Boston Bruins

History

Early years (1924–1942)

In 1924, the NHL made the decision to expand to the United States. The previous year in 1923, sports promoter Thomas Duggan received options on three NHL franchises for the United States, and sold one to Boston grocery magnate Charles Adams. The team was one of the NHL's first expansion teams, and the first NHL team to be based in the United States. Adams' first act as owner was to hire Art Ross, a former player and innovator, as general manager. Ross, with assistance from his secretary, came up with "Bruins" for a team nickname. The team's nickname also went along with the team's original uniform colors of brown and yellow, which came from Adams' grocery chain, First National Stores.

On December 1, 1924, the Bruins won the first ever NHL game played in the United States, hosting the Montreal Maroons at Boston Arena, with Smokey Harris scoring the first-ever Bruins goal, spurring the Bruins to a 2–1 win. This would be one of the few high points of the season, as the Bruins lost their next 11 games and only managed a 6–24–0 record, finishing in last place in its first season. The Bruins played three more seasons at the Arena, after which they became the main tenant of Boston Garden.

The Bruins improved in their second season to a winning 17–15–4 record, which originally held the record for the biggest single-season improvement in NHL history. However, they missed out on the third and final playoff berth by one point to the expansion Pittsburgh Pirates.

In their third season, Ross took advantage of the collapse of the Western Hockey League (WHL) to purchase several western stars, including the team's first great star, defenseman Eddie Shore. With the Bruins, he would go on to become one of the greatest players in NHL history. Boston qualified for the then-expanded playoffs. In their first-ever playoff run, the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final where they lost to the Ottawa Senators. The Stanley Cup-winning game for the Senators would see Bruins' Billy Coutu attack the referee, earning him a ban from the NHL for life, the only in league history.

The 1928–29 season was the first played at Boston Garden. It also featured the NHL debut of goaltender Tiny Thompson, who assisted the Bruins in defeating the New York Rangers to win their first Stanley Cup.

Original Six era (1942–1967)

The NHL had by 1942 been reduced, for the next 25 years, to the six teams that would come to be called the "Original Six".

In the 1943–44 season, Bruins' Herb Cain set the then-NHL record for points in a season with 82.

The stars returned from World War II for the 1945–46 season, and Clapper led the team back to the Stanley Cup Final as player-coach. He retired as a player after the next season, becoming the first player to play twenty NHL seasons. Clapper retired as a player in 1947 then retired as coach in 1949. His retirement as coach came at the same time as goalie Frank Brimsek requesting a trade, to which he was granted one on September 8, 1949.

Owner Weston Adams began facing financial trouble at the start of the 1950s. He accepted a buyout offer from Walter A. Brown, the owner of the Boston Celtics and the Garden, in 1951. The Bruins did not have regular success during this era, aside from appearances in the 1953, 1957, and 1958 Stanley Cup Final. In 1954, Art Ross retired and Lynn Patrick took over as general manager. During the 1954–55 season, an incident occurred between the Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. Bruins defenseman Hal Laycoe high-sticked Canadiens star Maurice Richard in the head, and Richard went after Laycoe, going as far as punching a linesman to get to Laycoe. Following his removal from the game, the Montreal fans began to riot, only calming down after Richard told them to. On June 3, 1955, the Bruins completed a nine-player trade with the Detroit Red Wings to acquire goaltender Terry Sawchuk as well as forward Marcel Bonin. However, Sawchuk's playing ability would be affected after contracting infectious mononucleosis and he would quit hockey midway through the 1956–57 season. On June 10, 1957, Sawchuk was dealt back to the Red Wings in exchange for Johnny Bucyk.

On January 18, 1958, the first-ever black NHL player, Willie O'Ree, stepped onto the ice for the Bruins. He played in 45 games for the Bruins over the 1957–58 and 1960–61 seasons. The "Uke Line"—named for the Ukrainian heritage of Johnny Bucyk, Vic Stasiuk, and Bronco Horvath—was formed in 1957 and enjoyed four seasons together until Stasiuk's trade to the Red Wings in 1961.

At the 1964 NHL amateur draft, the Bruins drafted Ken Dryden, but traded his rights to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for two prospects. In 1966, head coach Milt Schmidt took over as general manager as Lynn Patrick retired.

Expansion and the Big Bad Bruins (1967–1979)

Weston Adams took back ownership the Bruins in 1964 after Brown's death. Adams signed future superstar defenseman Bobby Orr, who entered the league in 1966. Orr was that season's winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year and named to the second NHL All-Star Team. Despite Orr's stellar rookie season, the Bruins would miss the playoffs.

