Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  As such, we are delighted to present our pre-2025/26 revision of our top 50 Boston Bruins.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Bruins failed to make the playoffs, and are now in an unfamiliar position as a rebuilding organization.  There were no new entrants and only one elevation.

As always, we present our top five, which remain unchanged.

1. Bobby Orr
2. Eddie Shore
3. Ray Bourque
4. Phil Esposito
5. Patrice Bergeron

You can find the entire list here.

Brad Marchand, who was traded to the Florida Panthers during last season, was unable to move up from #11.

Right Wing David Pastrnak edged up one spot to #13 

Of note, Defenseman Charlie McAvoy did not do enough to move up.  He remains at #35.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

 

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023-24 revision of our top 50 Boston Bruins.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Bruins had another outstanding regular season but only made it to the second round. With their talent, this was considered a disappointment.  There were no new entrants and multiple elevations.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Bobby Orr
2. Eddie Shore
3. Ray Bourque
4. Phil Esposito
5. Patrice Bergeron

You can find the entire list here.

Forward Brad Marchand, who had a good year, was unable to get past last season’s rank of #11.

David Pastrnak, who was a Second Team All-Star last season, advanced to #14 from #18.

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy edged up one spot to #35.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Patrice Bergeron is widely considered the greatest defensive forward of the modern era. In fact, many people consider him one of the top five Boston Bruins players of all time.

Bergeron spent his entire career playing for the Boston Bruins, where he immediately established himself as a leader. He has won a record six Frank J. Selke Awards for being the best defensive forward in the game and was a finalist for the award 12 times. Additionally, he has won the King Clancy Award and the 2020/21 Mark Messier Leadership Award.

Bergeron was not just a defensive player; he also possessed impressive scoring skills. He scored 1,040 points and famously scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, helping the Bruins win the championship.

Bergeron was so gifted that he only had one season with a negative Plus/Minus and was the league leader in 2011/12. Although he only finished in the top five in Hart voting once (fifth in 2013/14), his value to the Boston Bruins on every shift was immeasurable, and he proved to be a gem for the team throughout his career.  

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022/23 revision of our top 50 Boston Bruins.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Boston Bruins set a record with the most Points accumulated by a team, but they were stunned with a first round exit.  Based on last season, we see a new entrant to the top five, with a few other fluctuations.  There was also one new entrant.

As always, we present our top five, which saw a new number five:

1. Bobby Orr

2. Eddie Shore

3. Ray Bourque

4. Phil Esposito

5. Patrice Bergeron

You can find the entire list here.

The now retired Bergeron, who won his record Sixth Frank J. Selke Award last year, moved ahead of Milt Schmidt for the top five.

Three-time postseason All-Star, Brad Marchand, climbed to #11 from #14.

David Pastrnak, who was named a First Team All-Star last year, shot up thirteen places to #18.

David Krejci, who returned for one final season, advanced from #35 to #33.

Defenseman, Charlie McAvoy, is the lone debut.  He enters at #36.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

From Long Island by way of Boston University, Defenseman Charlie McAvoy did not have to travel far to join the team that drafted him, the Boston Bruins, who used their 14^th Overall Pick in 2017.

McAvoy had a very good start to his professional career, finishing fifth in Calder voting off of a 32 Point year.  The physical blueliner wasted no time proving that he was the team’s top Defenseman, and in 2019/20, he began a three-year streak of top ten Norris finishes, with a fourth-place tally and a Second Team All-Star in 2021/22.  Going into this season, McAvoy had a three-year run of at least 45 Point years (2021-22 to 2023-24), and is very much in his prime.

We could have a top 20 Bruin in Charlie McAvoy.

The career of one of the best defensive forwards has come to an end.

Patrice Bergeron announced today that he is retiring after 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, all of which was as a Boston Bruin.

Bergeron debuted for the Bruins in 2003, and it was apparent very quickly that he was a steal in the 2^nd Round. A gifted center at both ends of the ice, Bergeron went to three All-Star Games, and would become a team leader, ascending to the captaincy in 2021 and winning the Mark Messier Leadership the same year.

Also, a 2013 King Clancy Award winner, the accolade that would define him was the Frank J. Selke Trophy. He won it a record six times, including adding his sixth last season.

The Bruins were contending through most of Bergeron’s career, and would win the Stanley Cup in 2011. Last year, despite being bounced in the first round, Boston had the greatest regular season in NHL history.

Despite his attention to defense, he scored 1,040 Points, 427 of them as Goals.

Internationally, Bergeron won Gold in two Olympics (2010 & 2014), the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, 2004 World Hockey Championships and 2005 World Junior Championships.

With this retirement, Bergeron will be eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2026, and he should be an early inductee.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Patrice Bergeron the best in his post-playing career.

From Savonlinna, Finland, Tuukka Rask was drafted in the First Round (21^st Overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he never played there as he was traded to Boston for fellow Goalie Andrew Raycroft.  It was a deal that historically would favor the Bruins, the team in which Rask played his entire career.

Rask was first called up in 2007 but was not the regular backup until the 2009-10 Season when he led the NHL in Save Percentage and Goals Against Average.  Rask would finally take over from Tim Thomas as the Bruins' lead Goalie, bringing the Bruins back to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013.  They lost to Chicago, but Task established himself as one of the best in the game.  The season after, he won the coveted Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top Goalie.

Rask had his ups and downs afterward, dealing with injuries, but again led the Bruins to another Cup Final in 2019, the same season he was named a Second Team All-Star.  Boston again lost, this time to St. Louis, who captured their first Title.

Rask had an upper-body injury that kept him on the sideline going into this season, but he came back to rejoin the Bruins, appearing in four games as Linus Ullmark’s backup. He cited that he was not at the level he needed to be.

