Boston Bruins Goaltenders Who Should Have Their Numbers Retired

The most legendary goalie in Bruins history is Tiny Thompson who played eleven seasons for the team throughout the late 1920s and 1930s. Thompson might have had the most crowded trophy case of any goalie to ever wear a Bruins jersey with four Vezinas and a Stanley Cup in his rookie season. He retired with most Bruins goaltending records, although some of the important ones have been broken by Tuukka Rask (we’ll get to him in a second).

If any Bruins goaltender should have had their number retired by now, you think it would have been Thompson. Well if it hasn’t happened already, it probably won’t happen. Thompson passed away in the 1980’s, and no one alive today saw him play or remembers the impact he had. His legacy today only exists in the history books. It’s a great case for him being in the Hall of Fame (he was inducted in 1959). For the Bruins, who at the end of the day are still a business and have to think about selling tickets and merchandise and the fanfare of a jersey retirement on the bottom line, retiring Thompson’s number might not be a wise business decision in lieu of others. Although he does deserve it.