The Boston Bruins reached a monumental mark Sunday, which signaled the 100-year anniversary of the Original Six franchise’s first game.
The Bruins made sure to celebrate the occasion accordingly.
The organization put on a nearly 30-minute pregame ceremony before facing the Montreal Canadiens with plenty of video montages worthy of producing goosebumps for any Bruins fan.
Here are three observations from the festivities:
Star Power
Plenty of star players have put on the Black and Gold jersey over the past century and Sunday was a reminder of that. Some of the biggest names in franchise history were in attendance, including Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Willie O’Ree, Terry O’Reilly, Rick Middleton, Johnny Bucyk, Cam Neely, Ray Bourque and Patrice Bergeron among a few others.
The players were announced to the TD Garden crowd in the eras in which they played for the Bruins. Bergeron, who retired following the 2022-23 season after playing 19 seasons with Boston, received the loudest ovation from the Bruins faithful.
Passing the Torch
The Bruins took a trip down memory lane, reflecting on their illustrious past and how each generation of players shaped the organization’s storied identity. But the Bruins also looked forward as they closed out the chapter on the organization’s first 100 years.
“It’s time to start another 100 years,” former Bruins coach and general manager Harry Sinden said as he narrated a video montage.
The Bruins, who have been part of the fabric of the Boston community since their inception, looked to the future by having several youth hockey members come on the ice with the franchise’s legends. The former Bruins players then passed a puck over to the kids, signaling that the future of hockey was in their hands.
It also shouldn’t be lost that the current Bruins team watched the entirety of the ceremony from the bench — the Canadiens decided to stay in the locker room for the festivities. That felt like a passing-the-torch moment as well with this iteration of the Bruins led by interim head coach Joe Sacco spearheading a new era.
Current Bruins Player Involved In Ceremony
Brad Marchand was the only current Bruins player to take part in the pregame ceremony. He was certainly worthy given his on-ice accomplishments, but with the Bruins getting set to face the Canadiens, it was a little bit of a surprise to see him come out of the tunnel in a suit with puck drop right around the corner.
Marchand was introduced after Bergeron and the two had a moment as the ceremony concluded when they put their arms around one another. Perhaps Marchand tried a last-ditch attempt to get Bergeron to come out of retirement.
