Early years (1924–1942) In 1924, the NHL made the decision to expand to the United States. The previous year in 1923, sports promoter
Thomas Duggan received options on three NHL franchises for the United States, and sold one to
Boston grocery magnate
Charles Adams. The team was one of the NHL's first expansion teams, and the first NHL team to be based in the United States. Adams' first act as owner was to hire
Art Ross, a former player and innovator, as general manager. Ross, with assistance from his secretary, came up with "Bruins" for a team nickname. The team's nickname also went along with the team's original uniform colors of brown and yellow, which came from Adams' grocery chain,
First National Stores. as a member of the Boston Bruins. On December 1, 1924, the Bruins won the first ever NHL game played in the United States, hosting the
Montreal Maroons at
Boston Arena, with
Smokey Harris scoring the first-ever Bruins goal, spurring the Bruins to a 2–1 win. This would be one of the few high points of the season, as the Bruins lost their next 11 games and only managed a 6–24–0 record, finishing in last place in its first season. The Bruins played three more seasons at the Arena, after which they became the main tenant of
Boston Garden. The Bruins improved in
their second season to a winning 17–15–4 record, which originally held the record for the biggest single-season improvement in NHL history. However, they missed out on the third and final playoff berth by one point to the expansion
Pittsburgh Pirates. In
their third season, Ross took advantage of the collapse of the
Western Hockey League (WHL) to purchase several western stars, including the team's first great star,
defenseman Eddie Shore. With the Bruins, he would go on to become one of the greatest players in NHL history. Boston qualified for the then-expanded playoffs. In their first-ever playoff run, the Bruins reached the
Stanley Cup Final where they lost to the
Ottawa Senators. The
Stanley Cup-winning game for the Senators would see Bruins'
Billy Coutu attack the referee, earning him a ban from the NHL for life, the only in league history. was the goaltender for the Bruins from
1928 to
1938. He helped the team win its first
Stanley Cup in . The
1928–29 season was the first played at Boston Garden. It also featured the NHL debut of goaltender
Tiny Thompson, who assisted the Bruins in defeating the
New York Rangers to win their first
Stanley Cup. In
1929–30, the Bruins posted the best-ever regular season
winning percentage in the NHL (.875, a record which still stands) because of a 38–5–1 record, but lost to the
Montreal Canadiens in the
Stanley Cup Final. In 1936, owner Charles Adams transferred ownership to his son
Weston Adams. In
1939, the team captured its second Stanley Cup. That year, Thompson was traded to make room for
rookie goaltender
Frank Brimsek. becoming the first rookie named to the NHL first All-Star team, and earning the nickname "Mr. Zero". The team skating in front of Brimsek included
Bill Cowley, Shore,
Dit Clapper and "Sudden Death"
Mel Hill (who scored three
overtime goals in one playoff series), together with the "
Kraut line" of
center Milt Schmidt,
right winger Bobby Bauer and left winger
Woody Dumart. In the
1939–40 season, Shore was traded to the
New York Americans for his final NHL season. In 1941, the Bruins won their
third Stanley Cup after losing only eight games and finishing first in the regular season.
World War II affected the Bruins more than most teams; Brimsek and the "Krauts" all enlisted in the
Royal Canadian Air Force following the 1941 Cup win.
