Should the Canadiens beat the Bruins today and Boston goes on to tie their team record of 11 straight loses, it would equal a mark that began all the way back to the second game in their history.
The Bruins entered the NHL in 1924-25 and won the first game they ever played, defeating the Montreal Maroons by a 2-1 score on December 1. It was all downhill from there.
Between December 3 and January 5, the Bruins dropped 11 games in succession, losing twice to the Canadiens and Maroons, the Senators and Hamilton Tigers, and three times to the Toronto St. Patricks.
With four days rest and in Montreal for game 13 of the season on January 10, they beat the Canadiens 3-2 to end the hellish skid. However, on January 12, the futile Bruins went for another dry run, losing the next seven in a row, before this time ending the drought once more in Montreal, beating the Maroons 1-0 at the Forum on February 7, 1925.
That initial season, the Bruins finished with a 6-24 record, winning three of final five games to salvage some semblance of self respect.
Despite that brutal first season, the Bruins weren’t dreadful for long. The following, they became a .500 hockey and steadily improved until the 1928-29 season, when they posted a league best 26-13-5 record along the way to winning their first ever Stanley Cup.
For a very in depth look back at that period, Bruins fans should check out an article from the site’s archives here.
The Bruins climb to dynasty status was expected, as they roared to a 38-5-1 record in 1929-30. Unfortunately, the record setting season and first place finish were no guarantee of a Cup win as they were snuffed out in the best of three finals by the Canadiens.
The Bruins again claimed superiority in 1930-31, finishing at the top of the 10 team NHL with a record of 28-10-6. Schedules were unkind to division winners back in that era, and the American Division champion Bruins began their first playoff round with a five game set against the Canadian Division champion Habs, who had finished the campaign with 60 points, just two shy of the Bruins’ mark. To add insult to intelligence, the system of games back then called for the first two to be played in Boston and the final three, if required, to be in Montreal. To call such a setup controvercial would be succinct.
The semi – final series was closer than the two game set the previous spring, and the Canadiens emerged victorious once more, taking the final game 3-2 in overtime.
Today, there are no survivors from that era of the Canadiens and Bruins rivalry, but what has managed to live on is a certain animosity between the clubs, regardless of standing and consequence. Such warm feelings tend to make even the most meaningless of games between them ones of extreme importance.
Above: “Look boys, a puck is flat and round, and goes into a net. If we insert it there more often than the other team does, we win. It’s not rocket science. We can do it.”
For the Canadiens today, a win would represent an extension of a humble winning streak and a step towards making the playoffs. It might also mean a thing or two for them to vault the Bruins back in time, to an 86 year old record of frivolous standing. It would be a hearty “take that!” to the team that eliminated them in last season’s playoff.
Above: “Look boys, the puck is this fucking big. Put it in the net, calisse, like you’s did last year. It ain’t frigin’ Rocket Richard science, tabernac. You can do it.”
For Boston and its players, a dubious date with history’s record books are at stake, in addition to halting such a treachurous skid. It would motivate them greatly to hand the Canadiens a loss on home ice while ending the streak.
No matter the circumstance, it is always sweet for Boston fans when their Bruins can foul up the Habs.
