List of Boston Bruins seasons explained

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. They are members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL)^[1] and are one of the "Original Six" teams of the league.^[2] Founded in 1924, they are the league's third-oldest team and the oldest team based in the United States, with the 2023–24 season marking the 100th year of operation for the franchise. As of the end of the 2023–24 season, the Bruins have won 3,404 regular season games, accumulated 30 division championships and six conference championships, led the league in points fifteen times, appeared in the playoffs 77 times, and won six Stanley Cup titles.^[3]

The Bruins started play in 1924, and won their first Stanley Cup championship in 1929, winning two games against the New York Rangers in the Finals. Over the next 12 seasons, the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Finals three times, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in 1930 and winning their second and third championship titles in 1939 and 1941. The Bruins fared decently in terms of playoff appearance until they reached an eight-year playoff drought from 1960 to 1967. They made up for the drought by winning the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972. The Bruins missed the playoffs in 1997, finishing with the worst record of the season with 61 points,^[4] ending a 29-year playoff appearance streak, the longest in NHL history.^[5] Throughout the streak, the Bruins qualified for the Stanley Cup Finals five times apart from their 1970 and 1972 wins—1974, 1977, 1978, 1988, and 1990. The 1989–90 season was also the season they won their first Presidents' Trophy title, accumulating 101 points. Throughout the next nine seasons, the Bruins faced a rough patch, qualifying for the playoffs five times and missing the playoffs four times.

The Bruins started another playoff streak in 2008. In 2011, the Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to win their sixth Stanley Cup. The Bruins then reached the Finals in 2013, but fell to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Bruins won their second Presidents' Trophy the next season, achieving 117 points, but they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Canadiens. The next season, the Bruins' playoff streak ended at seven seasons after they failed to qualify due to many reasons, including injuries and a lack of scoring depth.^{[6] [7]} They missed the playoffs for a second season in 2016, but qualified in 2017. In 2019, the Bruins made it to the Finals, but came short, losing to the St. Louis Blues in seven games. The next season, 2019–20, was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Bruins came out on top and won their third Presidents' Trophy, managing 100 points through only 70 games. They lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 2022–23 season saw the Bruins make history, achieving 65 wins and 135 points, the most wins and points by a team ever,^[8] for a fourth Presidents' Trophy title. However, they got upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers after blowing a 3–1 series lead.^[9] In the 2024 playoffs, they lost to the Panthers again, but in the second round.^[10] As of the culmination of the 2023–24 season, the Bruins are maintaining an eight-year playoff qualification streak.^[11]

Table keys

Color/symbol!scope="col"

Explanation
	Stanley Cup champions
	Conference champions
	Division champions
	Led league in points

Key of terms and abbreviations

Term or abbreviation	Definition
Finish	Final position in division or league standings
GP	Number of games played
W	Number of wins
L	Number of losses
T	Number of ties
OT	Number of losses in overtime (since the 1999–2000 season)
Pts	Number of points
GF	Goals for (goals scored by the Bruins)
GA	Goals against (goals scored by the Bruins' opponents)
—	Does not apply
TG	Two-game total goals series

