Boston Bruins Top 5 Defenseman of All Time
The Boston Bruins have been honored to have some of the best NHL defenseman of all-time play for the spoked B.
The Bruins have been a spoiled team for years with such great defense. That is what helped them to get their six Stanley Cups. Today their defense is filled with young kids that may be able to be on the list in the future.
Boston has a wide variety of defenseman in the ranges of Enforcer to Offensive, but there are only a handful that can be considered the greatest of all time.
As the Boston Bruins are struggling on defense this season lets take a look back at some of the Bruins greatest defenseman of all time.
Factors for ranking:
- Time spent in Boston
- Points
- Plus/Minus(If Applicable)
- Awards
- Championships
Park was originally Drafted by the New York Rangers in the 1966 NHL Amateur Draft. During the 1975-76 season Park along with Jean Ratelle, and Joe Zanussi were traded to the Boston Bruins for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais.
Park eventually toke over the Captaincy from Booby Orr who was having injury problems.
Park came in second place for the Norris Trophy twice while he was a Bruin and 4 other times with New York. Towards the tail end of his career he played with Raymond Bourque during his first 4 years on the team.
His most memorable goal was the one in the video above. An OT winner to advance to the Conference Finals.
Brad Park played 7 season for the Bruins. Playing in just over 500 games. He had 100 goals 317 assists for 417 points. His had a fantastic plus minus with a plus 229 which puts him at number 8 all time for the Bruins. Park also only had 553 Penalty minutes in his time here.
Park retired after the 1984-85 season. He was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. This was his first eligible year.
Zdeno “Big Z” Chara drafted by the New York Islanders at the 1996 Draft. Then in 2001 he was traded to the Ottawa Senators during the 2001 draft. Then in July of 2006 Chara, a free agent signed a 5-year $37.5 million contract with the Bruins. Chara was named team Captain after the spot was vacated from the trading of Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks. Chara became only the third Slovak-born NHL player to be captain of a team.
Zdeno Chara won the Norris Trophy during the 2008-09 season. He finished in the top 5 for the trophy 5 other times with the Bruins.
Chara was one of the main reasons for the Bruins bringing the cup back to Boston in 2011.
Chara has pent his last 11 seasons in Boston. Zdeno Chara is currently playing for the Bruins. Through this current season Chara has played in 754 games. He has tallied 122 goals, 281 assists for 403 points. He has an astounding plus minus of 159.
Zdeno Chara (39) is under contract until the 2017-18 season. He may still play after that but I would like to see Boston part ways after the 18 season.
He will be a future Hall Of Fame inductee there is no question about that. He may not be the most mobile defenseman but that was never his game he is/was one of the best shutdown defenseman.
Eddie Shore started his Hockey career in his home town of Saskatchewan Canada. It was a minor league team the Cupar Canucks. Next he played with the Regina Capitals of the Western Canada Hockey League in 1925. In 1926 he moved to the Edmonton Eskimos. Then Shore was Sold to the Boston Bruins in the NHL. Shore played with the Bruins for 14 seasons.
Shore is known as one of the toughest Bruins to live, he may not have been the biggest guy at 5’11 190. There was one instance where the two members of the Canadiens were traded to the Bruins. During their first practice with Shore, he taunted them in the locker room. Once on the ice one of the new members Billy Coutu took a run at shore, and shore stood his ground and sent Coutu flying across the ice. Coutu was out for a week. Also during the exchange part of Shores ear was cut, but that did not phase him.
During his time with the Bruins Shore played in 540 games. This is so low because the season were not as long as they are now. The Bruins only played about 50 games a season. Eddie Shore scored 103 goals with 176 assists for 209 points. The plus minus stat was not a thing yet but I would assume his was extremely good.
Shore helped the Bruins to two Stanley Cups in 1029 and 1939 the Teams first two Stanley Cups as a Franchise. He also won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the Leagues MVP four times in his career.
He was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 1947. The Bruins also retired his number 2 as it still hangs there in the rafters of the Garden today.
Raymond Bourque
Ray Bourque was never supposed to be a part of the Boston Bruins organization. He was picked out of a panic. During the 1977 Draft. Harry Sinden the teams GM at the time wanted to select Keith Brown, but he was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks one pick before the Bruins. Sinden not having a back up settled for a kid named Raymond Bourque, a kid they never even wanted.
Bourque then showed the Bruins that they would not regret picking him by scoring in his first career NHL game. Then in 1985 after the retirement of other Bruins great Terry O’Reilly who would coach the team. Bourque and Rick Middleton were named Co-Captains of the team. Middleton Would wear the “C” during home games and Bourque Away. After Middleton’s retirement in 1988 Bourque to sole control of the captaincy. He carried the “C” for the rest of his Bruins career.
