Return of a Champion | Top 10 Moments from 2001-Present

BOSTON – While this era of Bruins hockey began with plenty of disappointment, a new group of leaders came aboard and changed the culture of this historic Original Six franchise, helping to guide it back to glory. Here’s a look at the best and most important Bruins moments from 2001-present:

July 1, 2006 | A Dyamic Duo Debuts

Quite simply, this was a day that changed everything. While Patrice Bergeron was beginning to establish himself as one of the B’s core players, it was the signings of veteran stars Marc Savard (four years, $20 million) and Zdeno Chara (five years, $37.5 million) that established a new core and set in motion a new era of Bruins hockey.

April 19, 2008 | This Building is Vibrating

It was a sure sign that Bruins hockey was on the way back. In their first playoff series in four years, the Black & Gold battled the rival Montreal Canadiens to a seventh game thanks to an unforgettable, back-and-forth affair in Game 6 of the first round at TD Garden.

Marco Sturm capped a raucous night on Causeway with the winning goal in the third period. And while Boston lost Game 7, the series set the tone for years of success.

January 1, 2010 | Heading Outdoors

Sturm was, once again, the star of the show when he tallied the winning goal in overtime of Boston’s first-ever NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park. After Mark Recchi tied things with just minutes to go in regulation, Sturm buried a feed from Bergeron to cap a 2-1 win for the B’s at the historic home of the Red Sox.

Boston has gone on to play in four more outdoor games – the 2016 Winter Classic against Montreal at Gillette Stadium, the 2019 Winter Classic against Chicago at Notre Dame Stadium, 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe against Philadelphia, and the 2023 Winter Classic against Pittsburgh at Fenway Park.

February 9, 2011 | The Rivalry Renewed

The rivalry was simmering when the Bruins and Canadiens met at TD Garden as the teams combined for 182 penalty minutes, highlighted by a tussle between Tim Thomas and Carey Price. Boston won the wild affair, 8-6, and set the tone for the teams’ playoff series two months later.

April 27, 2011 & May 27, 2011 | Game 7 Euphoria 

Nathan Horton established himself as one of the most clutch postseason performers in Bruins history when he capped two playoff series with the winning goals in Game 7. The first came in the deciding game against Montreal of the first round when he finished off the series with a slapper from just inside the blue line in overtime.

And the second came in one of the greatest games in Bruins history, as he sealed a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning when he tapped home a feed from David Krejci.

June 15, 2011 | Get the Ducks Boats Ready

The Bruins finished off their magical postseason run with their first Stanley Cup title in 39 years. The 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 at Rogers Arena was highlighted by a pair of goals apiece from Bergeron and Brad Marchand and yet another stellar performance between the pipes from Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas, who put forth one of the greatest single seasons by a goaltender in league history.

The run, which included those seven-game series wins over Montreal and Tampa, also featured a revenge sweep of the Flyers, who had handed the Bruins one of their worst moments of this era the year before when they overcame a 3-0 series deficit and 3-0 deficit in Game 7 to win the clubs’ second-round series.

Boston also overcame two 2-0 series deficits, the first to Montreal and the second to Vancouver. In the Final, the Bruins dominated on home ice, outscoring the Canucks, 17-3, while being spurred on by the loss of Horton after a dirty hit from Aaron Rome knocked him out for the series in Game 3.

David Krejci led the club in scoring during the postseason with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 25 games.

April 17, 2013 | Boston Strong

In the first game after the Boston Marathon bombings, the TD Garden crowd provided one of the most emotional moments in team history when it joined together to sing the national anthem ahead of the B’s game against Buffalo. With the yellow and blue Boston Strong ribbon projected onto the ice, legendary anthem singer Rene Rancourt belted out the first few words before handing it over to the Bruins fans.

May 13, 2013 | Bergeron, Bergeron, Bergeron

The Bruins pulled off one of the great comebacks in sports history when they overcome a 4-1 deficit in the second half of the third period of Game 7 of the first round against Tornoto. After goals from Horton (9:19 of the third) and Milan Lucic (18:38 of the third) cut the hole to 4-3, Bergeron tied things up with 51 seconds to go.

Bergeron then capped the miraculous comeback with the winner at 6:05 of overtime.

June 6, 2019 | An Ovation for the Ages

After taking a puck to the face in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in St. Louis, leaving him with a broken jaw, Chara returned to action in Game 5 at TD Garden donning a full face shield. When the Boston captain was introduced to the crowd, the Bruins faithful delivered a thunderous standing ovation that ranks among the loudest moments in the new building.

April 10, 2023 | A Record-Breaking Campaign

The Bruins set the league’s all-time wins mark with a 5-3 victory over Philadelphia, their 63^rd of the season. David Pastrnak also notched his 60^th goal of the season, becoming just the second player in team history to hit that mark.

Boston finished the season with two more victories and ended the 2022-23 campaign with an astounding 65-12-5 record. The Bruins’ run ended with a shocking first-round loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 at TD Garden.

Honorable Mention

June 21, 2003 | Bruins Draft Bergeron in Second Round

While it wasn’t known at the time how significant a pick it would be, the Bruins’ selection of Bergeron in the second round of the 2003 NHL Draft in Nashville is one of the club’s best ever.

May 23, 2011 | Thomas' Stick Save

Thomas made, perhaps, the most memorable save of his remarkable run in 2010-11 when he reached back with the toe of his stick to deny Tampa's Steve Downie in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final with Boston leading, 2-1, midway through the third of an eventual 3-1 win to take a 3-2 series lead.

June 5, 2013 | Campbell’s Shift, Bruins Beat Pens in Double OT

With the Bruins on the penalty kill during the second period of a 1-1 tie in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against Pittsburgh, Gregory Campbell sprawled out to make a leg-first block of an Evgeni Malkin slapshot. The shot broke his Campbell’s leg, but the forward remained on the ice for nearly a minute as the TD Garden crowd chanted his name.

Boston went on to win the game on Bergeron’s double-OT winner off a feed from Marchand and finished Pittsburgh off in a sweep, though Campbell missed the Stanley Cup Final against Chicago.

November 21, 2022 | Bergeron Becomes Fourth Bruin to Hit 1,000 Points

Bergeron assisted on a Marchand tally during the second period of Boston’s win over Tampa for his 1,000^th career point, becoming the fourth player in Bruins history to hit the mark. The entire Bruins bench emptied to celebrate with Bergeron in what turned out to be his final season.

November 25, 2022 | Bruins Set NHL Record with 12^th Straight Home Win

Pastrnak won it for the Bruins in overtime during a Black Friday matinee against Carolina to secure Boston’s 12th straight home win to start the 2022-23 season, setting a new NHL record.

February 25, 2023 | Ullmark Scores First-Ever Bruins Goalie Goal

Linus Ullmark, in the midst of a Vezina Trophy season, scored the first and only goalie goal in Bruins history during a 3-1 win over Vancouver.