The next season, Boston made the playoffs for the first of 29 consecutive seasons, an all-time record. The Bruins then obtained forwards Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield from Chicago in a deal celebrated as one of the most one-sided in hockey history. Esposito, who centered a line with Hodge and Wayne Cashman, became the league's top goal scorer and the first NHL player to break the 100-point mark. With other stars like forwards Bucyk, John McKenzie, Derek Sanderson, and Hodge, defenders like Dallas Smith and goaltender Gerry Cheevers, the "Big Bad Bruins" became one of the league's top teams from the late 1960s into the 1980s.

In 1970, a 29-year Stanley Cup drought came to an end in Boston as the Bruins defeated the St. Louis Blues in four games in the 1970 Stanley Cup Final. Orr scored the game-winning goal in overtime to clinch the Stanley Cup. The same season was Orr's most awarded; he won his third of eight consecutive Norris Trophies as the top defenseman in the NHL, the Art Ross Trophy, the Conn Smythe Trophy, and the Hart Memorial Trophy, the only player to win those four awards in the same season.

While head coach Harry Sinden temporarily retired from ice hockey before the 1970–71 season to enter business (he was replaced by ex-Bruins and Canadiens defenseman Tom Johnson), the Bruins continued to dominate the league. They had seven of the league's top ten scorers (a feat not achieved before or since), set the record for wins in a season, and in a league that had never seen a 100-point scorer before the 1968–69 season, the Bruins had four that year. All four (Orr, Esposito, Bucyk and Hodge) were named First Team All-Stars. Boston was favored to repeat as Cup champions but lost to the Ken Dryden-led Canadiens in seven games.

While the Bruins were not as dominant the next season, Esposito and Orr finished first and second in the scoring standings and Boston regained the Stanley Cup by defeating the New York Rangers in six games in the 1972 Stanley Cup Final. The 1972–73 season saw upheaval for the Bruins. Former head coach Sinden became the general manager. Bruins players Gerry Cheevers, Derek Sanderson, Johnny McKenzie, and Ted Green left to join the World Hockey Association (WHA). Coach Tom Johnson was fired 52 games into the season, replaced by Bep Guidolin. The Adams family, which had owned the team since its founding in the 1920s, sold it to Storer Broadcasting. The Bruins' season came to a premature end in a first-round loss to the Rangers in the 1973 playoffs. In 1974, the Bruins regained their first-place standing in the regular season, along with another 100-point season from Orr, his fifth consecutive. However, they lost the 1974 Stanley Cup Final in an upset to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ray Bourque era (1979–2000)

The 1979–80 season saw a new head coach Fred Creighton. It also included a trade of goaltender Ron Grahame to the Los Angeles Kings for a first-round pick, which was used to select Ray Bourque, one of the greatest defensemen of all-time and the face of the Bruins for over two decades. During this season, an incident between forward Mike Milbury and a fan at a New York Rangers game occurred when Milbury, along with other Bruins players, entered the stands to engage some of the fans. During the fray, Milbury managed to take off the shoe of a fan and slap him with the heel-end. The incident became known as the Shoe Incident. Creighton was fired with only 15 days remaining in the season due to poor chemistry with general manager Harry Sinden. Sinden hired former goaltender Gerry Cheevers as the next head coach. They had the league's best record in 1982–83 behind a Vezina Trophy-winning season from ex-Flyers goaltender Pete Peeters, but fell short of making the Stanley Cup Final.

Following a slow start to the 1986–87 season, Sinden fired head coach Butch Goring and replaced him with Terry O'Reilly. At the 1987 NHL entry draft, the Bruins made a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, moving Barry Pederson for right wing Cam Neely. In March 1988, the Bruins acquired the rights to Andy Moog from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Geoff Courtnall, Bill Ranford, and future considerations. Bourque and Neely led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1988 against the Edmonton Oilers, but Boston lost in a four-game sweep.

Throughout the 1980s, the Bruins often matched up with the Canadiens in either the division semifinals or division finals, with Montreal defeating them five of the six series. In the 1987–88 season, the Bruins defeated their rivals, the Canadiens in the playoffs en route to their 1988 Stanley Cup Final appearance. It was their first playoff series victory over the Canadiens since 1943, breaking 18 consecutive losses to them. Following the 1988–89 season, O'Reilly resigned as head coach to care for his son. Milbury became the head coach soon after.

