Winning the Stanley Cup is memorable…so is losing it. The Boston Bruins have done both in the last decade. Reaching the Stanley Cup Finals three times means eventful seasons full of noteworthy moments. This is part one of the top 10 most memorable Boston Bruins games of the decade.
10 Most Memorable Boston Bruins Games of the 2010’s
First here are some honourable mentions that just missed the cut.
Honourable Mentions:
The Burrows Bite
June 1, 2011
Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals was a defensive battle for nearly all 60 minutes. Vancouver’s Raffi Torres scored the only goal of the game with 18.5 seconds remaining in regulation, giving the Vancouver Canucks the victory and a 1-0 series lead. But the biggest story of the night may not have been about the goal, instead about an incident between Alex Burrows and Patrice Bergeron. In a scrum between the two, it appeared that Burrows bit Bergeron’s finger. Burrows did not receive a penalty or any supplementary discipline. This set the tone for the series and became one of the most intriguing Boston Bruins games of the year.
Warrior Mentality
June 6, 2019
Bruins captain Zdeno Chara suffered a broken jaw in Game 4 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals after taking a shot to the face from St. Louis Blues forward Brayden Schenn. Chara fell to the ice with a bloodied face and was helped to the locker room. He returned the bench for the remainder of Game 4 to support his teammates but did not play. Reports came out that Chara broke his jaw on the play and his status for series was in question.
Videos of Chara skating with the team before Game 5 surfaced giving hope that he would be back. Shortly before puck drop news broke that Chara would be starting Game 5 with the broken jaw. When introduced to the TD Garden crowd, the fans erupted, saluting their injured captain. Chara saw 16:42 minutes on ice while recording two shots. The Bruins lost the game 2-1 but Chara showed the toughness and dedication that Boston will never forget.
There Will Be No Repeat
April 25, 2012
The Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011 after defeating the Canucks in seven games. The Bruins had three playoff series go seven games the year before and the opening round in 2012 followed suit. The two-seeded Bruins were hosting the seven-seeded Washington Capitals with a chance to advance to the next round. Boston came in as the defending Stanley Cup Champions but Matt Hendricks scored the first goal of Game 7 to give Washington a 1-0 lead. Tyler Seguin tied the game in the second period and the score remained tied 1-1 until overtime. Much like 2011, the Bruins had a chance to win a first-round Game 7 in overtime. But Joel Ward scored in overtime and Washington ended Boston’s season with a 2-1 victory in Game 7.
This was Tim Thomas‘s final game as a Bruin, who was traded to the New York Islanders after stepping away from hockey. With everything Thomas did for the organization it will go down as one of the most memorable Boston Bruins games of the decade.
10. Fenway Winter Classic
Jan. 1, 2010
The second regular-season game on the list of memorable Boston Bruins games of the decade. This was the third Winter Classic put on by the NHL, a series where two teams face each other in an outdoor stadium. The Bruins hosted the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park in front of a crowd of 38,000. This game was a historic spectacle and was a fun experience for the city and league. The Bruins wore a uniform designed by Cam Neely in dark yellow with brown pants, dark yellow socks with brown and white striping. A different “B” logo on the chest of the jersey to honor the history of the Bruins.
The game saw the first Winter Classic fight between Shawn Thronton and Daniel Carcillo. Danny Syvret scored first to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Mark Recchi answered late in the third period to tie the game at one and force overtime. The sun set and the Fenway Park lights began to glisten off the ice. In overtime Marco Sturm redirected a Patrice Bergeron pass into the net to give the Bruins a 2-1 overtime victory. The Bruins became the first home team to win a winter classic and did so in Boston’s beloved Fenway Park.
9. The Stanley Cup Marathon
June 12, 2013
The 2013 Stanley Cup Finals started off with one of the most dramatic Bruins games of the decade against the Chicago Blackhawks. The crowd at the United Center nearly saw two full games worth of hockey during this triple-overtime thriller. The Bruins raced out to a 2-0 lead with both goals from Milan Lucic. Boston would go on to surrender a 3-1 third period lead when Dave Bolland and Johnny Oduya scored 4:14 apart to tie the game.
