The Boston Bruins open their 2025-26 season in just a week against the Washington Capitals in D.C. on October 8. Through their 100-year history, the Bruins have a record of 45-39-16 in season-opening games. It’s been a long offseason, but the light at the end of the tunnel is near. Here are five noteworthy season-openers in Bruins history.
November 16, 1926 vs Montreal Canadiens
The Bruins’ third-season opening game in franchise history was threatened to be suspended before it even began. It was warm outside, and fog was covering the west end of the ice at Boston Arena. Montreal Canadiens’ owner Cecil Hart claimed this to be a disadvantage to his team, so he put in an official protest before puck drop. The referee in charge did not take the protest seriously, and neither did NHL President Frank Calder on appeal.
The game was played through the lingering fog, with no scoring in the first period. The Bruins' new addition, Percy Galbraith, scored the first goal shortly into the second period. Carson Cooper scored under a minute later. Cooper scored two more goals in the third period to complete the hat-trick. Galbraith contributed the lone assist on Cooper’s third goal of the game. The Bruins beat the Canadiens 4-1.
October 11, 1970 vs Detroit Red Wings
One would think that heading into a new season as reigning Stanley Cup champions would be a celebratory and generally carefree time. It was not quite that for the Bruins going into the 1970-71 season. Shortly after the Bruins captured the Cup in May 1970, head coach Harry Sinden left the club due to the Bruins' refusal to offer him a raise. Also, Bruins star and rising celebrity outside of hockey, Derek Sanderson, threatened to quit the team if he didn’t get a pay increase.
Boston hired former defenseman Tom Johnson to take over head coaching duties and continued to negotiate with Sanderson despite growing weary. A one-year deal was reached just hours before opening night against the Detroit Red Wings, but Sanderson did not dress for the game.
Aside from all the drama that surrounded the beginning of the Bruins season, there was good news as well. Ted Green was back in the lineup after missing all of the 1969-70 regular season and playoffs due to the skull fracture and brain damage he suffered during the infamous stick fight with Wayne Maki during a September 1969 preseason game against the St. Louis Blues. Green recorded an assist on the first Bruins goal of the game, scored by Phil Esposito, tying it up at 1-1 just over five minutes in.
The Bruins went on a scoring spree after Espo opened the gates. Johnny Bucyk added his own goal in the first period, Wayne Carleton and Wayne Cashman contributed in the second, and in the third period, Don Marcotte scored two goals a minute apart, while Ken Hodge capped off the scoring with a little over a minute remaining in the game. The Bruins smothered the Red Wings, 7-2.
October 9, 1980 vs New York Rangers
Gerry Cheevers retired from hockey after the 1979-80 season. He immediately took on the head coaching role from GM Harry Sinden, who had temporarily stepped in to coach at the end of the 1979-80 season after he fired coach Fred Creighton. Cheevers, first-time head coach, was set to make his debut on opening night 1980 against the New York Rangers. The Bruins had a fresh goalie pairing heading into the season with new starting goaltender, future Hall-Of-Famer Rogie Vachon, and US Olympic hero Jim Craig.
The Bruins fell behind early when the Rangers scored two goals in the first four minutes of the game. That was the end of the scoring for the Rangers though, and the Bruins were just about to get started. A few minutes later, Boston tied the game when Brad Park and Bob Miller scored 30 seconds apart from each other. Tom Songin and Rick Middleton added tallies in the second period and in the third, Miller scored his second of the game, while Peter McNab and Stan Jonathan chipped in as well. Captain Wayne Cashman and Ray Bourque recorded 2 assists each as the Bruins beat the Rangers, 7-2.
October 6, 1983 vs Quebec Nordiques
Days before the Bruins opened the 1983-84 season against the Quebec Nordiques, coach Gerry Cheevers emphasized the importance of the physical play/goals correlation in his system for the Bruins.
The Bruins took this message to heart in the game against the Nordiques and set a franchise record for most amount of goals scored in a season opener. Ray Bourque got the B’s off to a hot start, scoring two goals in the first period. Then in the second Steve Kasper scored and Craig MacTavish added two of his own. In the third period, Tom Fergus, Rick Middleton, Terry O’Reilly, and Peter McNab joined in on the barrage.
Bourque finished the game with four points, as the Bruins toppled the Nordiques, 9-3. Amidst all the scoring, Boston did not deviate from Cheevers’ system. It was a rough, heavy-checking game that included a few fights in the third period, featuring O’Reilly, Mike Krushelnyski, Barry Pederson, and Mike Millbury.
January 22, 1995 vs Philadelphia Flyers
After a three-month lockout, the 1994-95 NHL season began a 48-game shortened season in January. The Bruins opened their season on the 22nd at home against the Philadelphia Flyers, which would be the final season opener at the Boston Garden, as they were about to migrate to the newly built FleetCenter in October. It has also the highly-anticipated debut of new Bruins goaltender and collegiate sensation, Blaine Lacher.
Lacher and the B’s gave up the first goal of the game in the second period, but it was smooth sailing after that. Cam Neely scored a powerplay goal later in the period, and scored two more goals on the powerplay in the third period. All three of Neely’s goals were assisted by Ray Bourque and Adam Oates. Neely’s hat trick consisting of all PPG gave him an early edge in the statistical category and at the end of the season he led the league with 16 PPG. Bruins forward, Daniel Lacroix, also scored a goal in the 4-1 victory over the Flyers.