Good morning, Boston

Good morning, Boston, and good morning, Insiders.

The deep freeze that has enveloped much of the northern portion of the continent has eased up, and the snow we’ve experienced on this trip has given way to rain on a mid-50-degree morning in Boston. This all happened very quickly; it was still in the low-to-mid 30’s when we arrived at Logan International Airport yesterday, which is pretty much par for the course for what we expect in this city around this time of the year. It’s actually interesting to compare the landing (below), featuring the snow that had fallen in the area, and the tiny glimpse of Boston Commons (extreme left, farther below). Last night, the park was fully engulfed in the white stuff. As the temperature climbed sharply throughout the night, the snow quickly melted.

Are any of you hikers? I’ve always wondered about climbing Mt. Washington, roughly four hours north of here in New Hampshire. And by “wondered about climbing,” I really mean “would never climb, but would like to watch YouTube videos of experienced hikers climbing,” because after reading A Walk in the Woods, I know how treacherous the conditions are at a place known for some of the most volatile weather conditions on the planet.

It should be much more comfortable within TD Garden, where the Kings are set to face the Bruins at 10:00 a.m. PT. I’ll have an update on Brayden McNabb on the Kings Live pre-game show – if you’ve been following this site closely, you’ll already have all of the bullet points – which will be followed by Gary Thorne’s final call. Beginning with Tuesday’s game in Columbus, the reins of the play by play will be handed over to Ralph Strangis. We’ve got a hockey game coming up, and I’ve got to pack. Let’s talk from the rink, Insiders.