Ironman Indy
2009 Most Generous Member of the Year,
Ok I have done a history of the Canadiens and Leafs so next up the Bruins
Their first NHL season was 1924-25
1924-27
Charles “Doc” Stewart was the starting goalie for the first couple years and shared duties with Hal Winkler for the 26-27 season
Other goalies to see limited action those first few years were Hec Fowler, Howie Lockhart and Moe Roberts
1927-28
Winkler took over full time and played in all 44 games posting 15 shutouts
1928-38
Cecil “Tiny” Thompson would be the man for 10 years playing in all but 7 of the team’s games.
Percy Jackson would play in 5 and Wilf Cude came in as a backup after the Quakers folded and appeared in a couple games in 31-32
1938-43
Thompson was replaced by Frank Brimsek for the 1938-39 season and he would play almost every game through the 42-43 season.
Tiny had 5 starts and Nick Damore had one lone appearance in 41-42
1943-45
Brimsek served with the Coast Guard during WWII and was replaced with Bert Gardiner for the 43-44 season
Maurice Courteau appeared in 6 games that year
Injury replacements for Gardiner included George “Preacher” Abbott (who was knocked out himself during his one appearance) and Jimmy Franks (1 game)
Ben Grant replaced an injured Courteau for one game as well
In 44-45 with Gardiner retired due to injuries, Montreal loaned Paul Bibeault as a wartime replacement for Brimsek
Harvey Bennett split time with Bibeault that year, his only stint in the NHL. Bennett is best known for giving up Rocket Richard 50th goal of the season
1945-49
Brimsek would return after the war for 5 more seasons with the Bruins.
Cup-of-coffee goalies in 48-49 were Les Colvin and Gord Henry. Henry recorded a shutout in that lone game, his first game in the NHL.
1949-51
Jack Gelineau, who had 4 starts the year previous, took over full time for Brimsek after he was traded to Chicago for cash prior to the beginning of the season
Henry would get 2 more games and Richard Bittner had a single game as an injury replacement.
1951-54
Another Henry would take over the goaltending reins in 1951. “Sugar” Jim Henry would start every game for the next 3 seasons.
1954-55
Henry would share duties with John Henderson with Henderson getting the bulk of the starts during the season
1955-57
After refusing to report to training camp Boston suspended Henderson. He would appear in only one more game before being released in Jan of 57
Terry Sawchuk who was acquired from Detroit in a 7 player trade would be Boston’s #1 goalie for these 2 seasons before being dealt for Johnny Bucyk following the 56-57 campaign.
During these two seasons other goalies to see spot duty included: Claude Pronovost (1 game), Norm Defelice (10) and Don Simmons (26)
1957-59
Simmons would take over following Sawchuk’s departure with Harry Lumley also appearing in a number of games.
Injury replacements included Al Millar, Claude Evans, Lefty Wilson and Don Keenan
1959-60
Simmons and Lumley would share duties this season with Lumley getting the lion’s share of starts
1960-61
This season saw Simmons being traded to Toronto and Bruce Gamble take over as #1
1961-62
Don Head takes over for Gamble. Ed Chadwick, who was acquired in the Simmons trade, sees action in 4 games before he gets traded after season’s end
1962-64
Ed Johnston takes over as Boston’s main man. Bob Perreault who was obtained in the Chadwick trade, gets 22 appearances in his lone year with the club.
In 63-64 Johnston would play every minute of all 70 games. This would be the last time a team would play only one goalie for an entire season.
1964-65
Jack Norris helps out Johnston with 23 games as a backup
1965-66
Bernie Parent and Johnston share duties this year.
A young Gerry Cheevers sees action in 7 games after coming over to Boston from Toronto in the Intra League Draft. Bob Ring replaces an injured Johnston giving up 4 goals in 33 minutes in his only NHL appearance
1966-67
Johnston, Cheevers and Parent share the load this year. Parent is lost to the Flyers in the Expansion Draft at season’s end.
1967-72
Cheevers would take over as the #1 with Johnston serving as his backup
Andre Gill and Joe Junkin get some action as injury replacements. Junkin’s NHL career would last all of 8 minutes
1972-73
Cheevers fled to the WHA after Boston’s Cup winning season and Johnston was once again the #1
Ross Brooks and John Adams see time as the backup. Jacques Plante goes 7-1 in 8 starts after being acquired in a trade with Toronto.
