Defense

The league's first true superstar, Eddie Shore remains the only defenseman in NHL history to win four Hart Trophies as league MVP and he finished second in the balloting in another year ... He was an eight-time NHL All-Star, although he played for four seasons before AllStar teams were conceived in 1930-31 ... As tough as he was talented, he had 165 penalty minutes in just 44 games in 1927-28 and finished as high as 12th in the league's scoring race in 1932-33, which was unheard of for a defenseman at that time ... He won two Stanley Cups with the Bruins - in 1929 and 1939 - and was among the first group of inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.

Defense

The Bruins may have had a tough first year on the ice with just six wins in 1924-25, but they found their leader when they acquired Lionel Hitchman on January 8 of that season ... He captained the Bruins from 1927-1931 ... Paired on defense with Eddie Shore for eight seasons, it was not unusual for him to play the entire 60 minutes of a game ... A classic 'defensive defenseman', he was so highly regarded in his time that he finished second in the Hart Trophy balloting as the NHL MVP in 1929-30 ... He captained the Bruins' first Stanley Cup championship team in 1929.

Defense

Even a partial list of his accomplishments takes line after line, but Bobby Orr can be summed up in just seven words - the best ever to play the game ... He won 16 NHL trophies in his ten seasons in Boston, including three Hart Trophies as league MVP and two Ross Trophies as the only defenseman to ever win a scoring title ... He won the Norris Trophy as the league's top blueliner for eight straight seasons and two Conn Smythe Trophies as MVP of the playoffs in the 1970 and 1972 Cup-winning campaigns ... A nine-time NHL All-Star, he was the first player in NHL history to record 100 assists in a season and the first to record six consecutive 100-point seasons ... He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.

Right Wing & Defense

"Dit" Clapper was the league's original iron man as the first player in NHL history to play for 20 seasons and he served as Boston captain for 14 years ... One of the most versatile players to ever play the game, he competed his first nine seasons as a right wing and earned two NHL All-Star berths at that position before playing his final 11 campaigns on defense with four additional All-Star appearances as a blueliner ... He played his final game on February 12, 1947 and, in ceremonies immediately after that game, was both inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and saw his number five raised to the Garden rafters ... He remains the only Bruin to play on three championship Boston teams - 1929, 1939 and 1941.

Center

One of the premier scorers in NHL history, Phil Esposito was the first player in league annals to record 100 points in a season and he reached that mark on six occasions ... He won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP twice and the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer on five occasions while finishing second in three other seasons ... Named an NHL All-Star in eight of his nine Boston seasons, he led the NHL in goals for six straight years, and shattered the league scoring record with 76 goals in 1970-71, a mark that stood for 12 years until Wayne Gretzky broke it in 1981-82 ... He won two Stanley Cups with Boston, in 1970 and 1972, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984.

Right Wing

It is a rare athlete that needs a new term coined to describe him, but no one had used the term 'power forward' in hockey until Cam Neely came along ... An NHL All-Star on four occasions, he led the team in goals for seven of his ten seasons, including three 50-goal campaigns ... He still holds the team single-season record for goals by a wing with 55 in 1989-90 and he is the team's all-time playoff goal leader as well ... He won the Masterton Trophy for dedication in 1993-94 when he scored 50 goals in just 44 games after missing most of the previous two seasons with thigh, knee and hip injuries ... Only Wayne Gretzky has scored 50 goals in fewer games in one season ... Injuries forced his retirement in September, 1996 and he was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.

Left Wing

John Bucyk is known as Chief and he was the team's leader in every way for the 21 seasons he played in a Bruins uniform ... He held every team career offensive record for over 20 years, remains the team's all-time goal scorer and is second on the club's all-time scoring list ... He served as team captain for five seasons and won two Stanley Cups with Boston, in 1970 and 1972 ... The winner of two Lady Byng Trophies as the league's most gentlemanly player, he was twice an NHL All-Star and was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981 ... He has continued to be one of the Bruins' - and hockey's - greatest ambassadors as he has spent over 60 years in the organization in various capacities.

Center

If it is possible for one man to be all things to an organization, Milt Schmidt was that man for the Bruins ... The only man in Bruins history to serve the club as player, captain, coach and General Manager, he has figured in four of the team's six Stanley Cups - as a player in 1939 and 1941 and as the team's GM in 1970 and 1972 ... A four-time NHL All-Star, he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1951 and the Art Ross scoring title in 1940 ... He centered the famed "Kraut Line", which became the first line in NHL history to finish 1-2-3 in the league's scoring race (1939-40), and missed three years of his career from 1942-1945 while serving in World War II with the Royal Canadian Air Force ... He was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961.

Right Wing

Terry O'Reilly epitomized the Bruins of his generation ... As comfortable using his hands for scoring or fighting, he is one of just five players in club history to lead the team in scoring and penalty minutes in the same season ... He served as the team captain from 1983-85, still ranks 11th on the team's all-time scoring list and is the club's all-time leader in penalty minutes ... He also coached the team from 1986-89, including an appearance in the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals.

Defense

There are few players in league history as complete and adept at all facets of the game as Ray Bourque ... He was the first non-goaltender in league annals to win the Calder Trophy and be named a First Team All-Star in his rookie season ... He won five Norris Trophies as the league's top defenseman, won five team scoring titles and was named an NHL All-Star 18 times in his 21 seasons with the team ... He finished his Boston career as the club's all-time leader in games, assists and points and he remains the NHL's all-time leading scorer among defensemen ... He was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

Right Wing

Rick Middleton played 12 seasons in Boston from 1976-1988, serving as captain for his final three campaigns ... "Nifty" remains fifth overall in the team's all-time scoring list and is third all-time on the team in goals ... Led the team in scoring for four straight seasons (1978- 1982) and in goals for six straight years (1987-1984) ... Is one of five Bruins in team history to score 50 goals in a season (51 in 1981-82) and twice topped the 100-point mark ... Won the Lady Byng Trophy and was a Second Team All-Star in 1981-82 ... Ranks sixth on the team's playoff scoring list and still holds the NHL mark for points in one playoff series (19 in seven games vs. Buffalo in 1983).

Left Wing

Willie O'Ree is a true pioneer - not only in hockey, but in all of sports - as on January 18, 1958, he became the NHL's first Black player with his debut with the Bruins vs. the Montreal Canadiens ... He totaled 14 points in 45 games over parts of the 1957-58 and 1960-61 seasons, including scoring his first NHL goal on January 1, 1961, and also played 20 seasons at minor league levels ... He was named the NHL's Diversity Ambassador in 1998, inspiring countless youth players to learn and play hockey ... O'Ree earned the NHL's Lester Patrick Award in 2003 and was awarded the Order of Canada in 2008 ... He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2018.