Boston had its chances to make up for the third period collapse with two power play chances in the overtime periods but both were unsuccessful. It wasn’t until 12:08 in the third overtime period when Andrew Shaw deflected a shot into the net giving Chicago the 4-3 victory in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It is the fifth-longest game in Stanley Cup Finals history and both teams left the ice exhausted.
8. The Meltdown
May 14, 2010
The Bruins were dominating the Eastern Conference Semifinals over the Flyers. Boston won the first three games to take a 3-0 series lead and looked to sweep the Flyers in Game 4. The Bruins went on to lose Games 4, 5 and 6 before going back to Boston for Game 7. Boston had squandered the 3-0 series lead and had to win Game 7 to avoid being only the third team in NHL history to blow such a series lead.
Not only did the Bruins blow a 3-0 series lead, they blew a 3-0 lead in Game 7. A goal by Michael Ryder and two by Milan Lucic put the Bruins in control in the first period. James van Riemsdyk snuck a shot by Tuukka Rask in the final minutes of the first period to give Philadelphia life. Scott Hartnell and Daniel Briere both scored in the second period to force a 3-3 tie heading into the third period. Simon Gagne scored the winning goal in the third period, completing both the game and series comeback for Philadelphia. The Flyers became the third team in history to win a series after trailing three games to none, and did so with another incredible comeback in Game 7. The decade began with one of the more embarrassing and memorable Boston Bruins games in history.
7. A City Heals
April 17, 2013
The game itself had some highlights. The Bruins clinched a playoff spot, Patrice Bergeron returned from a concussion and the Buffalo Sabres scored with 27 seconds left to force overtime before winning in a shootout. But this game wasn’t about the play on the ice, it was about healing a city and a nation. Two days before, on April 15, the Boston Marathon was bombed, killing three and injuring hundreds. The entire city of Boston was shaken to its core. As the investigation into the bombing continued, nearly the entire city was shut down in order to find the suspects.
The Bruins game scheduled for that night was postponed and the Celtics game scheduled for the following day was cancelled. For a city that is so passionate about its sports teams, it needed them to heal. The Bruins hosted the Buffalo Sabres in the TD Garden two days after, marking the first major sporting event in Boston since the bombing. The city was hurt and looked to the Bruins to focus their attention on.
Rene Rancourt walked out onto the ice to perform the National Anthem as he usually did, but this one meant more. After singing a few lines, Rancourt lowered the microphone from his face and held it out to the crowd. The sold-out TD Garden crowd took it the rest of the way, singing the National Anthem in a sign of unity and solidarity.
Brad Marchand could feel how important the game was to the city. “You really see why Boston is such a special city,” Marchand said. “You’re out there with thousands of people you don’t know, but it’s like we’re all one. It was special tonight.”
While one hockey game itself cannot heal the city it was the first step in returning to a sense of normalcy for Boston. The goosebumps-inducing night is the only regular season game at TD Garden to make the list of most memorable Boston Bruins games this decade.
6. The Rivalry (Act 33)
April 27, 2011
The final game of the 33rd postseason series between the Bruins and their fierce rival, Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens had a 24-8 record against Boston in playoff series before this one and opened this first-round series by winning the first two games in Boston. The Bruins responded by winning the next two games in Montreal to tie the series 2-2. Boston won game five with a Nathan Horton goal in double-overtime and Montreal won Game 6 setting up a decisive Game 7. Boston held a 2-0 and 3-2 lead in Game 7 but Montreal battled back both times. P.K. Subban scored on the power play with 1:57 remaining in the game to tie it 3-3.
Overtime was fast-paced when Milan Lucic found Nathan Horton who scored on a slap-shot that beat Carey Price. Boston defeated their rival 4-3 in overtime and sent Montreal home. Beating their rival on route to winning a Stanley Cup will go down as a favorite game for Boston Bruins fans everywhere. The Horton goal gave birth to one of the most spirited calls by Bruins announcer Jack Edwards.
“Horton… The drive scores,” yelled Edwards. “The Bruins knock out Montreal!”
Stay tuned for part two of the top Boston Bruins games of the decade tomorrow.
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 01: Zdeno Chara #33 and Marc Savard #91 of the Boston Bruins play the puck against Jeff Carter #17 of the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2010 Bridgestone Winter Classic at Fenway Park on January 1, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
