The Boston Bruins 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night proved to be one full of milestones.
It marked the Boston Bruins’ sixth win in nine games thus far this year; not a milestone by any stretch but for the individual players; there was plenty to get excited about.
For David Pastrnak, he marked the night with his 300th (and 301st) points in Boston Bruins colors. Tuukka Rask celebrated the night with his hashtag #Tuukka500 as the team marked his 500th game with them, against the side that drafted him no less.
Bruce Cassidy, the ever-reliable Boston Bruins head coach, celebrated his 200th game behind the Boston bench.
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Zdeno Chara, not to have his coach out-do him with a 200th game in charge of the bench, played in his 100th game against the Toronto Maple Leafs alone, topping the 1,000 penalty minute mark in Boston colors when sent to the box during the second period.
Patrice Bergeron, with two assists on the night, would’ve made it to 500 assists; alas, that one has to wait a little longer.
It was a night to celebrate in general; the Boston Bruins’ 300th win over the Toronto Maple Leafs – a team they’ve seen in volumes equal to the ‘Original Six’ days in recent seasons. In fact, this game marked the 20th time in the space of the last two (and a tenth) seasons that these two sides have met.
You’d have to look quite hard to find a night so memorable for so many individuals; some of those milestones – Chara’s 100th game versus the Leafs, for example, likely mean very little.
However others; Pastrnak’s 300th point and Tuukka’s 500th game, mean a huge deal to the guys reaching those markers. Not every goalie makes it to 500 games, especially when the team that drafts them gives up on them.
Pastrnak, on the other hand, has had plenty of critics over the past few years, but is more than proving his worth of late – he shines in the 2014 Draft Class, he has been scoring at a pace greater than a goal-per-game and has a contract that is beyond friendly in this cap era.
For Zdeno Chara to show the longevity in the Boston Bruins line-up to have faced one team 100 times is incredible. He never fails to impress me with his ability to slog it out in a tough sport well into his forties.
Finally, to Bruce Cassidy; coaching an NHL team can often mean that your seat gets hot rather quickly. However, he’s taken us to the play-offs multiple times and indeed all the way to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season. He has more than earned the respect of Boston Bruins fans and we’re all no doubt hoping for at least 200 more games out of him!!
A milestone night for the team, ahead of a night that is guaranteed to be slightly heated when the St. Louis Blues come to town for the first time since that Stanley Cup Final.