Original Six era (1942–1967) The NHL had by
1942 been reduced, for the next 25 years, to the six teams that would come to be called the "
Original Six". In 1944, Bruins'
Herb Cain set the then-NHL record for points in a season with 82. The stars returned from World War II for the
1945–46 season, and Clapper led the team back to the
Stanley Cup Final as
player-coach. He retired as a player after the next season, becoming the first player to play twenty NHL seasons. Clapper retired as a player in 1947 then retired as coach in 1949. His retirement as coach came at the same time as goalie
Frank Brimsek requesting a trade, to which he was granted one on September 8, 1949. purchased the Boston Bruins from
Weston Adams. Owner
Weston began facing financial trouble at the start of the 1950s. He accepted a buyout offer from
Walter A. Brown, the owner of the
Boston Celtics and the Garden, in 1951. The Bruins did not have regular success during this era, aside from appearances in the , , and
1958 Stanley Cup Final. In 1954,
Art Ross retired and
Lynn Patrick took over as general manager. During the
1954–55 season, an incident occurred between the Bruins and the
Montreal Canadiens. Bruins defenseman
Hal Laycoe high-sticked Canadiens star
Maurice Richard in the head, and Richard went after Laycoe, going as far as punching a linesman to get to Laycoe. Following his removal from the game, the Montreal fans began to
riot, only calming down after Richard told them to. On June 3, 1955, the Bruins completed a nine-player trade with the
Detroit Red Wings to acquire goaltender
Terry Sawchuk as well as forward
Marcel Bonin. However, Sawchuk's playing ability would be affected after contracting
infectious mononucleosis and he would quit hockey midway through the
1956–57 season. On June 10, 1957, Sawchuk was dealt back to the Red Wings in exchange for
Johnny Bucyk. On January 18, 1958, the first-ever black NHL player,
Willie O'Ree, stepped onto the ice for the Bruins. He played in 45 games for the Bruins over the
1957–58 and
1960–61 seasons. The "Uke Line"—named for the
Ukrainian heritage of Johnny Bucyk,
Vic Stasiuk, and
Bronco Horvath—was formed in 1957 and enjoyed four seasons together until Stasiuk's trade to the Red Wings in 1961. At the
1964 NHL amateur draft, the Bruins drafted
Ken Dryden, but traded his rights to the
Montreal Canadiens in exchange for two prospects. In 1966, head coach
Milt Schmidt took over as general manager as Lynn Patrick retired.
Expansion and the Big Bad Bruins (1967–1979) Weston Adams took back ownership the Bruins in 1964 after Brown's death. Despite Orr's stellar rookie season, the Bruins would miss the playoffs. The
next season, Boston made the playoffs for the first of 29 consecutive seasons, an all-time record. The Bruins then obtained forwards
Phil Esposito,
Ken Hodge and
Fred Stanfield from
Chicago in a deal celebrated as one of the most one-sided in hockey history. Esposito, who centered a line with Hodge and
Wayne Cashman, became the league's top goal scorer and the first NHL player to break the 100-point mark. With other stars like forwards Bucyk,
John McKenzie,
Derek Sanderson, and Hodge, defenders like
Dallas Smith and goaltender
Gerry Cheevers, the "Big Bad Bruins" became one of the league's top teams from the late 1960s into the 1980s. In
1970, a 29-year Stanley Cup drought came to an end in Boston as the Bruins defeated the
St. Louis Blues in four games in the
1970 Stanley Cup Final. Orr scored the game-winning goal in overtime to clinch the Stanley Cup. The same season was Orr's most awarded; he won his third of eight consecutive
Norris Trophies as the top defenseman in the NHL, the
Art Ross Trophy, the
Conn Smythe Trophy, and the
Hart Memorial Trophy, the only player to win those four awards in the same season. While head coach
Harry Sinden temporarily retired from ice hockey before the
1970–71 season to enter business (he was replaced by ex-Bruins and Canadiens defenseman
Tom Johnson), the Bruins continued to dominate the league. They had seven of the league's top ten scorers (a feat not achieved before or since), set the record for wins in a season, and in a league that had never seen a 100-point scorer before the
1968–69 season, the Bruins had four that year. All four (Orr, Esposito, Bucyk and Hodge) were named First Team All-Stars. Boston was favored to repeat as Cup champions but lost to the Ken Dryden-led Canadiens in seven games. While the Bruins were not quite as dominant the
next season, Esposito and Orr finished first and second in the scoring standings and Boston regained the Stanley Cup by defeating the
New York Rangers in six games in the
1972 Stanley Cup Final. The
1972–73 season saw upheaval for the Bruins. Former head coach Sinden became the general manager. Bruins players Gerry Cheevers, Derek Sanderson,
Johnny McKenzie, and
Ted Green left to join the
World Hockey Association (WHA). Coach Tom Johnson was fired 52 games into the season, replaced by
Bep Guidolin. The Adams family, which had owned the team since its founding in the 1920s, sold it to
Storer Broadcasting. The Bruins' season came to a premature end in a first-round loss to the Rangers in the
1973 playoffs. In 1974, the Bruins regained their first-place standing in the regular season, along with another 100-point season from Orr, his fifth consecutive. However, they lost the
1974 Stanley Cup Final in an upset to the
Philadelphia Flyers. was drafted by the Bruins 14th overall in the
1971 draft. He played his entire career with the Bruins from 1971 to 1985.