One of Bourque’s key moments in his career never came from him playing. On December 3, 1987 Phil Esposito‘s number 7 was to be retired. There was only one problem, that was the number that Bourque was currently wearing. So during that night as Esposito walked onto the ice Bourque began to pull of his number 7 and reveal an extra 7 on a new jersey making 77. No one knew that he was going to do this expect for him. In Bourque’s mind there was only one number 7 and that was Phil’s so he surrendered his number for another Boston Bruin Legend. Video found here.
Raymond Bourque played 21 seasons with the Boston Bruins. He played in 1518 games. He had 395 goals and 1111 assists for a total of 1506 points. Bourque is the current all time leader in Games Played, Assists, Points, Power Play Goals, Shots. He fourth in goals scored. Second in Plus minus with a plus 494. Bourque earned the Norris trophy as the leagues best defenseman 5 times. He also earned the Calder as the rookie if the year.
Ray Bourque never won a cup here in Boston. On March 6, 2000 Sinden told Bourque he was being traded to the Colorado Avalanche. He finally got his cup when the Avalanche won the cup in 2000-01 season. Also on the team was Hall Of Famers Joe Sakic and Patrik Roy. Video of Ray Bourque hoisting “his” Stanley Cup can be found here
Bourque was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility. His number 77 was retired by the Bruins and the Avalanche.
Robert Gordon “Bobby” Orr stated his NHL career with the Boston Bruins in the 1966-67 season. Orr was first tried out as a center as the Bruins did not think of him as a defenseman. In the pre-season Orr wore number 27. Then at the start he was offered number 5 Dit Clappers old number so instead Orr chose number 4. He made his début on October 19, 1966 against the Detroit Red Wings, he earned an assist. His first of many goals came on October 22, in a game against all time rivals the Montreal Canadiens.
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During his first year Orr was challenged by many veterans but showed that he deserved their respect by beating Canadiens tough Guy Ted Harris on October 4, 1966. Orr’s first problem came during a game against the Maple Leafs in December, 1966. Leafs Defenseman Marcel Pronovost hit Orr into the boards and so Orr’s knee injuries began. He missed 9 games and the Bruins lost 6 of them. Orr from then on was limited in seasons due to his knee injuries.
He hit his prime during the 1969-70 season. Bobby Orr doubled his scoring total from the previous season, as he scored 120 points. Orr then lead the Bruin to their fourth Stanley Cup with probably the most famous goal in all of hockey.
During the 1970-71 season, Orr and the Bruins crushed many of the standing offensive records. He finished second in scoring that year and set records for points in a season for defenseman and plus minus by any player with a plus 124.
In the 1971-72 season Orr led the Bruins to another Stanley Cup.
Orr played 10 years with the Bruins playing in 631 games. Orr scored 264 goals (8th), 635 assists (2nd) for 888 points which puts him fifth all time in Bruins History. He had a plus/minus of plus 589, that makes him first among Bruins.
Bobby Orr continued to play through the 1975-76 season with the Bruins. He then finished out his career in Chicago with the Blackhawks.
Orr retired in the 1978 season with the Blackhawks. At the time he retired he was the leader among defense in the NHL in goals, assists, ad points. Orr was inducted into the Hall Of Fame three years early as the Hall waived the three-year waiting period. He was 31, the youngest player living during that time to be inducted.
Orr’s number 4 was retired on January 9, 1979. Orr was not allowed to give his speech until he put his jersey on. His number 4 resides in the rafters of the Garden were it belongs. He will always be a Boston Bruin.
Bobby Orr is arguably the greatest defenseman who has ever walked this earth. This puts him in front of Bourque, and Chris Chelios and many others. As he basically invented the two-way defenseman play style.
Here are the players that just missed the cut.
Mike Milbury played for the Bruins for 12 season. He played in 754 games scoring 49 goals, 189 assists for 238 points, a plus minus of plus 173 and 1552 (2nd) penalty minutes. Milbury is most well known for climbing over the boards and beating a fan with their own shoe during a brawl. Milbury also coached the B’s for 6 seasons.
Next: Top 5 Bruins Goaltenders Of All-Time
Don Sweeney, the current General Manager of the Bruins. He played 15 seasons in Boston accumulating 1052 games played (3rd all time), 52 goals, 210 assists for 262 points, with a plus 90. As GM Sweeney has made some questionable moves but overall has done pretty well in his short time as GM.