The Bruins-Canadiens Rivalry is a rivalry in the National Hockey League (NHL) between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens, two teams that are considered a part of the Original Six. The Bruins are the Canadiens arch rivals in the United States. It is considered one of the most bitter in the NHL, particularly by Bruins fans (at times, almost to the intensity of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry in Major League Baseball), and especially as the Bruins and Canadiens have played each other more times than any other two currently existing teams in NHL history. The rivalry is considerably one-sided, with the Canadiens winning 23/30 of their head-to-head playoff series' and all 7 of the finals series', but the Bruins have gotten some memorable wins in. As of the start of the 2007-08 NHL season, the Bruins have won just over 255 of these matches, scoring a total of 1,814 goals against the Canadiens, with the Canadiens winning over 320 of them, scoring a total of 2,071 goals against the Bruins, with 105 other games between the two teams ending in ties, all before the 2004-05 NHL lockout's rule changes mandated the "shootout" format to break such tie games, going back all the way to the Bruins' first NHL season of 1924-25.
In the 1950s, the Canadiens would defeat the Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals three times. Also, during the 1952 playoff semi-finals, Maurice Richard was knocked out in the seventh game but returned to score the series-winning goal. One of the most famous NHL photos is the one of Richard and Bruins goaltender "Sugar" Jim Henry shaking hands after the conclusion of the series; Richard has a cut above his eyebrow while Henry has a black eye.
On March 13, 1955, Rocket Richard was given a match penalty and suspended for the remainder of the season for deliberately injuring Hal Laycoe, in a game against the Bruins. Laycoe had moments earlier high-sticked Richard in the head but no penalty was called. When Richard saw blood, he skated at Laycoe, who dropped his gloves to fight. The incident was exacerbated by Richard repeatedly breaking away to attack Laycoe with hockey sticks, and then assaulting linesman Cliff Thompson who attempted to restrain him. The suspension prevented Montreal from winning the Stanley Cup, finishing first and personally cost Richard the league scoring title. It went to Hals teammate Bernie Geoffrion (better known as "Boom Boom" Geoffrion for his powerful slap shot), who was booed by the Montreal faithful when he passed Richard for the point lead on the last day. Geoffrion had struggled just to gain recognition of his considerable talents, as Gordie Howe, Andy Bathgate and Richard were some of the most outstanding players in the 1950s in the NHL.
While the teams played each other often, the teams became truly pronounced rivals in the 1970s, when both were yearly contenders. In 1971, despite the Bruins finishing first in the league and shattering many NHL scoring records, they lost in the first round to the Canadiens in seven games; the pivotal moment was game two when the Bruins squandered a 5-1 lead to lose 7-5. This ended a potential Bruins dynasty, although they would win the Stanley Cup the following season. Don Cherry's "Lunch Pail Gang" in 1977 and 1978 would lose both finals to the Habs. Canadiens fans remember the rough tactics that Cherry's players used against Guy Lafleur, whose head was swathed in bandages at the end of the 1978 series after repeated highsticking from Bruins players.
The seminal moment in the history of the rivalry was probably Game 7 of the 1979 Semi-Finals (the terms Wales/Campbell Conference Finals was in use during 1982-93 NHL playoffs). After a rough and tumble series which saw both sides win at home through the first six games, in Game 7 in Montreal the Bruins were ahead in the closing four minutes thanks to a goal by Rick Middleton which Ken Dryden would later remark as "the most beautiful goal" that he ever let in.
However, after the Boston bench was charged with a minor penalty for having seven players on the ice, Lafleur scored the tying goal on the ensuing power play, and Montreal's Yvon Lambert won it in overtime. The win allowed Montreal to advance to the Stanley Cup finals, wherein they won for the fourth consecutive year.
The rivalry continued throughout the 1980s, mainly due to a division-oriented playoff format that seemed to pair the teams every year. In 1988, the Bruins finally won a playoff series against Canadiens in the latter's Montreal Forum on the way to advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, which was the last Stanley Cup Finals at the Boston Garden. The next year, the Canadiens beat the Bruins on their trip to the finals. In 1990, the Bruins finished off the Canadiens for the first time in the Boston Garden since 1943 and would also win the 1991 and 1992 playoff match-ups against the Canadiens, the last one being a 4-0 sweep. Part of the Bruins' victories over the Canadiens was due to goaltender Andy Moog who was, after, known as the "greatest Hab killer" that the Bruins ever had. Ironically, Moog signed with the Canadiens for the 1997-98 season and helped them to their first playoff series win in several seasons.
In 1994, the Canadiens were the defending champions but they were knocked out in the first round by the Bruins. Nonetheless, that seven-game series was notable in the eyes of Montreal fans as superstar net minder Patrick Roy came down with appendicitis and missed game three. Roy convinced doctors to let him return for Game Four and led the Canadiens to a 5-2 victory, stopping 39 shots[1].
The Bruins were defeated in both the 2002 and the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the first round by the Canadiens, despite the Bruins being seeded higher, which contributed to the animosity. The first time the Bruins finished first in the Eastern Conference, and the second time, Beantown was second in the East.
In the first five 2007-08 NHL season matchups between the Bruins and Canadiens, Montreal has had it their way once more, with a 6-1 win over the Bruins in Montreal on October 22, a 2-1 win on November 8 in Boston, and a 7-4 win on November 17, again in Montreal, and followed that trio of victories with two more "away" wins in Boston: a 4-2 defeat of the Bruins on December 6 in the Boston team's home rink, the TD BankNorth Garden, and again on January 10, 2008 by a 5-2 score. Their rivalry in January was continued by the Canadiens defeating the Bruins 8-2 on January 22, 2008 in Montréal, once again energising the longest-running rivalry in NHL history. The Canadiens finished the season with a clean sweep, 8-0 for the season, when they beat the Bruins 3-2 in a shootout on 22 March 2008 in Montréal, During that final regular season game, the play of Steve Bégin in that game created more potential for hard feelings between the two teams, when Bégin cross-checked Bruins star center Marc Savard from behind, possibly resulting in a broken bone in Savard's back. As the '07-'08 season ended, the Canadiens and Bruins found themselves facing each other in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, promising to once again stoke the NHL's longest running rivalry.
