Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Andrew Ference frustrates Boston Bruins fans

Andrew Ference, Andrew Peters

Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference, right, checks New Jersey Devils left wing Andrew Peters with his stick in the second period during their NHL hockey game in Boston, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

AP

Every now and then, Pro Hockey Talk will ask for insight from some of the best team bloggers out there. For this feature, we asked a simple question: “Who is your team’s most frustrating player?” Just for fun, I also will provide my guess. First, here is my guess for Boston.

Dennis Wideman - Wideman is the poster child for a contract year deception.

For the Beantown lowdown, I tabbed Evan from Stanley Cup of Chowder. Make sure to follow his great Bruins blog on Sports Blog Nation.

Most Bruins fans would probably say that Dennis Wideman or Michael Ryder are their biggest sources of frustration for their inconsistent play, but for me no player is more frustrating than Andrew Ference.

Ference is the classic “tweener”. He isn’t big enough to be a physical defenseman and he isn’t skilled enough to be a puck-mover or an offensive defenseman. Of course, that’s on the rare occasion that Ference is actually healthy and in the lineup. This past week pretty much summed up the essence of Andrew Ference. On Wednesday, Ference signed a 3-year extension with the Bruins worth $2.25 million a year. On Thursday, he was watching the game from the 9th floor at the TD Garden with a groin injury. Fragile Ference has missed at least 30 games a year over the course of his time with Boston. It’s as if they replaced his bones and cartilage with glass and Elmer’s Glue.

If collecting a decent-sized pay check for showing up to work 60% of the time isn’t enough reason to loathe Andrew Ference, he is one of these obnoxious do-gooders, who makes you feel bad about yourself for not traveling to third world countries in Africa to play soccer with underprivileged kids. Anybody who had to wait for the T a few years ago had to listen to a PSA from Ference that played every 5 minutes telling you to use public transportation to help save the planet. Hey buddy, I’m waiting for the train. I think I am aware of public transportation.

Then there was the way that he handled the Paul Kelly firing as the team’s NHLPA player’s representative. The key role of a player rep is represent your team. Ference reportedly never discussed the situation with his teammates and decided to step down as player rep shortly after. His handling (or more accurately, mishandling) of the Paul Kelly firing even drew some harsh criticism from Hall of Fame defenseman Brad Park. I refuse to believe that this situation didn’t create some level of friction in the Bruins room at a time when they desperately needed leaders to step up and bring this team together in the wake of several veterans leaving town.

I can’t wait for the day when Andrew Ference loads up his collection of porkpie hats and skinny ties into his hybrid Prius and drives out of town ... too bad that will be at least 3 years from now.