Was this 1971 game the worst loss in Bruins history?

[Fenway]

I was at the game and have not seen the video until today.

This is brutal to watch 42 years later



There have been other bad losses over the years but I think this takes the prize.

Brief Reign Of The Lordly Bruins

 

[Number8]

For me, the too many men Game 7 against the Habs has to rank up there as the worst.

We had them and would have crushed the Rangers in the final, as the Habs did.

I smashed a foot stool in our living room when the Habs won in OT. Despite the completely justifiable (IMO) circumstances I got in a lot of trouble, and my meager young bank account was severely taxed by having to pay for a new one.

 

[finchster]

1929-30 is up there, but I bet even old John doesn't remember haha

 

[Fenway]

For me, the too many men Game 7 against the Habs has to rank up there as the worst.

We had them and would have crushed the Rangers in the final, as the Habs did.

I smashed a foot stool in our living room when the Habs won in OT. Despite the completely justifiable (IMO) circumstances I got in a lot of trouble, and my meager young bank account was severely taxed by having to pay for a new one.

Dryden was on the verge of being pulled trailing 5-1 and has said he just may have quit hockey to go to law school. Bruins win this game they would have breezed to the Cup.

 

[Number8]

I was at the game and have not seen the video until today.

This is brutal to watch 42 years later



There have been other bad losses over the years but I think this takes the prize.

Brief Reign Of The Lordly Bruins

I remember this series barely (7 years old!) but boy did old Bobby have a great game and a terrible game!

Aren't the old school TV 38 graphics a hoot?

 

[Number8]

Dryden was on the verge of being pulled trailing 5-1 and has said he just may have quit hockey to go to law school. Bruins win this game they would have breezed to the Cup.

Thanks for the memories...... I think......

 

[lextune]

Seems like yesterday to me in so many ways....

The whole series was pretty awful. We were a WAGON all year, most likely our best regular season of all time, and it seemed like we could score on Dryden....and yet he always made the "timely" save.

We won games 4 and 5 to go up 3-2, and it was still not comfortable. The spectre of not having beat the Habs in the playoff in ages was all too real.

Games 6 and 7 sucked. Big time.

 

[crimsonace]

Seems like yesterday to me in so many ways....

The whole series was pretty awful. We were a WAGON all year, most likely our best regular season of all time, and it seemed like we could score on Dryden....and yet he always made the "timely" save.

We won games 4 and 5 to go up 3-2, and it was still not comfortable. The spectre of not having beat the Habs in the playoff in ages was all too real.

Games 6 and 7 sucked. Big time.

Wasn't alive then, but there have been 3 losses that pretty much cost the Bruins Cups they would've likely won otherwise. This one was probably the worst in that you have a blown four-goal lead at home ... IIRC the B's inexplicably changed goaltenders, as well. The Too Many Men game and the Wesley/Klima game also come to mind.

 

[BamBamCam]

All depends if it's regular season or playoffs, Sittler's 10 pt night was a low point
for me. Plus Steve Penney's stellar playoff round.

 

[Fenway]

All depends if it's regular season or playoffs, Sittler's 10 pt night was a low point
for me. Plus Steve Penney's stellar playoff round.

Regular season you can laugh off - playoffs no

If I had to pick one regular season fiasco this would be it

http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19950044

9 - Dallas : K Hatcher 4 (Matvichuk) 19:11
10 - Dallas : Modano 3 (K Hatcher, Adams) 19:44
11 - Dallas : Carbonneau 3 (Kennedy) 19:55

 

[DKH]

Yes I'd say yes why EJ played is why they lost, if this game happened in live time this Board would blow up. That game cost the Bruins and that team to be considered with the greatest the game gas ever seen- and maybe the best, I blame Tom Johnson. Sinden coaching that talent they might have lost a game in the entire Cup run,

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Regular season you can laugh off - playoffs no

If I had to pick one regular season fiasco this would be it

http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19950044

Yes, this was indeed the worst!

It was the Don Sweeney show.

 

[sampollock]

1979 the cherry years

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

For me, the too many men Game 7 against the Habs has to rank up there as the worst.

We had them and would have crushed the Rangers in the final, as the Habs did.

I smashed a foot stool in our living room when the Habs won in OT. Despite the completely justifiable (IMO) circumstances I got in a lot of trouble, and my meager young bank account was severely taxed by having to pay for a new one.

I got out of the bar, car keys in hand and threw them down an alley. Still don't know why. Guess it was better than punching the alley.

 

[Salem13]

Yes, this was indeed the worst!

It was the Don Sweeney show.

Leach, Ried and Zombo a -3...


...wait, Zombo, I thought with Zombo the possibilities were endless?

