By Andrew Bluestein | Follow me on Twitter @adbblue
In the first edition of “Productive Bruins Players You Probably Forgot About,” three forwards were featured. Part II features a goaltender from the 1980s, a defenseman from the early 2000s, and an absolute juggernaut of a player still in the league this past season.
As the Boston Bruin’s 100th season approaches, it’s always fun to dive back into the past and remember players from all seasons of the team’s history. So without further ado, let’s take a look at three more productive Bruins players you probably forgot about.
Pete Peeters
Pete Peeters was acquired in a one-for-one trade with the Philidelphia Flyers, which sent Brad McCrimmon to Philly on June 9th of the 1982 offseason. The netminder was already a known commodity, having played 129 games over four seasons with the Flyers. The Alberta, Canada native then won the starting job for the Bruins for the 1982-83 season and put the team on his back.
Peeters would play 63 games and had a record of 40-12-9, leading the league in wins by a goalie that season. He was also first in goals against average (2.37) and third in save percentage (.903). The impressive season was one of the more memorable goalie performances in the NHL during the 80s and earned Peeters the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie. It would be the first and only of his career.
Peeters would play four seasons with the Bruins playing 213 games. He never matched the Vezina trophy-winning season, and his success in Boston diminished. Peeters would be moved at the beginning of the 1985-86 season to the Washington Capitals in a trade for Pat Riggin. The former Vezina winner would play four seasons with Washington before returning to Philly, where he played the final two seasons of his career, mainly as a backup. He played a career total of 589 games, but his 1982-83 campaign in Boston was, without a doubt, his best work.
Nick Boynton
Nick Boynton was originally a first-round pick, ninth overall, of the Washington Capitals in the 1997 draft. The right-shot defenseman, however, never signed a contract with Washington and re-entered the NHL draft in 1999, where the Bruins selected him 21st overall. Boynton played his major junior hockey for the Ottawa 67’s and put up impressive numbers. However, it took him a couple of years in Providence before he cracked the Boston lineup as a permanent roster player.
After playing just six games with Boston between 1999 and 2001, Boynton would make the roster as a regular in 2001-02. The Nobleton, Ontario native had a solid 2002-03 campaign, recording 24 points in 80 games, but his most productive season with the Bruins would come following that. In 2003-04 Boynton had six goals and 24 assists for 30 points which was first on the team among defensemen. That may not seem like a lot now, but the game was very different at that point in terms of offense being produced from the back end. It should also be noted that he was solid defensively and finished the regular season as a +17.
Boynton’s production that season certainly helped the team’s success, as the Bruins finished with a record of 41-19-22, totaling 104 points. That was the third-best record in the league and second in the Eastern Conference. Boynton played six full seasons with Boston totaling 299 games, but his 2003-04 performance was easily the best of his NHL career as he set career highs in goals, assists, and points. Boynton would go on to play for six more NHL teams and became more of a journeyman, but he would end up playing 605 games in his career and retired in 2011.
Phil Kessel
Phil Kessel may not be a player you forgot about, but his on-ice production and time in Boston certainly aren’t recognized as much as where he played afterward. Originally the fifth overall pick by the Bruins in the 2006 NHL draft, Kessel had high expectations coming out of the University of Minnesota after playing just one season, putting up 51 points. He made his NHL debut during the 2006-07 season and played 70 games, registering 29 points for Boston.
In Kessel’s second season with the Black and Gold, he had 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points. Although the production did not show in the numbers, it was clear just by watching him he had the skill and potential to be a dangerous offensive player. The potential would finally show itself in the 2008-09 season as Kessel caught fire. The right winger was a goal-scoring machine putting 36 in the back of the net, which led the team and is the second-highest total of his career. He also had 24 assists and reached 60 points. Kessel’s numbers could have been even higher that season if he hadn’t missed 12 games sitting out with mononucleosis.
The Madison, Wisconsin native would end up being traded in a blockbuster deal in the offseason that sent him to Toronto in exchange for a 2010 first and second-round pick and a 2011 first-round pick. The picks would evolve into Tyler Seguin, Jared Knight, and Dougie Hamilton. Kessel would continue to have career success but drew criticism for his lack of defensive game. However, he would silence the doubters after Toronto traded him to Pittsburg in the 2015 offseason. The Penguins would win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, and Kessel was a big part of both.
One thing that is widely forgotten about when it comes to Phil Kessel is that during his time in Boston, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer during his rookie season. He had surgery that resulted in being cancer-free, and he missed just ten games before returning to the ice. Kessel has put together an impressive career as he just hoisted his third Stanley Cup, this time with the Vegas Golden Knights. He only played in four playoff games for Vegas, but his name will be etched on the Cup for a third time. The most outstanding thing about Kessel’s career is that he holds the NHL record for most consecutive regular-season games played at 1,064.
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