of 35 shots
and Portland hanging around to get an overtime game-winner from a bottom six
forward in Simon Ferguson. The Bruins dropped the next two games of the series
and bowed out in the playoffs to a resilient team with a player that would go
on to a pretty successful NHL career. Ryan tallied 7 points in the six-game
series.

Since their inaugural season in Providence, the Bruins franchise has made it to
 five conference finals and won a Calder Cup championship. The 2007-08 version
seemed like a team that had a chance and ultimately fell disappointingly short.
 The league is difficult to win, with affiliates having an impact on the team
that is rolled out on any given night. There are always plenty of "what ifs"
for an AHL fan.

Rask spent one more season in Providence before it was clear he was ready for
the next level. Karsums, a second-round pick in 2004, never panned out in
Boston but has enjoyed a long KHL career. Thompson has appeared in the most NHL
 games, catching on in the league as a high-energy bottom-six forward. In a
month, a new group of Bruins will write their own script.

The post Providence Bruins History: Remembering a Heartbreaking End appeared
first on The Hockey Writers.

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