1928–29 Boston Bruins season


The 1928–29 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' fifth season in the NHL. Boston defended its American Division title, and went on to defeat the New York Rangers in the Final to become the third American-based team to become Stanley Cup champions.

Regular season

See also: 1928–29 NHL season
In the off-season, the Bruins acquired Cy Denneny from the Ottawa Senators, who became a player-coach for the team, taking over from Art Ross, who stepped down to concentrate on his general manager duties. The team also had a new goaltender with the retirement of Hal Winkler, rookie Tiny Thompson, who spent the 1927–28 season with the Bruins' farm team, the Minneapolis Millers of the AHA, and a promising new forward, Cooney Weiland, who also played with Minneapolis. The team also moved into a new home, the Boston Madison Square Garden. In their debut game at the Garden, the Bruins lost 1–0 to the Montreal Canadiens.
Boston got off to a slow start, and through their first 14 games, the Bruins had a record of 5–7–2, tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates. As the season progressed, Boston made a few trades, acquiring star Mickey MacKay from the Pirates and Bill Carson from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lester Patrick and the New York Rangers offered Winthrop native Myles Lane to the Bruins, astonishingly asking for superstar Eddie Shore in return. Bruins' general manager Art Ross replied famously, "You are so many Myles from Shore you need a life preserver." Nonetheless, the Bruins purchased Lane's rights for $7,500.
Further, Weiland was matched with Dit Clapper and Dutch Gainor on a powerful forward line which garnered the nickname "Dynamite Line," one of the first named forward lines in history. The Bruins rebounded with a 13-game unbeaten streak, which gave them a 16–7–4 record and suddenly in contention with the New York Rangers for top spot in the American Division. Boston had a 10–6–1 record in their remaining 17 games, and held off the Rangers to defend their American Division and the Prince of Wales Trophy, finishing with a 26–13–5 mark and a team record 57 points.
Harry Oliver led Boston in scoring, with 17 goals and 23 points. Dutch Gainor and defenseman Eddie Shore finished just behind Oliver with 19 points, while rookie Cooney Weiland tallied 11 goals and 18 points. Shore led the club with 96 penalty minutes, while team captain Lionel Hitchman finished with 64 penalty minutes.
In goal, Tiny Thompson had an impressive rookie season, winning 26 games while posting a 1.15 goals against average—both Bruins' records, as well as recording 12 shutouts. Thompson's 1.15 GAA remains the Bruins' single-season record and is the second lowest ever recorded over a full season in NHL history.

Final standings

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

Playoffs

In the playoffs, Boston had a first round bye, due to finishing on top of the American Division, and faced the Montreal Canadiens, the winners of the Canadian Division, in the semi-finals in a best-of-five series. The series began with two games at the Boston Garden, and the Bruins, led by Tiny Thompson, won both games by identical 1–0 scores to take a 2–0 series lead. Game Three shifted to Montreal, and while the Canadiens were able to solve Thompson for two goals, Boston scored three of their own, and swept the series.
In the Stanley Cup Final, Boston faced their divisional rival – and the team that eliminated them from the playoffs the previous season – the New York Rangers in a best-of-three series. New York had defeated the Detroit Cougars and the Toronto Maple Leafs to earn a spot in the Final. Game One was played in Boston, and Thompson again shut the door, as the Bruins won the game 2–0. Boston completed the two game sweep at Madison Square Garden in New York City, defeating the Rangers 2–1, to clinch the first Stanley Cup in team history and making them the third American team to win the Cup championship.

Boston Bruins 3, Montreal Canadiens 0

Boston Bruins 2, New York Rangers 0

#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecord
1March 28New York Rangers0–2Boston Bruins1–0
2March 29Boston Bruins2–1New York Rangers2–0

Player statistics

Regular season

;Scoring
PlayerPosGPGAPtsPIM
RW431762324
C441451930
D391271996
C421171816
RW/D40921148
C30821018
D2754948
C1942610
C1231424
LW/D3821344
LW231232
D3810164
LW81015
D191012
LW2200016
LW/C1700017
C2000010
G440000

;Goaltending
PlayerMINGPWLTGAGAASO
27104426135521.1512
Team:27104426135521.1512

Playoffs

;Scoring
PlayerPosGPGAPtsPIM
C52028
C52024
C52022
RW51128
D511228
RW/D51010
D501122
LW20000
LW/D50002
LW10000
D50000
C30002
D50000
G50000

;Goaltending
PlayerMINGPWLGAGAASO
30055030.603
Team:30055030.603

Transactions