Formed in 1917, the Boston Bruins are the longest running American team in the NHL. The Bruins have their origins with the Boston Athletic Association who were the defending American Amateur Hockey League champions. The B.A.A. team was sponsored by Charles Adams who was becoming disillusioned by the fact that several rival teams were spreading "gratuities" among their players. At the same time a group which included Tom Duggan, Frank Sullivan and Russ Layton felt that Adams could be persuaded into a professional franchise. They convinced Adams to see a professional game. After seeing the 1924 Cup finals between Calgary and Montreal Canadiens, Adams was convinced. Adams hired Art Ross as his first coach and general manager.

Ross wasted little time and signed up players like Alex Connell, Clarence "Hap" Day, Carson Cooper, Hooley Smith and Ed Gorman. The only thing the Bruins could claim after their first season was that they were the first American team in the NHL, as they finished the 30 game season with only 6 wins, 24 losses…good for last place.

After fans filled the Boston Arena for the first two years, Ross had the money to acquire new talent and went out and signed Duke Keats, Perk Galbraith, Harry Oliver, Harry Meeking and Eddie Shore. With the support and backing of Madison Square Garden, a new arena, The Boston Madison Square Garden was built. On November 28, 1928 the "G-aa-den" opened with an attendance of 17,500, nearly 3,000 over capacity. The Bruins lost their home opener 1-0 to the Montreal Canadiens thanks to Sylvio Mantha who scored with only 2 seconds left in the second period.

In 1929, the Bruins defeated the New York Rangers 2-1 to claim their first Stanley Cup.

The Bruins had some of the best goaltending around. Cecil "Tiny" Thompson won 4 Vezina Trophies while with Boston before he was traded to Detroit. Other notables not between the pipes were Aubrey "Dit" Clapper, Lionel Hitchman, Norman "Dutch" Gainor and Ralph "Cooney" Weiland. But the drawing card for Boston was now Eddie Shore. The defenseman was well known for his colourful entrances, end to end rushes and his macho man ways. It is well documented the time Shore held the mirror to see if his nearly severed ear was being sewn on straight by the team doctor

. He is perhaps most well known for his attack on Ace Bailey, which nearly killed him(Bailey). It happened December 12, 1933 in Boston, just after King Clancy and Red Horner of the Maple Leafs had checked Shore into the boards. As Shore got up, he saw Bailey and thought he had done it. Shore took aim at Bailey who had his back to him, and hit him across the back of his legs. Bailey went down, striking his head. Red Horner immediately proceeded to lay a beating on Shore. Bailey needed two brain operations, but even though he recovered, Bailey never played hockey again. Two months later, a benefit game was held for Bailey, where Bailey and Shore shook hands at centre ice at the first NHL All Star Game played as a benefit game for the Bailey family.

Between 1930 and 1938 Boston finished first in the American Division 5 times with the help of the "Dynamite Line" of Dit Clapper, Cooney Weiland and Norm Gainor. Frank Patrick moved Babe Siebert from forward to join Shore on defense and created one of the most feared defense pairings of the 1930's. Ross terminated Patrick and took over the bench duties himself and signed Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart to form the Kraut Line.

The 1938-39 season saw the two divisions of the NHL amalgamate into one. Boston had acquired the services of Frank Brimsek in goal who was quickly becoming the best American born goalie in the NHL. During the playoffs, Mel Hill became a one man wrecking crew, scoring the game winning overtime goal in three games as Boston defeated the Rangers 4-3 in games. The irony is that Lester Patrick, coach of the Rangers had earlier turned Hill down because he was too small.

Shore left for the Rangers in 1940 and Cooney Weiland moved to the coaching position and the Bruins led by the Kraut Line and Brimsek to their 3rd Stanley Cup in 1940-41 defeating Toronto and then Detroit. Bill Cowley emerged as a stick handling wonder, winning the Art Ross Trophy.

As with many of the teams, the War took its toll on the Boston roster, losing Brimsek, Schmidt, Dumart and Bauer to the war effort. All of them returned after the war but all had lost a step or two, yet all three members of the Kraut Line had their best career performances in the 1946-47 season. Dumart was the last to retire, finishing up his career shadowing Gordie Howe in the 1953 playoff finals.

The next 14 years were uneventful for the Bruins. They didn't make the playoffs from 1960-1967, and only made it to the final in 1957 and 1958. Despite players such as Fern Flaman and the members of the "Uke" Line, Bronco Horvath, Vic Stasiuk and Johnny Bucyk, the Bruins just couldn't put a winning product on the ice. In 1967, Harry Sinden took control of the club and Milt Schmidt became general manager. Between them, they negotiated one of the most lop sided trades ever, acquiring Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield while giving up Jack Norris, Pit Martin and Gilles Marotte.

Having reached his 18th birthday, future superstar Bobby Orr was signed for the 1966-67 season for $60,000 plus bonuses, making him the highest paid 18 year old in the history of the NHL. Orr began his assault on the record books winning the Calder Trophy in 1967, was an 8 time consecutive winner of the Norris Trophy, a three time Hart Trophy winner, Conn Smythe winner twice and is the only defenseman ever to win the Art Ross Trophy.

1970 saw the Bruins march to the Stanley Cup, winning the final over the St Louis Blues, etching in our minds forever the image of Orr flying through the air after scoring the winning goal on Glenn Hall. In 1971, the Bruins were eliminated by the Canadiens, but made up for it in 1972 by capturing the Stanley Cup in a 4-2 games victory over the New York Rangers. The following season the WHA and expansion claimed Cheevers, Derek Sanderson, Ted Green and Ed Westfall. Esposito was sidelined and the Rangers took Boston out of the playoffs in the first round. In 1973-74 Boston rebuilt and appeared to have their sights set on the Cup once again, but some hot goaltending by Philadephia's Bernie Parent ended Boston's quest for the Cup. The rest of the 70's saw the superstars leave Boston. Esposito went to the Rangers and Orr went to Chicago. But at the same time, new ownership added a colourful Don "Grapes" Cherry as coach who immediately took them to a first place finish in the Adams Division for the 1976-77 season and went all the way to the finals before losing to Montreal. Cherry's days were numbered, and only a first place finish in 1980 prevented Grapes' early departure from Boston, but after losing the semi finals to Montreal Cherry was history.

The early 80's were mediocre at best, although the Bruins never were out of the playoffs between 1980 and 1997, they could never deliver the Cup during that period. Ray Bourque joined the Bruins in 1979-80 and became the mainstay of the Bruins defense. Bourque consistently turned in rock solid performances which netted him 5 Norris Trophy wins, but has never been able to win a Stanley Cup. On May 24, 1988 the lights went out in the run down Boston Garden and postponed game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. In 1995-96 the new Fleet Centre was opened and played host to the 1996 All Star Game. In 1996-97 Pat Burns replaced Steve Kasper as coach and was given Joe Thornton and Sergie Samsonov. Thornton was turned in a disppointing performance while Samsonov won the Calder Trophy. The Bruins were eliminated from the 1998 opening round of the playoffs by Washington.