2011–12 Boston Bruins season
The 2011–12 Boston Bruins season was the 88th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on November 4, 1924. The Bruins entered the 2011–12 season as the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Off-season
Veteran forward Mark Recchi retired. Forward Michael Ryder went to the Dallas Stars via free agency, and defenseman Tomas Kaberle went to the Carolina Hurricanes. Forward Benoit Pouliot was signed.Regular season
The Bruins' opened the regular season with a home loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, whom they had swept in round two of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs just five months earlier. They recorded their first regular season success against the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 8, a 4–1 home victory against their 2011 Conference Final opponents. The Bruins closed out the month of October with a home-and-home series defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, en route to the worst start by a defending champion since the current playoff platform was adopted in 1994. The back-to-back losses at the hands of their hated rivals proved the catalyst to a resurgence that saw the team secure at least a point in every game through November, the first time the franchise went undefeated in regulation for an entire calendar month since January 1969. During this run, defending Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas posted a 9–0–0 record and earned First Star honors for the month.With a win over the New York Islanders on March 31, the Bruins clinched an Eastern conference playoff berth. On April 1, the Bruins won the Northeast Division title by defeating the New York Rangers, 2–1.
The Bruins allowed only one shorthanded goal all the season, the lowest total of all 30 teams.
Playoffs
The Boston Bruins qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. The Bruins lost in the first round to the Washington Capitals in a seven-game series 4–3.Standings
Schedule and results
Pre-season
Regular season
Playoffs
- Scorer of game-winning goal in italics
Player statistics
Skaters
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalty minutes- †Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Bruins. Stats reflect time with the Bruins only.
- ‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Bruins only.
- Denotes goaltender.
- Team PIM totals include bench infractions.
Goaltenders
Awards and records
Awards
Milestones
Final roster
Updated April 23, 2012.Transactions
The Bruins have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season, or the off-season between the previous season and this season.Trades
| July 5, 2011 | To Carolina Hurricanes 4th-round pick in 2012 | To Boston Bruins Joe Corvo |
| February 27, 2012 | To New York Islanders Marc Cantin Yannick Riendeau | To Boston Bruins Mike Mottau Brian Rolston |
| February 27, 2012 | To Minnesota Wild Steven Kampfer | To Boston Bruins Greg Zanon |
| March 20, 2012 | To New York Islanders Yury Alexandrov | To Boston Bruins Future considerations |
| May 26, 2012 | To Washington Capitals Zach Hamill | To Boston Bustin Chris Bourque |
Free agents signed
| Player | Former team | Contract terms |
| Benoit Pouliot | Montreal Canadiens | 1 year, $1.1 million |
| Josh Hennessy | HC Lugano | 1 year, $600,000 |
| Jamie Tardif | Grand Rapids Griffins | 2 years, $1.2 million |
| Marty Turco | Red Bull Salzburg | 1 year, $600,000 |
| Adam Morrison | Vancouver Giants | 3 years, $1.935 million entry-level contract |
| Torey Krug | Michigan State University | 3 years, $2.75 million entry-level contract |
| Niklas Svedberg | Brynas IF | 2 years, $1.7175 million entry-level contract |
Free agents lost
| Player | New team | Contract terms |
| Michael Ryder | Dallas Stars | 2 years, $7 million |
| Boris Valabik | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 year, $550,000 |
| Tomas Kaberle | Carolina Hurricanes | 3 years, $12.75 million |
| David Laliberte | EHC Wolfsburg | 1 year |
Claimed via waivers
| Player | Former team | Date claimed off waivers |
Lost via waivers
| Player | New team | Date claimed off waivers |
Lost via retirement
Player signings
| Player | Date | Contract terms |
| Anton Khudobin | July 1, 2011 | 2 years, $1.75 million |
| Trent Whitfield | July 1, 2011 | 2 years, $1.15 million |
| Adam McQuaid | July 14, 2011 | 3 years, $4.7 million |
| Craig Cunningham | July 14, 2011 | 3 years, $1.845 million entry-level contract |
| Zach McKelvie | July 14, 2011 | 1 year, $600,000 |
| Stefan Chaput | July 20, 2011 | 1 year, $577,500 |
| Jared Knight | July 20, 2011 | 3 years, $2.17 million entry-level contract |
| Ryan Spooner | July 20, 2011 | 3 years, $2.17 million entry-level contract |
| Andrew Bodnarchuk | September 9, 2011 | 1 year, $635,250 |
| Brad Marchand | September 14, 2011 | 2 years, $5 million |
| Rich Peverley | October 11, 2011 | 3 years, $9.75 million contract extension |
| David Krejci | December 1, 2011 | 3 years, $15.75 million contract extension |
| Dougie Hamilton | December 8, 2011 | 3 years, $2.775 million entry-level contract |
| Johnny Boychuk | February 14, 2012 | 3 years, $10.08 million contract extension |
| Shawn Thornton | March 19, 2012 | 2 years, $2.2 million contract extension |
| Justin Florek | March 25, 2012 | 2 years, $1.38 million entry-level contract |
| Zach Trotman | March 25, 2012 | 2 years, $1.33 million entry-level contract |
| Tommy Cross | April 10, 2012 | 2 years, $1.575 million entry-level contract |
Draft picks
Boston's picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota.| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
| 1 | 9 | Dougie Hamilton | Defense | Niagara IceDogs | |
| 2 | 40 | Alexander Khokhlachev | Left wing | Windsor Spitfires | |
| 3 | 81 | Anthony Camara | Left wing | Saginaw Spirit | |
| 4 | 121 | Brian Ferlin | Right Wing | USA | Indiana Ice |
| 5 | 151 | Rob O'Gara | Defense | USA | Milton Academy |
| 6 | 181 | Lars Volden | Goaltender | Espoo Blues |
;Notes on draft picks:
- Boston acquired this pick as part of a trade on September 18, 2009, that sent Phil Kessel to Toronto.
- Boston acquired this pick as part of a trade on October 18, 2009, that sent Chuck Kobasew to Minnesota in exchange for Craig Weller and Alexander Fallstrom.
- Boston acquired this pick as the result of a trade on March 3, 2010, that sent Derek Morris to Phoenix.
- The Bruins' first-round pick, 30th overall, was traded to Toronto as a result of the trade that sent Tomas Kaberle to Boston.
- The Bruins' second-round pick, 61st overall, went to Ottawa as the result of the trade that sent Chris Kelly to Boston.
- The Bruins' third-round pick, 91st overall, went to Florida as the result of the trade that sent Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell to Boston.
- The Bruins' seventh-round pick, 211th overall, went to Chicago as the result of the trade that sent a seventh-round pick in 2010 to Boston.