As the offseason comes to a close and players come back to town for preseason workouts and training camp, it is safe to say the Bruins are done shopping on the free agent market for now. The only significant move in free agency that the Bruins made this summer was signing former Bruin, Connor Clifton, to a two-year, $4.5 million deal. This acquisition was made to help fill-in a gap on the right side of the defense, one of the glaring holes on the depth chart that needed to be addressed.
The Bruins also finally dealt with their goaltending situation, by trading backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers for a 2028 fourth-round pick and prospect Kalle Vaisanen. Providence Bruins netminder Michael DiPietro has been waiting for his chance to be a full-time NHL’er, now a roster spot is open and his path is finally set. The Bruins did not have to search the free agent market for a goalie this offseason, but there have been plenty of times they had to take that route. Here is a list of the top five free agent goalie signings in franchise history.
5. Gerry Cheevers (post-WHA)
After winning his second Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 1972, Gerry Cheevers defected to the WHA, becoming one of the marquee players joining the new league. On January 26, 1976, it was announced that the former Bruins goalie would be retiring from the WHA after 3.5 seasons, due to a dispute with Cleveland Crusaders’ management.
Bruins general manager Harry Sinden commented on the situation and revealed the Bruins had been continually scouting him since he left for the WHA. On February 3, Cheevers signed with the Bruins as a free agent and just days later he was back in net for a 7-0 shutout victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Cheevers went 8-2-5 with a .900 SV% and a 2.74 GAA with one shutout for the rest of the season.
He posted 30-wins (30-10-5) during the 1976-77 season. The Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup Final two straight seasons (1976-77, 1977-78) but lost to the Canadiens in both trips. Cheevers had a combined 16-9 record with a .875 SV% and a 2.98 GAA with two shutouts in the 1977 and 1978 Stanley Cup runs. After the 1979-80 season, Cheevers transitioned from player to Bruins Head Coach.
4. Linus Ullmark
After the 2020-21 season, Tuukka Rask was recovering from hip surgery, and Jaroslav Halak had signed with the Vancouver Canucks in the free agency, the Bruins needed to sign a goaltender to pair with Jeremy Swayman. On July 28, 2021, the B’s signed Linus Ullmark to a four-year, $20 million deal. During his first season in Boston, Ullmark went 26-10-2 with a .917 SV% and a 2.44 GAA with one shutout.
The 2022-2023 season was a historic and record-breaking year for Boston. The Bruins set the single-season wins record, going 65-12-5 and set the single season points record (135). Ullmark became the fastest goalie in NHL history to reach 40 wins, and the Bruins became the first team in NHL history to have a 40-win and 20-win goaltender, Ullmark going 40-6-1, while Swayman went 24-6-4. The duo earned the Jennings Trophy and Ullmark won the Vezina trophy, but for the second consecutive season, the Bruins were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Florida Panthers.
In his third and final season as a Bruin, Ullmark went 22-10-7 with a .915 SV% and a 2.57 GAA with two shutouts. The Bruins finished the season knocked out of the playoffs in the second round by the Florida Panthers once again. In late June 2024, Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, forward Mark Kastelic, and a 2024 first-round pick.
3. Reggie Lemelin
The Bruins signed veteran Calgary Flames goaltender, Reggie Lemelin, on August 13, 1987 after being swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens in two straight seasons. This was in part due to poor goaltending, so Lemelin was signed with the hope of stabilizing the back-end. Stability is exactly what he brought.
In his first season with the B’s, Lemelin went 24-17-6 with an .889 SV% and a 2.93 GAA with three shutouts. The Bruins finished second in the Adams Division at the end of the season. In the second round of the playoffs, the Bruins dominated the Canadiens and won their first playoff series over Montreal in 45 years. Lemelin was a significant part of this historic moment. The Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup Final, but were not able to beat the Edmonton Oilers.
Over the next few seasons, Lemelin and partner Andy Moog became a force in net for the Bruins. During the 1989-90 season, the pair had 20 wins each and won the Jennings Trophy. Lemelin had a record of 22-15-2 with a .892 SV% and a 2.80 GAA with two shutouts. The Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup Final, but ultimately ended up falling to the Edmonton Oilers once again.
Lemelin was plagued by injuries over the next few seasons, including back and groin injuries during the 1990-91 season, and a hamstring injury in the 1991-92 season. He played his last game for the Bruins on December 29, 1992. He retired from hockey in January after the Bruins decided to send him down to the Providence Bruins. Lemelin finished his Bruins career with a 92-62-17 record and a .884 SV% with a 3.09 GAA and 6 shutouts.
2. Tim Thomas
Tim Thomas was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in 1994, but never ended up playing a game for the franchise, instead he playing college hockey for Vermont. Then Thomas spent time in the ECHL, IHL, AHL (for the Edmonton Oilers), Finland, and Sweden, before signing with the Boston Bruins on August 8, 2002. The journeyman goaltender spent the next two seasons in Providence, and then went back to Finland during the 2004-05 lockout. When the lockout ended he was back in Providence, but he also got 35 starts in net with Boston, going 12-13-10 with a .917 SV% and a 2.77 GAA with one shutout. By the 2006-07 season, he was Boston’s starting goaltender.
Over his eight seasons in Boston, Thomas had a regular season record of 196-121-45 with a .921 SV% and a 2.48 GAA with 31 shutouts. He led the league in in SV% and GAA twice (2008-09, 2010-11), won the Vezina Trophy in 2008-09 and 2010-11, and won the Jennings Trophy alongside partner Manny Fernandez in 2008-09.
His playoff and Stanley Cup performances were even more outstanding. Thomas was the key factor for the Bruins winning their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. During the 2011 Cup-run, he had one of the greatest single postseasons in Boston Bruins history, going 16-9 with a .940 SV% and a 1.98 GAA with four shutouts. Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy, the first American born-goaltender to win the award, and holds the record for most saves in a Stanley Cup Final series (238), and most saves in a playoff year (798), among all the accolades from that extraordinary season.
Thomas holds the NHL record for highest career playoff SV% (.933%) and was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.
1. Frank Brimsek
After being invited to Detroit Red Wings training camp in 1934, 19-year old Frank Brimsek was not happy with management, leading him to try out for teams in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League. Brimsek landed with the Pittsburgh Yellowjackets for the next few years. After an impressive run, Bruins General Manager Art Ross took notice. On October 27, 1937, the Bruins announced they had signed Brimsek.
Brimsek made his first start with the Bruins on December 1, 1938, losing to the Montreal Canadiens 2-0. What happened in the next few games and beyond was nothing short of phenomenal. He posted six shutouts in the next seven games. He finished out the season with 10 shutouts, earning the nickname ‘Mr. Zero’. The same season, he won the Calder Trophy, his first Vezina Trophy, and the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. He completed the season with a league-leading 33 wins, 1.56 GAA, and the aforementioned 10 shutouts.
Brimsek would go on to help the Bruins win another Stanley Cup in 1941 and then he won another Vezina trophy in 1942. In the middle of his tenure with the Bruins, he took off two years to serve in the armed forces during World War II. After his time with the U.S. Coast Guard, Brimsek returned to the Boston and played four more seasons with the Bruins. Brimsek was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1949, where he would play one last season.
Brimsek’s total Bruins regular season record was 230-144-70 over nine seasons, with a 2.57 GAA. His playoff record was 32-36 with a 2.47 GAA. Brimsek was the first ever American professional player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. In 1973, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame was opened in his hometown of Eveleth, MN, where he is also an inductee.
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