Don Cherry stepped behind the bench as the new coach in
1974–75. The Bruins stocked themselves with
enforcers and grinders, and remained competitive under Cherry's reign, the so-called "Lunch Pail A.C"., behind players such as
Gregg Sheppard,
Terry O'Reilly,
Stan Jonathan and
Peter McNab. The Bruins placed second in the Adams Division, and lost to the
Chicago Black Hawks in the first round of the
1975 playoffs, losing a best-of-three series, two games to one. Prior to the
1975–76 season, Sportsystem Corporation, composed of current owner
Jeremy Jacobs and his two brothers, purchased the Bruins. Continuing with Sinden's rebuilding of the team, the Bruins traded Esposito and
Carol Vadnais to the Rangers for
Brad Park,
Jean Ratelle, and
Joe Zanussi. The Bruins made the semifinals again, but lost to the Flyers. Orr left as a free agent to Chicago in the offseason. Before the
1976–77 season, the Bruins completed another trade with the Rangers acquiring
Rick Middleton for Hodge. Later in the season, Cheevers returned, and the Bruins defeated the Flyers in the semifinals, but were swept by the Canadiens in the
Stanley Cup Final. The story repeated itself in
1978—with a balanced attack that saw Boston have 11 players with 20+ goal seasons, still the NHL record—as the Bruins made the
Cup Final once more, but lost in six games to Montreal. After that series, John Bucyk retired, holding virtually every Bruins' career longevity and scoring mark to that time. The
1979 semifinals series against the Canadiens proved to be Cherry's undoing. In the deciding seventh game, the Bruins, up by a goal, were called for having too many men on the ice in the late stages of the third period. Montreal tied the game on the ensuing power play and won in overtime. Cherry was dismissed as head coach thereafter.
Ray Bourque era (1979–2000) The
1979–80 season saw a new head coach
Fred Creighton, and also included a trade of goaltender
Ron Grahame to the
Los Angeles Kings for a first-round pick which was used to select
Ray Bourque, one of the greatest defensemen of all-time and the face of the Bruins for over two decades. During this season, an incident between forward
Mike Milbury and a fan at a
New York Rangers game occurred when Milbury along with other Bruins players entered the stands to engage some of the fans. During the fray, Milbury managed to take off the shoe of a fan and slap him with the heel-end. The incident became known as the
Shoe Incident. Creighton was fired with only 15 days remaining in the season due to poor chemistry with general manager Harry Sinden. Sinden hired former goaltender Gerry Cheevers as the next head coach. They had the league's best record in
1982–83 behind a
Vezina Trophy-winning season from ex-Flyers goaltender
Pete Peeters, but fell short of making the Stanley Cup Final. , shown in 1981 and before switching to his familiar no. 77, led the Bruins to the
Stanley Cup Final in and . Following a slow start to the
1986–87 season, Sinden fired head coach
Butch Goring and replaced him with
Terry O'Reilly. At the
1987 NHL entry draft, the Bruins made a trade with the
Vancouver Canucks, moving
Barry Pederson for right wing
Cam Neely. In March 1988, the Bruins acquired the rights to
Andy Moog from the
Edmonton Oilers in exchange for
Geoff Courtnall,
Bill Ranford, and future considerations. Bourque and Neely led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in against the Edmonton Oilers, but Boston lost in a four-game sweep. Throughout the 1980s, the Bruins often matched up with the Canadiens in either the division semifinals or division finals, with Montreal defeating them five of the six series. In the
1987–88 season, the Bruins defeated their
nemesis Canadiens in the playoffs en route to their
1988 Stanley Cup Final appearance. It was their first playoff series victory over the Canadiens since 1943, breaking 18 consecutive losses to them. Following the
1988–89 season, O'Reilly resigned as head coach to care for his son. Milbury became the head coach soon after. Under Milbury, and with the play of Neely, Bourque,
Craig Janney,
Bobby Carpenter,
rookie Don Sweeney, and goaltender Andy Moog, Boston returned to the Stanley Cup Final in , but again lost to the Oilers, this time in five games. Following Boston's loss to the
Pittsburgh Penguins in the
1991 Wales of Conference final, Milbury resigned as head coach, staying with the team as assistant GM. His replacement,
Rick Bowness only coached one season, taking the Bruins to the conference final for the second consecutive season against the Penguins, before his firing after the playoffs. During the
1991–92 season, the Bruins acquired
Adam Oates in a trade with the Blues for
Craig Janney.
