Reverse Retro: A Look Back at the Era

BostonBruins.com - Earlier this week, the NHL and adidas revealed their line of Reverse Retro jerseys that will be worn by all 31 teams during the 2020-21 campaign. The Bruins' new alternate sweater is a gold remix of the team's white home uniform worn at Boston Garden from 1981-95, which included trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 1988 and 1990.
Bruins fans may pre-order their adidas Reverse Retro jerseys - highlighted by the non-serifed Spoked-B and fan-favorite bear crest - online at
BostonProShop.com
.
Here's a look back at some of the players, moments, and numbers that made up such a memorable era of Bruins hockey:

The Key Players

Back End
Ray Bourque - There isn't much explaining to do here. The legendary blue liner was around for the entire "Retro era" that spanned much of the 1980s and 90s. During that stretch, he led the Bruins in games played (999), assists (831), points (1,110), and plus/minus (plus-408). Quite simply, he was the pillar that held the Bruins together.
Glen Wesley - The Alberta native was part of both Cup Final appearances, suiting up in the Black & Gold from 1987-94. Among Bruins defensemen, only Bourque played more games and recorded more points during that time frame. In 537 games with Boston, Wesley notched 77 goals and 307 points.
Don Sweeney- The B's current general manager arrived around the same time as Wesley and went on to spend 15 of his 16 seasons and 1,052 of his 1,115 career games in Boston. He ranks third behind Bourque and Wesley in games played by a Bruins defenseman during the era at 452 and fourth in points with 128.
Honorable Mention: Mike O'Connell, Mike Milbury, Gord Kluzak, Garry Galley, and Brad Park.

Up Front
Cam Neely - During the period from 1981-95, no one scored more goals in Black & Gold than No. 8. The Vancouver native, who arrived in Boston in 1986, played 476 games during that time frame, notching 318 goals and 544 points, both tops among Boston forwards. Those numbers would likely have been far higher were his career not cut short by knee and leg injuries.
Rick Middleton - Nifty's Boston career began in 1976, but the majority of it fell in this era, leaving him second behind Neely in points (515) and goals (235). He was second in assists (280) and third in games played (499). His 65 playoff points rank fourth and his 27 postseason goals rank third.
Keith Crowder - The Windsor, Ontario, native played eight of his nine Bruins seasons during this time and led all Boston forwards from 1981-95 in games played with 560. He ranks third behind Neely and Middleton in points (452) and goals (206).
Adam Oates- The Hall of Famer was in Boston for roughly half a decade, but his impact was immense. During this period, he ranked 15th in games played among Bruins forwards with 235 but was fifth in assists with over one a game (238), sixth in points (337), and eighth in goals (99).
Craig Janney- The Connecticut native and Boston College standout was a major part of Boston's two Stanley Cup Final runs, notching 283 points in 262 games from 1987-92. His 17 postseason goals are fifth among Bruins during this stretch, while his 73 playoff points rank third behind Bourque and Neely.
Honorable Mention: Steve Kasper, Barry Pederson, Ken Linseman, Bob Sweeney, and Randy Burridge.

In Goal
Andy Moog- The backstop was tops among Bruins goalies in the time period with 261 games played, 247 starts, and 136 wins. He was a force in the postseason, particularly against Montreal, suiting up for 70 games with 36 wins - both of which rank third in Bruins history behind Tuukka Rask and Gerry Cheevers. Moog finished third in the Vezina voting in 1989-90 and fifth in 1990-91 and 1993-94.
Reggie Lemelin - Forming a remarkable one-two punch with Moog, he ranked second behind his partner in games played (183), starts (173), and wins (92). He finished fourth in the Vezina voting in 1989-90.
Pete Peeters - The Edmonton native played just three-plus seasons with Boston, but his 1982-83 campaign is among the best in franchise history. With a 40-12-9 record, 2.37 goals against average, and .903 save percentage, he won the Vezina Trophy and finished second in the Hart Trophy voting for the league's MVP. For the time period, he ranks third behind Moog and Lemelin in games played (171), starts (169), and wins (91).
Honorable Mention: Doug Keans and Bill Ranford.

