Courtesy Manchester Union Leader

(January 26, 2009) Tune into a NESN broadcast of Boston Bruins hockey and you're going to get a healthy dose of New Hampshire flavor.

Three members of the Bruins broadcast team, play-by-play man Jack Edwards, analyst Andy Brickley and ice-level reporter Naoko Funayama, all have ties to the Granite State.

Edwards grew up in Durham and graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Brickley played college hockey at UNH and Funayama was a sports reporter with WMUR in Manchester for four years.

The Bruins entered this weekend's All-Star break tied for first place in the NHL with 73 points. Bruins center Marc Savard, defenseman Zdeno Chara and goalie Tim Thomas will all take part in today's All-Star game in Montreal at 6 p.m.

And leading viewers along the path of this Bruins resurgence are three broadcasters whose own paths were varied, but ultimately led them to common ground.

The Granite Stater

The 51-year-old Edwards was born in Chicago, but grew up in Durham, playing soccer for Oyster River High School and eventually UNH. Edwards studied communications at UNH and a broken leg suffered during his junior year sidelined him from soccer, but delivered him into what would become his career.

"I signed up (for a broadcast writing course) and got in. One thing led to another and I started getting more and more experience," Edwards explains. "Then I got the play-by-play job for UNH hockey and they went to the Frozen Four in 1979, so it was the right place, right time."

Edwards' idol was Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster and Bruins radio man Bob Wilson.

"There's no question that Bob Wilson seeded the clouds for me," Edwards said. "I was lucky to be within range of his voice and be able to study his work. I unabashedly copy a lot of his style. I do it without apology. Bob is a valued friend of mine. He's a phenomenal talent and I feel lucky to carry on his legacy."

Edwards spent time with WMUR and ABC television and won an Emmy during his time with ESPN. He joined the NESN team in 2005. It was at NESN that he was teamed with an old acquaintance.

The Brick

A native of Melrose, Mass., the 47-year-old Brickley has always enjoyed beating the odds. Told by the Harvard coaching staff that he could not play Division I hockey, Brickley walked on at UNH and became a star, finishing with 137 points in 93 games.

He was then drafted last -- 210th overall -- by Philadelphia in the 1980 entry draft. Brickley once again sought to prove he belonged, leaving UNH after his junior season in 1982.

Brickley would go on to play 13 pro seasons, including four with the Bruins from 1988-1992. He scored 82 goals and 140 assists in the NHL and won two Turner Cups in the International Hockey League.

But numerous injuries cut Brickley's playing career short and propelled him to his next career. At age 35, he was offered the Bruins radio analyst job with WBZ.

"I wanted to do it but was not really ready to call it quits," Brickley said. "I had just had a major back operation. I had family back home. There were a lot of good reasons for me to retire and not struggle with transition like so many pro athletes. But it was a tough decision."

The Rookie

Born in Japan, Funayama was first introduced to New Hampshire sports fans when she joined WMUR in 2004. Her fluent Japanese made her a standout at Daisuke Matsuzaka's Boston Red Sox debut press conference in December of 2006.

"I am really grateful for my time in New Hampshire," Funayama said. "I would never have had this opportunity if WMUR didn't send me to the Dice-K press conference. It all stemmed from working in New Hampshire."

The Teams

Brickley and Edwards first met when Edwards ventured to Durham to do a story on the two-sport star Brickley. For them to come full circle is a twist of fate not lost on the men.

"It sort of makes you believe in a grand plan," Edwards said. "He is the greatest teammate I've ever had. He does everything you would ever desire from somebody with whom you work. I cherish his camaraderie and his intellect."

The feeling is mutual.

"The first word that comes to mind with Jack is passion. I will work with anybody that has that level of passion for what they do. It's infectious," Brickley said. "You have to have loyalty, liability. We established that and it wasn't hard. It's ingrained in both of us."

In Funayama, NESN added to the team an ice-level presence who is not obtrusive and lets the players do the talking.

"The way you get great answers out of players is that you do what Naoko Funayama does, which is ask a concise, direct question that ends with a question mark," Edwards said. "What she brings to the job is a great work ethic, true humility, respect for the players and a love of the game. She's got rookie of the year sewn up in NHL broadcasting."

Funayama says that Edwards and Brickley made her feel at home right away.

"I basically went from working with two great guys (at WMUR with Jamie Staton and Jason King) to working with two great guys (in Edwards and Brickley)," she said. "That's all you can ask for is good people to work with who have the same goals as you."

The broadcast team is enjoying this Bruins resurgence that has old school fans excited again thanks to a blue collar hockey style that began to take root last season.

"They added accountability, a better defensive structure, and that comes from the coaching (of Claude Julien)," Brickley said. "The next phase from this coaching staff was the continued development of younger players. With the young players, they've hit a home run."

The return of old school hockey to Boston appeared to be complete during game six of the opening round of last spring's Stanley Cup playoffs. An eighth seed, the Bruins pushed No. 1 Montreal to seven games in round one.

"We said (during game six in Boston) that maybe the most important thing that happened was that they had renewed the faith in the faithful," Edwards said.

And now that the faithful find themselves with one of the NHL's elite teams, what will it take to bring the Stanley Cup back to Boston for the first time since the days of Bobby Orr?

"I would love to add without subtracting. It's difficult to do because of the (salary) cap, but not impossible," Brickley said. "Possibly another centerman, maybe a lefthanded shot for the power play and somebody (who) brings championship experience. That's the type of player we're talking about."