12 defining moments from the 2023-24 Bruins regular season
From centennial celebrations to a season-shifting bag skate, the 2023-24 Bruins have gone through plenty already.
The 2023-24 Bruins season hasn’t gone as many initially expected … much to the delight of the fans on Causeway Street.
After trudging through a painful summer marred by the retirements and offseason exits of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and others, a revamped Boston roster closed out a new year with a 47-20-15 record.
With the Stanley Cup Playoffs — and a first-round meeting with the Maple Leafs — now just a few days away, here’s a look at 12 moments that defined the Bruins this regular season.
1. Brad Marchand named captain
It didn’t take long for the Bruins to identify Bergeron’s successor, with his longtime teammate Brad Marchand getting the “C” stitched onto his sweater on the first day of training camp.
A disciple of the culture instilled by Bergeron and Zdeno Chara, Marchand has also crafted his own identity as Boston’s captain — routinely dragging his teammates into the fight this winter.
“We’re building a culture and want it to stay and to remain the same,” Marchand said. “I have a lot of pride in that.”
2. Bruins welcome back legends during season opener
The Bruins paid tribute to the past throughout the year as part of their centennial season festivities. On their respective Era Nights, the “Big Bad Bruins” lifted their two Stanley Cup banners to the TD Garden rafters, while the 2011 Bruins reunited in Boston via duck boat just a few months later.
But Boston opened its 100th season with a bang on Oct. 11, welcoming back legends across their storied history like Johnny Bucyk, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Ray Bourque, Tim Thomas, and Patrice Bergeron.
3. Matt Poitras ushers in youth movement
The goalie rotation has become the most prevalent question for the Bruins this season. But for the first month or so, most Bruins fans were fixated on whether or not 19-year-old Matt Poitras was going to stick in the NHL ranks.
The playmaking pivot accelerated his development timeline thanks to a strong preseason (five points in five games) before securing his spot in Boston full-time by scoring three goals and posting five points in his first nine games.
Shoulder surgery limited Poitras (five goals, 15 points) to just 33 games in his rookie season, but his unexpected ascension set the tone in a year where several other rookies like Johnny Beecher, Mason Lohrei, and Justin Brazeau impressed at hockey’s highest level.
4. Coyle scores first hat trick
In the 798th game of his 13-year NHL career, Charlie Coyle finally secured his first hat trick by burying three tallies in Boston’s 5-2 win over the Islanders on Nov. 9.
For all the concerns over how Boston was going to stay afloat without its 1-2 punch of Bergeron and Krejci down the middle, Coyle and Pavel Zacha answered the call.
After Bergeron and Krejci combined for 114 points in 2022-23, Coyle and Zacha have teamed up for 119 points this year.
5. Milan Lucic arrested
The Bruins’ season hit a low point in November when veteran forward Milan Lucic was arrested and later charged with assault and battery on a family member. Prosecutors dropped the domestic violence case against Lucic in February after his wife invoked her marital privilege and declined to testify against him.
After Lucic’s charges were dropped, the Bruins said that the winger “will remain on indefinite leave from the organization” for the remainder of the season.
6. Swayman earns All-Star nod
Jeremy Swayman’s brilliance out of the gate helped his team pad their spot atop the standings. The 25-year-old netminder earned his first career All-Star nod in January — closing out the first half with a 16-3-7 record, three shutouts, and a .924 save percentage.
Despite his promising start, Swayman has fallen into a bit of a rut during the second half, posting a .903 save percentage over his last 17 games.
7. Heinen’s hat trick
The Bruins had five different players record a hat trick this season, but the sight of Danton Heinen skating through an avalanche of cascading caps during Boston’s 9-4 win over Montreal on Jan. 20 might have been the best to take in — given the circumstances.
After failing to land a contract during the offseason, Heinen fought for a roster spot on a tryout deal and has scored 17 goals and 36 points over 74 games — all while counting just $775,000 against the cap.
Heinen, Boston’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, should be the favorite for the Bruins’ 7th Player Award.
8. Bruins booed off the ice
The Bruins’ uneven second half might be best summed up by the sounds of a forlorn TD Garden crowd booing Boston off the ice after sleepwalking through a 3-0 loss to the Capitals on Feb. 10.
“I love our fans. That’s what I think,” Montgomery noted postgame. “They’re hockey-knowledgeable. They’re not wrong.”
9. Marchand reaches 1,000 games
Boston’s captain reached plenty of individual milestones this year, securing his 500th assist on Nov. 18 before becoming the fifth Bruin to hit 400 goals on April 4 against Carolina.
But the former fourth-line pest turned franchise fixture was emotional while taking things in before his 1,000th career game on Feb. 13 against the Lightning.
10. Ullmark stays put at trade deadline
Don Sweeney bolstered Boston’s roster before the playoffs by trading for two bruisers in Pat Maroon and Andrew Peeke. But the Bruins’ most impactful move might be keeping a few key cogs in place at the trade deadline.
Despite trade whispers hovering over pending UFA Jake DeBrusk and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, both remain in black-and-gold sweaters — with Ullmark reportedly invoking his trade protection to ensure said outcome.
The Bruins should be glad that Ullmark is still between the pipes. Since the deadline, Ullmark is 6-3-0 with a .935 save percentage.
11. Jim Montgomery bag skates Bruins
Jim Montgomery finally hit his breaking point.
With Boston’s second-half woes lingering into the final week of March (10-7-6 since All-Star break), Montgomery halted practice on March 25 during his team’s opening drill. Urging his players to “wake the [expletive] up,” Montgomery signaled the start of a grueling stretch of sprints for the full roster.
It was a much-needed wake-up call for a Bruins team treading water for months.
“I don’t think our team’s ready yet for the playoffs,” Montgomery acknowledged.
12. Bruins answer Montgomery’s challenge
The Bruins received the memo after Montgomery’s public call-out.
Just a day later, the Bruins rose to the occasion with one of their most entertaining wins of the season — erasing three separate deficits en route to a 4-3 road win over the Panthers.
The Bruins beat Florida again over a week later, with Jesper Boqvist’s OT snipe giving Boston a perfect 4-0-0 record against the Panthers in 2023-24. After Montgomery’s bag skate, Boston won five of its next six games against Florida, Washington, Nashville, and Carolina.
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