Under Milbury, and with the play of Neely, Bourque, Craig Janney, Bobby Carpenter, rookie Don Sweeney, and goaltender Andy Moog, Boston returned to the Stanley Cup Final in 1990, but again lost to the Oilers, this time in five games. Following Boston's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1991 Wales of Conference final, Milbury resigned as head coach, staying with the team as assistant GM. His replacement, Rick Bowness only coached one season, taking the Bruins to the conference final for the second consecutive season against the Penguins, before his firing after the playoffs. During the 1991–92 season, the Bruins acquired Adam Oates in a trade with the Blues for Craig Janney.

The new millennium (2000–2015)

In the 1999–2000 season, the Bruins finished in last place in the Northeast Division and failed to qualify for the playoffs. During a game between the Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks on February 21, 2000, Marty McSorley was ejected for using his stick to hit Canucks forward Donald Brashear in the head, and subsequently suspended for what resulted in the rest of his career. McSorley was later charged and convicted for assault and sentenced to 18 months probation. Bourque requested a trade to a playoff contender and on March 6, 2000, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.

Although the team started the 2000–01 season 3–0–1, after losing four consecutive games, the Bruins fired coach Pat Burns in favor of Mike Keenan. Following Keenan's hiring, Sinden stepped down as general manager, opting to stay as team president. Mike O'Connell took over as general manager. Despite a 15-point improvement over the previous season, they did not make the playoffs and Keenan was let go.

Robbie Ftorek was hired as the head coach prior to the start of the 2001–02 season. The Bruins won their first Northeast Division title since 1993. They lost in six games to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. Joe Thornton was made team captain prior to the 2002–03 season. During the regular season, he led the team in scoring with 101 points. Head coach Ftorek was fired with nine games remaining in the season and general manager Mike O'Connell took over in interim and into the playoffs, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils in five games. Mike Sullivan made his head coaching debut for the upcoming 2003–04 season. At the 2003 NHL entry draft, the Bruins drafted Patrice Bergeron; he made his debut on October 7, 2003. The Bruins won another division title in 2004 and gained a 3–1 series lead on the Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Canadiens rallied back to win three consecutive games, upsetting the Bruins.

Prior to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, the team drafted David Krejčí at the 2004 draft. On November 30, 2005, the Bruins traded Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau, and Brad Stuart. However, the Bruins struggled to stay consistent throughout the season and with very few transactions to make the team better, Mike O'Connell was fired. Assistant general manager Jeff Gorton took over as interim GM.

Don Sweeney era (2015–present)

On April 15, 2015, Peter Chiarelli was fired by the Boston Bruins. On May 20, the Bruins named former player Don Sweeney as the team's new general manager for the 2015–16 season. Part of Sweeney's offseason moves included trading Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for goalie Martin Jones, forward Colin Miller, and a 2015 first round draft pick. The Bruins would flip Jones to the San Jose Sharks four days later for Sean Kuraly and a 2016 first round pick. The Bruins played in the 2016 NHL Winter Classic against the Canadiens, but lost 5–1. One all-time franchise achievement the Bruins attained in the 2015–16 season is shared by only their greatest rival, the Canadiens – a total of 3,000 wins in the team's existence, achieved by the Bruins on January 8, 2016, in a 4–1 road victory against the New Jersey Devils. For the first time since the two seasons following the 2004–05 lockout, the Bruins did not qualify for the playoffs in two consecutive seasons.

During the last two months of the 2016–17 regular season, the Bruins fired head coach Claude Julien and promoted Bruce Cassidy to interim coach. Under Cassidy, the Bruins achieved an 18–8–1 record through their remaining regular season games, finishing third in the Atlantic Division and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since the 2013–14 season. In the first round of the playoffs, the Bruins lost to the Ottawa Senators in six games.

Cassidy returned as head coach for the 2017–18 season, leading the Bruins to the playoffs for a consecutive season. They had a record of 50–20–12, including an 18-game point streak, which lasted from December 14, 2017, to January 25, 2018. They defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round in seven games, but lost to the Lightning in five games in the second round. The season also saw the debuts of Jake DeBrusk and Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins also acquired veteran Rick Nash trading out Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, Ryan Lindgren, and two draft picks.

During the 2018–19 season the Bruins finished the regular season in second place in the division with a 49–24–9 overall record. During the trade deadline, the team acquired Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson. In the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, they faced the Maple Leafs again, defeating them in seven games. In a six-game series, the Bruins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round and advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2013. The Bruins won the conference finals by sweeping out the Carolina Hurricanes in four games, thus winning the Prince of Wales Trophy and advancing to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final for the third time in 10 years. They faced the St. Louis Blues in a rematch of the 1970 Stanley Cup Final. However, this time the Blues emerged victorious, winning in seven games.

