Today in Boston Bruins History: February 21
1928: It’s a family affair as, for the first time in NHL history, two brothers oppose one another as coaches. Sprague Cleghorn is the Bruins’ acting coach (Art Ross was out sick) and his brother Odie Cleghorn was heading the Pittsburgh Pirates ship. The Bruins shut out the Pirates 2-0 with 54 shots on goal.
1933: The Bruins defeat the Montreal Canadiens with a 10-0 shutout. Not only is it a wide margin of victory against a rival team, it is the most goals scored in any NHL game for 1932-33.
1939: The Bruins beat the Chicago Black Hawks 8-2 and Roy Conacher ties a Bs record by scoring four goals.
1960: Larry Melnyk (full name Larry Joseph Melnyk) is born in New Westminster, British Columbia. He was a defenseman drafted in 1979 by the Bruins and he began his NHL career in Boston for 1980-81. Over three seasons as a Bruin, he played 75 games and scored 12 points. He went to the Edmonton Oilers for 1983-84 and, while he has a Stanley Cup ring from that year, his name isn’t on the chalice. That’s because he spent all of the regular season in the minors and was only called up for six playoff games. He joined the Oilers full time for the next season and his name is on the Cup from that campaign. After time spent with the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, he left the NHL in 1990.
1974: Kevin Sawyer (full name Kevin John Sawyer) is born in Christina Lake, British Columbia. Sawyer was a right-winger and an enforcer whose time with the Bruins was rather short–just two games played in Boston, but 60 played in Providence from 1996-97 before he was released by the team. After hopping around some minor teams and signing contracts with teams that rarely played him, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim took him on in 2000 and shaped him into a prominent enforcer. He was involved in a huge fight during an Anaheim-Calgary game. A Calgary player hit the Anaheim goalie, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, so on the next play Sawyer went in and ran the Calgary goalie, Mike Vernon. This touched off a cloud of fights that resulted in 300 penalty minutes once the dust settled. He suffered a head injury in 2002-03 and retired in 2003.
1973: Brian Rolston (full name Brian Lee Rolston) is born in Flint, Michigan. Rolston is a versatile forward because he can play any forward position. He was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 1991 and spent five full seasons with them before a short stint with the Colorado Avalanche, followed by his time as a Bruin. He wore black and gold from 1999 to 2003 and during this tenure, he notched a then-high career point total of 62, including nine shorthanded goals. He blossomed as a leader with the Minnesota Wild and is known for having a slapshot hard enough to literally make goalies cower in fear (in the case of Giguere) or feel dazed after a mask block (in the case of Roberto Luongo). He had stints with Tampa Bay and a return to New Jersey, but now he is with the New York Islanders and serves as an alternate captain.
1982: The team’s longest streak without recording a shutout finally ends at 123 games when the Bruins shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0. The streak began on Nov. 20, 1980.
2000: In a game against the Vancouver Canucks, Marty McSorley deliberately injures Donald Brashear at 19:57 of the third period by hitting him in the head with his stick. He earns himself a ten-minute match penalty and later gets suspended for the rest of the regular season (23 games) and the playoffs (Boston didn’t qualify that year), which is the longest suspension in NHL history.
2008: Boston wins 5-4 against the Florida Panthers in a shootout with the deciding goal going to Marco Sturm, who now plays for the Panthers.
A year ago today: It’s a quiet practice day as the Bruins prepare to take on the Calgary Flames the next night.
Buy Boston Bruins Tickets | Buy Boston Bruins ApparelLeave a Rant
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
Rant Picks
FEATURED PARTNERS
- An Exclusive First Look At The New Furby
- Zac Efron RUINS EVERYTHING
- 50 Smileys You've Probably Never Used
- Derek Jeter -- Orders 'Bronx' Take Out for Game in Baltimore
- Scott Hall Arrested for Beating GF -- He'd Been 'Drinking for Days'
- Khloe Kardashian -- Bummed Out About Lamar Odom
- Newcastle Pwns Stella and Your Best Links of the Day
- Arkansas Fires Bobby Petrino Amid Scandal
- Wearing a GoPro During Sex, Should You Unfriend Your Ex on Facebook, and a Girl Wants Answers