The Bruins team, an Original Six member of the NHL, has been giving Boston hockey fans a lot to cheer about since 1924. With superb players and management throughout its long history, the NHL Boston Bruins have been one of the most consistently successful franchises on either side of the U.S.-Canada border.
An Original Six Team
Boston Bruins History
The NHL Boston Bruins, founded in 1924, have the distinction of being the oldest U.S. team in the league. The first owner of the Boston NHL team was Charles Adams, a native of Vermont, successful businessman and enthusiastic hockey fan. He was also an astute judge of character, hiring the legendary Art Ross as the Bruins general manager. The Bruins — one of the NHL’s first expansion teams along with the Montreal Maroons — won a Stanley Cup in short order under Ross’s direction, in 1928-29.
The original colors of the Bruins team were brown and yellow, to match those of the grocery store chain Adams owned. The official colors became black and gold in 1935, and the spoked “B” design became the team’s primary logo in 1950, with revisions in 1996 and 2008.
A bit of hockey equipment trivia: The Boston Bruins were the first NHL team to have a Zamboni ice resurfacing machine. It can be seen today in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Bruins play their home games at Boston’s TD Garden (aka the Boston Garden; aka The Garden) — also the home of another well-known Boston team, the Celtics. Prior to its opening in 1995, the Bruins played at the legendary Boston Garden, which was nearby and had been in existence since 1928. The last game played at the Boston Garden was in 1995, an Eastern Conference playoff game between the Bruins and New Jersey Devils. The Bruins lost the game and were eliminated, but two conference championships and a Stanley Cup in the years that followed have more than made up for that loss.
Notable Bruins Team and Individual Accomplishments
- How many Stanley Cups do the Bruins have? The current count is six: 1928-29, 1938-39, 1940-41, 1969-70, 1971-72 and 2010-11.
- To go with those Stanley Cup wins, the Bruins team has four conference championships and 25 division championships to its credit.
- In the Hockey Hall of Fame, you’ll find 51 players and six builders of the sport associated with the Boston team. Among these legends of the NHL:
- Tiny Thompson, a dominating Bruins goalie in the 1930s who won four Vezina Trophies during his career.
- Eddie Shore, the gritty defenseman who played a pivotal role for the Bruins in their in 1928-29 and 1938-39 Stanley Cup wins.
- Phil Esposito, who played nine seasons at center for the Bruins in the 1960s and 1970s, and is still among the NHL’s best in goals, assists and total points.
- Bobby Orr, whose last season with the Bruins was in 1975-76, but whose name remains synonymous with Boston Bruins hockey to this day. Orr was one of the top players ever in the NHL, with eight straight Norris Trophies among his many achievements.
- Players whose numbers have been retired by the Bruins team:
- #2 — Eddie Shore, retired in 1947.
- #3 — Lionel Hitchman, retired in 1934.
- #4 — Bobby Orr, retired in 1979.
- #5 — Aubrey Clapper, retired in 1947.
- #7 — Phil Esposito, retired in 1987.
- #8 — Cam Neely, retired in 2004.
- #9 — Johnny Bucyk, retired in 1980.
- #15 — Milt Schmidt, retired in 1980.
- #24 — Terry O’Reilly, retired in 2002.
- #77 — Ray Bourque, retired in 2001.