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2011 Stanley Cup winners highlight MassLive Bruins Quarter-Century Team
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- 2011 Stanley Cup winners highlight MassLive Bruins Quarter-Century Team
When the ball dropped in Times Square to flip the page from 1999 to 2000, the Bruins were in the middle of a 24-33-19-6 season that would land them in last place of a division (Northeast) that doesn’t exist anymore.
There was little to indicate that in the 25 years that followed, they’d have more regular-season wins than any other team in the NHL. They’d go to the finals three times and win their first Stanley Cup since 1972.
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That turnaround came on the backs of a lot of good players, good coaches and good executives.
As this century passes takes its first turn around the track, we looked back and created quarter-century teams for each of the four major Boston sports teams. We invited anyone who was regularly part of MassLive or the Springfield Republican’s Bruins coverage to vote on the roster. Our quarter-century team voting on theirs.
Here’s where we landed:
Forwards
Patrice Bergeron
Patrice Bergeron (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)AP
Years: 2003-2023
Why he made it: Bergeron is one of the most complete two-way players in hockey history. He’s beloved by fans and teammates and respected by opponents. He’s a seven-time Selke Award winner and is third in career goals and points in Bruins history. He was an integral part of the 2011 Stanley Cup and spent his entire career in Boston.
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Bergeron is a lock to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame next year in his first year of eligibility and will eventually have his number 37 retired by the Bruins.
Brad Marchand
Brad Marchand. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)AP
Years: 2009-2025
Why he made it: Marchand started his career as one of the sport’s most hated opponents but is now playing his twilight years as someone who has become begrudgingly respected by his peers.
Bruins fans loved his rat routine when everyone else hated him. But his early run of suspensions and weird licking incidents pulled attention away from a career arc that saw him go from a fourth-line grinder to one of the best two-way players in Bruins history. He was a key member of the 2011 Stanley Cup squad and is in the franchise top five in several categories, including games played, goals and points. His five career overtime playoff goals are third in NHL history.
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David Pastrnak
David Pastrnak. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)AP
Years: 2014-present
Why he made it: He’s just 29 and is already one of the best goal scorers in Bruins history. Pastrnak is fifth in career goals and in the top 10 for assists and points.
If he stays healthy, he could eventually be one of the top 10 scorers in NHL history.
David Krejci
David Krejci (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)AP
Years: 2007-21, 2022-23
Why he made it: Overshadowed by some of his louder and more high-profile teammates, Krejci is one of the franchise’s more underrated players.
He’s fifth all-time in assists (555) by a Bruins player, 10th in points (786), and was an excellent postseason player. His 12 playoff goals and 23 postseason points both led the NHL in 2011. He also had four game-winning goals as Boston won the cup that year.
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Milan Lucic
Milan Lucic (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)AP
Years: 2007-2015, 2023
Why he made it: Lucic was a hard-charging, hard-shooting power forward in the mold of a poor man’s Cam Neely, whose physical play was a critical part of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning squad. His offensive numbers peaked that season with 30 goals and 32 assists.
Nathan Horton
Nathan Horton (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Years: 2010-13
Why he made it: Horton only spent three years as a Bruin, but he made them count. He was a critical piece of the 2011 Stanley Cup Champions. He scored a Game 7 goal in overtime against Montreal in the first round and had another big Game 7 goal in a 1-0 win over Tampa in the Eastern Conference Finals. Of the 16 wins in that run, he had the game-winning goal in three of them.
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Glen Murray
Glen Murray (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)AP
Years: 1992-95 & 2001-2008
Why he made it: Murray was drafted by the Bruins then traded as part of the deal for Kevin Stevens, but Boston brought him back in 2001 as part of a package for Jason Allison.
An easily-forgotten star before the Bruins became championship contenders, Murray was an All-Star, an alternate captain and in 2002-03 he was a 48-goal scorer.
Shawn Thornton
Shawn Thornton (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)AP
Years: 2007-2014
Why he made it: Shawn Thornton belongs with Terry O’Reilly among players whose style made them more beloved in Boston than they ever would have been elsewhere.
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Calling Thornton a goon would have been inaccurate. He was a capable and willing fighter, but he could play too. He was a good grinder and a respected leader. It’s been over 10 years since his last game in Boston, fans still wear his replica jersey.
Joe Thornton
Joe Thornton (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)AP
Years: 1997-2005
Why he made it: Thornton was supposed to be the player who brought the Bruins back to prominence when they selected him first overall in 1997. The future Hall of Famer was still tapping into his potential when the Bruins traded him away early in the 2005 season, a deal that cost Mike O’Connell his job.
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Thornton went on to win the Hart Trophy that season in San Jose. Still, in his five full seasons as a Bruin that fall into this quarter century, he averaged 31 goals and 51 assists and was on his way to greatness. He was Boston’s captain from 2002-05.
Mark Recchi
Mark Recchi (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)Getty Images
Years: 2008-11
Why he made it: Trading for Recchi added a veteran, experienced leader to a Bruins nucleus on the rise. He set an example for the young roster while still scoring some big goals.
Marchand said his time with Recchi influenced him as a captain.
“He always talked about playing the right way. That’s one thing him and Bergy were both great at. But I see just the way that he kind of managed the room as a leader and talked at certain times and recognized things,” Marchand said. “I circle back to those days and conversations I had with him and Bergy and Z ( Zdeno Chara ). Some of those stick with you for a long time when guys of their caliber filter their knowledge down. I learned a lot from them and it was, it was an honor playing with them.”
