One hundred years in the making. On Sunday, the Boston Bruins met up with first and original rivals Montreal Canadiens for a once-in-a-lifetime centennial game, commemorating their first meeting 100 years ago to the date. In 1924 with the exact same matchup, the Bruins took the win 2-1, and in 2024 they continued the trend with a win of 6-3.
This centennial win comes after a weekend of celebrating this 100 year milestone, all happening right outside of TD Garden. Fan festival activities kicked off on Saturday, when the Bruins organization unveiled a newly crafted bronze bear statue in Portal Park.
Alternate Governor and CEO Charlie Jacobs tells us this newly acquired statue is 6’ tall, 10’ feet long, and weighs over 3500 pounds. He is made by the same sculptore as the world-renowned Bobby Orr statue, Harry Weber.
Sunday afternoon, Canal Street closed down to entertain the crowds who came in to experience this opportunity. Dalton & the Sheriffs donned their Bruins sweaters and amused the crowd while fans browsed amongst a multitude of attractions and displays.
The Selkie Trophy was proudly displayed as well as the Art Ross Trophy and others for the perfect photo op. Interactive games of ‘pin the tail on the plane’ were available alongside a booth where one could step in and try their hand at being an NHL hockey goalie.
Giveaways were provided by TD Bank, a longtime proud sponsor of the Bruins. As always, Blades was more than happy to snap pictures with eager fans. Meanwhile, hundreds of fans were lining up, awaiting the entrance into TD Garden with anticipation.
Bruins had memorable pre-game celebrations
The pre-game celebrations were nothing less than memorable. Before puck drop, Johnny Bucyk, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Bobby Orr, Willie O’Ree and other legends all gathered at center ice for the passing of the puck onto the up-and-coming generations.
Every fan in attendance was gifted a commemorative ticket and a Bruins Centennial bracelet, which was very impressively coordinated to match the celebratory activities and music throughout the game. As Boston National Anthem singer Todd Angeli belted out his familiar songs, little sparkles of red, white, and blue could be seen flashing throughout the arena.
The energy was palpable, as the Bruins started off the game with 3 goals in the first period. The crowd roared and jumped to their feet as over 17,000 excited fans sang along with the celebratory jaunty tune following each goal.
The celebration culminated with an impressive win over the Habs, just as the Bruins did back in 1924. Throughout the past 100 years, this original 6 team has proven they have what it takes to last for many more Centennial anniversaries to come. Spoked B nation continues to look forward to what lies ahead for this original 6 team!