Article by: Mike Giannattasio
On May 5, the Boston Bruins had a 3-0 series lead against the Philadelphia Flyers. Almost every fan in New England thought the team would easily sweep the series and move onto the Eastern Conference Finals.
New Englanders envisioned Zdeno Chara and company capturing their first Stanley Cup Trophy since 1972; but things turned out quite differently. The Bruins lost Game-4 in overtime by the score of 5-4 and then lost the next three games to blow the series.
What is even worse is the fact that the Flyers trailed the Bruins in Game-7, 3-0 and rallied back to win the game and the series 4-3. It was without a doubt the biggest choke ever in professional sports.
When the Bruins led 3-0 in Game 7, everyone watching felt a sense of relief that they were not going to blow the series. The Bruins came out strong and even beloved ESPN NHL analyst Barry Melrose could never have predicted this outcome.
It was shocking and depressing to watch the Bruins choke and lose the contest. It was even more astounding that they blew 3-0 leads twice.
Teams rarely come back from such deficits, especially in an away game, and especially in the deciding game of a playoff series; but the Flyers did.
Sure, the Bruins are not the only team to lose a series after being up 3-0. Bostonians all remember with great pleasure the New York Yankees blowing their 3-0 lead to the Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series.
There were also three other NHL hockey teams prior to the Bruins who came back to win the series after being down 3-0, but none of them blew 3-0 leads in Game 7. NBA teams, for example, are 94-0 all time when starting the series 3-0.
The Bruins have always seemed to let their fans down every postseason. Most Bruins fans will surely remember the heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2009 season as well as the 2004 season in which they lost in the first round after winning the conference.
The Bruins choked away the series twice this postseason which makes them the biggest sports choke of all time. It is going to be a long offseason for the Bruins, and it is going to be very difficult for them to bounce back next year.
