# 1971–72 Boston Bruins season

The 1971–72 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 48th season in the NHL. For the second time in three years, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup.

## Offseason
### NHL Draft

| Round | Overall | Player |
| 1 | 5 | Ron Jones |
| 1 | 14 | Terry O'Reilly |
| 2 | 28 | Curt Ridley |
| 3 | 42 | Dave Bonter |
| 4 | 56 | Dave Hynes |
| 5 | 70 | Bert Scott |
| 6 | 84 | Bob MacMahon |

## Regular season
### Season standings

East Division vte :
| | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts |
| 1 | Boston Bruins | 78 | 54 | 13 | 11 | 330 | 204 | +126 | 119 |
| 2 | New York Rangers | 78 | 48 | 17 | 13 | 317 | 192 | +125 | 109 |
| 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 78 | 46 | 16 | 16 | 307 | 205 | +102 | 108 |
| 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 78 | 33 | 31 | 14 | 209 | 208 | +1 | 80 |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 78 | 33 | 35 | 10 | 261 | 262 | −1 | 76 |
| 6 | Buffalo Sabres | 78 | 16 | 43 | 19 | 203 | 289 | −86 | 51 |
| 7 | Vancouver Canucks | 78 | 20 | 50 | 8 | 203 | 297 | −94 | 48 |

