As the National Hockey League’s first American team, the Boston Bruins have had their fair share of ups and downs since their inception in 1924. The team has dominated the Eastern Conference of the NHL for much of its time in the league, winning an astonishing six Stanley Cups.
The team, led by Hall of Famer’s Cecil Thompson and Eddie Shore, earned its first Stanley Cup in a victory over the New York Rangers in 1929. They went on to win the coveted prize five more times- in 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972, and 2011.
Most recently, the Bruins made a run at the cup during the 2018-2019 season, but ultimately fell to the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Although they hit a rough patch in the late 1990s and early 2000s- missing the finals for 20 years straight- they finally returned to reclaim the Stanley Cup in 2011. Led by goaltender Tim Thomas, the Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
They made a run for the cup yet again during the 2012-2013 NHL season, but ultimately lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6. Surprisingly, they lost in the second round of the 2013-2014 postseason, despite having the best record in the league that year.
Goaltender Tuukka Rask was the difference that they needed, finally leading the team to the finals in the 2018-2019 postseason. Despite a superb performance by Rask and other members of the team like Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy, the St. Louis Blues were still able to defeat the Bruins in Game 7 with a score of 4-1.
The team has yielded a multitude of Hall of Fame players over the course of its 95-year history. Two of the most memorable players of all-time, Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, helped the team win two Stanley Cup Championships- in 1970 and 1972. Ray Bourque, a star defenseman for the Bruins, played for the team for nearly 20 years before being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
The Bruins are poised to come back strong in the 2019-2020 NHL season, looking to redeem themselves and bring home their seventh Stanley Cup Championship.