By: Neil Simmons / Follow me on Twitter: @NSimmz
Hundreds of National Hockey League players have donned the iconic Boston Bruins black and gold sweater throughout the team’s history. They’ve come from all corners of the hockey world, from Alaska to Florida, The Iron Curtain, and even the British Isles, to wear the Spoked B and compete for the Stanley Cup. However, a few Bruins alumni have had the unique chance to play for their hometown team. One of those players was Bill Guerin, a Wilbraham, Massachusetts native and BC Eagle who now runs the front office for the Minnesota Wild.
Guerin was drafted fifth overall by the New Jersey Devils in 1989, straight out of high school. Following the draft, Guerin attended Boston College for two seasons, playing for legendary BC coach Len Ceglarski. In 77 games for the Eagles, Guerin scored 70 points, won a pair of Hockey East titles, and made the Frozen Four in 1990. Following his sophomore season, Guerin went pro and signed his first contract with New Jersey.
Guerin debuted with the Devils during the 1991-92 season, skating in five regular and six playoff games. He holds a rare distinction for scoring multiple playoff goals before recording his first in the regular season. He went goalless in five games but netted three goals in their first-round loss to the New York Rangers.
Guerin would start the next season with the big club and become a fixture in the Devils lineup for the next five seasons. He would skate in 380 games for New Jersey, totaling 108 goals and 214 points in the regular season and 22 points in 56 playoff games, capturing the Stanley Cup in 1995 with a sweep of the Detroit Red Wings.
Midway through the 1997-98 season, Guerin was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. At his arrival, Edmonton was floundering at the bottom of the Western Conference with an 11-22-9 record. Guerin sparked the team right away, chipping in 29 points in 40 games, as Edmonton finished the season on a 24-15-1 run to qualify for the Stanley Cup. Facing the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, Edmonton fell 3-1. The Oilers overturned the deficit partly due to Guerin’s six goals in the series and shocked Colorado in Game Seven.
Guerin was dealt back east to the Boston Bruins during his most prolific scoring campaign in the NHL. Before the trade, Guerin had been playing over a point per game for the Oilers and did not lose a step in Boston. His chemistry with star Center Joe Thornton brought Guerin’s rough-and-tumble game to the next level. Guerin finished the 2000-01 season with a career-high in both goals (40) and points (85) in 85 games.
Guerin would set a new career best in goals the following season, scoring 41 goals and helping Boston secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the homecoming would come to an abrupt end, as the Bruins were upset in the first round by the 8th-seeded Montreal Canadiens despite Guerin’s team-leading six points. As a free agent the following offseason, Guerin would opt to move on and sign a big deal with the Dallas Stars.
After his brief Boston tenure, Guerin’s career fully transitioned into a journeyman phase. After three mixed seasons with Dallas, he would play short stints with St Louis, San Jose, and the New York Islanders before being dealt to Pittsburgh at the 2009 trade deadline. Still a capable 20-goal scorer at age 38, Guerin had more than just a veteran presence to offer the young Penguins, who were loading up for another shot at the Stanley Cup after losing to Detroit in the Final the previous year.
Slotting into the Pittsburgh lineup, featuring several past and future Bruins, Guerin fit in perfectly on Sidney Crosby’s wing, scoring 12 points in 17 games to finish the regular season. Pittsburgh rolled into the Stanley Cup playoffs white-hot, and Guerin kept up his scoring momentum as well, bagging an OT winner against hated rival Philadelphia in the first round.
Guerin finished with 15 points in 24 playoff games, helping Pittsburgh achieve redemption and defeat the Detroit Red Wings in seven games to win the Stanley Cup. He returned to the Penguins for the 2009-10 season and, at 39 years old, still managed to score 21 goals and 45 points. Guerin added nine points in 11 playoff games as the 8th-seeded Montreal Canadiens knocked out the defending champs in the second round.
After an unsuccessful preseason tryout with Philadelphia the following year, Guerin announced his retirement and joined the Penguins as a development coach. Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford promoted Guerin to Assistant General Manager in 2014, and the Penguins went on to win two more Cups under their management. Ahead of the 2019-20 season, Guerin took the reins of his own team when he was hired by the Minnesota Wild, where he remains to this day. Under Guerin’s management, the Wild had their best regular season in team history, finishing the 2021-22 season with a 53-22-7 record.
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