In 2023-2024, the Boston Bruins celebrated the franchises' centennial season. An impressive accomplishment, spanning across generations.
Having a tenured history, however, doesn't transpire without its fair share of peaks and valleys, where respective heights and depths may vary.
For example, prior to the new millennium, valleys weren't as lonesome.
While the Bruins hadn't hoisted the Stanley Cup since 1972, the New England Patriots were still longing for their first Super Bowl, and the Boston Red Sox were warding off a near century long curse. Outside of the Boston Celtics, championship success had a torturous way of eluding Boston's professional sport franchises. Still, misery loved company, and while the Bruins, Patriots, and Red Sox each experienced shortcomings, at least they endured them simultaneously.
That was, until they didn't.
After a combined championship drought of 128 years, the Patriots rattled off 3 Super Bowl wins, and the Red Sox won 2 World Series, totaling 5 championships in a 5 year stretch from February '02, through October '07.
The sports landscape in Boston dramatically shifted, and with each added banner, came added expectation. FOR EVERYONE.
This created a problem for the Bruins, who now, and still without recent championship success of their own, were burdened with expectations created from others' success.
After another disappointing playoff exit to the Montreal Canadiens in 2004, fans around New England were just about fed up with the Bruins. Not only were the Bruins still failing, but other teams in town were succeeding and rightfully garnering headlines and adulation.
The following 2004-2005 NHL season was canceled due to a CBA lockout. Before the Bruins knew it, they were a complete non-story in the city of Boston. Out of sight, out of mind.
Surely, when the team hit the ice again in the fall of 2005, fans would come roaring back to the rink, right?
"HEY EVERYONE, DIDN'T YOU MISS US?"
Yea, not so much.
Before the 2005-2006 NHL season, the league implemented countless rule changes, that instantly effected how the game was officiated. For a blue collar hockey city like Boston, it rubbed fans the wrong way at first (honestly, a blog for a different time).
The Bruins didn't possess a roster nearly as good as the one they had pre lockout, and fans could tell that the ceiling was low and the floor was lower. To make matters worse (at the time), the Bruins ended up trading away their captain, Joe Thornton, during the middle of what would end up being an MVP season, for very little return.
In the summer of 2006, the Bruins made a huge splash with the free agent signings of Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard. And while these players were instrumental in the team's eventual resurgence, it didn't immediately transform during the ensuing 2006-2007 season. The Bruins once again finished last in their division, missing the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season.
Seldom the topic of sports radio or bar talk banter, the Bruins regularly played home games in front of a half empty arena (or half full, if you're an optimistic gal or fella) for about 2 and a half seasons. All of 2005-2006, all of 2006-2007, and the first half-plus of 2007-2008.
The Bruins found themselves where no professional sports team wants to be, deserted on the Island of Irrelevancy.
SO, what changed??
In short? The culture.
Heading into the 2007-2008 season, the Bruins hired Claude Julien to be their next Head Coach. Julien's emphasis on defensive awareness, and accountability was a breath of fresh air, and much needed counsel for an organization who had lost its structure. Still, overhauling change takes more than just great coaching, it needs great leadership to help implement that change. This is where Zdeno Chara's impact was first greatly felt. He led by example, demanded effort and determination from each of his teammates, and that they trust the coaching and process it takes to win.
The 2007-2008 roster had some holes, but also had a lot a promising pieces in place to compete for a playoff spot. An inspiring story, and capable goalie in Tim Thomas. A quickly improving blue line led by Chara. An untapped forward core led by Savard, but also featuring the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Phil Kessel, Marco Sturm, Glen Murray and seemingly out of nowhere rookies Milan Lucic, and David Krejci.
Despite the promise, it dwindled pretty quickly when Bergeron suffered a season ending injury just one month into the campaign.
Yet, it was in the wake of this scary injury that the Bruins began to slowly row away from the Island of Irrelevancy. It wasn't overnight, but as the months ticked closer towards spring, it was hard not to realize that the Bruins were still in the middle of a playoff race for the first time in years. In direct previous seasons, the team was out of playoff contention by January or February. But not this year, not this team. This team was different. This team worked harder, they fought tougher, and they defended better. They weren't perfect, and they struggled offensively, but they were competing, and winning more games than they had in a while. What was all the more impressive, was that they were doing so without Bergeron.
