Bruins Beat: Bruins to Honor ‘70 Cup Team

Following last night’s (Wednesday) game with the Chicago Blackhawks, as the second half of a back-to-back, the Bruins will return to TD Garden ice on Saturday to host the Arizona Coyotes with a 3:00pm puck drop, the beginning of yet another back-to-back game affair, this time with the Detroit Red Wings hosting the Bruins on Sunday in the back end, in a rare 12:30 start. Division rival Montreal Canadiens will visit the Garden on Wednesday at 7:30pm.

Chara Heads 13th Annual PJ Drive

Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara will head the drive for the fifth time, the 13th Annual “PJ Drive” which benefits Massachusetts’ youth in need, and will run until March 15. The “PJ Drive” provides new, unused pajamas to babies, children, and teens in communities across Massachusetts. The Bruins will be hosting an in-game PJ collection on Saturday, February 15 at the Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings game at 1:00 p.m. at TD Garden. Fans who donate PJs or $10 at this game will be entered in a raffle to win Bruins autographed prizes.

Bruins to Honor 1970 Stanley Cup Team

The Boston Bruins have announced that the 1970 Boston Bruins Stanley Cup team will be honored during a pregame ceremony prior to the Bruins-Red Wings game on Tuesday, March 24. The 1969-70 Boston Bruins finished the season with a 40-17-19 record, leading the league with 277 goals scored. The team advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1958 and won its first championship in 29 years, bringing the Stanley Cup to Boston for the fourth time in franchise history.

Boston set a club record with 10 consecutive wins, spanning from the final two games of the Quarterfinal series with the New York Rangers to sweeps of the Chicago Blackhawks in the Semifinals and St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final. The 1969-70 season also featured several individual player milestones and highlights. Bobby Orr became the first defenseman to win the Art Ross Trophy with 120 points and set a league record for a defenseman in the playoffs with nine goals and 11 assists, earning him the Conn Smythe Trophy, Hart Trophy and Norris Trophy as well. Phil Esposito finished second behind Orr in the Art Ross scoring race and was named to the First-Star Team after setting a league record in postseason scoring with 13 goals and 27 points. Goaltender Gerry Cheevers won 24 games, including a team-record 10 straight. 

Coach Harry Sinden guided the team to an impressive 40-17-19 record, good for 99 points and second place in the NHL East Division. During the Quarterfinals the Bruins fought a tough battle with the New York Ranges, emerging with a victory in four of the six games. The Semifinals saw Boston rolling over the Chicago Blackhawks, taking four straight, and a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals versus the expansion (1967) St. Louis Blues. It was on Mother’s Day (May 10th) that Bobby Orr put the icing on the Cup-cake with his Cup-winning goal that produced a photo that has endured a half-century as ‘legendary.’ After 29 years of Cup-drought, the Bruins finally brought it back home when Orr took a pass from Derek Sanderson, behind the net – in overtime, and despite being tripped by Blues defenseman Noel Picard, Orr put the puck behind Blues goaltender Glen Hall and the rest is history.

Memory refresher of the Bruins 1970 Stanley Cup Champions roster listed: centers Phil Esposito, Fred Stanfield, Jim Lorentz, Derek Sanderson and Ivan Boldirev who was listed as a ‘spare,’ and did not play in the Finals. Wingers had: Ken Hodge, Sr., Johnny Bucyk, Wayne Carleton, Wayne Cashman, Garnet “Ace” Bailey (victim of 911), Ed Westfall, Johnny McKenzie, Don Marcotte, Dan Shock, Bill Lesuk and Ron Murphy. On the blueline: Bobby Orr, Rick Smith, Dallas Smith, Bill Speer, Gary Doak, Don Awrey and Ted Green who was injured and did not play. In net for Boston, Gerry Cheevers, Eddie Johnston and John Adams, listed as a ‘spare.’

In the Stanley Cup Finals, goaltender Gerry Cheevers appeared in 13 games, losing only once to the New York Rangers, with Eddie Johnston absorbing the second loss, also versus the New York Rangers in the quarterfinals.

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