The 2010–11 Boston Bruins season was the 87th season for the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

franchise that was established on November 1, 1924. The Bruins were the winners of the

2011 Stanley Cup The 2011 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) , and the culmination of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins defeated the Western Conference champion Vancou ...

, winning their first championship in 39 years.

Off-season

At the 2010 NHL entry draft in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Boston selected

Tyler Seguin Tyler Paul Seguin ( ; born January 31, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up in Whitby, Ontario, Seguin began playing hockey in a house leag ...

with their first-round pick, second overall. A week earlier, on June 16, 2010, Bruins owner

Jeremy Jacobs Jeremy Maurice Jacobs Sr. (born January 21, 1940) is an American billionaire businessman, the owner of the Boston Bruins and chairman of Delaware North. ''Forbes'' magazine ranks him as 669th richest person in the world. Early life and education ...

and principal

Charlie Jacobs Charles Marvin Jacobs (born September 16, 1971) is the co-Chief Executive Officer of Delaware North, a role he shares with his brothers, Jerry and Lou. Jacobs is also Chief Executive Officer and Alternate Governor for the Boston Bruins. He is th ...

announced that

Cam Neely Cameron Michael Neely (born June 6, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He played right wing for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 to 1996. Neely was inducte ...

had been named president of the Boston Bruins. Neely, a former player and 2005

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

inductee, became the eighth president in club history. The Bruins sought to "tweak the composition" during the off-season, trading puck-moving defenseman

Dennis Wideman Dennis Earl Wideman (born March 20, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Wideman was drafted in the eighth round, 241st overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2002 NHL Entry ...

to the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

in exchange for Nathan Horton.B's Acquire Horton, Campbell
/ref> The

Reading Royals The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the North Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Santander Arena located in downtown R ...

, Boston's affiliate within the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

, renewed their relationship during the off-season.Boston Renews Affiliation with Reading
/ref> This marked the second year the organizations shared affiliation, with the Royals playing host to several Bruins prospects including goaltender Matt Dalton and defenseman Rob Kwiet.

Pre-season

On June 21, 2010, the Bruins announced their seven-game pre-season schedule. Closing out the schedule were two exhibition matches, the first in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, against the Belfast Giants Select, a unified team composed of an All-Star selection of the best

EIHL The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to internationally as the British Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level ...

players from each team. The Bruins went on to beat the Giants Select 5–1 after being held scoreless for the first period. Rookie star Tyler Seguin scored a pair of goals. The Bruins then faced off against

Bili Tygri Liberec Bili may refer to: *Bili, Azerbaijan, a village in Astara Rayon * Bili, Democratic Republic of Congo, a town in north-central Democratic Republic of the Congo; Bili ape * Bili Forest near the town, a complex mosaic habitat, rich in fauna typifying ...

of the

Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga () is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created in 1993 following the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia midway through the 1992–93 Czechoslovak Extraliga season (which all Slovak and ...

in their final pre-season match, with veteran

Patrice Bergeron Patrice Bergeron-Cleary (born July 24, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre (ice hockey), centre who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, all with the Boston Bruins. He served as Captain (sports), team captain f ...

putting on a five-point display that included two breakaway goals in a 7–1 victory for the Bruins.

Regular season

As part of the 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere Games, the Bruins began their season on Saturday, October 9, playing against the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

at the

O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena, London * O2 Arena, Prague *The 3Arena, Dublin, formerly known as The O2 *The Uber Arena, Berlin, formerly known as O2 World *The Barclays Arena Barclays Arena (originally known as the Color Line Arena an ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. There they split their two games with the Coyotes. The Bruins spent much of the months of October, November and December playing well but slightly behind the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

for first-place in the division before passing the Canadiens on December 27 with a 3–2 shootout win over the

. Play during this time was highlighted by excellent play for goaltender Tim Thomas, who started the season as a backup but had five shutouts by the middle of December, and by

Milan Lucic Milan Lucic (; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played major junior career with the Vancouver ...

's excellent offensive production, including his first natural hat-trick on November 18. In January, the Bruins continued to hold first-place in the division, aided at one point by hat-tricks from Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara on January 11 and January 17, respectively. The Bruins started February with fight-filled wins against the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

, whom they beat 6–3, and the Canadiens, against whom they picked up their first win of the season on their fourth try by a score of 8–6. The Bruins then hit a three-game losing streak, but recovered to string together a seven-game winning streak that stretched into March. The first six wins of the streak were on the road, including a 3–1 win in the Bruins' only game of the regular season against the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

, which led the NHL at that time for points and would eventually win the

Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy () is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e., best overall record) during the regular season. If two teams are tied for the most points, then the Trophy ...

. After the streak, the Bruins would go on to lose six of their next seven games, including a 4–1 loss to their rivals, the Canadiens, in which team captain Zdeno Chara was nearly suspended for a hit on

Max Pacioretty Maximillian Kolenda Pacioretty (born November 20, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pacioretty was drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2007 NH ...

. They nonetheless managed five points during this time, as three of their losses came in overtime. Following this lapse, the Bruins responded with a win over the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

and a 7–0 win in their last game of the regular season against the Montreal Canadiens. Two games later, the Bruins clinched a playoff spot with a 2–1 win over the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

. In the next game, Tim Thomas picked up his ninth shutout of the season. Two games later, in their first game in April, the Bruins clinched the Northeast Division with a 3–2 win in their last ever game against the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL sea ...

, who were set to relocate to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

for the next season. The Bruins tied the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

for the most shutouts for, with 11.