Brian Sutter was hired as the head coach going into the
1992–93 season, which also saw Oates score 142 points. Despite finishing with the second-best regular season record after Pittsburgh, Boston was swept in the first round by the
Buffalo Sabres—Boston had won all five previous playoff series against Buffalo. The league realigned into different divisions heading into the
1993–94 NHL season; the Bruins were placed into the
Northeast Division. In the
1994 playoffs, the Bruins were defeated by the
New Jersey Devils in the conference semifinals. The
1994–95 season was the Bruins' last at the
Boston Garden. The final official match played in the Garden was a 3–2 loss to the
New Jersey Devils in the
1995 playoffs; the Bruins went on to play the final game at the old arena on September 26, 1995, in an exhibition matchup against the Canadiens. They subsequently moved into the FleetCenter, now known as the
TD Garden. Prior to the
1995–96 NHL season, Sutter was fired and replaced by
Steve Kasper. Ranford was traded back to the Bruins in the
1995–96 season, but in the
1996 playoffs, the Bruins lost their first-round series to the
Florida Panthers in five games. The team did not fare well in the
1996–97 season as they fell to last place in the NHL and Boston missed the playoffs for the first time in 30 years (and for the first time in the expansion era), which set the North American major professional record for most consecutive seasons in the playoffs. With the frustration of the season, Oates said of upper management, "The guys upstairs aren't doing their jobs.... We're not good enough." During the season, they also traded Oates, Ranford, and Rick Tocchet for
Jason Allison,
Jim Carey,
Anson Carter, and two draft picks. Head coach Kasper was fired after the season. The Bruins selected
Joe Thornton with the first overall pick in the
1997 NHL entry draft.
Pat Burns was hired as head coach in the offseason. He won the
Jack Adams Award for coach of the year in the
1997–98 season. However, the Bruins lost in the first round of the
1998 playoffs to the
Washington Capitals in six games. In the
1999 playoffs, the Bruins defeated the
Carolina Hurricanes in six games during the first round. However, they lost to the Sabres in six games in the second round of the playoffs.
The new millennium (2000–2015) In the
1999–2000 season, the Bruins finished in last place in the Northeast Division and failed to qualify for the playoffs. During a game between the Bruins and the
Vancouver Canucks on February 21, 2000,
Marty McSorley was ejected for using his stick to hit Canucks forward
Donald Brashear in the head, and subsequently suspended for what resulted in the rest of his career. McSorley was later charged and convicted for assault and sentenced to 18 months probation. Bourque requested a trade to a playoff contender and on March 6, 2000, he was traded to the
Colorado Avalanche. Although the team started the
2000–01 season 3–0–1, after losing four consecutive games, the Bruins fired coach
Pat Burns in favor of
Mike Keenan. Following Keenan's hiring, Sinden stepped down as general manager, opting to stay as team president.
Mike O'Connell took over as general manager.
Robbie Ftorek was hired as the head coach prior to the start of the
2001–02 season. The Bruins won their first Northeast Division title since
1993. They lost in six games to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. Joe Thornton was made team captain prior to the
2002–03 season. During the regular season, he led the team in scoring with 101 points. Head coach Ftorek was fired with nine games remaining in the season and general manager Mike O'Connell took over in interim and into the playoffs, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion
New Jersey Devils in five games.