### Record vs. opponents
## Schedule and results

Regular season schedule :
| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | L | October 10, 1971 | 1–4 | New York Rangers (1971–72) | 0–1–0 |
| 2 | W | October 13, 1971 | 6–1 | @ New York Rangers (1971–72) | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | W | October 14, 1971 | 6–2 | Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) | 2–1–0 |
| 4 | T | October 17, 1971 | 2–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 2–1–1 |
| 5 | W | October 20, 1971 | 4–3 | Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 3–1–1 |
| 6 | W | October 22, 1971 | 5–1 | @ California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 4–1–1 |
| 7 | W | October 24, 1971 | 4–3 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 5–1–1 |
| 8 | L | October 27, 1971 | 2–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 5–2–1 |
| 9 | L | October 28, 1971 | 0–2 | California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 5–3–1 |
| 10 | W | October 31, 1971 | 5–2 | Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 6–3–1 |
| 11 | W | November 4, 1971 | 6–1 | St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 7–3–1 |
| 12 | W | November 6, 1971 | 2–1 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 8–3–1 |
| 13 | L | November 7, 1971 | 2–3 | Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 8–4–1 |
| 14 | L | November 10, 1971 | 1–3 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 8–5–1 |
| 15 | W | November 11, 1971 | 5–2 | California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 9–5–1 |
| 16 | W | November 14, 1971 | 11–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 10–5–1 |
| 17 | W | November 18, 1971 | 5–0 | Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 11–5–1 |
| 18 | W | November 20, 1971 | 2–1 | Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 12–5–1 |
| 19 | W | November 21, 1971 | 6–2 | St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 13–5–1 |
| 20 | W | November 24, 1971 | 2–1 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 14–5–1 |
| 21 | W | November 25, 1971 | 4–2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 15–5–1 |
| 22 | T | November 27, 1971 | 6–6 | @ St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 15–5–2 |
| 23 | W | December 4, 1971 | 5–3 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 16–5–2 |
| 24 | W | December 5, 1971 | 5–3 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 17–5–2 |
| 25 | W | December 8, 1971 | 5–3 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 18–5–2 |
| 26 | W | December 11, 1971 | 6–2 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 19–5–2 |
| 27 | L | December 12, 1971 | 2–4 | @ California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 19–6–2 |
| 28 | W | December 16, 1971 | 8–1 | New York Rangers (1971–72) | 20–6–2 |
| 29 | W | December 18, 1971 | 4–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 21–6–2 |
| 30 | T | December 19, 1971 | 2–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 21–6–3 |
| 31 | T | December 23, 1971 | 4–4 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) | 21–6–4 |
| 32 | W | December 25, 1971 | 5–1 | Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 22–6–4 |
| 33 | W | December 26, 1971 | 3–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 23–6–4 |
| 34 | W | December 29, 1971 | 5–1 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 24–6–4 |
| 35 | T | December 30, 1971 | 2–2 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 24–6–5 |
| 36 | W | January 2, 1972 | 4–1 | @ New York Rangers (1971–72) | 25–6–5 |
| 37 | W | January 5, 1972 | 2–0 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 26–6–5 |
| 38 | W | January 6, 1972 | 5–2 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) | 27–6–5 |
| 39 | L | January 8, 1972 | 3–5 | @ St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 27–7–5 |
| 40 | T | January 12, 1972 | 2–2 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 27–7–6 |
| 41 | T | January 13, 1972 | 1–1 | Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 27–7–7 |
| 42 | W | January 15, 1972 | 4–2 | Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 28–7–7 |
| 43 | W | January 16, 1972 | 9–2 | Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 29–7–7 |
| 44 | W | January 18, 1972 | 2–0 | @ St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 30–7–7 |
| 45 | W | January 22, 1972 | 8–5 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 31–7–7 |
| 46 | T | January 23, 1972 | 3–3 | Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) | 31–7–8 |
| 47 | W | January 27, 1972 | 4–2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 32–7–8 |
| 48 | W | January 29, 1972 | 4–2 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 33–7–8 |
| 49 | W | January 30, 1972 | 5–2 | St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 34–7–8 |
| 50 | W | February 2, 1972 | 2–0 | @ New York Rangers (1971–72) | 35–7–8 |
| 51 | W | February 3, 1972 | 6–1 | Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 36–7–8 |
| 52 | W | February 5, 1972 | 3–2 | Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 37–7–8 |
| 53 | L | February 6, 1972 | 2–8 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) | 37–8–8 |
| 54 | W | February 10, 1972 | 9–1 | Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 38–8–8 |
| 55 | W | February 12, 1972 | 5–1 | Buffalo Sabres (1971–72) | 39–8–8 |
| 56 | T | February 13, 1972 | 2–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 39–8–9 |
| 57 | W | February 15, 1972 | 6–3 | California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 40–8–9 |
| 58 | W | February 17, 1972 | 4–1 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 41–8–9 |
| 59 | W | February 19, 1972 | 6–4 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 42–8–9 |
| 60 | W | February 20, 1972 | 3–1 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 43–8–9 |
| 61 | W | February 22, 1972 | 4–3 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 44–8–9 |
| 62 | W | February 23, 1972 | 8–6 | @ California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 45–8–9 |
| 63 | W | February 26, 1972 | 5–4 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 46–8–9 |
| 64 | W | March 2, 1972 | 7–3 | Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 47–8–9 |
| 65 | W | March 4, 1972 | 5–4 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 48–8–9 |
| 66 | L | March 5, 1972 | 0–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 48–9–9 |
| 67 | W | March 8, 1972 | 5–4 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 49–9–9 |
| 68 | L | March 11, 1972 | 4–6 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 49–10–9 |
| 69 | T | March 12, 1972 | 4–4 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 49–10–10 |
| 70 | W | March 16, 1972 | 8–3 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 50–10–10 |
| 71 | W | March 19, 1972 | 7–3 | Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 51–10–10 |
| 72 | W | March 23, 1972 | 4–1 | New York Rangers (1971–72) | 52–10–10 |
| 73 | T | March 25, 1972 | 5–5 | Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 52–10–11 |
| 74 | W | March 26, 1972 | 5–4 | Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 53–10–11 |
| 75 | L | March 28, 1972 | 3–6 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 53–11–11 |
| 76 | L | March 29, 1972 | 1–4 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 53–12–11 |
| 77 | L | April 1, 1972 | 2–6 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 53–13–11 |
| 78 | W | April 2, 1972 | 6–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 54–13–11 |

## Playoffs

Boston defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–1 and the St. Louis Blues 4–0 to advance to the final.

