Boston Globe “We Should Have Won a Cup “

[quietbruinfan]

Calling one of the top 5 teams in the US in terms of their market size, income, fanbase etc. the underdog is certainly a choice. And how could they 'not afford' the top skill players when they've been owned by a very wealthy family since the 70s and have always spent to the cap since that was introduced?

Rather, the Jacobs chose not to spend that bit extra back in the day, and in the cap era have always prioritized a model of perpetual competitiveness, which has its advantages but also consequences, including paucity of high draft picks which makes it more difficult to acquire and develop top talent affordably.

The Bruins are an arch-typical 'nearly but not quite' team. Pretty much all the major sporting leagues in the world have them. For all the times they have gone close, one Cup in over 50 years is ultimately underachieving for a team with the prestige and opportunities Boston have had. For the Bruins, has ever been thus.

Apologies, the Adams/railroad and Jacobs ownerships indeed chose not to spend. You phrased it well with an "almost but not quite team." I still think they have consistently overachieved relative to the talent level in the league since 1950.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

I disagree completely. With the exception of the early 70s, this has been huge overachiever since the 50s. They are usually the underdog that doesn't win because they can't afford top skill players. 2019 and maybe 2023 were exceptions.

The salary cap says hello.
Cheap argument is old as dirt

 

[rfournier103]

…one Cup in over 50 years is ultimately underachieving for a team with the prestige and opportunities Boston have had. For the Bruins, has ever been thus.

Yes. As usual, you have good grasp on the situation.

Let’s take a look at the Bruins’ record in the Final since 1972…

1974 - Lost to Flyers. On paper, the Bruins should have won this handily.

1977 - Lost to Canadiens. Hard working Bruins team, overmatched by superior opponent.

1978 - Lost to Canadiens. See: 1977.

1988 - Lost to Oilers. Wayne Gretzky’s last hurrah in Edmonton. Again, plucky Bruins lose to powerful dynasty.

1990 - Lost to Oilers. Bruins lose a heartbreaker in Game 1, never recover mentally or physically.

2011 - Defeated Canucks. This Bruins squad needs no introduction here.

2013 - Lost to Blackhawks. Numerous missed opportunities and a blown 2-1 series lead.

2019 - Lost to Blues. I’ll go to my grave believing the Bruins were the better team. No valid excuse for losing this series.

Also… between 1973 and 2024, the Boston Bruins have 2162 regular season wins. Number one in the entire NHL in that span. It is over 100 more than the Canadiens’ 2053 wins over that same span. But over that span, we have:

Canadiens - 7 Cups
Oilers - 5 Cups
Penguins - 5 Cups
Islanders - 4 Cups
Red Wings - 4 Cups
And four teams with three Cups.

More wins than anyone else by a lot, and one championship.

I’m thrilled to be winning on a nightly basis throughout the winter, but there is no denying that there should have been at least one more championship, or maybe even two.

In a related story, at the time of this posting, the Toronto Maple Leafs have still not won the Stanley Cup since 1967.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Yes. As usual, you have good grasp on the situation.

Let’s take a look at the Bruins’ record in the Final since 1972…

1974 - Lost to Flyers. On paper, the Bruins should have won this handily.

1977 - Lost to Canadiens. Hard working Bruins team, overmatched by superior opponent.

1978 - Lost to Canadiens. See: 1977.

1988 - Lost to Oilers. Wayne Gretzky’s last hurrah in Edmonton. Again, plucky Bruins lose to powerful dynasty.

1990 - Lost to Oilers. Bruins lose a heartbreaker in Game 1, never recover mentally or physically.

2011 - Defeated Canucks. This Bruins squad needs no introduction here.

2013 - Lost to Blackhawks. Numerous missed opportunities and a blown 2-1 series lead.

2019 - Lost to Blues. I’ll go to my grave believing the Bruins were the better team. No valid excuse for losing this series.

Also… between 1973 and 2024, the Boston Bruins have 2162 regular season wins. Number one in the entire NHL in that span. It is over 100 more than the Canadiens’ 2053 wins over that same span. But over that span, we have:

Canadiens - 7 Cups
Oilers - 5 Cups
Penguins - 5 Cups
Islanders - 4 Cups
Red Wings - 4 Cups
And four teams with three Cups.

More wins than anyone else by a lot, and one championship.

I’m thrilled to be winning on a nightly basis throughout the winter, but there is no denying that there should have been at least one more championship, or maybe even two.

In a related story, at the time of this posting, the Toronto Maple Leafs have still not won the Stanley Cup since 1967.

Yep, sums up the Bruins well. Comparison is the thief of joy, so they say, and it's a very good lesson to heed. The Bruins have given us fans a lot to enjoy over the years, and you take that and appreciate it for what it is. Most teams haven't been so fortunate. But yeah, a couple of extra Cups would have been nice, and were very very achievable at various points.

Other than that, how you evaluate things depends on what you want as a fan. All of those teams with multiple Cups since the 70s have also had lengthy periods of terribleness and irrelevance. Boston's had bad patches too of course, but not so long or deep. Do you want the boom/bust or a greater consistency that makes for a larger number of competitive seasons but will likely result in fewer real highs? Matter of taste.

The main problem I have with what the Bruins continue to try to do is I'm convinced it's near-impossible to win a Cup in this modern era unless you take your medicine and seriously cash in in the top 5-10 of the draft at some point. You need that injection of genuine top young talent to build around. There are other ways to get it but they tend to be very difficult and expensive. Recent history suggests this is the reality, with Vegas being the only exception for obvious reasons. But Boston of course persists down its own unique path. There's little we humble fans can do but hope they somehow succeed in it eventually.