Year by year

NHL season	Bruins season	Conference	Division	scope=colgroup colspan="9"	Regular season^[12] ^[13]	scope=colgroup colspan="7"	Postseason
				Finish	GP	W	L	T	OT	Pts	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Playoffs Result
scope=row	1924–25	1924–25	—	—	6th	30	6	24	0	—	12	49	119	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1925–26	1925–26	—	—	4th	36	17	15	4	—	38	92	85	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1926–27	1926–27	—	American	2nd	44	21	20	3	—	45	97	89	8	2	2	4	16	13
scope=row	1927–28	1927–28	—	American	1st	44	20	13	11	—	51	77	70	2	0	1	1	2	5
scope=row	1928–29	1928–29	—	American	1st	44	26	13	5	—	57	89	52	5	5	0	0	9	3
scope=row	1929–30	1929–30	—	American	1st	44	38	5	1	—	77	179	98	6	3	3	0	14	12
scope=row	1930–31	1930–31	—	American	1st	44	28	10	6	—	62	143	90	5	2	3	0	13	13
scope=row	1931–32	1931–32	—	American	4th	48	15	21	12	—	42	122	117	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1932–33	1932–33	—	American	1st	48	25	15	8	—	58	124	88	5	2	3	0	7	9
scope=row	1933–34	1933–34	—	American	4th	48	18	25	5	—	41	111	130	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1934–35	1934–35	—	American	1st	48	26	16	6	—	58	129	112	4	1	3	0	2	7
scope=row	1935–36	1935–36	—	American	2nd	48	22	20	6	—	50	92	83	2	1	1	0	6	8
scope=row	1936–37	1936–37	—	American	2nd	48	23	18	7	—	53	120	110	3	1	2	0	6	8
scope=row	1937–38	1937–38	—	American	1st	48	30	11	7	—	67	142	89	3	0	3	0	3	6
scope=row	1938–39	1938–39	—	—	1st	48	36	10	2	—	74	156	76	12	8	4	0	26	18
scope=row	1939–40	1939–40	—	—	1st	48	31	12	5	—	67	170	98	6	2	4	0	9	15
scope=row	1940–41	1940–41	—	—	1st	48	27	8	13	—	67	168	102	11	8	3	0	27	23
scope=row	1941–42	1941–42	—	—	3rd	48	25	17	6	—	56	160	118	5	2	3	0	10	16
scope=row	1942–43	1942–43	—	—	2nd	50	24	17	9	—	57	195	176	9	4	5	0	23	33
scope=row	1943–44	1943–44	—	—	5th	50	19	26	5	—	43	223	268	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1944–45	1944–45	—	—	4th	50	16	30	4	—	36	179	219	7	3	4	0	22	22
scope=row	1945–46	1945–46	—	—	2nd	50	24	18	8	—	56	167	156	10	5	5	0	29	29
scope=row	1946–47	1946–47	—	—	3rd	60	26	23	11	—	63	190	175	5	1	4	0	10	16
scope=row	1947–48	1947–48	—	—	3rd	60	23	24	13	—	59	167	168	5	1	4	0	13	20
scope=row	1948–49	1948–49	—	—	2nd	60	29	23	8	—	66	178	163	5	1	4	0	10	16
scope=row	1949–50	1949–50	—	—	5th	70	22	32	16	—	60	198	228	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1950–51	1950–51	—	—	4th	70	22	30	18	—	62	178	197	6	1	4	1	5	17
scope=row	1951–52	1951–52	—	—	4th	70	25	29	16	—	66	162	176	7	3	4	—	12	18
scope=row	1952–53	1952–53	—	—	3rd	70	28	29	13	—	69	152	172	11	5	6	—	30	37
scope=row	1953–54	1953–54	—	—	4th	70	32	28	10	—	74	177	181	4	0	4	—	4	16
scope=row	1954–55	1954–55	—	—	4th	70	23	26	21	—	67	169	188	5	1	4	—	9	16
scope=row	1955–56	1955–56	—	—	5th	70	23	34	13	—	59	147	185	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1956–57	1956–57	—	—	3rd	70	34	24	12	—	80	195	174	10	5	5	—	21	29
scope=row	1957–58	1957–58	—	—	4th	70	27	28	15	—	69	199	194	12	6	6	—	42	32
