Fourth Forward Line
Rick Middleton was a solid member of the late 1970’s and 1980’s Boston Bruins. He’s not a Hockey Hall of Fame member, but he still had a pretty nice career. In 881 games with the Bruins, he put up 898 points, which is impressive. Middleton also won a Lady Byng with Boston. Unfortunately, he joined the Bruins at the wrong time – right after the early 1970’s. So Middleton never won a Stanley Cup.
Bobby Bauer is a guy a lot of Bruins fans might not know because he played in the 1930’s and 1940’s. But his career should be celebrated, even if he didn’t make it to the Hockey Hall of Fame until over 30 years after his death. Bauer won three Lady Byng Trophies, tying him with Bucyk for the most in Bruins history. He played a large role in two Stanley Cups for Boston (1938-39 and 1940-41).
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Cooney Weiland spent most of his career playing with Bauer, though Weiland started a bit earlier in 1928-29. In his second NHL season, he led the league in goals (43) and points (73). Throughout his career, Weiland proved to be very durable, rarely missing games. He was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1971.
As controversial and polarizing as Brad Marchand is, his latest three-season stretch of dominance has rarely been seen from a Bruins forward. So he gets the nod over several deserving candidates, including Woody Dumart.