By: Ellie Man | Follow me on Twitter/X @ellieyym
The Boston Bruins like to promote themselves as a tough-as-nails bunch: gritty, relentless, and always the first to hand out a hard hit. But the truth is, the team is also equally sentimental.
With a long and celebrated history, the organization is third in the league for numbers retired, with 14 in total – including Patrice Bergeron, who is set to be honored in the coming season. They look after their own and take pride in their alumni, which extends to a penchant for circling back to former Bruins players and giving them a second stint with the team.
Famed for his lethal slapshot, Brian Rolston enjoyed a combined six seasons with the Bruins from 1999-2004 and again in 2011-2012. He is a particularly celebrated player, being one of the only few players to win a National College Athletic Association Championship, a Stanley Cup (with the New Jersey Devils), and an international medal, with silver in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
Glen Murray was selected 18th overall by the Bruins in the 1991 National Hockey League Entry Draft. He spent four seasons with the team from 1991 to 1995 and later made his return in 2001, staying in Boston until his retirement in 2008. In the 2002-03 season, he achieved a career high of 92 points (44G, 48A) and was named to the league’s All-Star Game for two consecutive years.
In more recent years, Sean Kuraly played five seasons with the Bruins from 2016 to 2021 before being acquired by his childhood favorite team, the Columbus Blue Jackets. He returned to Boston last season, playing all 82 regular games and posting 22 points (6G, 16A). With experience in the Bruins’ competitive culture, including scoring a game-winning goal in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, Kuraly brings depth and experience to the roster as a veteran forward.
The newest addition to the list of returning Bruins is Connor Clifton, who recently signed a two-year contract in free agency. The 6’0”, 196-pound player played in Boston from 2018 to 2023 and has since spent time with the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Known for his physicality and tenacity, Clifton brings some familiar toughness to Boston’s blue line. He earned a career-best 23 points (5G, 18A) in the 2022-23 season with the Bruins, having played in 78 games. He achieved a high of 88 penalty minutes in the following year with the Sabres, demonstrating his hard-nosed style of play.
The 31-year-old has said he is “thrilled” to return to the team and that it was a “pretty easy decision to come back and wear the Bruins sweater.” He certainly looked the part, too, wearing an old Bruins shirt on a media video call after the announcement was made.
It’s no secret that the Boston Bruins need right-handed defensemen, and the reunion with Clifton hopes to bridge that gap. Don Sweeney has spoken highly of the New Jersey-born, despite a recent slump in performance. He commented, “We know how comfortable he’d [Clifton] be walking back into our locker room to contribute there on and off the ice. The competitive nature of the player hasn’t changed at all, and he brings an energy that our group is going to appreciate.” It’s now a matter of seeing how quickly Clifton can settle back into being a Bruin and how he looks to make the most of his second run with the team.
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