Coming off of a 4-1 win over the Caps on Monday, a few other great Christmas week plays by the Bruins spring to mind.
The Stanley Cup win of 1970 made famous by Bobby Orr’s flying leap foreshadowed one of the Bruins’ most memorable seasons. The greats on the 1970-71 roster collected a staggering number of awards and set multiple records, which were only to be later broken by future generations of Bruins.
Boston Bruins Christmas Week history
On Christmas Day of 1970 over the Penguins, the boys collected 35 penalty minutes, including an elbow, a trip, a high stick, holding, hooking, a Cashman fight, and misconduct by Bobby Orr and Derek Sanderson. With their 51 shots on goal, this nostalgic game would be hard to beat.
The following year, the B’s closed out the Flyers in a 5-1 lead. This game was reportedly not as entertaining as the preceding year, but it was a great performance and would be the last Christmas Day game the NHL would ever see.
It is now an NHL mandate that there are to be no games, practices, or traveling to games on Christmas, nor on the two days surrounding. This rule has been in effect for the past 53 years since 1971 in order to allow the players to spend quality time with their families for the holidays. Naturally, the Bruins were one of the last two teams to be watched on Christmas day.
Christmas gifts were extended on December 28, 2001, when the B's defeated the roughing Panthers in a merry 7-1 victory. Accumulating 58 penalty minutes a piece, this matchup saw plenty of fights, as to be expected whenever these two rivals meet. This game actually ranks #2 on the biggest loss the Panthers have ever faced against the B's during their long-time rivalry. The biggest loss ever handed to the Cats would come later on December 23, 2011, when the boys broke their record in a deserving 8-0 shutout. Brad Marchand delivered a hat trick along with 2 assists. Tuukka skated off with a 1.000% SV, blocking all 30 shots on goal.
The Centennial Bruins team on December 27, 2023, was able to pop the black and gold out of their 4-game losing streak by defeating the Sabres in a 4-1 victory. This was a noteworthy game for the Bruins' fans. Swayman stopped 25 shots on goal while Charlie Coyle took credit for half of the goals. Special teams were out to shine that night, as Coyle's second goal flew into the net after deflecting off of Buffalo's Erik Johnson's skate.
On Friday the B's hit the road to play against the Blue Jackets, followed by a rematch with the Capitals for a New Year's Eve matinee. Do the Bruins have any more Christmas gifts left up their sleeves this season? Stay tuned, Spoked-B Nation!