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Who are the top Boston Bruins of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Gerry Cheevers: sandwiched between a stint in the World Hockey Association (WHA), Cheevers was a Hall of Fame goalie who spent a dozen years with the Bruins and won 226 games in net while backstopping the team to a pair of Stanley Cups in the 1970s.
9. Zdeno Chara: a towering physical presence at 6’9”, Chara became just the second European-born and raised captain to win the Stanley Cup during the Bruins’ 2010-2011 title run; he has also won a Norris Trophy with the team and finished top-five another 5x.
8. Milt Schmidt: one of the team’s early stars, Schmidt won the Hart Trophy in 1950-1951 and guided the Bostons to two Stanley Cup titles during his Hall of Fame career.
7. Patrice Bergeron: perhaps the best two-way forward of his generation, Bergeron has spent his entire career with Boston and won the Selke Trophy 4x (and placed top-three another 4x) and the Clancy Trophy once while helping the Bruins to a Stanley Cup.
6. Cam Neely: one of the preeminent power forwards in the game when healthy, Neely scored 50+ goals on three occasions for the Bruins (including the rare 50 goals in 50 games feat in 1993-1994) before injuries ended his Hall of Fame career prematurely.
5. Eddie Shore: one of the top players of the NHL’s early days in the 1920s and 1930s, Shore played before the days of the Norris Trophy, but was recognized with four Hart Trophies as league MVP, a record for a defenseman, and led the Bruins to two Stanley Cup titles.
4. Phil Esposito: in addition to scoring a then-record 76 goals in 1970-1971 with Boston, Esposito led the league in goals scored for six straight years in the 1970s, including five straight with 50+, and retired as the NHL’s second-leading goal-scorer behind only Gordie Howe; he won two Harts, two Pearsons, and five Ross Trophies while leading the Bruins to two championships.
3. Johnny Bucyk: over more than two decades with the Bruins, Bucyk is the franchise leader in career goals scored (545); additionally, he twice won the Lady Byng Trophy (and finished top-three another 5x) and lifted the Stanley Cup twice with Boston.
2. Ray Bourque: while he did not win a Stanley Cup in 20+ years with the Bruins, Bourque won the Norris Trophy 5x while finishing top-three an incredible 15x, and is the career leader in goals, assists, and points for a defenseman and the NHL’s all-time leader in shots on goal.
1. Bobby Orr: though his career was shortened by injuries, Orr is widely acknowledged as a revolutionary defenseman and one of the top five players in NHL history – in addition to a record eight straight Norris Trophies, he also won three consecutive Hart Trophies, is the only defenseman ever to win the Ross Trophy for top scorer (2x), and led the Bruins to a pair of Stanley Cup titles.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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