### Stanley Cup Finals

As of 2022, the 1972 Bruins are the most recent team to have won the Cup without a formal captain. John Bucyk, as the team's senior assistant captain, accepted the Cup and circled the rink in the ceremonial skate.
Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers
Boston won Stanley Cup 4–2
1972 Stanley Cup playoffs :
* Scorer of game-winning goal in italics

## Player statistics
### Regular season
#### Scoring

| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Phil Esposito | C | 76 | 66 | 67 | 133 | 76 | 55 | 28 | 2 | 16 |
| Bobby Orr | D | 76 | 37 | 80 | 117 | 106 | 86 | 11 | 4 | 4 |
| John Bucyk | LW | 78 | 32 | 51 | 83 | 4 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 7 |
| Fred Stanfield | LW | 78 | 23 | 56 | 79 | 12 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| John McKenzie | RW | 77 | 22 | 47 | 69 | 126 | 19 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| Derek Sanderson | C | 78 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 108 | 25 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Mike Walton | C | 76 | 28 | 28 | 56 | 45 | 23 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Ken Hodge | RW | 60 | 16 | 40 | 56 | 81 | 41 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Wayne Cashman | LW | 74 | 23 | 29 | 52 | 103 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Ed Westfall | D/RW | 77 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 19 | 29 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Dallas Smith | D | 78 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 132 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Garnet Bailey | LW | 73 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 64 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reggie Leach | RW | 56 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ted Green | D | 54 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Smith | D | 61 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 46 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Marcotte | LW | 47 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Carol Vadnais | D | 16 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Awrey | D | 34 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 52 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddie Johnston | G | 38 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ivan Boldirev | C | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gerry Cheevers | G | 41 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terry O'Reilly | RW | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Roberts | RW | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Ravlich | D | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Beverley | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Jones | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garry Peters | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Stewart | D | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| Gerry Cheevers | 2420 | 41 | 27 | 5 | 8 | 101 | 2.50 | 2 |
| Eddie Johnston | 2260 | 38 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 102 | 2.71 | 2 |
| Team: | 4680 | 78 | 54 | 13 | 11 | 203 | 2.60 | 4 |

### Playoffs
#### Scoring

| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Phil Esposito | C | 15 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Bobby Orr | D | 15 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| John Bucyk | LW | 15 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Hodge | RW | 15 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 62 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| John McKenzie | RW | 15 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fred Stanfield | LW | 15 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Walton | C | 15 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Wayne Cashman | LW | 15 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Westfall | D/RW | 15 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Garnet Bailey | LW | 13 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Don Awrey | D | 15 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dallas Smith | D | 15 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Marcotte | LW | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Derek Sanderson | C | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Carol Vadnais | D | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gerry Cheevers | G | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ted Green | D | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Hayes | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddie Johnston | G | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garry Peters | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
| Gerry Cheevers | 483 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 21 | 2.61 | 2 |
| Eddie Johnston | 420 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 1.86 | 1 |
| Team: | 903 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 34 | 2.26 | 3 |
    Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
    Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

## Transactions

| September 4, 1971 | To California Golden Seals cash | To Boston Bruins Doug Roberts |
| November 17, 1971 | To California Golden Seals Ivan Boldirev | To Boston Bruins Rich Leduc Chris Oddleifson |
| February 23, 1972 | To California Golden Seals Reggie Leach Rick Smith Bob Stewart | To Boston Bruins Don O'Donoghue Carol Vadnais |
| March 5, 1972 | To California Golden Seals cash | To Boston Bruins Tom Williams |

## Awards and records

* Prince of Wales Trophy
* Phil Esposito, Art Ross Trophy Winner
* Bobby Orr, Conn Smythe Trophy
* Bobby Orr, Norris Trophy