The Boston Bruins Stanley Cup run, 2023 edition, begins tonight at the Garden. Let’s take a look back before we move forward.
June 15, 2011. A day generations of Boston sports fans had waited so long for. The Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, on the road in Vancouver. Unlike so many moments leading up to that pivotal Game 7, this one was decidedly not a nail-biter. Patrice Bergeron scored in the first period, then again in the second. Brad Marchand scored in the second, then again in the third. Tim Thomas saved every damn shot sent his way, cementing his status as a Boston sports folk hero.
The win was a cathartic moment for fans. It ended a 39-year Stanley Cup drought for the Bruins, who had last hoisted the Cup in 1972. There was a guy named Bobby Orr on the team. Maybe you’ve seen his statue in front of the Garden. It also brought the Bruins into the modern-day fold of Boston’s championship teams: with their cup win, each of the four major Boston teams had won at least one championship in their particular sport in the first decade of the 2000’s. City of Champions.
Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Run: Looking Forward, Looking Back
Will the 2023 Bruins recapture the magic of 2011? That remains to be seen. We hope so, of course. And the numbers are in their favor: they’re coming into the postseason as the winningest regular-season team of the salary cap era. Which is bragworthy, of course. But it pales in comparison to winning the Stanley Cup. Our sister station The Sports Hub has a preview of their first-round matchup against the Florida Panthers. I have a collection of photos from that legendary 2011 Game 7 below to get you all fired up.
Go, Go, Black and Gold!
