The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. They are members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL)[1] and are one of the "Original Six" teams of the league.[2] Founded in 1924, they are the league's third-oldest team and the oldest team based in the United States, with the 2023–24 season marking the 100th year of operation for the franchise. As of the end of the 2023–24 season, the Bruins have won 3,404 regular season games, accumulated 30 division championships and six conference championships, led the league in points fifteen times, appeared in the playoffs 77 times, and won six Stanley Cup titles.[3]
The Bruins started play in 1924, and won their first Stanley Cup championship in 1929, winning two games against the New York Rangers in the Finals. Over the next 12 seasons, the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Finals three times, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in 1930 and winning their second and third championship titles in 1939 and 1941. The Bruins fared decently in terms of playoff appearance until they reached an eight-year playoff drought from 1960 to 1967. They made up for the drought by winning the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972. The Bruins missed the playoffs in 1997, finishing with the worst record of the season with 61 points,[4] ending a 29-year playoff appearance streak, the longest in NHL history.[5] Throughout the streak, the Bruins qualified for the Stanley Cup Finals five times apart from their 1970 and 1972 wins—1974, 1977, 1978, 1988, and 1990. The 1989–90 season was also the season they won their first Presidents' Trophy title, accumulating 101 points. Throughout the next nine seasons, the Bruins faced a rough patch, qualifying for the playoffs five times and missing the playoffs four times.
The Bruins started another playoff streak in 2008. In 2011, the Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to win their sixth Stanley Cup. The Bruins then reached the Finals in 2013, but fell to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Bruins won their second Presidents' Trophy the next season, achieving 117 points, but they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Canadiens. The next season, the Bruins' playoff streak ended at seven seasons after they failed to qualify due to many reasons, including injuries and a lack of scoring depth.[6][7] They missed the playoffs for a second season in 2016, but qualified in 2017. In 2019, the Bruins made it to the Finals, but came short, losing to the St. Louis Blues in seven games. The next season, 2019–20, was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Bruins came out on top and won their third Presidents' Trophy, managing 100 points through only 70 games. They lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 2022–23 season saw the Bruins make history, achieving 65 wins and 135 points, the most wins and points by a team ever,[8] for a fourth Presidents' Trophy title. However, they got upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers after blowing a 3–1 series lead.[9] In the 2024 playoffs, they lost to the Panthers again, but in the second round.[10] As of the culmination of the 2023–24 season, the Bruins are maintaining an eight-year playoff qualification streak.[11]