On December 25, 1924, one hundred years ago, the Boston Bruins played their first Christmas day game in their inaugural season as a franchise. They lost in a shutout to the Montreal Canadiens, 5-0, just their eighth game as a team. They played a total of 37 Christmas day games in their history, until the 1972-73 season when the NHL stopped scheduling games on the holiday. The B’s had a 17-18-2 record on Christmas day before the stoppage and had many good games, moments, and a Christmas rivalry. Here are some facts and a brief overview of the Boston Bruins’ Christmas story.
Home for the Holidays
Boston dons the moniker ‘The Hub of Hockey’, but before 1972, the city was also the hub of Christmas. Out of their total 37 Christmas games, the Bruins only played three away games. The first was the game in 1924 against the Canadiens. The second was a 1-0 win in New York against the Americans in 1937. The third and last came in 1941, a 2-0 loss in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.
After 1941, the Bruins played the rest of their 26 Christmas games in Boston, going 12-12-2. This schedule allowed B’s players to stay in the holiday spirit and spend time with family and friends that lived in and around Boston with them. Along with having the special home Christmas schedule, it also set up a unique rivalry.
The Christmas Rivalry
The Bruins played the Chicago Blackhawks twice in their first 11 Christmas games, a 2-1 loss in 1928 and a 6-3 win in 1939. The B’s played two more Christmas games before having a four-season break then resumed their December 25 games in 1946. They were scheduled to play the Blackhawks in 1946, which would start a six-season run between the two teams playing in Boston on December 25 each season.
The Bruins went 2-3-1 in this first run against the Blackhawks, before 1952 when they played the New York Rangers. The Chicago-Boston rivalry picked back up in 1953 going on a four-game stint until 1956. The Bruins posted a 1-2-1 record, before taking 1957 to play to Detroit Red Wings. In 1958 and 1959, Boston and Chicago would play their last pair of Christmas games against each other, the Bruins winning both games. After 1959, the Bruins would not meet the Blackhawks on Christmas again.
This rivalry delivered many memorable games, individual accomplishments, and players competing for both teams throughout the period. Most notably, Bruins goalie Frank Brimsek, played both sides of the aisle, holding a 2-3 record for the Bruins against the Blackhawks on Christmas day. Brimsek requested a trade out of Boston after the 1948-49 season after coach Dit Clapper retired, and to be closer to his family.
Brimsek landed in Chicago and turn, found himself in the net against the Bruins on December 25, 1949. The Bruins and Blackhawks played to a 4-4 tie in what would be Brimsek’s last season in the NHL. The rivalry also brought some significant performances, that would certainly end up on Santa’s ‘nice list’.
The Nice List
Saint Nicholas’ famous list begins with the 8-0 shutout win over the Philadelphia Quakers in 1930. Dit Clapper scored the Bruins' first Christmas day hat trick in the win. Marty Barry added two goals of his own, while Cooney Weiland, Harry Oliver, and Red Beattie also joined in on the fun.
Clapper’s 1930 Christmas hat trick was not the only one in Bruins history. Woody Dumart scored his own on December 25, 1939 against the Blackhawks, in a 6-3 win for the Bruins. It was a feast for the Bruins’ ‘Kraut Line’ that night, scoring a total seven points between Dumart, Milt Schmidt, and Bobby Bauer. The line improved on their point total one year later on Christmas 1940 against the Americans, posting an 11 point night in the 8-1 win.
Schmidt scored nine points over those two victories, and would finish his Bruins career with 14 points on Christmas day games, the most in Bruins history. Schmidt and Dumart both recorded six goals on Christmas games, just one behind the franchise leader, Johnny Bucyk, who has seven goals in his 14 games.
If there is one Bruins goaltender that is MVP on the December 25 games, it’s Don Simmons. Simmons started the three games from 1957-1959, posting an undefeated 3-0 record and a 1.33 GAA. Cecil Thompson (3-3), Frank Brimsek (3-4), and Eddie Johnston (2-3), all started more times on December 25, but no one was as perfect as Simmons on the holiday.
Bah Humbug!
To start the ‘not-so-nice’ list, there is a goaltender that mirrored what Simmons did for the Bruins, but against Boston. Hall-of-fame goalie, Johnny Bower, went 3-0 with a 1.33 GAA against the Bruins on Christmas day games. All with Toronto, Bower and the Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 4-1 in 1960, 5-1 in 1963, and 4-2 in 1966.
While the Bruins have two hat-tricks on December 25 games, there have also been two recorded against them. The first was in 1947 by forward Doug Bentley in a 6-1 loss to the Blackhawks.. Bentley scored a combined 10 points against the Bruins throughout the Boston-Chicago Christmas rivalry. The second hat-trick came in 1949 from former-Bruin and Bentley’s linemate, Roy Conacher. Conacher totaled six points in his Christmas appearances against the Bruins.
The final player on this list couldn’t seem to stay away from Boston on Christmas, no matter which team he went to. Forward Bill Hicke played in five December 25 games against the Bruins, appearing for three different teams. His appearances on the holiday were in 1961 with the Canadiens, 1964 & 1965 with the Rangers, and in 1967 & 1968 with the Oakland Seals. Apart from 1964, Hicke scored at least 1 point every other matchup, finishing with eight points in his five Christmas outings against the Bruins.
Christmas Future
The NBA has cornered the market on Christmas since the NHL called a moratorium on their games. In 2009 there were signs the NHLPA were interested in getting back to playing on December 25, but it didn’t go any further than the initial feeling out process. It doesn’t seem the NHL will go back to playing on Christmas anytime soon, which shouldn’t be a major issue, as it gives the players and everyone involved in the game a break to be with their families and friends.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!