Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins is a professional hockey team that plays in the Northeast Division of the NHL's Eastern Conference. The Boston Bruins was the first U.S. team admitted into the NHL. They have been a hockey icon since Nov. 1, 1924 when they played and won their first game against the Montreal Maroons. When Boston joined the league, each team played 30 games. They finished their first season with a 6 and 24 record.

Shortly after the team was founded, Art Ross was hired as head coach, general manager and vice president. Ross led the team to their first Stanley Cup Championship in 1929, defeating the New York Rangers in the finals. Ross retired in 1945 and became one of the first 12 people ever inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame the same year of their retirement.

The Bruins moved to the Garden in 1928, losing their first game there to the Montreal Canadiens. But that was no indication as to what the year would be like. The Boston Bruins finished the season by winning the first all-American Stanley Cup , beating the New York Rangers. In those four years, the number of games played per team per regular season had jumped to 44. The Bruins ended their regular season with a record of 26-13-5.

It would 10 years before the Bruins won another Stanley Cup. From the 1928-29 season until the 1938-39 season, when the took their second Cup, they made it to the semi-finals 5 times but were unable to cash in. Eddie Shore played for the Bruins from 1926 until 1940.

The Bruins won the Cup again in the 1940-41 season and shortly after the season was over, a number of the Bruins enlisted to serve in the armed forces in World War II. The NHL cut the number of teams in the league to 6. Boston remained in the league and was one of the teams that became known as the "Original Six". They shared this title with the Detroit Red Wings, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the New York Rangers.

The Bruins fell into quite a slump starting in the 1959-60 season. They failed to qualify for the playoffs eight consecutive seasons, finally making the post season in 1968 only to be swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round.

The Bruins watched other teams take the Stanley Cup with them on their vacations for 19 years. In those 19 years, the Bruins made it to the finals 5 times. By the 1969-70, the number of regular season games played had increased to 76 games and the number of teams in the league had doubled to 12. The Bruins ended the season with a 40-17-19 record. They swept the St. Louis Blues 4 games to 0.

The Bruins took the Stanley Cup again in the 1971-72 season when they beat the New York Rangers 4 games to 2. By 1971, the number of teams in the league had increased to 14 teams each team played 78 games. That was the last time the team made a victory skate with the Stanley Cup hoisted over the their heads.

The Bruins finished their regular season with a 39-30-13 record with 91 points.

Early in the season, goalie, and the 2008-09 Vezina Trophy winner, Tim Thomas was injured, and rookie, Tuukka Rask took up the responsibility. The goalies basically shared the year with Thomas playing in 43 games and Rask in 45 games. Thomas finished the season with 2442 minutes played, with 17 wins, 18 losses, with 8 overtime games and 5 shoot outs and a save percentage of .915.

Tuukka Rask finished the season having played for 2562 minutes, with 22 wins, 12 losses, 5 OT's, and 5 shootouts with a save percentage of .931. Rask assumed the starting goalie role during the playoffs. His playoff record for the 12 games he played, for a total of 770 minutes, was 7 wins, 5 losses, and a save percentage of .916. Rask was awarded the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award which is awarded to the goaltender with the best save percentage at the end of the season.

Six Bruins made the trip to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics Tim Thomas, David Krejci, Zdeno Chara, Marco Sturm, Patrice Bergeron, and Miroslav Satan represented their native countries.

2010 Draft

• The Bruins are going into the June 25-26, 2010 draft, with Toronto's first and second round picks that they picked up, (along with a 2011 first round pick) for Phil Kessel.
• The Bruins traded their 3rd round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for The Buffalo Sabres for Daniel Paille. The Bruins also included a conditional 2010 4th round pick in the deal.
• The Carolina Hurricanes traded their 4th round pick and Patrick Eaves to the Bruins for Aaron Ward.http://www.mynhldraft.com/2010-nhl-traded-draft-picks/

In the first decade of the new century, Boston, trying to find a winning combination, has gone through 5 head coaches even with the entire 2004-05 season being cancelled. Claude Julien is at the helm for the 2010-11 season. The Bruins didn't qualify for the playoffs 3 times and never made it passed the quarterfinal competition until the 2009-10 season when they brought down the favored Buffalo Sabres only to lose to the Philadelphia Flyers in the semifinals. (The Flyers went on to lose to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Championship.)http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/boston/bruins.html

The Bruins did not have a Stanley Cup win in the 29 years leading up to the 21st Century. But it wasn't because they weren't trying. During those years, the Bruins made it to the playoffs every year except twice, in the 1996-97 season, and again in the 1999-000 season. The Bruins played in 5 Stanley Cup Championships between 1971 and 2000 with no success.

The Bruins didn't lack talent on their team during these years. Hockey great, Bobby Orr, was on the team from 1966 to 1976. Phil Esposito, Jean Ratelle, and Terry O'Reilly also wore the Bruins' uniform during the '70's. After the Stanley Cup win, the Bruins made it to the Cup Finals 3 more times in that decade.

The 80's brought players like Ray Bourque, goaltender Pete Peters to the Garden, and Rick Middleton]. Future hall-of-famer, Cam Neely joined the Bruins in the 1986-87 season. The Bruins fought for the Stanley Cup twice and made the playoffs every year.

In the final game of the Bruins' 1990-91 post season play Neely was injured and played only 22 games total in two years. The Bruins acquired Adam Oates whose offensive play helped the Bruins make it into playoffs. Both years, they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the conference finals. The Fleet Center became the Bruins home ice arena in 1995. Cam Neely's injuries continued to be a problem and he was forced to take an early retirement.

The Bruins started to melt down. In 5 years, from 1995-2000, Boston failed to make the playoffs twice.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/boston/bruins.html

Retired Numbers: (11)

• 2 Eddie Shore D 1926-1940
• 3 Lionel Hitchman D 1925-1934
• 4 Bobby Orr D 1966-1976
• 5 Dit Clapper D 1927-1947
• 7 Phil Esposito C 1967-1976
• 8 Cam Neely RW 1986-1996
• 9 John Bucyk LW 1955-1978
• 15 Milt Schmidt C 1936-42; 1946-55
• 24 Terry O'Reilly RW 1971-1985
• 77 Ray Bourque D 1979-2000
• 99 Wayne Gretzky (Retired by NHL)http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/boston/bruins.html

*Stanley Cup Champions: (5)

• 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972

*Stanley Cup Finals: (17)

• 1927, 1929, 1930, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1988, 1990

• Confrence Finals (since 1968): (13)

• 1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992

• President's Trophy: (1)

• 1990

• Division Champions: (25)

• 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2004, 2009

• Playoff Appearences: (65)

• 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/boston/bruins.html