By: Evan Michael | Follow me on Twitter @00EvanMichael
On this day in Bruins history, February 25th, a trio of B’s scorers led the way in a trio of team accomplishments all falling on today’s calendar anniversary.
The most notable, perhaps, came in 1971 when Boston set the NHL record for the fastest three goals scored consecutively in any game — 20 seconds. The impressive feat was celebrated against the Vancouver Canucks in an 8-3 victory at the old Boston Garden.
Johnny “The Chief” Bucyk began the speedy goal barrage at the 4:50 mark of the third period. His tally was soon followed by Ed Westfall scoring at 5:02 then Ted Green netting one right after the immediate next face off at 5:10. You can watch the video below, if you’re quick enough, to enjoy the “B’s 3 Goals in Record :20” as it’s titled!
Now, if you enjoyed a little 3-goal history making from the Black N’ Gold… then how about four goals? Well, that’s exactly what happened on Feb. 25th way back in 1930. Ralph “Cooney” Weiland became the first ever Bruins player to score four goals in a game as the B’s went on to demolish the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 7-0 victory on home ice.
The blanking earned Bruins goaltender Tiny Thompson his 15th career NHL shutout and gave Boston its 16th consecutive win at the Garden. Talk about quite the momentous day of milestones for both the team and its top players (who at the time, as you’ll see from the the below tweet, had been killing it for the B’s through both the Coolidge and Hoover admins)!
And your final memorable 25th of February moment in Bruins history happened back in 1993 when, for the first time since the ’91 Conference Finals versus the Penguins, Cam Neely returned to the ice to lace up his skates and play in an NHL game.
Ulf Samuelsson’s hit on Neely’s knee during those playoffs was as controversial as it was ugly — and I remember watching it live with my father who went through the roof after it happened. In fact, all of Boston felt that dirty hit, which is why No. 8’s return to game action had all the feels to it (some 106 games and nearly two seasons later).
Neely would go on to score a PP goal in that first game back helping the B’s earn a 3-3 tie with the Minnesota North Stars. The future Hockey Hall of Famer would achieve shrine-worthy success in the following season when his “50 Goals in 44 games” became not only the talk of Beantown, but all hockey towns.
For more noteworthy Bruins’ historical achievements, stay tuned to the BN’Gs continuing This Day in Bruins History series!
Leave a Reply