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Top Boston Bruins

The Greatest Boston Bruins of All Time
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The Best of the Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins have a rich history, and they have produced some of the best players in the NHL. 

The Boston Bruins originated in 1924, when Charles Adams was awarded a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL). Adams, a grocery magnate, wanted to bring the NHL to the United States, and he saw Boston as the perfect market. He named the team after the brown bear, which was the mascot of his grocery store chain.

The Bruins played their first game on December 1, 1924, and they quickly became one of the most popular teams in the NHL. They were led by a number of great players, including Eddie Shore, Aubrey "Dit" Clapper, and Cecil "Tiny" Thompson. The Bruins won their first Stanley Cup in 1929, and they have gone on to win six more Stanley Cups, most recently in 2011.

From the legendary Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and more we will take a look at the best players in Boston pro hockey history in this article.

Jersey Numbers Honored by the Boston Bruins

The Bruins have seen some great players on their roster.  The Franchise has Retired and Honored Numbers of some of its legends. Here is more about these great Boston skaters.

Milt Schmidt

Born March 5, 1918, in Kitchener, Ontario, was Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center Milt Schmidt. Milt was part of the Stanley Cup Champion teams of 1939 and 41 of the Boston Bruins. He also was the coach/GM for the Stanley Cup Champion 1970 and 72 Boston Bruins teams.

Johnny Bucyk

Born May 12, 1935, in Edmonton, Alberta, was Hockey Hall of Fame Left Wing Johnny Bucyk. This legend played in the NHL for 23 seasons with both the Detroit Red Wings for a couple of seasons and the majority of his pro hockey tenure as a Boston Bruin. Bucyk was a two-time Lady Byng Award winner, was on two Bruins Stanley Cup Champion teams, was a two-time NHL All-Star, and was one of the top 100 players in the NHL 100 celebration.

Lionel Hitchman

Born November 3, 1901, in Toronto, Ontario, was Hockey Hall of Fame Defenseman Lionel Hitchman. This legend was a two-time Stanley Cup Champion and Hart Memorial Award winner. Hitchman skated with the Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins during his thirteen-year career.

Cam Neely

Born June 6, 1965, in Comox, British Columbia, was Hockey Hall of Fame Right Wing Cam Neely. Neely played right wing for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League from 1983 to 1996. Those that knew him called him " Bam-Bam Cam", as he was one of the most dominant power forwards of his generation. Cam reached the fifty goal mark three times, played in five All-Star games, and was named the league's Second Team All-Star at right wing. At the time of this writing Neely is the Boston Bruins' all-time leading playoff goal scorer with 55. He ranks tenth in playoff points for Boston with 87. Neely was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005. Neely moved on to become an executive for the Bruins after playing.

Eddie Shore

Born November 25, 1902, in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, was Hockey Hall of Fame Defenseman Eddie Shore. This legend was a four-time Hart Award winner and an eight-time NHL All-Star. His Hart Trophies are the most by any defenseman ever and are overshadowed by only Gordie Howe's and Wayne Gretzky's winnings. "The Edmonton Express." was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players in history. Shore liked to rough it up on the ice and once set a record of 165 penalty minutes one season.

Phil Esposito

Born February 20, 1942, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, was Hockey Hall of Fame Center, Phil Esposito. This legend was an eight-time NHL All-Star who won five Art Ross, two Ted Lindsey Awards, and two Hart Memorial Trophies. Esposito is best known for his time with the Boston Bruins; however, he started his NHL journey with the Chicago Black Hawks. On the other side of his career, after playing in Beantown, he was a member of the New York Rangers. Esposito's career was so impactful that he was honored on the NHL's 100th Anniversary - 100 Greatest Players.

Dit Clapper

Born February 9, 1907, in Newmarket, Ontario, was Hockey Hall of Fame Right Wing/Defenseman Dit Clapper. This legend was a three-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Boston Bruins and a six-time NHL All-Star. Along with teammates Dutch Gainor and Cooney Weiland, they made up the original Bruins line that was called the "Dynamite Line." Clapper set a few scoring record marks during the 1930s. Dit was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947 as the first member to be alive at the time of induction.

Bobby Orr

Born March 20, 1948, in Parry Sound, Ontario, was Hockey Hall of Fame Defenseman, Bobby Orr. This legend was a nine-time NHL All Star, including three Hart Trophies and two Stanley Cup Championships. Orr skated in the NHL for 12 seasons, the first 10 with the Boston Bruins, followed by two with the Chicago Black Hawks. Number 4 remains the only defenseman to have won the league scoring title with two Art Ross Trophies. He holds the record for most points and assists in a single season by a defenseman.

Hall of Fame Bruins

So far here are players that skated for the franchise that are in the Hockey Hall of Fame:

  • Dave Andreychuk
  • Marty Barry
  • Bobby Bauer
  • Leo Boivin
  • Ray Bourque
  • Frank Brimsek
  • Walter Brown
  • Johnny Bucyk
  • Billy Burch
  • Pat Burns
  • Gerry Cheevers
  • Dit Clapper
  • Sprague Cleghorn
  • Paul Coffey
  • Roy Conacher
  • Bun Cook
  • Bill Cowley
  • Cy Denneny
  • Woody Dumart
  • Phil Esposito
  • Fernie Flaman
  • Frank Fredrickson
  • Jarome Iginla
  • Busher Jackson
  • Jeremy Jacobs
  • Tom Johnson
  • Duke Keats
  • Guy Lapointe
  • Brian Leetch
  • Harry Lumley
  • Mickey MacKay
  • Sylvio Mantha
  • Joe Mullen
  • Cam Neely
  • Willie O'Ree
  • Adam Oates
  • Harry Oliver
  • Bobby Orr
  • Bernie Parent
  • Brad Park
  • Jacques Plante
  • Babe Pratt
  • Bill Quackenbush
  • Jean Ratelle
  • Mark Recchi
  • Terry Sawchuk
  • Milt Schmidt
  • Eddie Shore
  • Babe Siebert
  • Harry Sinden
  • Hooley Smith
  • Allan Stanley
  • Nels Stewart
  • Tiny Thompson
  • Rogie Vachon
  • Cooney Weiland

Other Great Boston Bruin Skaters

Not all of the top players are int he Hockey Hall of Fame as of yet. Here are some of the significant Boston Bruins not mentioned yet in this post.

  • Jersey 1: Eddie Johnston
  • Jersey 8: Ken Hodge
  • Jersey 8: Peter McNab
  • Jersey 12: Wayne Cashman
  • Jersey 16: Rick Middleton
  • Jersey 17: Don McKenney
  • Jersey 18: Keith Crowder
  • Jersey 21, 27 & 29: Don Marcotte
  • Jersey 23 & 24: Terry O'Reilly
  • Jersey 30: Chad Johnson
  • Jersey 30 & 70: Tim Thomas
  • Jersey 33: Zdeno Chára
  • Jersey 35: Linus Ullmark
  • Jersey 40: Tuukka Rask
  • Jersey 46: David Krejčí

So what do you think? Send us your thoughts and suggestions to PigskinDispatch@gmail.com

Credits and Thanks

The image in the banner is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons of Boston Bruins ice hockey player Bobby Lalonde..

Follow the player links to credits for thier history which includes Hockey-Reference.com

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