The Moments

The Shirt Off His Back
Perhaps, this jersey's finest hour. On Dec. 3, 1987, during the retirement of Phil Esposito's No. 7, Bourque - who had worn No. 7 since entering the league in 1979 - pulled off his sweater to reveal his new No. 77. The gesture left Esposito speechless and became one of the most iconic moments in Bruins history. Bourque's No. 77, of course, now hangs alongside No. 7 in the Garden rafters.

At Long Last
The Bruins battled the rival Canadiens in the postseason every year from 1984-92, but none of those meetings were more iconic than in 1988 when Boston won its first playoff series against Montreal in 45 years en route to the Stanley Cup Final. The B's put a bow on the series with a 4-1 victory in Game 5 on April 26 behind two goals each from Kasper and Neely.
Boston went on to win four of its next five playoff series against the Habs (1990, 1991, 1992, and 1994).
The Stanley Cup Finals
After beating Montreal to return to the Cup Final for the first time in a decade, the Bruins were defeated by the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers in four games. The 1988 series is, perhaps, most remembered for the power outage that occurred at the Boston Garden with Game 4 tied, 3-3. The game was suspended and the series shifted to Edmonton where the Oilers finished off the sweep.
Led by Bourque, Neely, Janney, Moog, and Lemelin, the Bruins - winners of the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular-season team - returned to the Cup Final in 1990 but once again ran into the Oilers, this time losing in five games.
A Golden Accomplishment
Despite being severely limited by a knee injury, Neely made history during the 1993-94 season by scoring 50 goals in 44 games. Only Wayne Gretzky has scored 50 in fewer contests. Neely set the mark on March 7, 1994 with two goals during a 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals.
The Last Hurrah
The Bruins' final act in their traditional white uniforms came on Sept. 26, 1995 during "The Last Hurrah" at Boston Garden. The old building shut its doors following an exhibition contest against the Montreal Canadiens and after the game, dozens of former Bruins - including many of the team's legendary players and coaches - took to the ice for one last twirl around the rink.
Among the most memorable moments was when Normand Leveille - whose promising young career was cut short at age 19 by a brain aneurysm - was helped onto the ice by Bourque.

The Numbers

12- The Bruins won 12 league awards during this era. Bourque captured five Norris Trophies as the NHL's top defenseman (1986-87; 1987-88; 1989-90; 1990-91; 1993-94).
Peeters won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie in 1982-83, while Lemelin and Moog teamed up to capture the William Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed in 1989-90.
Kasper took home the Selke Trohy as the league's top defensive forward in 1981-82, while Middleton won the Lady Byng Trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player the same season.
Charlie Simmer (1985-86), Gord Kluzak (1989-90), and Neely (1993-94) were all awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for dedication and perseverance.
The Bruins also had 12 First-Team All-Star selections during this period. Bourque accounted for 11, while goalie Peeters also received a First-Team nod in 1982-83. There were also five Second-Team selections - four for Bourque and one for Middleton (1981-82).

15 - The Bruins made the postseason every year during this era (1981-95), including five trips to the conference finals (1983, 1988, 1990, 1991, and 1992) and two Stanley Cup Final appearances (1988 and 1990), which came under head coaches Terry O'Reilly and Mike Milbury. Gerry Cheevers, Butch Goring, Harry Sinden, Rick Bowness, Brian Sutter, and Steve Kasper also manned the bench at points during the era.
70- During his historic rookie season, Joe Juneau - playing alongside Neely and Oates - collected 32 goals and 102 points. His 70 assists set an NHL single-season record for a left wing, a mark that still stands. Juneau finished second in the Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year.
97 -Oates finished fourth in the Hart Trophy voting in 1992-93 after leading the league with 97 assists to go along with 45 goals for a career-high 142 points. He also finished second in the Lady Byng voting and 10th in the Selke voting.