Bruins-Habs: Hockey’s Greatest Rivalry Needs a Spark 2
The greatest rivalry in hockey was a bit… lacking last season, for lack of a better description. When the Montreal Canadiens came to visit TD Garden there was of course the usual “USA” chants and a healthy dose of “Habs Suck!” but there was something missing about the atmosphere, on and off the ice.
The rivalry has admittedly been mostly one sided in favor of the Canadiens throughout the years as the majority of the Bruins most heart breaking memories came at the hands of the hated Habs.
An iconic photo that sums up the Boston-Montreal rivalry.
The bitterness of the rivalry throughout the years can probably be best summed up in a classic picture of Bruins goalie Jim Henry and Canadiens famed scorer Maurice Richard shaking hands, both looking especially battered and bloody, after Richard’s goal sent the Bruins home in the 1952 playoffs.
Between 1944 and 1988 the Bruins lost to the Canadiens in the playoffs 18 consecutive times. In the 1971 Stanley Cup playoffs the Boston machine was derailed by a young goaltender named Ken Dryden.
In game seven of the 1979 playoffs, the Bruins held a 4-3 lead over the Canadiens as the third period was coming to a close. The Don Cherry coached Bruins were caught with too many men on the ice and the Canadiens went on the powerplay.
Seconds later a Guy Lafleur laser found the back of the Bruins net and the game was tied and a Yvon Lambert overtime goal completed another chapter in the Bruins book of heartbreak as Boston let yet another chance slip away.
Thirteen years after Dryden upset the Bruins, little known goalie Steve Penney started in the playoffs for Montreal and helped the Canadiens sweep a Bruins team that had racked up 49 regular season wins. Penny and Montreal’s three game sweep of the overwhelmingly favored Bruins left Bruins fans bitter once again.
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