Team information

Logo and uniforms

Since 1948, the Bruins' logo is an eight-spoked, black and gold wheel with the letter "B" in the center, a nod to Boston's nickname of "The Hub". The logo has been tweaked numerous times over the course of its history. The general design, in use since 1949, features the circle and "B" in black with gold spokes; black borders and a gold outer circle were added in 1995 and serifs on the "B" were added in 2007. The black borders were removed as part of a logo update in 2025, and a corresponding gold "B" version was added for use in dark backgrounds. The block "B" logo itself preceded the "Spoked B" and was later modified to include serifs as part of their third jersey.

The Bruins have also used an alternate logo featuring a walking bear surrounded by the full team name. The logo was first used from 1924 to 1932, and a modernized version was adopted as the team's secondary logo in 2007. This was then updated in 2025 to feature only the bear itself, with the team name variation used on the black uniform, and the city name variation on the white uniform.

The Bruins' colors were originally brown and gold. They wore brown uniforms in their maiden season, but switched to a white uniform with alternating brown and gold stripes the next season. The uniforms were paired with beige pants and either gold or white socks. After the 1932 season the walking bear logo was replaced with a simple block "B" logo.

Starting with the 1935–36 season, the Bruins replaced brown with black, while also sporting gold socks full-time. The "B" logo moved to the sleeves while the uniform number occupied the front. Black pants also replaced the beige pants.

For a majority of the 1940s, the Bruins sported gold numbers on the white uniform. From 1940 to 1944 they also wore a gold uniform with a script "Bruins" wordmark in front. To commemorate their 25th anniversary, the Bruins released a new white uniform featuring the first iteration of the "Spoked B" logo. The gold "B" on the logo was drawn inside a black-spoked wheel, with "24" and "49" added to represent the foundation year and the franchise's 25th year respectively. They also debuted a black uniform with the block "B" logo in front.

Beginning in 1949, the "B" on the "Spoked B" logo was changed to block lettering. They also brought back the black numbers. With a few cosmetic changes in the stripes and yoke along with the addition of the primitive bear head logo in 1977, the Bruins kept this overall design until 1995.

Training facilities

The Bruins had trained at Ristuccia Ice Arena in Wilmington, Massachusetts from 1986 until 2016. They moved in September 2016 to Warrior Ice Arena in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, where they are currently training.

Bruins' mascots

Blades the Bruin is an anthropomorphic bear who serves as the Bruins' team mascot.

Team songs

When Boston television station WSBK-TV began broadcasting Bruins games in 1967, The Ventures' instrumental rock version of the Nutcracker's overture, known as "Nutty", was selected as the opening piece of music for Bruins telecasts.

On ice, "Paree", a 1920s hit tune written by Leo Robin and Jose Padilla, has been played as an organ instrumental for decades, typically as the players entered the arena just before the start of each period and, for many years, after each Bruins' goal. It was introduced by John Kiley, the organist for the Bruins from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Bruins. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Boston Bruins seasons

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Players and personnel

Current roster

Updated July 21, 2026

Team captains

Reference:

There is evidence from contemporary newspaper accounts and photographs that Bruins manager Art Ross appointed captains on an annual basis in the 1930s and 1940s, and generally for a single season only. These include Marty Barry in 1933–34, Nels Stewart in 1934–35, Eddie Shore in 1935–36, Red Beattie in 1936–37, Bill Cowley in 1944–45 and Bobby Bauer in 1946–47. Having not acknowledged these captaincies for many years and declining comment on the issue, on September 20, 2023, the team confirmed these captaincies, stating there have been 27 captains in franchise history.

Head coaches

On June 5, 2025, the Bruins announced the hiring of Marco Sturm as the 30th head coach in team history. Sturm played for the Bruins from 2005 to 2010, and became the first European head coach for the team.

General managers

Following the team's failure to make the 2015 playoffs, Peter Chiarelli was fired as general manager on April 15, 2015, with Don Sweeney hired as Chiarelli's replacement on May 20, 2015.

Ownership

The team founder Charles Adams owned the team until 1936, at which point he transferred ownership to his son Weston Adams. Weston Adams remained majority owner until 1951, when the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation purchased controlling interest in the team. Under the Garden-Arena Corporation's management, Boston Celtics founder Walter A. Brown ran the team from 1951 until his death in 1964. After Brown's death, Weston Adams returned to the role of team president. In 1969, he was succeeded by his son, Weston Adams, Jr.

