By Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On Twitter @adbblue
With the Boston Bruins heading into their centennial season, it’s always fun to remember the players often forgotten about throughout the team’s history. This is the third edition of this series, and there have already six players featured, so let’s take a look at three more.
All three players are from different eras and impacted the team differently. The third edition features a right winger who exploded for 30 goals out of nowhere, a goaltender who served as a productive backup, and a long-time defenseman who is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion.
Mike Knuble
Mike Knuble was originally a 4th-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 1991 NHL Draft. Although born in Toronto, Canada, he played his junior hockey in the U.S. for the Kalamazoo Jr. Wings in the NAHL. He then played four years at the University of Michigan, putting up impressive numbers posting 175 career NCAA points in 157 games.
Knuble became a Boston Bruin after being acquired from the New York Rangers at the 2000 NHL trade deadline in a one-for-one deal for forward Rob DiMaio. It took a few seasons for Knuble to become an impactful player, only tallying 40 points through his first 150 games, dawning the Black and Gold. But the right winger would break out in the 2002-03 season scoring 30 goals which was third on the team and adding 29 assists for 59 points.
Knuble would remain productive the following season, but his numbers slightly dropped as he tallied 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points. That would end Knuble’s time in Boston as the 2004-05 season was locked out, and he would then sign with Philadelphia Flyers. Knuble went on to have a very fine career playing 1068 games and registering 548 points over 17 NHL seasons.
Chad Johnson
Chad Johnson was drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 NHL draft by the Pittsburg Penguins and played four years at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. The 6’3 netminder had only played in ten NHL games and was primarily an AHL player before signing with Boston ahead of the 2013-14 season. That was his only season with the Bruins, but he cashed in.
As the backup to Tuukka Rask, Johnson played in 27 games posting a 2.10 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. But his most impressive stat line was his record going 17-4-3. He was one of the best backup goalies in the league that year, allowing Tuuka Rask to get a decent amount of rest throughout the season.
After just one season in Boston, the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada native would play for six more seasons in the NHL with five different teams. Although primarily a backup for his whole career, Johnson proved to be one of the most consistent in the league. He finished his NHL career appearing in 192 games with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.
Dallas Smith
Dallas Smith signed with the Bruins ahead of the 1959-60 season as a rookie, but it was not until the 1967-68 season that Smith became a regular on the Bruins’ blue line. With many big-time names on the big bad Bruins of the 1960s and early 70s, Smith was a guy that flew under the radar. The Hamiota, Manitoba, Canada native was one of the most consistent defencemen ever to wear the Black and Gold.
After posting at least 28 points and being a combined +85 for three consecutive seasons, including a Stanley Cup victory in 1970, Smith would have his best season the year following. He scored seven goals and had 38 assists for 45 points which was second among defensemen on the team, only trailing Bobby Orr. He also finished the regular season with an astounding +98.
Smith would never match the point total from that season but continued to have a very productive career playing six more seasons with Boston. He would win his second Stanley Cup in 1972, where he was again a key role player in the Bruin’s playoff run. Smith would retire in 1978 after he played his final season with the New York Rangers. The defenseman played 15 seasons with the Bruins having 302 points and being +331 in 860 games.
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