Cheers To 100 Years Of Bruins Hockey

BOSTON – Brad Marchand was in awe.

The Boston Bruins captain stood at center ice during the Centennial Game ceremony Sunday at TD Garden when NESN captured a close-up of his reaction. It was evident he was emotional standing among the some of the greatest players in hockey history. Marchand’s company included Patrice Bergeron, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Johnny Bucyk, Wayne Cashman, Willie O’Ree, Rick Middleton, Cam Neely, Terry O’Reilly and Ray Bourque.

“You have to take it in,” he said after the Bruins dismantled the Montreal Canadiens, 6-3. “It doesn’t come around very often and I never expected, or thought I would be part of something like that. When you look around that circle with some of the best players to ever play the game of hockey you have to embrace that moment because it goes by quick. Tomorrow, it’ll be over and we’ll move onto the next thing and worry about practice and our next game. Those are moments that will stay with you for a lifetime and you have to try to take them all in when you can.”

After the ceremony, and before warmups, Marchand’s message to his teammates was simple.

“We shouldn’t need a reminder, but sometimes you do know how special it is to be a Bruin and how much pride you should have in wearing the same jersey those guys wore,” said Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy, who had two goals. “We tried to empathize that tonight and we were really fortunate we won in front of those guys tonight.”

Boston did a phenomenal job with its year-long celebration, recognizing and honoring 100 years of Bruins hockey. It started with a 2-1 win over the Montreal Maroons on Dec. 1, 1924 and it culminated with Sunday’s victory.

“It’s been a phenomenal year,” Bourque said. “The Bruins organization has done a great job . . . it’s been amazing to be part of it. It was a dream come true for me making it to the NHL but being part of the Boston Bruins for 21 years was great. It’s something I don’t take for granted that I really enjoyed. Still, to this day I’m a big fan and bleed black and gold.”

Bourque spent 21 seasons with the Bruins but asked to be traded for a chance to win a Stanley Cup, which he accomplished with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. For a kid who grew up as a Canadiens fan in Montreal, Bourque cherishes one of the best rivalries in sports. The Bruins and Canadiens have played more games against one another than any other teams in NHL history.

Sunday’s game was the 763^rd meeting between the storied organizations.

“It’s a testament to what our history represents, the authenticity of our game, the respect we have for history and traditions, and this is one of the great rivalries in all of sports,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who attended the Centennial Game.

Bucyk, 89, is the patriarch of the organization. He has spent the majority of his life in Boston and he epitomizes what it means to be a Bruin.

“This is my home,” he said. “I’ve been here 67 years now. I love it here. I love the city. To me it’s home . . . these (Centennial) celebrations have been unbelievable. We’re all enjoying this whole thing. It’s been terrific.”

Bucyk recalls the games against the Canadiens were always intense, but afterwards it was normal for the opponents to grab a cold beer.

“We never held grudges,” he said. “When you’re on the ice it was a different thing. We used to play physical and used to have a lot of fights, but that’s the way the game was and the fans loved it, so we had to keep (fans) happy.”

For a kid who grew up in Montreal, and was a huge Canadiens fan, Bourque remembers he would miss school to go to the Stanley Cup parades. He vividly remembers 1979 when the Bruins were leading 3-1 in Game 7 only to lose in overtime.

“I remember thinking, ‘We did it again.’ Then a few months later it all changed (when the Bruins drafted me 8^th overall),” he said. “I really felt the rivalry when I came to camp (in the fall of 1979) and all the players were still upset and pissed and disappointed over that loss. I knew things were definitely changing for me when I was drafted . . . it wasn’t hard for me to be a Bruin and do my best. It was hard for me to play well against the Canadiens my first couple of years because I wanted to play so well, especially in Montreal in front of your family and friends. I was trying to do too much and took me a little bit to just settle in and play my game when it came to playing the Canadiens.”

The Bruins finally defeated the Canadiens during the 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was an epic win for Boston and changed the outlook for the Bruins.

“I would return home to Montreal and hear crap all summer long from family and friends, but 1987 was the quietest summer I ever had and it was fantastic going back after finally beating the Canadiens,” Bourque said. “To be part of that, and for everyone in our organization, it was fantastic. From that point on we did pretty well against Montreal in the playoffs. The rivalry was a special one and the biggest one. When teams meet that often in the playoffs, and they have amazing series, regardless of the Bruins not having a lot of success for a long time, it was still great hockey, one everyone looked forward to. It was very special.” 

Alumni tend to stay away from the current team because the past players feel it’s not their place to interfere. However, the current players and staff are thrilled when these legends are in the building.

“It’s great they’re around,” said Bruins coach Joe Sacco. “There are so many former great players here today, marking a special occasion. These are the players who built and established this culture here as far as being a Boston Bruin, so for us it’s exciting to have them here. It’s exciting to see them around and they just have so much to offer our guys.”

Sacco, a native of Medford, Mass., and a product of Boston University, understands what it takes to play and succeed in Boston.

“They always matched the city with their work ethic. They had characters in the room who seemed to blend in great with the city. It was always fun watching them as a kid.”

Now that he’s behind the bench for the Bruins, Sacco believes the rivalry is still strong.

“Fierce,” he said. “The game has changed but the rivalry is still there. There are a lot of emotions that go into these games when you play (the Canadiens) and they feel the same way about us as we do about them . . . the rivalry is still very intense.”