When it comes to this topic in the sporting world, it is safe to say that every team, for some way, shape, or form, seems to have an adversarial relationship with another team. According to the NHL betting lines, the rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins is one of the longest-running and bitterest of any in the league. Everyone who takes part in or follows major league hockey will be familiar with this rivalry at some point or another. To name just a few examples, fights have broken out on numerous times between the competitors. After making attempts to deescalate a volatile situation in 1955, a referee was knocked unconscious by an event that unfolded. This led to the player being prohibited from the game, which in turn induced a riot among the spectators and fans in attendance. Check out Fanduel.com for the latest NHL betting lines
What Was The Cause?
But what was the root cause of this more than 50-year-long rivalry? After back-and-forth exchanges of the Stanley cup, the feud began. In the 1930s, Montreal took the cup away by defeating Boston in the final. The following year, Montreal maintained its title status by beating the Bruins in the championship semifinals. A decade later, in 1938, the two clubs were realigned to the same division, wreaking havoc again. They are still division rivals to this very day although the rivalry in more recent years has cooled off. The question is, how long for?
The Boston Bruins were the first-ever professional ice hockey team in the United States to play in the National Hockey League, commencing play on Monday, December 1, 1924, as one of two NHL “expansion teams,” along with the Montreal Maroons – these two teams faced off in the Bruins’ inaugural NHL regular-season game at their Boston Arena that night, with the Bruins winning by a 2-1 score on home ice, courtesy of a Canadian skater for the Bruins, Smokey Harris.
Match Statistics
Regarding matching statistics, the Bruins are 255-320-103-2 all-time versus the Canadiens, with the Canadiens outscoring them 2059-1804 in 680 games. The Bruins have a 156-126-56-2 home record versus the Canadiens, with a 999-917 scoring advantage in those 340 games.
During the 2020-21 season alone, the two teams met 927 times, with the Canadiens taking the lead with 469 games and the Bruins winning 345, with the remaining 103 games ending in ties.
The 2022 statistics
To date, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have played a total of 99 games, scoring an average of 5.4 goals per match in these games.
The Teams
The Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are one of the most successful teams in the NHL. Over their historical existence, the Bruins have won six Stanley Cups, five Conference Championships, and 26 Division Championships. This is all owing to its beloved players’ hard effort and abilities. Over the decades, the Bruins have had some of the most infamous and legendary names in the NHL on their rosters and lineups.
Brad Marchand
In recent times, Brad Marchand has been one of the Bruins’ most recognizable players. The 71st overall draught selection in 2006 outperformed expectations and has made his imprint on Boston.
Marchand is a two-time Champion who was a player of the Bruins’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2011. He maintains the Bruins’ milestones for most overtime goals, regular-season penalty shots, and shorthanded goals.
Montreal Canadiens
Guy Lafleur
Guy Lafleur has one. Lafleur astonished fans with a career that ranked among the greatest of all time, his speed, skill, and pride embodying the traits that made the Montreal Canadiens the class of the NHL in the 1970s.
Lafleur, the country’s finest junior player, concluded his amateur career at the top of the heap. His Quebec Remparts won the Memorial Cup in 1971, and the lad from Thurso was already one of Quebec’s top sports stars, with 130 goals and 209 points in his last amateur season.
“The Flower,” as teammates lovingly nicknamed him, flowered in 1974-75, more than tripling his previous season’s totals with 53 goals and 66 assists. The murmurs from the bleachers associated with his performances in last years had disappeared, replaced by chants from sold-out spectators as Lafleur, now dubbed “Le Démon Blond” in certain quarters, emerged as the league’s most entertaining and legendary player.
Summary
That is the extent of the matter. As can be seen, the history of this disagreement contains a significant amount of detail. This feud lasted for over 50 years and was widely considered to be one of the most vicious of all athletic rivalries. The viciousness of the fights that took place within the teams is beyond our ability to comprehend.
Conclusion
That concludes today’s article, which focused on the vicious and legendary rivalry between two of the most legendary teams in the NHL. The dispute between the two teams began largely as a result of a series of back-and-forth comments regarding the Stanley Cup. This sparked the conflict that would become one of the most infamous rivalries in the history books of sports’ long and illustrious history.