As the regular season came to a close, the Bruins officially had their fans attention. They punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 4 calendar years. Against? You guessed it. The Montreal Canadiens. This time with the red, white and blue from the north as heavy favorites. Despite playoff hockey being back in Boston, the Bruins quickly went down 3-1 in the series, and the Canadiens had a chance to end Boston's season back in Montreal in Game 5. Unfortunately for the Canadiens, this Bruins team was stubborn and fought off elimination to force what would become an era launching Game 6 back in Boston.
The Bruins were a true underdog heading into this game. Montreal went 8-0 versus Boston that regular season head to head, and had a 3-1 series lead before falling in Game 5. They were now 11-2 versus Boston heading into Game 6, regular season and postseason combined. Good luck telling Bruins fans that. Bruins fans were a loud, ravenous pack of wolves from the moment they entered the building. They knew their team wasn't supposed to have gotten this far, yet they were now just one win away from forcing a Game 7.
Rene Rancourt's Canadian and American National Anthems got the crowd into a frenzy as only he could do over his 40-plus year career and the puck was dropped.
Despite a highlight-reel goal from Kessel early in the 2nd period, and a funky tying goal from forward Vladimir Sobotka early in the 3rd period, the Bruins still found themselves down 3-2 with just under 8 minutes to play in regulation.
Nerves were in the air, until they temporarily subsided when Lucic tipped home an Aaron Ward point shot and brought the crowd to their feet in celebration. The Garden was ecstatic and hopeful that their team could actually complete the come back.
With just over 4 minutes to play, the crowd was on pins and needles. They watched as Krejci played an indirect pass off the left wing boards to a streaking Sturm. Sturm got it, but wait .. is that ... Kessel going back door?
"HEY, MAHCOOO! YA GOT KESSEL, GET IT TO HIM. AHH IT'S TOO LATE --- WOAH YEAHH HE DID IT, HE GOT IT TO KESSEL! LETS GOOO!"
Just like that, the Bruins took the lead with under 5 minutes to go. Surely, they were going to win now, right?
Not so fast.
The Canadiens' Chris Higgins scored his 2nd goal of the game just 11 seconds later. Unbelievable. Absolutely, unbelievable.
After all the back and forth, all the momentum changes, Bruins fans didn't even know what to think or feel at this point. But the fact that they were thinking and feeling anything was more than what the Bruins had provided their fans in years to this point.
All they could do now was hope and pray the Bruins would score the next goal and that time expired as quick as possible.
As play ensued, and with under 3 minutes to play, Bruins fans' prayers would be answered when Sturm - well, actually you know what? Why don't you just watch for yourself ..
Bruins' former play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards famously proclaimed "This building is vibrating".
And it was. One must remember, at this time, it had been years of turning on Bruins games and seeing nothing but yellow seats on the television. It was awesome, yet strange to see a TD Garden crowd sold out like this with a truly rabid fan base . Even the miscellaneous, playoff, sell out crowds when it was called the "Fleet Center" wasn't deafening like the crowd for this game was.
Sturm's goal sent the audience to cloud nine and they began counting the seconds before they could erupt as the clock struck triple zeros.
Listen to this ovation, and look at the passion coming out of these fans.
This atmosphere hadn't been seen at a Bruins game since the days of the old Garden. In the years following this game, yes, the 2011 crowd was crazy. As was 2013, 2019 and other years in between. But this was still 2008, and the old school Bruin crowd had yet to truly christen the new Garden since its' inaugural season in 1996.
Now, of course the Bruins would end up losing this series up in Montreal, but the moral victory from Game 6 was incredibly impactful. It would take a few more seasons and a couple more heart breaks, but just 3 years after this game, the Bruins hoisted their first Stanley Cup in 39 years on June 15th, 2011. They were no longer on an Island of Irrelevancy. They had joined their city counterparts, in the the Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics as champions of the new millennium. When it came to playing the in the city of champions, they no longer just slapped their name on a group project that got an "A", they did their part. They were no longer burdened with the expectations of others' success, they thrived playing under the expectations of their own success.
Over the last 16 years, the Bruins have once again been playing in front of nightly sold out crowds, while having gone to 3 Stanley Cup Finals. Do the Bruins and fans alike wish they had won more than just the one cup in 2011? Absolutely. Is there disappointment in defeat? You bet. But these feelings derive from not meeting high expectations. Having high expectations isn't something that should be taken for granted.
April 19th, 2008. Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals. The game that put the Bruins back on the map in Boston.
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