Puck Prose
Fansided

The Boston Bruins blew the chance to become a dynasty

By Alex Hoegler

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 12: Zdeno Chara #33, Patrice Bergeron #37 and Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins await to shake the hands of the St. Louis Blues after losing Game Seven of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 12: Zdeno Chara #33, Patrice Bergeron #37 and Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins await to shake the hands of the St. Louis Blues after losing Game Seven of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
boston bruins
Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images /

After winning the Stanley Cup in 2011, the Boston Bruins had numerous chances to form a dynasty. But at this point, it looks like they’ve run out of time to win more championships with this core.

In the ’90s and early 2000s, teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche easily formed super teams by attracting many of the top free agents. All-Star players went to those clubs (think Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, et al) in order to compete for Stanley Cups. The Boston Bruins nearly became one of those teams.

But here we are in the midst of 2019. The St. Louis Blues closed out the 2010s as the final Stanley Cup champion of the decade. And with that, the 2010s shall be remembered as an era where two teams pulled off improbable dynastic runs in an ultra-difficult salary cap era.

More from Puck Prose

The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, then another in 2013. Finally, they became a dynasty after winning it for the third time in 2015. The Pittsburgh Penguins (who won the Stanley Cup in 2009), followed suit by winning back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017. Now, we had two dynasties.

The Los Angeles Kings (winners in 2012 and 2014) failed to win one more, but it’s amazing to think that we were this close to seeing three different NHL dynasties in the 2010s. But the Kings will not complain about “only” winning two Stanley Cups.

That brings us to the Bruins, who ended a 39-year Stanley Cup drought in 2011 when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games. But even before their championship journey was completed, Boston had botched numerous attempts to bring the Stanley Cup back to Beantown.

They were the top seed in the East with 116 points in the 2008-09 season. Boston finished second in goals for (274) while allowing the fewest (196). Tim Thomas won the Vezina, while Zdeno Chara took home the Norris Trophy.

And yet, the dream season ended when the Bruins fell to the sixth-seeded Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, losing on a Game 7 overtime goal from Scott Walker. A year later, the Bruins advanced to the second round and led the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 in their best-of-seven.

The Flyers rallied to win three straight and forced a seventh game. Boston jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Flyers scored four unanswered goals to pull off the remarkable comeback.

Once again, Boston’s championship celebration was on hold, as they dealt with the embarrassment of blowing a 3-0 series lead. They learned from it after defeating Vancouver in 2011 to win it all. The first championship is always the most satisfying, but at the time, it was easy to believe the Bruins were capable of winning more with the same group.

Home/Boston Bruins