Latest Bruins Media Beef Is as Silly as All Previous Bruins Media Beefs
Photo by Kyle Clauss
You don’t see stuff like this in any other sports team media in Boston. Patriots beat writers often keep to themselves, united in the trauma of weekly Bill Belichick press conferences. The Celtics and Revs press corps don’t make much noise either, and the Red Sox media is relatively well-behaved, with only the occasional hiccup.
But in the Bruins press box high above the TD Garden ice on Level 9, it’s another story. Every few weeks, tensions between new and old media, male and female reporters, skeptics and apologists, boils over onto Twitter in spectacular fashion.
The latest Bruins media beef involves some familiar faces. It began when Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe subtweeted Joe Haggerty of Comcast Sportsnet New England.
You know what's really fun and ethical for journalists? When the dateline on your stories matches your attendance at an interview.
— Amalie Benjamin (@AmalieBenjamin) December 2, 2015
@Selke37 I would say that pretending you're in a place you're not is far more BS than being passive aggressive.
— Amalie Benjamin (@AmalieBenjamin) December 2, 2015
Keep in mind, Benjamin and Haggerty have something of a history. Last year, Benjamin and Matt Kalman levied a similar charge against the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association chapter president.
Claude Julien happy to tell us that Tuukka Rask is starting tonight. He only tells us pregame when @HackswithHaggs isn't here.
— Amalie Benjamin (@AmalieBenjamin) March 22, 2014
@AmalieBenjamin and then that guy tweets the info as though he was there #CircleOfLife
— Matt Kalman (@MattKalman) March 23, 2014
And in 2013, around this time of year…
Wow. "Seems very likely" is certainly standing on some strong journalistic conviction.
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) December 13, 2013
@HackswithHaggs Was that directed at me?
— Amalie Benjamin (@AmalieBenjamin) December 13, 2013
Fast-forward to present day. Former Bruins writer, then Montreal Canadiens writer, and now Bruins writer again Jimmy Murphy came to Haggerty’s defense, as is his wont.
@AmalieBenjamin what's even more fun and comical is when journalists that don't know a sport, cover it and act like they do!
— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) December 4, 2015
Murphy defending Haggerty is nothing new. In an excellent piece from October, Paul Wheeler at Stanley Cup of Chowder demonstrated how Haggerty floated Brad Marchand for Patrick Marleau rumors in a since-deleted blog post on CSNNE.com, Murphy reported on Haggerty’s rumors on his own blog, and CSNEE later credited Murphy for the thoroughly debunked pseudoscoop. Wheeler calls it a “hot take ouroboros,” and there really isn’t a more apt description.
The blowback Haggerty received for running with—again, thoroughly debunked—additional rumors concerning Marchand and Bruins captain Zdeno Chara inspired a lengthy post on Murphy’s blog, titled, “When did reporting on possible trades become offensive?”
Haggerty, meanwhile, has shared beefs with any number of Bruins writers and bloggers, like expert GIFsman Pete Blackburn of Uproxx…
The greatest sportswriter who ever lived says Jarome Iginla might not be a Hall of Famer. Pretty good stuff.
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) July 25, 2014
@HackswithHaggs I’d love to GIF the moment when you’re finally able to pull your head out of your ass.
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) July 25, 2014
LOL. I think #GIFBOY is mad, you guys. He'll spend the rest of the afternoon angrily recording 10 second videos on his computer
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) March 13, 2015
@MikeFromATown Oh yeah. I see no value in GIFs. If I could punt them off of social media like the bad man punted Baxter, I would do so
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) January 18, 2015
@PeteBlackburn @owenthatnolan Hmm, looks like somebody needs to teach Petey Pink Hat Adam McQuaid is a Dman & not a bottom-6 forward #GIFBOY
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) June 23, 2015
When it's time to log on and stalk GIFBOY's timeline https://t.co/AFBU8dnzD0
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) June 30, 2015
and even the author of this piece.
@wyshynski Can we eliminate the screaming yellow pants that "celly" used to wear covering B's games as well? I'm in favor of both movements
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) October 22, 2015
Someday, the Bruins media will resolve their differences, log off Twitter, join hands in the press box, and sit down to a sumptuous, stale hot pretzel banquet.