On December 7, 1973, Storer Broadcasting, owner of WSBK-TV, and the Garden-Arena Corporation agreed to a merger which resulted in Storer acquiring a 100% interest in the Bruins. Adams remained as team president. In August 1975, Storer Broadcasting then sold the team to an ownership group headed by Jeremy Jacobs. Jacobs had to promise to keep Bobby Orr as a condition of the purchase. The Bruins and Orr reached a verbal agreement with Jacobs during the summer of 1975, including an agreement for Orr to take an 18.5% share of the Bruins after his retirement. However, Orr's agent, Alan Eagleson, rejected the deal.

Jacobs represents the club on the NHL's board of governors, and serves on its executive committee, and he has chaired the finance committee. At the NHL board of governors meeting in June 2007, Jacobs was elected chairman of the board, replacing the Calgary Flames' Harley Hotchkiss, who stepped down after 12 years in the position. Jacobs has frequently been listed by the Sports Business Journal as one of the most influential people in sports in its annual poll and by The Hockey News. His company, Delaware North, owns TD Garden.

After taking over as owner in 1975, the Bruins have been competitive (making the playoffs for 29 consecutive seasons from 1967–68 to 1995–96, 20 of which were with Jacobs as owner) but have won the Stanley Cup only once, in 2011 and only in his 36th year as owner. Under previous ownerships, the Bruins had won the Stanley Cup five times. Under Jacobs, the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final seven times (twice against the Bruins' rival Montreal Canadiens in 1977 and 1978, twice against the Edmonton Oilers in 1988 and 1990, finally winning in 2011 against the Vancouver Canucks, and losing in 2013 and 2019 to the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues respectively). Jacobs' management of the team has previously earned him spots on ESPN.com's "Page 2" polls of "The Worst Owners in Sports", and number 7 on their 2005 "Greediest Owners in sports" list.

Team and league honors

Retired numbers

Additionally, Patrice Bergeron's no. 37 is scheduled to be retired by the Bruins on December 1, 2026.

Notes:

1 Hitchman was the first player to have his number retired by the Bruins, and the second in both the NHL, and in all of North American professional sports.

The NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's number 99 for all of its member teams at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.

Hall of Famers

The Boston Bruins acknowledge an affiliation with 58 inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame: 54 former players and eight builders of the sport. The six individuals recognized as builders by the Hall of Fame includes former Bruins executives, general managers, head coaches, and owners. In addition to players and builders, two broadcasters for the Bruins were also awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1984, Fred Cusick, a play-by-play announcer, was awarded the Hall of Fame's inaugural Foster Hewitt Memorial Award. In 1987, Bob Wilson became the second Bruins' broadcaster to be awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.

Franchise leaders

These are the top-ten regular season point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

* – current Bruins player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

These goaltenders rank in the top ten in franchise history for wins. Figures are updated after each completed NHL season.

* – current Bruins player

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T/O = Ties/Overtime losses; GA = Goal against; GAA = Goals against average; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts

Team awards

The Bruins have several team awards that are traditionally awarded at the last home game of the regular season.

Franchise individual records

Most goals in a season: Phil Esposito, 76 (1970–71)

Most assists in a season: Bobby Orr, 102 (1970–71)

Most points in a season: Phil Esposito, 152 (1970–71)

Most penalty minutes in a season: Jay Miller, 304 (1987–88)

Lowest goals against average in a season: Frank Brimsek, 1.56 (1938–39)

Most points per game in a season: Bill Cowley, 1.97 (1943–44)

Most points in a season, defenseman: Bobby Orr, 139 (1970–71)

Most points in a season, rookie: Joe Juneau, 102 (1992–93)

Most wins in a season: Pete Peeters, 40 (1982–83); Linus Ullmark, 40 (2022–23)

Most shutouts in a season: Hal Winkler, 15 (1927–28)

Consecutive games streak: John Bucyk, 418 (January 23, 1969 – March 2, 1975)

Longest point scoring streak: Bronco Horvath, 22 games, (1959–60)

Highest save percentage in a season: Tim Thomas, .938 (2010–11)

Longest winning streak by a goaltender, one season: Gilles Gilbert, 17 (1975–76)

Media and broadcasters

NESN (New England Sports Network)

Judd Sirott: TV play-by-play

Andy Brickley: TV color analyst

Andrew Raycroft: Rinkside reporter

Adam Pellerin: Rinkside reporter

98.5 The Sports Hub

Ryan Johnston: Radio play-by-play

Bob Beers: Radio color analyst