Best Boston Bruin to Wear Each Jersey Number (1-40)
Over the next few posts I will break down the Boston Bruins by the numbers. Some players and their jersey numbers became iconic in Boston and are hanging from the TD Garden rafters. Other numbers have less history, and some have none at all. From 1 to 99, there are 16 numbers that have seen no action in a regular season game (66, 69, 78, 80, 82, 84, 85, 87, 90, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99). Let’s take a look back at the black and gold, past and present, that have best represented their jersey number from 1 to 40. The debate begins!
Brimsek brought home two Vezina Trophies and two Stanley Cups to Boston in his first four seasons with the Bruins, can’t argue this one.
Eddie ‘The Edmonton Express” Shore was the city of Boston’s first true sports star. He was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945, and remains the only defenseman in NHL history to be awarded the Hart Trophy four times as league MVP. Shore played in 540 games for Boston, scored 103 goals, assisted on 176 others, all for a total of 279 points. Shore totaled 103 goals and 176 assists in his 540 games for Boston. Additionally, a #2 game-worn Shore sweater sold for $119,000 earlier this year.
Hitchman captained the Bruins from 1927-1931 and was paired on defense with Eddie Shore for eight seasons. It was not unusual for Hitchman to play the entire 60 minutes of a game as he led the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1929.
The best to ever play the game. No competition for #4 Bobby Orr.
Clapper was the first player in NHL history to play 20 seasons, and was one of the most versatile players of all time. Dit played both right wing and defense while captaining the Bruins for 14 seasons.
Green was one tough hockey player. He played eight seasons in Boston in the late 60’s and early 70’s, but missed the teams 1970 Stanley Cup Playoff Championship run. In 1969 Green’s skull was fractured after a stick-swinging duel with Wayne Maki of the St. Louis Blues. He was left paralyzed with no expectations of ever resuming his hockey career. But after a year of convalescence and conditioning, with a metal plate in his head, Green returned to the Bruins line-up to finally savor a Stanley Cup victory in 1972.
The first player in NHL history to record 100 points in a single season, and he did that six times in his career. There’s no questioning why Espo has his number hanging from the rafters.
Neely led the team in goals for seven of his ten seasons, including three 50-goal campaigns. He holds the team record for goals by a wing with 55 in 1989 and he is the team’s all time playoff goal leader. Of course we now remember him for his front office work as well.
9 Johnny Bucyk
Chief was the Bruins leader for a long 21 seasons, and helped to bring the 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cups to the Garden.
10 Jean Ratelle
Ratelle was acquired from the New York Rangers in 1975 and led the Boston Bruins in scoring in his first two black and gold seasons.
Leo Komarov (47) as he turns and shoots at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports” />
Campbell will be remembered for his grit and toughness. He put it all on the line every time on the ice, and that was never more clear than when he finished his shift on a broken leg during the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
12 Adam Oates
From 1992 to 1995 Oates was the Boston Bruins leading point-getter and their top playmaker.
13 Ken Linseman
Linseman was acquired from Edmonton in 1984, and was the team’s third-leading point-getter in his first year as a Bruin. He subsequently placed second on the scoring charts in three of the next four seasons. In 1987 he also led Boston with a plus-36 rating.
14 Woody Dumart
One-third of the Kraut Line alongside Bobby Bauer and Milt Schmidt, Dumart led the Bruins in scoring in 1947 and finished his Boston career with 429 points in 771 games.
15 Milt Schmidt
Schmidt is the only Bruin to serve as player, captain, coach and General Manager. His hand is in four of the Bruins’ Stanley Cup Championships, two as a player and two as GM.
Turk played alongside Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito with the big bad Boston Bruins. He was awarded the Calder Trophy in 1968, and became known as a tough guy who was likely the best two-way player in the game.
17 Bobby Bauer
At only 5’7″, 160-pounds, Bauer helped spark the Kraut Line and had a career high 30 goals in 1946.
Nathan Horton was crucial to the 2011 Bruins Stanley Cup Championship team. He scored the game-winning overtime goals in Games 5 and 7 of the opening series against the Candiens, and scored the lone Game 7 goal of the ECF against the Lightning. Horton became a motivating factor after his injury in Game 3 of the Finals, as the Bruins rallied off 4 wins over the next 5 games to claim the Cup.
19 Tyler Seguin
Gone too soon from Boston, Seguin was a spark plug in Black and Gold.
20 Dallas Smith
Only once in Smith’s Boston career was plus/minus kept on record, but in 1975, he led the way with a plus-42 rating. Smith also was a reliable assist-man, tallying over 20 assists each season over an entire decade.
Ference embodied what it meant to be a Boston Bruin. He was a tough, no bull defender, and he would tough it out to the end.
22 Brad Park
In 501 games for the Boston Bruins, Park accumulated 100 goals, 317 assists and a plus-182 rating.
23 Steve Heinze
Boston Bruins
The Lawrence, MA, native and Boston College star remained in Boston for an additional nine years, scoring 131 goals and recording 108 assists for his hometown team.
24 Terry O’Reilly
O’Reilly was just as comfortable fighting as he was scoring, and is remembered as a true big bad Bruin. He is the team’s all time leader in penalty minutes. It was amazing to be there at just nine years old when his 24 was raised to the rafters in 2002!
25 Gary Doak
In 609 games in Boston, Doak tallied a plus-125 rating, pretty impressive.
26 Glen Wesley
Wesley is in the Top 5 in assists, 230, and points, 307, for the Bruins.
27 Glen Murray
Murray played two stints in black and gold, 1991 to 1994 and 2001 to 2007. Murray was a leader on the team and a top contributor on the ice.
28 Mark Recchi
In Game 2 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, Recchi became the oldest ever player to score a goal in a Stanley Cup Final, at the age of 43.
McCrimmon was selected just seven picks behind legendary Ray Bourque, and led the team with a plus-27 rating in 1980.
Cheevers and the previously mentioned Brimsek are the only goalies to be in the crease for two Bruins’ Stanley Cup title runs.
31 Ron Grahame
Grahame was a one-year wonder in 1977, charging up a 26-6-7 record in 40 appearances. He was then traded to the Kings in exchange for the draft pick that was used to select Bourque.
32 Don Sweeney
Sweeney played more than 1,000 games with the Bruins and was a fan favorite even in Bourque’s shadow. Sweeney was the team’s plus/minus leader in 1993 and co-leader in 1998. Let’s hope that he is just as successful as the new GM.
33 Zdeno Chara
Big Z is a mainstay on the Bruins blueline, and we’ll likely see 33 hanging from the TD Garden rafters some day.
34 Byron Dafoe
Only one Boston backstop has broken double digits in the shutout column during a single season, Lord Byron in 1998.
35 Andy Moog
Moog shared the 1989 Jennings Trophy with Reggie Lemelin and helped the Bruins reach the third round of the playoffs in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
36 Dave Reid
Reid wore three different numbers over two stints in Boston but his years as 36 were his formative years when he split time between the NHL and AHL.
Oct 30, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) heads up ice with the puck against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period at First Niagara Center. Bruins beat the Sabres 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Another current Bruin that will see his number retired among the other greats.
In 166 Boston Bruins games, Ruzicka accumulated 66 goals, and 66 assists.
Johnston played only parts of two seasons in Boston, but tallied 27 points in 1986 and 20 points in 1988. Slim pickings for 39.
40 Tuukka Rask
Tuukka still has many years left to prove his worth in Boston. His 2013 run was a solid base, and he’s looking to mirror that production on the way to a Stanley Cup Championship.
Any debate? Let us know who should be recognized by each number in the comments, and look out for part two coming soon!