Mike Sullivan made his head coaching debut for the upcoming
2003–04 season. At the
2003 NHL entry draft, the Bruins drafted
Patrice Bergeron; he made his debut on October 7, 2003. The Bruins won another division title in 2004 and gained a 3–1 series lead on the Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Canadiens rallied back to win three consecutive games, upsetting the Bruins. on July 1, 2006, naming him the new team captain. Prior to the
2004–05 NHL lockout, the team drafted
David Krejci at the
2004 draft. On November 30, 2005, the Bruins traded Thornton to the
San Jose Sharks for
Marco Sturm,
Wayne Primeau, and
Brad Stuart. The 2006–07 offseason came with significant front office shake up as
Peter Chiarelli was hired as the new general manager of the team on May 26, 2006. Head coach
Mike Sullivan was fired and
Dave Lewis, former coach of the Detroit Red Wings, was hired to replace him. Sinden, who was team president, resigned on August 9 to become advisor to the owner. At the
entry draft, the Bruins selected with the fifth overall pick,
Phil Kessel. The Bruins signed defenseman
Zdeno Chara and center
Marc Savard. Boston also traded
Andrew Raycroft for goalie prospect
Tuukka Rask. The
2006–07 season ended with the team finishing in last place in the division. In the offseason, Lewis was fired as coach and replaced by
Claude Julien. The
2007–08 campaign saw the NHL debut of
Milan Lucic as well as the Bruins finishing 41–29–12 and making the playoffs, but at the cost of Bergeron missing most of the season with a concussion. The Bruins faced off against their rival Canadiens in another first round matchup. Although the Bruins came back from a 3–1 series deficit to tie the series, they were shut out in game seven by Montreal. After a slow start to the
2008–09 season, the Bruins went on to have the best record in the Eastern Conference and qualified for the playoffs for the fifth time in nine years. At the trade deadline, they acquired
Mark Recchi from the
Tampa Bay Lightning. They faced the Canadiens in the playoffs for the fourth time during that span, defeating Montreal in four games before losing in seven games to the
Carolina Hurricanes in the conference semifinals. Goaltender
Tim Thomas won the
Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender in the season. Julien was also awarded the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year. Prior to the start of the
2009–10 season, Kessel was traded to the
Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2010 and 2011 first round draft pick along with a 2010 second round draft pick. In the playoffs, they faced off against the Buffalo Sabres in the conference quarterfinals and emerged victorious in six games. In the conference semifinals, they gained a 3–0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers. However, they lost the next three games and were forced into game seven. They had a 3–0 lead in the game, but the Flyers came back in the game to defeat the Bruins for Boston to become the third team in NHL history to give up a 3–0 series lead. with the
Stanley Cup after the Bruins defeated the
Vancouver Canucks in game seven of the
2011 Stanley Cup Final. Due to the Kessel trade and Toronto's poor performance in the 2009–10 season, the Bruins were able to use Toronto's pick at select second overall in the
2010 NHL entry draft. They used the pick to select
Tyler Seguin. In the
2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Bruins eliminated the Montreal Canadiens in seven games in the conference quarterfinals. On May 6, the Bruins swept the Philadelphia Flyers in four games to advance to the conference finals for the first time since
1992. Boston then defeated the
Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games and advanced to the
Stanley Cup Final for the first time since to face the Vancouver Canucks. In the Final, the home team won each game with Boston dominating their home games against the Canucks, until game seven which they won in Vancouver 4–0 to win their sixth Stanley Cup. Tim Thomas won the
Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs setting an NHL record with 798 saves made across the playoffs. Thomas also led the league in save percentage with .938, eclipsing
Dominik Hasek's record of .937, which earned him his second Vezina Trophy. Following their Stanley Cup win,
Mark Recchi retired. At the
2012 NHL entry draft, the Bruins used the other first round pick in the Kessell trade to select defenseman
Dougie Hamilton. The Bruins went on to finish second in the Eastern Conference with 102 points, winning the Northeast Division title, but losing to the Washington Capitals in the first round of the
2012 Stanley Cup playoffs in seven games. Eastern Conference champions, their second Conference title in three years. During the offseason preceding the