LOL, Zombo... wtf was wrong with Dave ( I was the Bergeron of my time) Ried to go -3?

 

[bruins309]

I suppose the only thing that can rationalize 1971 is the fact that Montreal was just a team that underachieved a bit in the regular season. Look at that roster...it's not like they were a bunch of stiffs.

Ed Johnston might have done some good things for the Bruins over the years, but why he was allowed to play in that game is beyond me. Maybe Cheevers had a hot tip on a horse in the 9th at Aqueduct that day.

One other thing about 1971: What in the world was with the playoff format? First round was 1 V 3 and 2 V 4??? That's a great incentive for a team to tank it and finish 4th to avoid the division leader. Since it was the 70s, I'm just chalking it up to someone using drugs.

 

[Turk 16]

I was too young to remember 1971 well, but I think it has to be ranked the worst over 1979 because that team was on paper probably the best Bruins squad ever, with a healthy Orr in his prime.

A catastrophe on a scale with 18-1.

 

[BlueAndGold]

I was 11 at the time, just recently becoming a diehard Bs fan after the magical 1970 Cup year. And it was the worst Bruins loss in my lifetime. That 1971 team might have been the greatest Bs team in history, only to fall to those reviled Habs. Took me weeks to get over it.

 

[sarge88]

Regular season you can laugh off - playoffs no

If I had to pick one regular season fiasco this would be it

http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19950044

I remember that one vividly.

I was at my cousin's wedding that night -- taped the game at home (VHS not Betamax ) and avoided catching the score all night.


Got home and watched and was actually angry watching a B's game for the first time I could remember.

 

[Turk 16]

Watching it again, can't help thinking, My, how goal celebrations have evolved (not). In those days, when you scored a goal you acted like you'd done it before.

 

[vadnais1972]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJclaX9HVhk

Here's another heartbreaker. Not as bad as 1971 or 1979 but pretty close. If the Bruins win this one, there's no way the Flyers, who would be down 2-0, take 4 out of the next 5 games.

If the Bruins win this game, and the 1971 game, they would have been Cup champs 70, 71, 72 and 74. A true dynasty. Ahhhhh what could have (and should have) been...

 

[cat400]

In terms of play-off heart break and there have been many over the last 60 years, the 1979 "too many men on the ice" loss to the Habs has been the one that has to rank higher in terms of impact as the Bruins were that close to finally shedding the Habs' curse.

The 1971 game two debacle was at the time regarded as a hiccup and coaching blunder by Johnson who was intent on rotating goalies as a reward for their part in the Bruins Record Setting season. In retrospect, blowing game two cost the Bruins the series.

1971 Bruins / Habs series was going to atone for the 1969 series loss to the Habs where the Bruins lost Games 1, 2 ( both tied in the last 2 minutes) and Game 6 in OT.
I often think how a board like this would have reacted after that series was over.

 

[Tim O'Reilly]

All depends if it's regular season or playoffs, Sittler's 10 pt night was a low point
for me. Plus Steve Penney's stellar playoff round.

Steve Penny in 1984 was horrible. We had a team that should have beaten them and the Islanders, but they clogged us up. That was as bad as anything.

 

[Tim O'Reilly]

Yes I'd say yes why EJ played is why they lost, if this game happened in live time this Board would blow up. That game cost the Bruins and that team to be considered with the greatest the game gas ever seen- and maybe the best, I blame Tom Johnson. Sinden coaching that talent they might have lost a game in the entire Cup run,

I read an article by Red Fisher in the Montreal Gazette about this series once. Boston won game 1 and the next day Tom Johnson told Fisher he was going to start Eddie in game 2. Fisher told him he was crazy and can't do that as Cheevers had played, they just won. Johnson said if he didn't he would lose EJ for the whole series. So, that's the result. As you say Dan, if Harry was coaching that would not have happened. People flame Harry all the time, but he knew his stuff.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I suppose the only thing that can rationalize 1971 is the fact that Montreal was just a team that underachieved a bit in the regular season. Look at that roster...it's not like they were a bunch of stiffs.

Ed Johnston might have done some good things for the Bruins over the years, but why he was allowed to play in that game is beyond me. Maybe Cheevers had a hot tip on a horse in the 9th at Aqueduct that day.

One other thing about 1971: What in the world was with the playoff format? First round was 1 V 3 and 2 V 4??? That's a great incentive for a team to tank it and finish 4th to avoid the division leader. Since it was the 70s, I'm just chalking it up to someone using drugs.

Yet in the following season in which the Bs won the Cup, Cheevers played 8 games and Johnston 7. He was 6-1 with a 1.86 GAA. So its not like they played some stiff instead Cheevers. He just had a bad game (along with his teammates).