{"id":493732,"date":"2026-07-21T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=493732"},"modified":"2026-07-20T20:34:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T00:34:27","slug":"boston-bruins-unlikely-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/21\/boston-bruins-unlikely-heroes\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Series: The Boston Bruins Unlikely Heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The game of hockey, like all sports, is filled with heroes. Most of the time, it is the superstars who have a reputation for coming up clutch. However, we are here to talk about the heroic performances that seem to come from nowhere. An unlikely hero can step up and chip in with a massive, Stanley Cup Playoff series-clinching goal, or maybe it is a season-long performance, the likes of which will never be seen again. These unlikely heroes become a part of hockey history. Today, we bring you our\u00a0<\/span>Last Word On Hockey<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>summer series<\/a>, as we look at the Boston Bruins<\/a> <\/em><\/span>Unlikely Heroes<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boston Bruins Unlikely Heroes<\/h2>\n

The Criteria<\/h3>\n

Some wonder what makes an unlikely hero. It can be a player who comes with a massive improvement out of nowhere. An unlikely hero can step up and chip in with a massive goal or a shutout that wasn\u2019t expected. It can also be a player who steps up and has a season to remember. An unlikely hero can be a player who\u2019s a youngster who gives a breakthrough performance. It can also be a star player who gives one last flash of greatness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tim Thomas<\/a><\/h3>\n

Intro<\/h3>\n

The veteran goalie had floated through the American Hockey League. Thomas even went to Finland for a chance to play hockey before latching on with the Bruins in 2005-05. He served as the backup to Hannu Toivonen before getting the starting job in the 2006-07 campaign. The Flint, Michigan native then added yoga to his training regimen and something clicked for him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas took the starting job in 2007-08 after Manny Fernandez<\/a> went down with an injury. The journeyman goalie would get selected to the All-Star Game, but he saved his best work for two seasons. That work would lead him to winning a pair of Vezina Trophies, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and a Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n

The Moment(s)<\/h3>\n

Thomas saved his best work for the 2009 and 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He helped the Bruins sweep the rival Montreal Canadiens<\/a> before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes.<\/a> Tuukka Rask<\/a> started all of Boston’s postseason games in 2010, and it looked like Rask would be the goalie of the future (Which he would become.)<\/p>\n

However, Thomas returned with a vengeance in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The veteran netminder beat Dominik Hasek<\/a>‘s record for save percentage in the regular season with .938. That work would more than translate in the playoffs. He only allowed eight goals in the Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks<\/a> and was the first to post a Game 7 shutout on the road. Boston would win its first Cup since 1971-72. Thomas was the first goalie to win the Stanley Cup, Vezina, and Conn Smythe trophies in the same season since Bernie Parent\u00a0in the\u00a01974\u201375 season<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aftermath<\/h3>\n

Thomas would eventually be traded to the New York Islanders and have stints with the Dallas Stars<\/a> and Florida Panthers.<\/a> The former University of Vermont product would stay out of the limelight and suffered from the effects of brain damage from concussions. Thomas did make some returns to the Bruins in 2019 and 2024.<\/p>\n

Sean Kuraly<\/h3>\n

Intro<\/h3>\n

Our next player in our Boston Bruins unlikely heroes’ story is one that has actually been featured previously.<\/a> Sean Kuraly was a staple of the bottom six for the Bruins in the early part of his career. However, he would become an unexpected contributor in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.<\/p>\n

Boston would lose to the St Louis Blues<\/a> in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. However, Kuraly played a massive hand in getting the B’s<\/em> into the Cup Final that could have gone either way. The loss wasn’t on Kuraly due to him scoring some key goals.<\/p>\n

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(Credit:\u00a0Zuma Press)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The Moment<\/h4>\n

Kuraly bumped his production to 0.5 points per game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.\u00a0 He was a point-per-game player in the series against the Hurricanes. Boston took care of Carolina in five games, and the former Miami of Ohio product got five points in those series.<\/p>\n

The Bruins increased his ice time by nearly two minutes from 13 minutes, 46 seconds to 15:39 in the 20 postseason games he appeared in. Bruce Cassidy was strong enough to ride the hot hand in the series. Boston won both games in which Kuraly tallied a goal. It was ironic that depth scoring doomed the Bruins in the seven-game loss to the Blues.<\/p>\n

The Aftermath<\/h4>\n

The Dublin, Ohio native would play two more season in Boston before heading back to his home state. He would play for the Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> for four seasons. The grinder would net a career-high 14 goals in 2021-22 with the Jackets. However, it wasn’t the end of Kuraly’s story in Boston.<\/p>\n

He would eventually make his return to the Bruins after the 2024-25 season. The veteran forward would sign a two-year contract in the 2025 offseason to return to the Bruins. He posted six goals in the 2025-26 campaign and is a fixture in the bottom-half of the lineup.<\/p>\n

Honourable Mention for Boston Bruins Unlikely Heroes<\/h3>\n

There are other players that fill out the Boston Bruins unlikely heroes list. The franchise is one of the oldest in the league, so we can draw from plenty of Stanley Cup Playoff runs.<\/p>\n

We’ll start back in 1939 with Mel Hill, who is still the only player to get three overtime-winners in the same series against the New York Rangers<\/a>. Darren van Impe was singled out by The Athletic<\/em><\/a> for the most unlikely OT goal in Bruins’ postseason history. He came up with some overtime magic in double OT victory over the Washington Capitals<\/a> in 1998.<\/span><\/p>\n