Plante would retire following the season but would resurface briefly in the WHA with the Edmonton Oilers in 1975.
1973-75
Gilles Gilbert comes to Boston in a trade with Minnesota.
He starts the majority of games for 2 seasons with Brooks and ken Broderick seeing limited action.
1975-76
An interesting year for Boston as Cheevers returns in January after leaving and refusing to play for the Cleveland Crusaders of the WHA.
That same year Dave Reece plays 14 games. In his 14th game he would be in net for all of Toronto’s 11 goals that night.
That night Sittler set the single game record with 10 points. Reece never played in the NHL again.
1976-80
Cheevers and Gilbert share duties over the next years and Ron Grahame signs as a free agent in 1977 after his Houston Aeros team of the WHA folded.
He would get the bulk of the starts that year but was sent to LA after the season for their first round draft pick in 1979. That pick turned into Ray Bourque
During this span, Jim Pettie would see action in 21 games. Yves Belanger 8, Marco Baron and Jim Stewart 1 each.
1980-81
Gilbert was traded to Detroit for Rogie Vachon and Rogie is the #1 goalie for one season
Boston also obtains Olympic Hero Jim Craig from Atlanta for a couple draft picks. One of those picks turned into Mike Vernon. Craig play in 23 games in his only season with the Bruins. Baron appears in 10 games
1981-82
Vachon platoons with Baron while Mike Moffat sees action in 4 games.
1982-85
Pete Peeters comes over from Philly and is the starter for 3 seasons.
In addition to Moffat and Baron, backups include Doug Keans, Cleon Daskalakis and Don Sylvestri
1985-86
Peeters get shipped to Washington for Pat Riggin who shares duties with Keans.
Daskalakis gets a couple more starts and Bill Ranford see his first action starting 4.
1986-87
Riggin gets traded to Pittsburgh for Roberto Romano who only plays 1 game.
Ranford and Keans platoon for most of the year and Daskalakis again gets in 2 more games
1987-early 90s
Lemelin comes to Boston as a Free Agent and Andy Moog comes over in the Ranford trade.
They would serve as Boston’s primary goalies for the next several years going to the Cup finals twice (88 and 90)
That’s it for “vintage” era Bruins goalie history.
Thanks for stopping by
Their first NHL season was 1924-25
1924-27
Charles “Doc” Stewart was the starting goalie for the first couple years and shared duties with Hal Winkler for the 26-27 season
Other goalies to see limited action those first few years were Hec Fowler, Howie Lockhart and Moe Roberts
1927-28
Winkler took over full time and played in all 44 games posting 15 shutouts
1928-38
Cecil “Tiny” Thompson would be the man for 10 years playing in all but 7 of the team’s games.
Percy Jackson would play in 5 and Wilf Cude came in as a backup after the Quakers folded and appeared in a couple games in 31-32
1938-43
Thompson was replaced by Frank Brimsek for the 1938-39 season and he would play almost every game through the 42-43 season.
Tiny had 5 starts and Nick Damore had one lone appearance in 41-42
1943-45
Brimsek served with the Coast Guard during WWII and was replaced with Bert Gardiner for the 43-44 season
Maurice Courteau appeared in 6 games that year
Injury replacements for Gardiner included George “Preacher” Abbott (who was knocked out himself during his one appearance) and Jimmy Franks (1 game)
Ben Grant replaced an injured Courteau for one game as well
In 44-45 with Gardiner retired due to injuries, Montreal loaned Paul Bibeault as a wartime replacement for Brimsek
Harvey Bennett split time with Bibeault that year, his only stint in the NHL. Bennett is best known for giving up Rocket Richard 50th goal of the season
1945-49
Brimsek would return after the war for 5 more seasons with the Bruins.
Cup-of-coffee goalies in 48-49 were Les Colvin and Gord Henry. Henry recorded a shutout in that lone game, his first game in the NHL.
1949-51
Jack Gelineau, who had 4 starts the year previous, took over full time for Brimsek after he was traded to Chicago for cash prior to the beginning of the season
Henry would get 2 more games and Richard Bittner had a single game as an injury replacement.
1951-54
Another Henry would take over the goaltending reins in 1951. “Sugar” Jim Henry would start every game for the next 3 seasons.