scope=row	1958–59	1958–59	—	—	2nd	70	32	29	9	—	73	205	215	7	3	4	—	21	20
scope=row	1959–60	1959–60	—	—	5th	70	28	34	8	—	64	220	241	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1960–61	1960–61	—	—	6th	70	15	42	13	—	43	176	254	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1961–62	1961–62	—	—	6th	70	15	47	8	—	38	177	306	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1962–63	1962–63	—	—	6th	70	14	39	17	—	45	198	281	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1963–64	1963–64	—	—	6th	70	18	40	12	—	48	170	212	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1964–65	1964–65	—	—	6th	70	21	43	6	—	48	166	253	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1965–66	1965–66	—	—	5th	70	21	43	6	—	48	174	275	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1966–67	1966–67	—	—	6th	70	17	43	10	—	44	182	253	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1967–68	1967–68	—	East	3rd	74	37	27	10	—	84	259	216	4	0	4	—	8	15
scope=row	1968–69	1968–69	—	East	2nd	76	42	18	16	—	100	303	221	10	6	4	—	40	20
scope=row	1969–70	1969–70	—	East	2nd	76	40	17	19	—	99	277	216	14	12	2	—	65	33
scope=row	1970–71	1970–71	—	East	1st	78	57	14	7	—	121	399	207	7	3	4	—	26	28
scope=row	1971–72	1971–72	—	East	1st	78	54	13	11	—	119	330	204	15	12	3	—	64	34
scope=row	1972–73	1972–73	—	East	2nd	78	51	22	5	—	107	330	235	5	1	4	—	11	22
scope=row	1973–74	1973–74	—	East	1st	78	52	17	9	—	113	349	221	16	10	6	—	58	44
scope=row	1974–75	1974–75	Wales	Adams	2nd	80	40	26	14	—	94	345	245	3	1	2	—	15	12
scope=row	1975–76	1975–76	Wales	Adams	1st	80	48	15	17	—	113	313	237	12	5	7	—	38	33
scope=row	1976–77	1976–77	Wales	Adams	1st	80	49	23	8	—	106	312	240	14	8	6	—	50	48
scope=row	1977–78	1977–78	Wales	Adams	1st	80	51	18	11	—	113	333	218	15	10	5	—	53	42
scope=row	1978–79	1978–79	Wales	Adams	1st	80	43	23	14	—	100	316	270	11	7	4	—	36	32
scope=row	1979–80	1979–80	Wales	Adams	2nd	80	46	21	13	—	105	310	234	10	4	6	—	35	33
scope=row	1980–81	1980–81	Wales	Adams	2nd	80	37	30	13	—	87	316	272	3	0	3	—	13	20
scope=row	1981–82	1981–82	Wales	Adams	2nd	80	43	27	10	—	96	323	285	11	6	5	—	43	39
scope=row	1982–83	1982–83	Wales	Adams	1st	80	50	20	10	—	110	327	228	17	9	8	—	65	61
scope=row	1983–84	1983–84	Wales	Adams	1st	80	49	25	6	—	104	336	261	3	0	3	—	2	10
scope=row	1984–85	1984–85	Wales	Adams	4th	80	36	34	10	—	82	303	287	5	2	3	—	17	19
scope=row	1985–86	1985–86	Wales	Adams	3rd	80	37	31	12	—	86	311	288	3	0	3	—	6	10
scope=row	1986–87	1986–87	Wales	Adams	3rd	80	39	34	7	—	85	301	276	4	0	4	—	11	19
scope=row	1987–88	1987–88	Wales	Adams	2nd	80	44	30	6	—	94	300	251	22	12	10	—	82	69
scope=row	1988–89	1988–89	Wales	Adams	2nd	80	37	29	14	—	88	289	256	10	5	5	—	29	30
scope=row	1989–90	1989–90	Wales	Adams	1st	80	46	25	9	—	101	289	232	21	13	8	—	62	59
scope=row	1990–91	1990–91	Wales	Adams	1st	80	44	24	12	—	100	299	264	19	10	9	—	60	62
scope=row	1991–92	1991–92	Wales	Adams	2nd	80	36	32	12	—	84	270	275	15	8	7	—	40	51
scope=row	1992–93	1992–93	Wales	Adams	1st	84	51	26	7	—	109	332	268	4	0	4	—	12	19
