(Photo credit: Neil Leifer / Sports Illustrated)

By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X @18Jxxx18

The Boston Bruins were established in 1924 and are part of the National Hockey League’s Original Six. Since 1924, the Bruins have seen plenty of great teams in franchise history, including six Stanley Cup championships and the 2022-23 team, which set records for most points and wins in a single NHL season. However, one team stands out above all in Bruins history for Bleacher Report: the 1971-72 team.

Earlier today, Bleacher Report’s staff wrote an article titled “B/R 99: Ranking the 99 Best Sports Teams of All Time.” It included teams from different sports leagues and college teams. Bleacher Report ranked the 1971-72 Bruins as the 33rd-best team in sports history.

“Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito combined for 250 points and finished first and third in Hart Trophy voting, respectively,” Bleacher Report’s staff said.

Bleacher Report ranked ten NHL teams in its article; the 1971-72 Bruins were the fourth-best team. Bleacher Report ranked the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks fifth-best, at No. 58, so landing at No. 33 is more impressive for the 1971-72 Bruins based on the gap between NHL teams in the article. The 1981-82 New York Islanders (ranked No. 21), the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers (ranked No. 13), and the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens (ranked No. 4) were the three NHL teams ranked ahead of the 1971-72 Bruins. The highest vote the 1971-72 Bruins team got for Bleacher Report’s ranking was 21.

There’s no denying the 1971-72 Bruins were outstanding. The Bruins won 54 games and earned 119 points under head coach Tom Johnson. Both Orr and Esposito were named First Team NHL All-Stars. Orr recorded an incredible 80 assists and 117 points to win both the Hart and Norris Trophies. Esposito recorded 66 goals and 133 points and won the Art Ross Trophy and finished third in Hart Trophy voting. Johnny Bucyk recorded 83 points that season, and John McKenzie, Dallas Smith, and Carol Vadnais each made the 1972 All-Star Game. Goaltenders Eddie Johnston and Gerry Cheevers each won 27 games.

The Bruins carried their regular-season dominance into the 1972 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In their Quarter-Finals series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins won the series in five games. In the Semi-Finals series, the Bruins swept the St. Louis Blues in a lopsided series. The Bruins outscored the Blues 28-8, highlighted by a 10-2 win in Game 2, where Bucyk recorded a hat trick.

After defeating the Maple Leafs and Blues, the Bruins met the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Bruins won Game 6 by a final score of 3-0 on the road at Madison Square Garden to capture the franchise’s fifth Stanley Cup in team history. Cheevers recorded a 33-save shutout, and Wayne Cashman scored two goals in the third period. Three of the Bruins’ four wins in the Final were decided by one goal.

Eight different Bruins recorded at least ten points during the 1972 playoffs. Both Orr and Esposito recorded 24 points to be tied for the most during the playoffs, and Bucyk recorded 20 points. Esposito, Bucyk, and Ken Hodge each scored nine goals, and Orr recorded an incredible 19 assists. Orr won the 1972 Conn Smythe Trophy for his incredible playoff year, cementing the Bruins ‘ place in NHL history.