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Marc Savard
Marc Savard (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Years: 2006-2011
Why he made it: Several different players got votes for the last two forward spots on this roster as people weighed short-term greatness vs. long-term production. Savard’s inclusion, to a certain extent, honors what might have been or what he was on his way to being before concussions derailed his career.
Savard averaged 90.3 points over his first three seasons in Boston, and at 31 had good hockey ahead of him.
P.J. Axelsson
P.J. Axelsson (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)AP
Years: 1997-2009
Why he made it: Axelsson was an excellent defensive forward and an elite penalty killer who could contribute offense in spots. He annually earned Selke Trophy consideration.
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Also Receiving Votes:
Jake DeBrusk , Gregory Campbell , Daniel Paille , Sergei Samsonov. Pavel Zacha , Mike Knuble
Defense
Zdeno Chara
Zdeno Chara (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP
Years: 2006-20
Why he made it: Chara, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this year, changed the Bruins on and off the ice. His leadership reshaped the team’s culture and chemistry. His work ethic and defensive reliability impacted the style and physicality of play that became hallmarks of Bruins hockey.
Signing him as a free agent from Ottawa remains one of the most impactful transactions in franchise history.
He was steady and intimidating. Especially in the playoffs, it seemed like he never left the ice. He was a seven-time All-Star and the 2008-09 Norris Trophy winner.
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He’ll have his number retired next month.
Charlie McAvoy
Charlie McAvoy (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Years: 2017-present
Why he made it: McAvoy has been a top 20 defenseman almost since he’s been in the league. The respect McAvoy got from both his opponents and teammates during the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off was a reminder that he’s a little underrated in Boston because of his lack of offensive numbers.
He’s positioned to be a fixture in Boston for years to come.
Dennis Seidenberg
Dennis Seidenberg (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)AP
Years: 2009-16
Why he made it: The German defenseman was a perfect partner for Chara. He was a minutes-eating stay-at-home defender who was outstanding in the postseason.
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Torey Krug
Torey Krug (AP Photo|Jeff Roberson)AP
Years: 2011-20
Why he made it: One of the Bruins’ greatest undrafted free agent signings ever. He evolved into an excellent quarterback on some very good Bruins power plays and, despite being just 5-foot-9, was willing to play physical and fight above his weight class.
His hit on Robert Thomas after losing his helmet during the 2019 Stanley Cup final remains his signature moment.
Brandon Carlo
Brandon Carlo. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)AP
Years: 2016-25
Why he made it: Brandon Carlo was an anchor of the Bruins’ defense, a steady presence in the their own end and on the penalty kill for nine seasons.
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Over his time in Boston, he evolved into a leader as well before being traded to the Maple Leafs in March.
Johnny Boychuk
Johnny Boychuk (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP
Years: 2008-14
Why he made it: The Bruins didn’t want to trade Johnny Boychuk in 2014. He was simply a victim of the franchise’s salary cap woes.
The physical defenseman with a heavy shot was a good puck mover and a key piece of both the 2011 Stanley Cup winners and the 2013 Eastern Conference champions.
Also receiving votes:
Andrew Ference , Adam McQuaid .
Goalies
Tim Thomas
Tim Thomas (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Years: 2002-12
Why he made it: Thomas’ peak was short, but what a peak it was. His run from 2008-12 was one of the best stretches ever by a goalie and his 2011 season of 35 wins, .938 save percentage and a 2.00 GAA is one of the best in franchise history. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2009 and 2011.
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He was the runaway winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2011 for his incredible postseason run to lead the Bruins to the Stanley Cup. His .933 career playoff save percentage is the best in hockey history.
Tuukka Rask
Tuukka Rask (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP
Years: 2007-22
Why he made it: Rask spent almost his entire career in the shadow of Thomas’ dominant 2011 season and playoff run and it made him an underrated player in Boston.
He was a consistent No. 1 for a dozen years. Even on nights when the team struggled, he was usually good enough to keep them in it.
Rask is the franchise leader in wins (308). He’s tied for second in both goals against average (2.28 with Linus Ullmark ) and save percentage (.921 with Thomas).
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Coach: Claude Julien
Years: 2007-17
Why he made it: Julien led the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup in 39 years and then back to the finals again two years later. His 419 wins are the most in franchise history.
General Manager: Peter Chiarelli
Years: 2006-15
Why he made it:Like Julien, he was in the big chair when the Bruins finally broke their Stanley Cup drought. His smart trades to add Mark Recchi, Chris Kelly , Dennis Seidenberg, Rich Peverley , etc., helped put Boston over the top.
Chiarelli was a unanimous choice, but short-time interim GM Jeff Gorton should have gotten some consideration for signing Chara and Savard as free agents, drafting Phil Kessel , Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand and trading for Tuukka Rask.
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___
Voters:
For this project, we invited our current Bruins coverage team, as well as anyone who covered the Bruins for MassLive and before that, the Springfield Republican, to vote.
This team was selected by: Lauren Campbell, Chris Mason, Conor Ryan, Fran Sypek, Amanda Bruno and Matt Vautour
Note on methodology: Voters were instructed to only consider performance from 2000-25 and only what they did for the Bruins. They were asked to vote for 12 forwards, six defensemen, two goalies, a coach and a general manager.
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