The Early Years | Top 10 Moments from 1924-59

BOSTON – This is where it all began.

Nearly 100 years ago, the Boston Bruins came onto the scene as the National Hockey League’s first American franchise. And over the course of the organization’s first 30-plus years, there were a number of critical moments that helped shape the team’s future.

Here are some of the most important Bruins moments from 1924-59:

November 1, 1924 | Charles Adams Granted First U.S. Club in NHL History

The grocery store tycoon was awarded Boston’s NHL entry for a fee of $15,000 and selected the name ‘Bruins’ for its ferocity and toughness. He chose brown and gold as the club’s primary colors to match the theme of his stores.

December 1, 1924 | Bruins Play First Game in Team History

Boston’s inaugural game came against the Montreal Maroons at Boston Arena, a 2-1 come-from-behind victory backed by goals from Smokey Harris and Carson Cooper. Hec Fowler got the win between the pipes. The Bruins went on to lose their next 12 games and finished in last place.

August 20, 1926 | Eddie Shore Acquired from Edmonton of WHL

The club’s first true superstar made his way to Boston ahead of the 1926-27 season when the 24-year-old defenseman’s rights were acquired from Edmonton of the Western Hockey League. Bruins owner Charles Adams paid $20,000 to the WHL for Shore.

On November 16, 1926, the ‘Edmonton Express’ suited up for his first game with the Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens.

November 20, 1928 | Bruins Play First Game at Boston Garden

After four seasons at Boston Arena – now known Northeastern’s Matthews Arena – the Bruins moved across town after Charles Adams grew tired of paying rent, instead opting to partner with boxing promoter Tex Rickard to construct his own building on Causeway Street in Boston’s West End.

Construction began in December 1927 and just over a year later an estimated 17,000 filed into the new Boston Garden for the Bruins’ tilt against the Canadiens, which ended in a 1-0 loss.

According to “Boston Bruins: Celebrating 75 Years,” a late goal from Dit Clapper was waved off by the officials, which caused fans to litter the ice with debris.

March 29, 1929 | Bruins Win First Stanley Cup

The Bruins allowed just 52 goals in 44 regular-season games and led the NHL in wins (26), behind an impenetrable top defense pairing of Shore and Lionel Hitchman, along with Tiny Thompson between the pipes.

In the postseason, Boston defeated the Canadiens in three straight with Cooney Weiland potting the winner in the first two games, both 1-0 shutout victories backstopped by Thompson. Shore had the winning goal in a fight-filled Game 3.

In the first Stanley Cup Final to be played at Boston Garden – and first to feature two American teams – the Bruins secured their first title by sweeping the best-of-three championship series.

Boston won the opener, 2-0, on goals from Clapper and Dutch Gainor. And in Game 2, Bill Carson – a part-time dentist – picked up the winner with 1:58 remaining to secure a 2-1 victory. Harry Oliver, who scored the opening goal, also assisted on the winning tally and Thompson got the win in net.

April 2, 1939 | Mel ‘Sudden Death’ Hill Earns Moniker

The forward scored at the 8:00 mark of the third overtime to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory in Game 7 of their Stanley Cup semifinal series – considered one of the best playoff series of all-time – against the New York Rangers.

It was Hill’s third OT goal of the series, earning him the nickname, Mel ‘Sudden Death’ Hill.

In Game 1, Hill took a feed from Bill Cowley in the final seconds of the third overtime to end things around 1 a.m. Cowley fed Hill again in overtime of Game 2.

Boston also won Game 3, before the Rangers rallied to force a decisive seventh game.

April 16, 1939 | Bruins Win Second Stanley Cup

The regular season began with Shore holding out due to a contract dispute and Thompson being traded to Detroit, causing an outrage among fans and teammates.

Fortunately for Boston, Art Ross turned the net over to American Frank Brimsek, who registered 10 shutouts and became the first player to win both the Calder and Vezina trophies in the same season.

The Bruins, led by Brimsek, the Kraut line of Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart, and a second-line trio of Bill Cowley, Roy Conacher, and Hill finished the regular season 36-10-2.

Boston secured their second Stanley Cup with a 3 -1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 as Hill, Conacher (goal, assist), and Flash Hollett scored for Boston, while Brimsek picked up the win in goal. Cowley added two assists.

It also marked the final game of Cooney Weiland’s Hall of Fame career.

April 12, 1941 | Bruins Win Third Stanley Cup

The Bruins finished the regular season in first place with Cowley securing his first of two Hart Trophies and Bauer the Lady Byng.

Boston notched its second Stanley Cup in three seasons with a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings for a four-game sweep. The Bruins overcame an early 1-0 deficit on three unanswered goals from Hollett, Bauer, and Eddie Wiseman. Schmidt had two assists, while Brimsek, once again, secured the victory between the pipes.

February 10, 1942 | Kraut Line Plays Final Game Before Reporting for WWII

Following an 8-1 victory over the Canadiens, Bauer, Dumart, and Schmidt were treated to a heroes’ sendoff. The Kraut Line, also known as the ‘Kitchener Kids,’ combined for 11 points (Bauer had two goals and Dumart one) in their final game before heading off to serve in World War II for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Following the contest, both teams gathered at center ice to fete the trio while Bruins management presented them with gold watches and checks to cover the balance of their salaries. Their Boston teammates gifted them gold bracelets.

After the presentation, the teams hoisted the three on their shoulders and carried them off the ice as ‘Auld Lang Syne’ played.

July 10, 1957 | Johnny Bucyk Acquired from Detroit

For over 66 years, including 23 seasons and 1,540 games on the ice, ‘Chief’ has been a staple of the Bruins as a player, captain, executive, and team ambassador. And it all began the summer before the 1957-58 campaign when the Edmonton native was acquired from the Red Wings in exchange for goalie Terry Sawchuk.

Boston GM Lynn Patrick was keen on reuniting Bucyk with Bronco Horvat and Vic Stasiuk – a trio that became known as the ‘Uke Line’ – whom the big winger had played with in the Western Hockey League.

January 18, 1958 | Willie O’Ree Makes NHL Debut

The New Brunswick native was recalled from the Quebec Aces of the AHL by GM Schmidt for Boston’s contest against the Canadiens in Montreal. O’Ree, who skated on a line with Don McKenney and Jerry Toppazzini, became the first Black player in NHL history and went on to notch four goals in 45 games across two seasons with the Bruins.

Honorable Mention

March 30, 1927 | Bruins Play First Playoff Game: The Bruins first postseason game was a 6-1 win over the Blackhawks. The game was played st Madison Square Garden in New York City as Chicago Coliseum was previously booked for another event. Frank Fredrickson scored the first playoff goal in Bruins history.

December 8, 1936 | Milt Schmidt Makes Bruins Debut: A year after his rights were acquired by the club, the legendary Bruin – the only person to serve the club as a player, captain, coach, and general manager – got it all started during a 4-3 loss to Detroit.

1933, 1935, 1936, 1938 | Eddie Shore Wins Four Hart Trophies: The rough-and-tumble defenseman won four league MVP awards, the first four in Bruins history and the most by a blue liner in league history.

1939-40 | Kraut Line Becomes First Line in History to Finish 1-2-3 in Scoring Race: Schmidt led the NHL with 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists), while Dumart (22 goals, 21 assists) and Bauer (17 goals, 26 assists) both finished second with 43 points.

December 25, 1954 | Schmidt Coaches First Game Behind the Boston Bench: Shortly after his retirement from playing, Schmidt took over as head coach with a 3-3 tie against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Information from “Boston Bruins: Celebrating 75 Years” was used in this report.