scope=row	1993–94	1993–94	Eastern	Northeast	2nd	84	42	29	13	—	97	289	252	13	6	7	—	39	42
scope=row	1994–95	1994–95	Eastern	Northeast	3rd	48	27	18	3	—	57	150	127	5	1	4	—	5	14
scope=row	1995–96	1995–96	Eastern	Northeast	2nd	82	40	31	11	—	91	282	269	5	1	4	—	16	22
scope=row	1996–97	1996–97	Eastern	Northeast	6th	82	26	47	9	—	61	234	300	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	1997–98	1997–98	Eastern	Northeast	2nd	82	39	30	13	—	91	221	194	6	2	4	—	13	15
scope=row	1998–99	1998–99	Eastern	Northeast	3rd	82	39	30	13	—	91	214	181	12	6	6	—	30	27
scope=row	1999–2000	1999–2000	Eastern	Northeast	5th	82	24	33	19	6	73	210	248	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	2000–01	2000–01	Eastern	Northeast	4th	82	36	30	8	8	88	227	249	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	2001–02	2001–02	Eastern	Northeast	1st	82	43	24	6	9	101	236	201	6	2	4	—	18	20
scope=row	2002–03	2002–03	Eastern	Northeast	3rd	82	36	31	11	4	87	245	237	5	1	4	—	8	13
scope=row	2003–04	2003–04	Eastern	Northeast	1st	82	41	19	15	7	104	209	188	7	3	4	—	14	19
scope=row	2004–05	2004–05
scope=row	2005–06	2005–06	Eastern	Northeast	5th	82	29	37	—	16	74	230	266	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	2006–07	2006–07	Eastern	Northeast	5th	82	35	41	—	6	76	219	289	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	2007–08	2007–08	Eastern	Northeast	3rd	82	41	29	—	12	94	212	222	7	3	4	—	15	19
scope=row	2008–09	2008–09	Eastern	Northeast	1st	82	53	19	—	10	116	274	196	11	7	4	—	34	22
scope=row	2009–10	2009–10	Eastern	Northeast	3rd	82	39	30	—	13	91	206	200	13	7	6	—	36	37
scope=row	2010–11	2010–11	Eastern	Northeast	1st	82	46	25	—	11	103	246	195	25	16	9	—	81	53
scope=row	2011–12	2011–12	Eastern	Northeast	1st	82	49	29	—	4	102	269	202	7	3	4	—	15	16
scope=row	2012–13	2012–13	Eastern	Northeast	2nd	48	28	14	—	6	62	131	109	22	14	8	—	65	47
scope=row	2013–14	2013–14	Eastern	Atlantic	1st	82	54	19	—	9	117	261	177	12	7	5	—	30	26
scope=row	2014–15	2014–15	Eastern	Atlantic	5th	82	41	27	—	14	96	213	211	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	2015–16	2015–16	Eastern	Atlantic	4th	82	42	31	—	9	93	240	230	—	—	—	—	—	—
scope=row	2016–17	2016–17	Eastern	Atlantic	3rd	82	44	31	—	7	95	234	212	6	2	4	—	13	15
scope=row	2017–18	2017–18	Eastern	Atlantic	2nd	82	50	20	—	12	112	270	214	12	5	7	—	41	37
scope=row	2018–19	2018–19	Eastern	Atlantic	2nd	82	49	24	—	9	107	259	215	24	15	9	—	79	51
scope=row	2019–20	2019–20	Eastern	Atlantic	1st	70	44	14	—	12	100	227	174	13	5	8	—	29	39
scope=row	2020–21	2020–21	—	East	3rd	56	33	16	—	7	73	168	136	11	6	5	—	33	32
scope=row	2021–22	2021–22	Eastern	Atlantic	4th	82	51	26	—	5	107	253	215	7	3	4	—	20	24
scope=row	2022–23	2022–23	Eastern	Atlantic	1st	82	65	12	—	5	135	305	177	7	3	4	—	27	26
scope=row	2023–24	2023–24	Eastern	Atlantic	2nd	82	47	20	—	15	109	267	224	13	6	7	—	31	31
Totals					6,872	3,404	2,461	791	216	7,815	21,939	19,758	702	344	352	6	2,034	1,988	77 playoff appearances