Internationally, Rask represented Finland multiple times, with his greatest success coming in the 2014 Olympics, where he backstopped his nation to a Bronze Medal.

Rask leaves the games with a record of 306-163-66 with a 2.28 GAA.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2021/22 revision of our top Boston Bruins.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Bruins made the playoffs but were bounced in the first round.  Despite the length of Boston’s existence, there were three changes on the list.

As always, we present our top five, which had no changes:

1. Bobby Orr

2. Eddie Shore

3. Ray Bourque

4. Phil Esposito

5. Milt Schmidt

You can find the entire list here.

Patrice Bergeron climbs into the top ten, with the five-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner moving up from #13.

Three-time All-Star, Brad Marchand, rocketed to #14 from #24.

Former First Team All-Star, David Pastrnak moved up five spots to #32.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

The world of hockey lost one of the great ones, as Hall of Fame Defenseman, Leo Boivin, passed away at age 90.

Boivin debuted in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs for two Games in the 1951/52 Season, and would finish third in Calder voting the following year.  The Leafs traded him to Boston early in the 1954/55 Season, and it was with the Bruins where he would achieve his greatest success.

The Bruins fans loved Boivin for his hard-hitting and punishing style, and he would represent them in three All-Star Games.  Undersized even for that era, Boivin made the most of his compact 5’ 8” frame, becoming the master of the hip check and shutting down attackers.  He would later play for Detroit, Pittsburgh and Minnesota, retiring after the 1969/70 Season, and he left the game with 322 Points in 1,150 Games.

The Hall of Fame called his name in 1986.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends, and family of Leo Boivin.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2021-22 revision of our top 50 Boston Bruins.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NHL. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note, that this is our first revision in one year, but several players climbed in the rank.

As always, we present our top five immediately, though nothing has changed in this upper-tier.

1. Bobby Orr

2. Eddie Shore

3. Ray Bourque

4. Phil Esposito

5. Milt Schmidt

You can find the entire list here.

Patrice Bergeron, who has won four Frank J. Selke Trophies as the NHL’s top Defensive Forward, moved up one spot to #13.

Brad Marchand, who is now a four-time post-season All-Star, climbed five spots to #23.  

David Krejci, who was a two-time leader in Plus/Minus inched up one spot to #34.

2020 Rocket Richard winner, David Pastrnak, also moved up by one.  He is now #36.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

The Boston Bruins announced today that they will be inducting the number 22 of Willie O’Ree, who made history over six decades ago as the first black player in the NHL.  O’Ree, 85, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder’s Category in 2018.

The event will take place on February 18, during their home game against the New Jersey Devils.

O’Ree made history when he was called up for two Games in 1958 for the Bruins, and he came back for 43 Games in the 1960-61 campaign.  He scored 15 Points over his NHL career, but played pro hockey for 21 years.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Willie O’Ree for earning this honor.  

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the third revision of our top 50 Boston Bruins of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

This is the second revision, and our first in two years.

The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Bobby Orr

2. Eddie Shore

3. Ray Bourque

4. Phil Esposito

5. Milt Schmidt

The top five remains unaltered from our initial rank but there are some significant jumps and three new entries.

Zdeno Chara cracks the top ten, moving from #11 to #9.  Goalie, Tuukka Rask moves from #36 to #30.

The three new ranked players are Brad Marchand (#32), David Pastrnak (#38) and Torey Krug (#42).

We admit to erring that Marchand should have been ranked three years ago.

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

An underrated Defenseman, Torey Krug, played College Hockey at Michigan State, exceeding all expectations to become a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.  His work landed him a Free Agent signing with the Boston Bruins, and he was ready to shatter the ceiling again.

Currently, David Pastrnak is an eleven-season NHL veteran, all of which were spent as a Boston Bruin.

Depending on your point of view, Marchand is either a dirty player or a brilliant agitator, or perhaps he is an elite combination of both.  Regardless of which label, the undersized winger blossomed into a top scorer, especially in higher-pressure situations.

This one might be a little difficult to justify putting him on this list at all, as many considered the career of Sergei Samsonov a disappointment, but while he may not have lived up to lofty expectations, there is no doubt that the Russian had a promising career. 

Barry Pederson was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy in 1982 when he had a 92-Point Season for the Boston Bruins. In the next two years, he had 107 and 116 Points, respectively, both of which earned him a trip to the All-Star Game. He was fifth and sixth in Points, respectively, in those years, which, given the high scoring in the 1980s, was no small accomplishment.

A two-time All-Star in consecutive seasons (2008 & 2009), Marc Savard quietly put forth a career where he accumulated 706 Points with 499 of them coming by way of Assists.  Savard began his career with the New York Rangers, the Calgary Flames, and the Atlanta Thrashers, and in those nine years, he never played in the postseason. However, in his last season in Atlanta, he set a career high with 97 points, finishing ninth in Points and third in Assists.

A member of the Boston Bruins for his entire 13-year career in the NHL, Jack Crawford was known for his hard-nosed play, which is why the Bruins never seriously considered dealing him.  Early in his playing days, he helped the Bruins win Stanley Cups in 1939 and 1941.  In the first of these years, he was the National Hockey League leader in Defensive Point Shares.  Later, Crawford would be named a Second Team All-Star (1943) and First Team All-Star (1946).  He retired with 178 Points over 548 Games, a good number for a Defenseman in those days. 

Murray Oliver was a sweet playmaker who many regarded as the master of the “fake pass”.  Oliver was used equally on the power play and penalty kill, and has an above-average hockey IQ.  The Centre would be named to five All-Star Teams (four with Boston and one with Toronto) and he would amass over 700 Points in the NHL.  Arguably, Oliver is not nearly as well remembered as someone who was a five-time All-Star should be, as he played on only four Playoff teams.