2009-2010 Boston Bruins
The 85th season of the Boston Bruins Franchise got off to a great start as they won their season opener against the Washington Capitals and the 2010 NHL Winter Classic over the Philadelphia Flyers.
In the offseason the Bruins picked up Jordan Caron in the Entry Draft with the 25th overall pick but traded leading goal scorer Phil Kessel who was traded to the Maple Leafs. The franchise picked up a number of free agents to include Steve Begin, Trent Whitfield, Derek Morris and eight others. The team also resigned David Krejci to a 3-year $11.25 million contract, Milan Lucic to a 3-year 12.25 million contract and Marc Savard to a 7-year $28 million contract.
The Bruins are currently sitting in 4th place in the Northeast Division with a 23-21-9 record.
Previous Seasons
Since the 2004-05 lockout season, the Bruins have slowly rebuilt their franchise. In the 2005 and 2006 seasons, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs but over the past two seasons, the team has steadily improved going 41-29 in 2007/08 and 53-19 last season. This rejuvenation is not so coincidental to the arrival of Claude Julien who took over as head coach on June 21, 2007.
During the previous season NESN showed off the 2 finalist jerseys one will be used as a new third "home" jersey starting this NHL season. The new "third" jersey, is almost totally black, and places the "spoked-B" main logo on the shoulders, and uses the 1920s-inspired style of "retro" shoulder logo for home games, in a much larger size, on the front of the jersey.
2007 was the first year for the Bruins under general manager Peter Chiarelli and the club posted 76 points - Only a slight improvement from the previous year’s subpar season, which led to some changes in management for the Bruins. And something needs to be done – Boston has not made the playoffs since the 04-05 season was wiped out due to a labor dispute. They have been in the basement of the -admittedly tough- Northeast division, making the Bruins suffer back to back last place finishes. The upside is that Chiarelli is taking proactive steps towards change, and the Bruins do have talented young players in their roster. They have added some scoring depth in the offseason by getting left wing Peter Schaefer, whose numbers were fantastic with the Senators previous year.
The Boston Bruins became the first American team to enter the NHL back in 1924. It was an inauspicious beginning for American participation in professional hockey as the Bruins were not a great team, finishing the season at 6-24 in the bottom of the league. Things got better in Year 2, as the Bruins got hot late in the season to stave off a cellar spot by winning 17 games, capturing 4th place but giving American hockey fans some hope that they could compete.
The 1925-26 NHL hockey season provided a breakout year for the Bruins as they posted a 21-20-3 record, their first winning season, to capture second place in the American Division and advance to the playoffs for the first time. The Bruins shocked the league by reaching the Stanley Cup Finals but fell just short of glory, losing in the Finals to the Ottawa Senators in 4 games. After a disappointing playoff loss to the New York Rangers in 1928 though, the Bruins were a more experienced team and the loss set in motion one of the best years in Bruins history, the 1928-29 season and the Bruins' first Stanley Cup.
The Bruins hit the ice hard in the 1928-29 season by posting a 26-13-5 record and making the playoffs where the swept the Montreal Canadiens in 3 games. In the first Stanley Cup Finals featuring only American teams, the Bruins got their revenge on the New York Rangers by winning the Stanley Cup in a sweep.
Since that historic first win in 1929, the Bruins have been one of the more consistent franchises in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup four times between 1939 and 1972. Boston is a perennial playoff team, appearing in the postseason more than 60 times in their history and playing in 17 Stanley Cup Finals between 1929 and 2004. During that time the team captured 24 division championships and appeared in the conference finals 13 times since 1968. In their 1990 Stanley Cup Finals run, the Bruins had the best defense in the league, won the Presidents Trophy, and featured Ray Bourque, winner of the Norris Trophy.
About the Boston Bruins
In 1924, the Boston Bruins came into existence as the first expansion franchise based
in the United States. They didn’t take long to rise in the league, playing in the Stanley
Cup Finals in only their third year. It was the first Cup Final to be played exclusively
by NHL members because of the collapse of the Western Hockey League that year.
In 1929, the Boston Bruins won their first Stanley Cup Championship. Since that time,
they have won four more, giving them the second highest number of Cup wins by
an American team. They also have two Conference Championships and 21 Division
Championships to their credit.
World War II took a toll on the whole league, including the Bruins. Players enlisted and
went off to war, reducing the league to only six teams. Those six teams are now known as
the “Original Six” and had some very interesting seasons during the war. Once everyone
came home and all the players were back, things weren’t the same as before and many of
the veterans only played in the league for a couple of seasons before being traded away or
leaving the game.
Home of the Boston Bruins from 1928-95 was the Boston Garden but as the arena grew
older it became outdated and was no longer considered adequate as a major league arena.
In 1995, the Bruins moved into their current home the TD Garden, also often known
as “The Garden” and “The New Garden.”
It has also had other names in its history but has been known as TD Garden since 2005
when TD Bank N.A. bought naming rights. The arena seats 17,565 fans and cost 160
million dollars to build. In 2006, the arena underwent renovations, adding a DaktronicsHD Entertainment Board, a see through shot clock, and video advertising panels.
Cheering on the Bruins at home games are the beautiful and talented Ice Girls as well as
Blades the mascot. Blades is a bear who appears at home games and is also available for
children’s birthday parties.
Out in the community, the Boston Bruins are active in supporting the area youth by
encouraging academic excellence as well as healthy and active lifestyles. The Bruins
Foundation hosts a number of fundraising activities such as gold tournaments and
raffles. Individual players also sometimes have their own foundations, and the Bruins
also take requests for donations and appearances from local charities and organizations.
On the ice and off, the Boston Bruins are entertaining and helpful. They contribute to
their community and make an effort to give back to their fans that have supported them
throughout their long history. A successful team, the Bruins are not to be missed for
anyone visiting or living in Boston.