Standings

Schedule and results

Pre-season

Regular season

Playoffs

The Boston Bruins qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Their conference quarter-final matchup was against their archrival, the sixth-seeded

. The series started disastrously for the Bruins, as they dropped two games in their building. They would come back to win the next three games and, after dropping Game 6, would ultimately win Game 7 in overtime at home on a Nathan Horton goal. The next round featured a sweep of the second-seeded

who, the previous year, had come back from down three games to none against the Bruins to win the series. This propelled them to their first conference finals since the

1992 Stanley Cup playoffs The 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 18, after the conclusion of the 1991–92 NHL season. The playoffs concluded with the Pittsburgh Penguins defeating the Chicago Blackhawks ...

. In the conference finals, the Bruins matched up against the fifth-seeded

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

. After dropping the first game by a lopsided score, the Bruins fought back to win the next two games before dropping game four to knot the series at 2–2. The Bruins took Game 5 to put them a win away from the conference championship. Game 6 was another loss for the Bruins, but Game 7 resulted in a 1–0 victory to send them to their first Stanley Cup Finals in 21 years. In the finals, the Bruins met the

-winning

. Vancouver took the first two games at home, each by a goal, to build a 2–0 series lead. The Bruins responded with two lopsided wins at home to tie the series 2–2, but Vancouver won Game 5 in their building to move the Bruins one game away from losing the Cup. The Bruins managed to win Game 6 in another one sided game to tie the series and then won their third Game 7 of the post-season in lopsided fashion to win the Stanley Cup, their first in 39 years. After Game 7, Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas was named the winner of the

Conn Smythe Trophy The Conn Smythe Trophy () is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general manager, and head coach of the ...

for the post-season's most valuable player.

Playoff log

* Scorer of game-winning goal in ''italics''

Player statistics

Skaters

''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts =

Points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

; +/- =

Plus–minus Plus–minus, ±, +/−, or variants may refer to: * Plus–minus sign (±), a mathematical symbol which can mean either plus (+) or minus (−), or can indicate the uncertainty of a measurement or statistic * Plus–minus (sports), a sport ...

; PIM =

Penalty minutes A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for an infringement of the rules. Most penalties are enforced by sending the offending player to a penalty box for a set number of minutes. During the penalty the player may not participate in play. Penalties ...

'' *^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Bruins. Stats reflect time with the Bruins only. *^‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Bruins only. *(G)Denotes goaltender. *PIM totals include bench infractions.

Goaltenders

''Note: GPI = Games Played In; TOI = Time on ice; GAA =

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (AGA), is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on spo ...

; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; SO =

Shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...

; SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals against; SV% =

Save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various Goal (sports), goal-scoring sports that track Save (goaltender), saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse and association football, it is a sta ...

Awards and records

Awards

On April 6, prior to the game against the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

, the team announced its award winners for the season.B's Announce 2011 Award Winners
/ref> Tim Thomas was named First Star of the Week on November 1, 2010 and again on January 24, 2011. He was also named Second Star of the Month for October.
Patrice Bergeron was named Second Star of the week on January 17, 2011, and First Star of the Month for January.Bergeron tops 'Three Stars' for the month of January
/ref>

Records

Milestones

Tyler Seguin, Jordan Caron, Jamie Arniel, Steven Kampfer and

Matt Bartkowski Matthew Richard Bartkowski (born June 4, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL). Playing caree ...

all made their NHL debuts this season.

Transactions

The Bruins have been involved in the following transactions during the 2010–11 season.

Trades

Free agents acquired

Free agents lost

Player signings

Draft picks

Boston's picks at the 2010 NHL entry draft in

. ;Notes on draft picks: * The

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

' first and second-round picks went to the Bruins as the result of a trade on September 18, 2009, that sent

Phil Kessel Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. (born October 2, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), winger who is an unrestricted free agent. Nicknamed "Phil the Thrill", he has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Lea ...

to Toronto in exchange for these picks. * The

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

' fourth-round pick went to the Bruins as the result of a trade on July 24, 2009, that sent Aaron Ward to Carolina for this pick and

Patrick Eaves Patrick Campbell Eaves (born May 1, 1984) is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, Da ...

. * The

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

' seventh-round pick went to the Bruins as the result of a trade on June 26, 2010, that sent Boston's seventh-round pick in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

to Chicago for this pick. * The Bruins' first-round pick, 15th overall, was traded to the

as a result of the trade in which the Bruins acquired Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell on June 22, 2010. * The Bruins' third-round pick, 75th overall, was traded to the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

as a result of the trade in which the Bruins acquired

Daniel Paille Daniel Joseph Paille (born April 15, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He was originally drafted 20th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft and also played in the National Hockey League with th ...

on October 20, 2009.

Affiliates

Providence Bruins

The

Providence Bruins The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Providence, Rhode Island. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Hi ...

, based in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, are the Bruins AHL affiliate.

Reading Royals

The

, based in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

, are the Bruins

affiliate. The Royals will again look to compete in the Kelly Cup playoffs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2010-11 Boston Bruins Season B Boston Bruins seasons Eastern Conference (NHL) championship seasons Stanley Cup championship seasons

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

Bruins Bruin, (from Dutch for "brown"), is an English folk term for brown bear. Bruin, Bruins or BRUIN may also refer to: Places * Lake Bruin, ox-bow lake of the Mississippi River located in northeastern Louisiana ** Lake Bruin State Park * Bruin, K ...

Off-season

Pre-season

Regular season

Standings

Schedule and results

Pre-season

Regular season

Playoffs

Playoff log

Player statistics

Skaters

Goaltenders

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Milestones

Transactions

Trades

Free agents acquired

Free agents lost

Player signings

Draft picks

Affiliates

Providence Bruins

Reading Royals

See also

References