Bruins mark 90 years of hockey decade by decade
The Boston Bruins have been marking their 90th anniversary with special tributes throughout the season — involving a variety of historical jerseys.
On 10 special nights, the Bruins are honoring a specific decade along with a key figure from franchise history.
Each night, the special guest drops the ceremonial first puck while wearing a classic Bruins sweater. At this point in the season, the team is halfway through its tribute nights, so I wanted to take a look back at the five sweaters we've seen so far.
By the way, after you've clicked through all the photos, scroll back up here to the poll and pick your favorite vintage Bruins jersey.
10/14 · Milt Schmidt · 1940s
The Bruins got things started on Oct. 14 with Milt Schmidt, who skated in the black and gold from 1936 to 1955. He looked good reviving the sweater he wore in his heyday — though it looks more like a football jersey with giant numbers on the chest and back. The B's wore this one from 1940 to 1948.
11/21 · Bobby Orr · 1970s
Boston can't have a proper hockey tribute without including one of their greatest players. Bobby Orr showed up in November to help celebrate the '70s. His jersey was first introduced by the Bruins in 1967, when the original expansion teams joined the NHL. In 1974, the shoulder yokes disappeared from this uniform but that striping pattern would stick around another 20 years.
12/17 · Terry O'Reilly · 1980s
In December, Terry O'Reilly dropped by to represent the '80s. His jersey features the bear head shoulder patch which was introduced in 1976. It survived until 1995 when the bear got a facelift and a new color scheme.
1/14 · P.J. Axelsson · 2000s
Boston kicked off the new year with P.J. Axelsson, who was on the roster not that long ago. The Swedish winger was a career Bruin from 1997 to 2009. As such, his jersey was the one used by the Bruins just prior to the Reebok Edge overhaul in 2007. It debuted in 1995.
1/30 · Weston Adams, Jr. · 1920s
I have to admit that was a name I didn't recognize, though longtime Bruins fans probably know him well. Weston Adams, Jr. served as president of the franchise from 1969 to 1975. His grandfather, Charles Adams, founded the Bruins in 1924. So his lineage made him the ideal candidate to represent the Bruins' first decade of existence.
Adams' jersey is modeled after the one worn by the team in its second season, 1925-26. It's not one we get to see very often so it's disappointing the Bruins only shared one photo of Adams. I'd love to see a few more angles of this one. More than that, I would've loved to see the Bruins wear each of these jerseys as throwbacks on each tribute night.
More tribute nights to come
The next 90th Anniversary Night is just around the corner. On March 1, the Bruins will welcome Eddie Shore, Jr., son of the famed blue-liner, to celebrate the 1930s. The last four tribute nights will take place March 6, 24, 27 and April 5.
Guests and decades have not been announced yet, but it's probably safe to bet on seeing Ray Bourque or Cam Neely represent the 1990s at some point. The other remaining decades are the 1950s, '60s, and of course 2010s — probably on the final night.
Before you leave, go back to the top and vote for your favorite of the five jerseys used so far. What other historical B's sweaters are you hoping to see on the remaining nights?