There are many reasons Boston University hockey fans are pleasantly shocked as tomorrow creeps ever closer.
Against all odds, their team is still playing.
After what can only be characterized as a god-awful regular season, the Terriers, who were one goal away from missing the Hockey East playoffs for the first time ever, came together in time to beat the University of New Hampshire in overtime in the regular season finale, and then shock Newton University in three games in the Hockey East quarterfinals. Now they’re headed to Causeway St. to take on a University of Maine team that has overtaken BC in the eyes of many as Hockey East’s best team.
There are countless reasons for this turnaround. There’s more passion, more fluidity, better goaltending, more opportunistic scoring. You name it, and BU has improved it. But the biggest reason is heart.
While all the Terriers are showing it, a few have gone above and beyond in summoning up something extra for this unlikely run. Junior winger David Van der Gulik has summoned up something extra special.
One of BU’s most physical players, Van der Gulik injured himself trying to throw a hit in BC’s 4-0 win over BU last Friday night. Van der Gulik was expected to miss the next night’s game, but when the line sheets were printed up, his name was in its familiar spot in the first line.
“I got a pretty bad Charley horse near the end of the game Friday night,” Van der Gulik said. “It was pretty painful, but it was nothing I couldn’t play through the next day, and once the adrenaline gets going it goes away pretty good.”
Let’s be clear on one thing here. This injury may be called the same thing, but it’s not the same as the Charley horses your older brother (or your friend’s older brother) gave you when you were wrestling around. Last year, NHL All-Star Bill Guerin sat out months with a severe Charley horse, and among Cam Neely’s many career-ending maladies was that type of injury. A deep bruise can be nearly as harmful as a fracture.
But Van der Gulik was back the next night. What’s most remarkable is that he doesn’t really consider it anything special.
“I wasn’t sure, because it was real sore and I couldn’t skate, so I had to get off the ice,” Van der Gulik said. “The next day I skated pregame and it felt pretty decent so I knew I could go. Maybe earlier in the year [the injury would have sidelined me], but probably not, it’s such a short season – only 30-40 games – and you wanna be out there every night you can, so I think I would have been able to play through it no matter what. But definitely playoff time, you gotta play through all kinds of injuries.”
Van der Gulik was his usual hellraiser self that night. While he didn’t get on the score sheet, his toughness left spectators marveling. Especially when he went down hard in the third frame. Van der Gulik was tied up with a BC defenseman as he chased a puck behind Red Light Matti Kaltiainen’s net, and he spilled, full-speed, into the boards.
“It hurt pretty bad, but it was more just getting winded and getting shook up pretty bad,” Van der Gulik said. “I was going pretty hard into those boards, and I think If I had fallen any other way beside sideways, I would have seriously injured myself.”
Naturally, he was back for his next shift.
Playoff hockey on all levels is filled with such tales of guys gutting it out, being there for their teams. In the Terriers’ dressing room, there’s another guy, Sean Sullivan, who suffered a separated shoulder on Friday and stayed in the lineup the next night. These guys will tell you it’s hockey. It makes the sport that much easier to love.
So when Van der Gulik tells you his leg isn’t that bad, and you see him flying around the FleetCenter ice on Friday night, you may believe him. But you haven’t seen him struggle to walk up the Walter Brown Arena stairs leaving practice. What he’s doing, and what his team is doing, is special.
Better late than never.
Just Because I Can
The Bruins are for real. Sergei Gonchar and Michael Nylander were the two exact pieces they needed, now it’s time for them to make up for some poor playoff performances in each of the last two years … Reason No. 471 I love Minnesota hockey: Goldie, the giant gopher mascot, not only wears a full uniform (jersey, hockey pants, socks, gloves), but he actually coordinates it for whatever color the Gophers are wearing that night … No O.C. ’till March 24 is killing me, but at least The Sopranos is back … How bout them Rangers? … The Newton University fan showing last weekend was pathetic. BU’s fans drowned them out on Saturday and each game was far from filled. The title of “Superfans” is worthy of about six of those kids … California’s temperatures were record highs last week, and now it’s snowing … Bet this print is starting to get blurry after last night … How’s this for a weekend to be anticipating: Thursday, April 8, national college hockey semifinal number one at the FleetCenter, noon. National college hockey semifinal number two, 6 p.m. Friday, April 9, Red Sox home opener vs. Toronto Blue Jays. Saturday, April 10, national college hockey final, 7 p.m. What do they all have in common? I got tickets. Stay tuned for that column, kiddies.
Nick Cardamone, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a weekly sports columnist for The Daily Free Press.
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