1954-55
Henry would share duties with John Henderson with Henderson getting the bulk of the starts during the season
1955-57
After refusing to report to training camp Boston suspended Henderson. He would appear in only one more game before being released in Jan of 57
Terry Sawchuk who was acquired from Detroit in a 7 player trade would be Boston’s #1 goalie for these 2 seasons before being dealt for Johnny Bucyk following the 56-57 campaign.
During these two seasons other goalies to see spot duty included: Claude Pronovost (1 game), Norm Defelice (10) and Don Simmons (26)
1957-59
Simmons would take over following Sawchuk’s departure with Harry Lumley also appearing in a number of games.
Injury replacements included Al Millar, Claude Evans, Lefty Wilson and Don Keenan
1959-60
Simmons and Lumley would share duties this season with Lumley getting the lion’s share of starts
1960-61
This season saw Simmons being traded to Toronto and Bruce Gamble take over as #1
1961-62
Don Head takes over for Gamble. Ed Chadwick, who was acquired in the Simmons trade, sees action in 4 games before he gets traded after season’s end
1962-64
Ed Johnston takes over as Boston’s main man. Bob Perreault who was obtained in the Chadwick trade, gets 22 appearances in his lone year with the club.
In 63-64 Johnston would play every minute of all 70 games. This would be the last time a team would play only one goalie for an entire season.
1964-65
Jack Norris helps out Johnston with 23 games as a backup
1965-66
Bernie Parent and Johnston share duties this year.
A young Gerry Cheevers sees action in 7 games after coming over to Boston from Toronto in the Intra League Draft. Bob Ring replaces an injured Johnston giving up 4 goals in 33 minutes in his only NHL appearance
1966-67
Johnston, Cheevers and Parent share the load this year. Parent is lost to the Flyers in the Expansion Draft at season’s end.
1967-72
Cheevers would take over as the #1 with Johnston serving as his backup
Andre Gill and Joe Junkin get some action as injury replacements. Junkin’s NHL career would last all of 8 minutes
1972-73
Cheevers fled to the WHA after Boston’s Cup winning season and Johnston was once again the #1
Ross Brooks and John Adams see time as the backup. Jacques Plante goes 7-1 in 8 starts after being acquired in a trade with Toronto.
Plante would retire following the season but would resurface briefly in the WHA with the Edmonton Oilers in 1975.
1973-75
Gilles Gilbert comes to Boston in a trade with Minnesota.
He starts the majority of games for 2 seasons with Brooks and ken Broderick seeing limited action.
1975-76
An interesting year for Boston as Cheevers returns in January after leaving and refusing to play for the Cleveland Crusaders of the WHA.
That same year Dave Reece plays 14 games. In his 14th game he would be in net for all of Toronto’s 11 goals that night.
That night Sittler set the single game record with 10 points. Reece never played in the NHL again.
1976-80
Cheevers and Gilbert share duties over the next years and Ron Grahame signs as a free agent in 1977 after his Houston Aeros team of the WHA folded.
He would get the bulk of the starts that year but was sent to LA after the season for their first round draft pick in 1979. That pick turned into Ray Bourque
During this span, Jim Pettie would see action in 21 games. Yves Belanger 8, Marco Baron and Jim Stewart 1 each.
1980-81
Gilbert was traded to Detroit for Rogie Vachon and Rogie is the #1 goalie for one season
Boston also obtains Olympic Hero Jim Craig from Atlanta for a couple draft picks. One of those picks turned into Mike Vernon. Craig play in 23 games in his only season with the Bruins. Baron appears in 10 games
1981-82
Vachon platoons with Baron while Mike Moffat sees action in 4 games.
1982-85
Pete Peeters comes over from Philly and is the starter for 3 seasons.
In addition to Moffat and Baron, backups include Doug Keans, Cleon Daskalakis and Don Sylvestri
1985-86
Peeters get shipped to Washington for Pat Riggin who shares duties with Keans.
Daskalakis gets a couple more starts and Bill Ranford see his first action starting 4.
1986-87
Riggin gets traded to Pittsburgh for Roberto Romano who only plays 1 game.
Ranford and Keans platoon for most of the year and Daskalakis again gets in 2 more games
1987-early 90s
Lemelin comes to Boston as a Free Agent and Andy Moog comes over in the Ranford trade.
They would serve as Boston’s primary goalies for the next several years going to the Cup finals twice (88 and 90)
That’s it for “vintage” era Bruins goalie history.
Thanks for stopping by