2012–13 NHL lockout, Tim Thomas made his decision to sit out the
2012–13 season; his rights were traded to the
New York Islanders on February 7, 2013. Following the
Boston Marathon bombing, the game they had on the next day (April 16, 2013) was postponed. On April 17, the Bruins faced off against the Sabres, Boston's first major sporting event since the bombing. At the end of the game both the Sabres players and Bruins players raised their sticks in a salute. In the opening round of the
2013 playoffs, the Bruins took on the
Toronto Maple Leafs. Although the Maple Leafs forced game seven after the Bruins were up 3–1 in the series, Boston defeated Toronto by coming back from a 4–1 deficit in the third period of the game to win in overtime. They went on to beat the New York Rangers in five games and the Pittsburgh Penguins in a four-game sweep to advance to the
Stanley Cup Final. However, the
Chicago Blackhawks were victorious in the Final, defeating the Bruins in six games. On July 4, 2013, the Bruins completed a blockbuster trade, sending
Tyler Seguin along with
Rich Peverley and a prospect to the
Dallas Stars for
Loui Eriksson and three prospects. Amidst the trade, general manager Chiarelli said Seguin needed to "become more of a professional." In the
2013–14 season, the Bruins won the
Presidents' Trophy after finishing first in the newly formed
Atlantic Division with a record of 54–19–9 for 117 points. However, their regular season success would not translate into another conference finals appearance. Despite winning their first-round series against the Detroit Red Wings, the team fell to the Canadiens in seven games in the second round during the
2014 playoffs. In the
2014–15 season, the Bruins finished with a record of 41–27–14 for 96 points, missing out on the playoffs by just two points. The Bruins became only the third team to miss the playoffs after winning the Presidents' Trophy in the previous season. The 96 points they earned that season broke the record for the most points earned by a team that did not make the playoffs.
Don Sweeney era (2015–present) On April 15, 2015, Peter Chiarelli was fired by the Boston Bruins. On May 20, the Bruins named former player
Don Sweeney as the team's new general manager for the
2015–16 season. Part of Sweeney's offseason moves included trading
Milan Lucic to the
Los Angeles Kings in exchange for goalie
Martin Jones, forward
Colin Miller, and a 2015 first round draft pick. The Bruins would flip Jones to the
San Jose Sharks four days later for
Sean Kuraly and a 2016 first round pick. The Bruins played in the
2016 NHL Winter Classic against the Canadiens, but lost 5–1. One all-time franchise achievement the Bruins attained in the 2015–16 season is shared by only their greatest rival, the Canadiens – a total of 3,000 wins in the team's existence, achieved by the Bruins on January 8, 2016, in a 4–1 road victory against the New Jersey Devils. For the first time since the two seasons following the 2004–05 lockout, the Bruins did not qualify for the playoffs in two consecutive seasons. and other players warming up prior to a game in the
2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Bruins qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since
2014. During the last two months of the
2016–17 regular season, the Bruins fired head coach Claude Julien and promoted
Bruce Cassidy to interim coach. Under Cassidy, the Bruins achieved an 18–8–1 record through their remaining regular season games, finishing third in the Atlantic Division and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since the 2013–14 season. In the first round of the playoffs, the Bruins lost to the Ottawa Senators in six games. Cassidy returned as head coach for the
2017–18 season, leading the Bruins to the playoffs for a consecutive season. including an 18-game point streak, which lasted from December 14, 2017, to January 25, 2018. They defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round in seven games, but lost to the Lightning in five games in the second round. The season also saw the debuts of
Jake DeBrusk and
Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins also acquired veteran
Rick Nash trading out
Ryan Spooner,
Matt Beleskey,
Ryan Lindgren, and two draft picks. During the
2018–19 season the Bruins finished the regular season in second place in the division with a 49–24–9 overall record. During the trade deadline, the team acquired
Charlie Coyle and
Marcus Johansson. In the first round of the
2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, they faced the Maple Leafs again, defeating them in seven games. In a six-game series, the Bruins defeated the
Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round and advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2013. The Bruins won the conference finals by sweeping out the
