Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are an ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL).  They were the first American team in the NHL, in 1924.  They have won six Stanley Cup championships, and they lost against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals after winning in 2011.

History

Early years 
In their early years, the Bruins won three Stanley Cups:  1929, 1939, and 1941.  Ralph "Cooney" Weiland won the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion in 1930.  Aubrey "Dit" Clapper was also a star player around this time.  Then Eddie Shore came along, a huge star in the league on defense.  Shore won the Hart Trophy as most valuable player (MVP) four times:  in 1933, 1935, 1936 and 1938.  Only Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky have won it more often.  Cecil "Tiny" Thompson was the team's star goaltender.

In the 1940s and 1950s the Bruins had new stars.  Milt Schmidt and Bill Cowley were great centers and both won scoring championships and MVP trophies.  They were helped by Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer on wing, and Frank Brimsek replaced Thompson in goal.

The 1960s were not so good for the Bruins.  Schmidt retired to become the team's coach and the team did not have many stars.  They finished in last place six times out of seven years and did not make the playoffs eight straight seasons.  Left wing John Bucyk was their best player.

Later years 
Bobby Orr began as a defenseman with Boston in 1966.  After his rookie (first) season, he won the Norris Trophy as best defenseman in the NHL eight times in a row, and the Bruins became a top team again.  He joined with centers Phil Esposito and Derek Sanderson, Bucyk and goalie Gerry Cheevers to lead the Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972.  Orr won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP in the playoffs both years.  He also won the Hart Trophy in 1970, 1971, and 1972; Esposito won it in 1969 and 1974.  Esposito won five Art Ross Trophies:  1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1974.  Orr won it in 1970 and 1975, the only defenseman ever to win the scoring title.  The Bruins continued to be a strong team through the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.  

Ray Bourque, who won the Norris Trophy five times, was the team's greatest star in the 1980s and 1990s.  He is the team's top career scorer, and the highest scoring defenseman in NHL history.  The Bruins won the President's Cup as regular-season champions in 1983 and 1990, and made the Stanley Cup finals in 1988 and 1990.  Cam Neely was an important player until the mid-1990s, and Joe Thornton was a top scorer until he was traded to the San Jose Sharks in 2005.  The Bruins won the Stanley Cup championship in 2011. In the 2018-2019 season the Bruins made the Stanley Cup final once again, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues in 7 games. 

In the 2022–2023, the Bruins broke the record for the most wins by a NHL team with 63 wins. They would win two more games to finish the regular season with 65 wins. In the playoffs, the Bruins would face the Florida Panthers, but lost Game 7 at home after initially taking a 3 games to 1 series lead.

References

Other websites
Official website

1924 establishments in the United States
20th-century establishments in Massachusetts
 
National Hockey League teams