Boston Bruins Goaltenders Who Should Have Their Numbers Retired

The first goalie that came to mind was Gerry Cheevers, who backstopped the team during the “Big Bad Bruins” years of Bobby Orr and two Stanley Cups. Maybe it’s the fact that team “underachieved” and only won two cups? We say “underachieved” for lack of a better word, as Bobby Orr has said the teams should have been a dynasty but was hurt by the exodus of talent to the World Hockey Association. Cheever’s himself also played in the upstart league for four seasons after winning the 1972 Stanley Cup with Boston.

Cheevers career was also overshadowed by other 1970’s goalies such as Bernie Parent, Tony Espositio, and Rogie Vachoun. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985, although spending his prime years with the WHA hurt his “official” NHL stats. Never an All Star or a Vezina winner, Cheevers was very good, but perhaps not enough for immortality with a jersey retirement.