Dit Clapper: Old Time Hockey
Listening to the radio earlier this week, it was suggested the 2008-2009 edition of the Boston Bruins is one of the best ever. It was a bold proclamation to make publicly so let’s see if the commentator had a point.
But how to determine this? I’ll keep it simple. First, I’ll explore the best Bruins teams in terms of wins and winning percentage. Next, how many Hall of Famers each side had.
Of course, needless to say, this year’s edition of the Broons does not have any.Whether they do in the future remains to be seen. If Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard keep up at this pace they’ll make it. Mark Recchi, who signed as a free agent at the trade deadline, will probably get in but will have spent enough time as a Bruin? Probably not. As young players, Phil Kessel, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci have the potential. So does Dennis Wideman. So, we’ll see.
Without further ado, here’s how it all shakes down.
In terms of winning percentage (Teams in red won the Stanley Cup):
1929-30 Bruins: .875*
1970-71 Bruins: .776
1938-39 Bruins: .771
1971-72 Bruins: .763
2008-2009 Bruins: .707
*Lost in finals to the Montreal Canadiens.
Two other great and dominating Bruins teams:
1938-39: .698
1940-41: .698
1969-70: .651
1928-29: .648
In terms of wins:
1970-71: 57
1971-72: 54
2008-09: 53
1973-74: 52
Hall of fame players on Stanley Cup rosters:
1971-72: 4
1969-70: 4
1940-41: 7
1938-39: 8
1928-29: 6
2008-09: ?
The Boston Bruins organization is traditionally a great regular season team (third all-time behind Montreal and Philadelphia in terms of winning percentage) and the ’08-09 Bruins are no exception. Clearly, they rank among the greatest Bruins teams in the regular season but they are by no means the best ever. Those powerful clubs of the 70s and late 20s and 30s had some of the best players ever to play the game: Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Milt Schmidt, Dit Clapper and Eddie Shore. Hall of Fame goalie Frank Brimsek was no slouch either.
However, they’re arguably the best Bruins team since 1980. Keep in mind, the Bruins of the 80s had Raymond Bourque and Cam Neely.
Winning the Stanley Cup is the toughest thing to achieve in North American pro sports so Boston has its work cut out for them. The 1928-29 Boston Bruins team was equally as powerful but they failed to win the cup.
Will they be able to avoid the same fate this year?
