Nikita Zadorov is single-handedly bringing back the Big Bad Bruins moniker. As the Boston Bruins enter their game against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night with a seven-game winning streak, it has been the under-appreciated play of Zadorov that has been one of the main driving forces. The massive defenseman might not wow you with his offensive talent, but he strikes fear in the hearts of opposing teams in other ways.
Zadorov has been a physical force for his entire Bruins tenure. Still, something flipped at some point last season, where he went from a loose cannon leading the league in minor penalties to a more controlled aggression that is a positive more than a negative. In the modern-day NHL, Zadorov is as close to an enforcer as you are going to get.
The Bruins haven't really seen this type of player since the early 2010s when they were bullying their way to a Stanley Cup. Ironically, as Zadorov revealed to the NHL on TNT panel before the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, he has been watching highlights of the 2011 team for some inspiration.
Nikita Zadorov said he watched 2011 Bruins Cup Final highlights on YouTube to figure out what style of hockey he wants the B's to play 👀 pic.twitter.com/sV4v5XoH2c
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) November 11, 2025
""I was scrolling through my YouTube and I seen a highlight video of the Stanley Cup Final game 2011 against Vancouver and I watched all of them. It was a nasty, it was a really physical, it was a really hard-to-play-against team. So, I think that's the identity we are going to bring back to Boston, and I think every guy bought in so far this year.""Nikita Zadorov
Zadorov's comments are music to the ears of the front office, who vowed to bring back some "piss and vinegar" hockey to Boston. While that change in identity has been evident up and down the lineup, as Zadorov mentioned, it has been the big Russian who is leading the charge.
Nikita Zadorov's inspiration for the 2025-26 Bruins season is evident in his play
Zadorov led the way early in the win streak when he bullied Matthew Schaefer and the New York Islanders in a road game. The Bruins were trailing 1-0 to the Islanders and looked like a sleepwalking team, content with their three-game win streak. Zadorov turned the momentum by starting a scrum with the 18-year-old budding superstar of the Islanders, which led to a Viktor Arvidsson goal minutes later.
The Bruins ended up winning that game, stretching their streak to four and now winning seven in a row. Zadorov continued to flex his muscle since the Islanders game, including in back-to-back wins against the Maple Leafs, where he made some controversial but arguably clean hits on Scott Laughton and Auston Matthews.
It's an excellent week for Zadorov to take on a more physical form as an ode to the 2011 team. Zdeno Chara's recent induction to the Hall of Fame has the 2011 team at the top of everyone's mind, and Zadorov is starting to take on some of the same qualities as the once fan favorite. While Zadorov, as he admits, will never come close to filling the original Big Z's shoes, his physically dominating presence, combined with his calming influence on Charlie McAvoy's game, has a certain familiarity.
Some people turned their noses up to Cam Neely's comments this offseason when he told fans that the new look bottom-six was going to be a culture changer in Boston. It was easy to point out that the league was heading in a different direction, and gone were the days of physical hockey beating talent. As the Bruins sit near the top of the Atlantic Division and ride this current win streak, there's an argument that Neely and Don Sweeney were right all along.