The Boston Bruins are currently one of five NHL teams not to have a "captain", which means they don't have a player wearing a "C" on their jersey. In reality, the Bruins have a core of assistant captains, including David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Hampus Lindholm, with Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm commonly wearing the "A" when one of those players is out of the lineup.
It isn't as big a deal as some people make it out to be, but ironically, there haven't been many teams that have won a Stanley Cup without a player wearing the "C". In fact, there are only two teams in history to have done it, and both were from the same organization, in 1970 and 1972. If there's one thing that Bruins fans know, it's their championship history, which means you already know that the Bobby Orr Bruins are the only teams to accomplish the feat.
AND ILL DO IT AGAIN https://t.co/DwrSN4TIs0 pic.twitter.com/U7lED8GqjG
— grace (sport mode) (@GRobs_Boston) April 1, 2026
Does it mean anything? No, but it's quite ironic that the only team to ever win the cup without a captain was Boston on two occasions, and now this edition of the captainless Bruins is looking like they could be a difficult out in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's going to be a long two months for this team that still has some holes, and they certainly aren't on the same level as those teams with Orr, Phil Esposito, and Johnny Bucyk, but it's a fun trivia fact nonetheless.
For everyone who believes that the Bruins are going to suffer for not having a captain, it couldn't be further from the truth. McAvoy and Pastrnak know they are the leaders of the team, and it doesn't really matter if one of them is wearing a different letter on their sweater. The defenseman further silenced those rumors on his recent appearance on Spittin' Chiclets, complimenting the overall team dynamic in Boston and commenting that it doesn't really matter if they have a C.
If the Bruins go on a memorable run to the Stanley Cup this season, it'll be interesting to see who goes forward to accept the trophy. Something tells me if the Bruins do make that run this postseason, Boston fans won't care who does it as long as the trophy is in the team's grasp. Something also tells me the players won't care either.