NHL Team Guide: Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins were founded in 1924 as one of the members of the “Original Six” which included Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, New York Rangers, and Toronto. The Bruins are one of the more well-known NHL franchises likely because of the franchise’s success over the course of its existence. Boston’s TV schedule typically includes several nationally televised games on either NBC or NBCSN. Hardcore fans are able to find Bruins games on NESN, a network dedicated to providing fans outside of the Boston area with Boston sports. Viewers can also watch the Boston Bruins complete schedule via live stream.
NHL Standings
The Bruins, the third-oldest franchise in the NHL, are member of the Eastern Conference. Since the last realignment of NHL divisions in 2013, Boston has been a member of the Atlantic Division. The division is currently made up of eight teams. The Eastern Conference is comprised of 16 teams.
Championship History
Boston’s tradition of winning goes back to the very beginnings of the NHL. The Bruins won their first division title in the 1927-28 season and their first Stanley Cup in the 1928-29 campaign. Boston has won a total of 25 division championships, the most recent being in 2013-14. The 25 division titles translate into 25 trips to the NHL playoffs. Boston has played in the postseason in each of the following seasons: 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14. The Bruins have won a total of six Stanley Cup trophies. The most recent Cup victory was in 2010-11. Prior to that, Boston had not won a Stanley Cup in almost 40 years. The six championships are the fourth-most in league history.
The Bruins' Home
Boston plays its home games at the TD Garden, which is named for its sponsor, TD Bank. The new facility was built in the early 1990s to replace the legendary Boston Garden, the Bruins former home. TD Garden seats 17,565 fans for hockey games.
Best Bruins
The Bruins have a long history of success and that is due to some outstanding players they have had through the years. Defenseman Bobby Orr is considered by many to be the greatest to ever play the game. He is the only defenseman to ever lead the league in scoring and he did it twice. In 1969-70, Orr became the first NHL player to win the Norris, Art Ross, Hart, and Conn Smythe trophies all in one season. Orr played just 12 seasons and retired at age 30 in 1978. One of Orr’s teammates was Phil Esposito, another Hall of Famer. Esposito is the Bruins third-leading all-times scorer with 1,012 career points. He scored 30 or more goals in 13 straight seasons, the second longest such streak.
The Bruins all-time leading scorer is Ray Bourque, who was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. Bourque played 21 seasons in Boston, scored 1,506 points, and was the franchise’s longest-serving team captain. Bourque is one of just nine NHL players to have his number retired by more than one franchise.
Author: Dan Anderson