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Thunderbirds and Celtics advances lift spirits of Massachusetts sports fans (Editorial)

Springfield Thunderbirds goalie Joel Hofer is in the spotlight after scoring a goal in the playoffs. (MEREDITH PERRI / MASSLIVE)
By

For Springfield Thunderbirds and Boston Celtics fans, the best part of last weekend’s results is that they assured more weekends to come.

The Boston Bruins were not so fortunate. Their season ended with a painful, seven-game Stanley Cup playoff series defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes, leaving their fans only to wonder if venerable Patrice Bergeron — one of Boston’s most admired and popular athletes — will be back next season at age 37.

For the Thunderbirds and Celtics, the outcomes were far better. Springfield’s American Hockey League affiliate is trying to create a new legacy, while Boston’s NBA team is reawakening the magical aura of its own.

In the first playoff series of their existence, the Thunderbirds swept three games from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In Game 2, MassMutual Center fans were treated not just to victory but to a hockey rarity when T-Birds goalie Joel Hofer corralled the puck behind his own net and rifled it nearly 200 feet into an empty net.

The trailing Penguins had pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. As the Thunderbirds chase the eighth Calder Cup in the city’s 86-year AHL history (and first since the 1991 Springfield Indians), the 4,308 home fans will no doubt always remember the night they saw their goalie score a goal in the playoffs.

Celtics fans are watching something special as well. It looks very much as if Jayson Tatum is taking his place as the next great superstar in a line that goes back 65 years, from Bob Cousy and Bill Russell to Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and many, many others.

Tatum’s memorable 46-point game saved Boston’s season in its Game 6 victory over the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. An unlikely star emerged when Grant Williams scored 27 in Game 7, and now Boston moves on to the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.

As the Celtics seek their 18th NBA title, it brings wonderful and nostalgic memories into the present tense with today’s team. For the Thunderbirds, playoff success is another huge step in the rebirth of hockey in this city.

Fans should savor and enjoy each of these teams as they pursue the championships they’ve worked toward and dreamed about for months.

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