Carolina Hurricanes in four games, thus winning the
Prince of Wales Trophy and advancing to the
2019 Stanley Cup Final for the third time in 10 years. They faced the
St. Louis Blues in a rematch of the
1970 Stanley Cup Final. However, this time the Blues emerged victorious, winning in seven games. During the
2019–20 season, the Bruins consistently had the best record in the Atlantic Division and were near the top of the league. During the trade deadline, they acquired
Ondrej Kase and
Nick Ritchie, both from the
Anaheim Ducks, in two separate trades. On March 12, 2020, the NHL season was paused due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of the pause, the Bruins were first overall in the league, with 100 points. On May 26, Commissioner
Gary Bettman announced that the 2019–20 regular season was completed and that the league would resume with the playoffs. The Bruins were awarded the
Presidents' Trophy for the second time in a decade, while
David Pastrnak's 48 goals made him the first Bruin to win the
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, which he shared with
Alexander Ovechkin. During the
2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Bruins won the first round against the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, but lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round, also in five games. Prior to the beginning of the
2020–21 season,
Zdeno Chara left as a free agent, signing with the
Washington Capitals.
Patrice Bergeron was named captain shortly afterwards. As they neared the trade deadline, the Bruins made a trade with the
Buffalo Sabres for
Taylor Hall and
Curtis Lazar. The Bruins made the
2021 playoffs, where they defeated the Capitals in five games but lost to the
New York Islanders in six games. In the
2021–22 offseason, goaltender
Tuukka Rask underwent hip surgery as a free agent. To offset the goaltender loss, they signed free agent
Linus Ullmark. However, after signing a one-year deal in January 2022, Rask retired in February. Following the season, head coach Cassidy was fired. They then hired
Jim Montgomery, previously the head coach of the
Dallas Stars, as their next head coach. During the
2022–23 season, the Bruins broke NHL records and led the Atlantic Division for the entire season. First, they set an NHL record for longest home winning streak from the start of a season (14) from October 15 to December 3. Then on March 2, 2023, the Bruins recorded their 100th standings point of the season in their 61st game, becoming the fastest team to 100 points in NHL history, and surpassing the record previously held by the
1976–77 Montreal Canadiens. Nine days later, they set an all-time NHL record as the fastest team to achieve 50 wins, hitting the mark in 64 games compared to a previous record of 66 games held jointly by the
1995–96 Detroit Red Wings and
2018–19 Tampa Bay Lightning. In that same game, the Bruins became the third-fastest team in history to clinch a playoff spot during the era of 82-game seasons, trailing only the 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings (59 games) and the
1998–99 Dallas Stars (63 games). On April 9, 2023, the Bruins set the new all-time record for most games won in a season (63), when they defeated the
Philadelphia Flyers. Two days later, the Bruins set the new all-time single-season points record (133), when they defeated the Capitals, and they finished the season with 65 wins and 135 points. The Bruins lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games in the opening round of the
2023 Stanley Cup playoffs after giving up a 3–1 series lead. Hall was traded after the season, and both
Patrice Bergeron and
David Krejci retired. With
Brad Marchand as captain for the
2023–24 season, the Bruins finished in second place in the Atlantic Division with 109 points. Lucic also returned to the team on a one-year contract. he played no more than four games in the season. In the first round of the
2024 playoffs, the Bruins eliminated their
rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in seven games. In the second round, they were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers again, this time in six games. In the
2024–25 season, the Bruins fired Jim Montgomery amidst a slow start and named
Joe Sacco as interim head coach. They would trade captain Marchand to the Panthers for a first round pick. They finished in last place in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Ahead of the
2025–26 season, the Bruins replaced Joe Sacco with Marco Sturm, making him the 30th head coach in Boston Bruins history. On April 11, 2026, the Bruins clinched a spot in the
2026 playoffs, returning after one year. ==Team information==