Boston Bruins: All-Time Dream Team

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 20 : Zdeno Chara #33 of the Boston Bruins and Andy Greene #6 the New Jersey Devils pose with alumni players Bobby Orr and Milt Schmidt before the season opener at the TD Garden on October 20, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images /

Third Forward Line

The Boston Bruins’ all-time third forward line is centered by someone people might forget played for the team – Adam Oates. His legacy is a bit complicated because he made his career as sort of a mercenary. Oates went to whichever team was willing to pay him the most (or whoever he was traded to) and never stuck around anywhere for that long. But he put up impressive numbers with the Bruins (1.356 points per game in 368 games). Oates is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Bill Cowley was a forward in the 1930’s and 1940’s. He spent all but 41 of his 549 career games with the Bruins. Cowley was named to five postseason All-Star teams and won two Hart Trophies (1941 and 1943). He led the NHL in assists in both of those years as well. In 1968, Cowley was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Roy Conacher is probably more famous for being the lesser brother of Toronto Maple Leafs’ legend Charlie Conacher. But Roy was a great forward in his own right. Conacher led the NHL with 26 goals in his rookie season (1938-39), finishing second in the Calder Trophy voting. He put up at least 20 goals in all but one season during which he played at least 30 games. Conacher only played 168 games with the Boston Bruins but gets an exception because injuries and World War II took away a good portion of his best years.

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