Notes

• From the 1924–25 season through the 1925–26 season, the NHL had no divisions.^[14]
• From the 1926–27 season through the 1937–38 season, Boston played in the American Division.
• From the 1938–39 season through the 1966–67 season, the NHL had no divisions.
• Prior to the 1967–68 season, the NHL split into East and West Divisions because of the addition of six expansion teams.^[14]
• The NHL realigned prior to the 1974–75 season. The Bruins were placed in the Prince of Wales Conference's Adams Division.^[15]
• The NHL realigned into Eastern and Western conferences prior to the 1993–94 season. Boston was placed in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference.^[16]
• The season was shortened to 48 games because of the 1994–95 NHL lockout.^[17]
• Beginning with the 1999–2000 season, teams received one point for losing a regular season game in overtime.^[18]
• The season was cancelled because of the 2004–05 NHL lockout.^[19]
• Prior to the 2005–06 season, the NHL instituted a penalty shootout for regular season games that remained tied after a five-minute overtime period, which prevented ties.^[20]
• The season was shortened to 48 games because of the 2012–13 NHL lockout.^[21]
• The NHL realigned prior to the 2013–14 season. The Bruins were placed in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.^[22]
• The regular season was suspended on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and officially concluded on May 26, 2020, with the announcement of a 24-team expanded playoff to be held in the summer.^{[23] [24]} The Bruins played 70 of their scheduled 82 games, and having secured the highest point percentage in the eastern conference, were one of the four teams to play in a three-game round-robin to determine seeding for the first round.
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 NHL season was shortened to 56 games.^[25]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rosters, Arena Information, and Aerial Maps . August 27, 2013 . National Hockey League.
2. Web site: 4 of the NHL's Original 6 – Chicago, Detroit, Boston, NY Rangers – among 8 still in playoffs . May 14, 2013 . August 26, 2013 . The Canadian Press . The Canadian Press .
3. Web site: Team Index . Hockey-Reference . Sports Reference LLC . August 27, 2013 .
4. Web site: 1996–97 Boston Bruins Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts . June 4, 2024 . Hockey-Reference.com . en.
5. Web site: Murphy . Brian . April 13, 2023 . Longest active NHL playoff streaks: Penguins, Capitals postseason streaks snapped this season . June 4, 2024 . Sporting News . en-ca.
6. Web site: Cagen . Dan . April 11, 2015 . Bruins miss playoffs for first time in eight years . June 5, 2024 . MetroWest Daily News . en-US.
7. Web site: Dillon . Kevin . 2015-04-13 . Boston Bruins miss playoffs: How the Bruins went from Presidents' Trophy to early offseason . 2024-06-05 . masslive . en.
8. Web site: Russo . Eric . Bruins Close Out Historic Regular Season with Win in Montreal . 2024-06-05 . NHL.com . en-US.
9. Web site: Williams . Brianna . April 30, 2023 . Bruins join other regular-season Goliaths with postseason collapse . June 5, 2024 . ESPN.com.
10. Web site: Benjamin . Amalie . May 18, 2024 . Swayman stellar again for Bruins in season-ending Game 6 loss . June 5, 2024 . NHL.com.
11. Web site: Gulitti . Tom . March 28, 2024 . Bruins focused on fine-tuning game with spot in Stanley Cup Playoffs clinched . June 5, 2024 . NHL.com.
12. Book: . National Hockey League . National Hockey League . 2013 . Triumph . 978-1-60078-785-0 . 19 .
13. Web site: Boston Bruins Statistics and History. The Internet Hockey Database. August 27, 2013.
14. Web site: Playoff Formats . National Hockey League . https://web.archive.org/web/20101217080720/http://www.nhl.com/cup/formats.html . dead . December 17, 2010 . May 24, 2013 .
15. Book: McFarlane, Brian . Brian McFarlane . 1992 . Stanley Cup Fever: 100 Years of Hockey Greatness . Stoddart . 0-7737-5554-3 . 174 . registration .
16. News: Lapointe . Joe . Hockey; N.H.L. Redraws Map In Realignment Plan . The New York Times . April 1, 1993 . May 24, 2013 .
17. Swift . E. M. . Drop Those Pucks! . . January 23, 1995 . May 24, 2013 .
18. News: Lapointe . Joe . Hockey: Preview '99–'00; Overtime Is Now Five Minutes in Hockey Heaven . The New York Times . September 30, 1999 . May 24, 2013 .
19. Web site: Lockout over salary cap shuts down NHL . Associated Press . ESPN . February 16, 2005 . May 24, 2013 .
20. News: Shootouts are fan-friendly . . October 19, 2005 . May 24, 2013 .
21. Web site: NHL lockout ends, training camps set to open . Yahoo! News . January 12, 2013 . May 23, 2013 .
22. Web site: NHL slate, division names revealed . 2013-07-21 . 2013-07-20 . ESPN . ESPN.com news services .
23. Web site: Young. Jabari. 2020-03-12. NHL suspends season due to coronavirus. 2020-07-14. CNBC.
24. Web site: NHL plans to return with 24 teams competing for Stanley Cup. 2020-07-14. NHL.com.
25. Web site: Knoll . Andrew . N.H.L. and Players' Union Reach Framework for 2020–21 Season . The New York Times . May 15, 2021 . December 20, 2020.