Two Former Boston Bruins Greats Rank Among NHL Greatest Players in the 21st Century

One of the more successful teams over the years in the NHL has been the Boston Bruins. Yes, they only have one Stanley Cup championship in 2011 over the last two decades, but they have been one of the more consistent regular-season teams.

Over that time, they have had some greats lace up the skates wearing the Black and Gold and two of the more recent ones have been ranked by ESPN as top 25 players in the 21st century.

Boston Bruins greats Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron named top 25 players of the 21st century by ESPN

It's no secret who have been the face of the franchise over that time and ESPN ranked former captains Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara in the top 11 with Bergeron coming in at No. 10 and Chara at No. 11.

Bergeron, who retired last summer, won the Selke Trophy six times and was nominated 12. Truth be told, he should have won more than the six that he did. He is third on the Bruins all-time list with 427 goals and 1,040 points. He was one of the most respected players of his generation both on and off the ice.

Chara was a fan favorite with the Black and Gold, winning the Norris Trophy in 2009 and then playing a huge role in the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup. In the 2019 run to the Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues, he broke his jaw in Game 4, but that didn't keep him out of the lineup. A true hockey player. At 6-foot-9, he was an intimidating presence on the ice and turned into one of the better shutdown defensemen and brought along current Bruin Brandon Carlo forming a tough defensive pairing.

One former member of the Boston Bruins who also made the list was Joe Thornton, who came in at No. 14, and played with the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers after his time in Boston.