Tonight, the Boston Bruins will host the Vegas Golden Knights at TD Garden, which will mark the 11th time in franchise history they have played on a Leap Day. Interestingly, the franchise began operations in a Leap Year, 1924, playing its first NHL contest on December 1.
Since their inception, there have been 25 Leap Years, including 2024, with Boston playing most of their Leap Day games from 1940 to 1968, skating in only four since then. However, this will be the second consecutive Leap Year game after a 20-year gap from 2000 to 2020.
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In preparation for tonight’s contest between two of the best teams in the NHL this season, we thought it would be fun to look into the record books to see how Boston has performed on this day over the past century.
The 1940’s
The Bruins didn’t play on Leap Day in 1924, 1928, 1932, or 1936, eventually getting scheduled on the last day of February in 1940. During a contest with the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum, they picked up their first win (4-2) on Leap Day, thanks to goals from Dit Clapper, Roy Conacher, Woody Dumart, and Milt Schmidt.
Four years later, the Bruins welcomed the Toronto Maple Leafs to Boston Garden, where they were defeated 7-3. Ted Kennedy led the attack for Toronto with two goals, while Gus Bodnar, George Boothman, Bud Polie, and Babe Pratt all had two points a piece. Bill Cowley had three points with a goal and assist for Boston, while Bep Guidolin had the other lamplighter.
To close out the decade in 1948, Boston visited the Chicago Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium, where the home team picked up a 5-1 victory. Roy Conacher had two goals and an assist, while Doug Bentley had three helpers as the Blackhawks scored three third-period goals to secure the win. The Bruins’ only goal came on the powerplay from Pete Babando, with assists going to Clare Martin and Grant Warwick.
The 1950’s and 1960’s
After earning a 1-2-0 record on Leap Days in the 1940s, the Bruins didn’t skate in 1952, eventually facing off against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in 1956. In their latest defeat, Boston fell behind 1-0 and trailed 3-1 in the third period as Bronco Horvath had three points for the home team, who won 4-2. The Bruins’ offense came from Cal Gardner and Fleming Mackell, who had the goals, while Real Chevrefils and Vic Stasiuk earned the assists.
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As Massachusetts native John F. Kennedy ascended to the presidency in January, the Bruins did not play on Leap Day in 1960 and returned to action in 1964. In a contest against the Detroit Red Wings at Boston Garden, they picked up a 2-1 win when Murrary Oliver scored the game-winning goal at 8:29 of the third period with assists from Johnny Bucyk and Wayne Rivers. After falling behind 1-0, Ron Schock got Boston on the board in the second period thanks to helpers from Forbes Kennedy and Jean-Guy Gendron. After playing for the Bruins in 1958 on Leap Day, Terry Sawchuk dressed for Detroit in this game, making 40 saves in the defeat.
Four years later, the Maple Leafs and Bruins met for the second time on a Leap Day, where Boston would improve to 2-0 against their Canadian rivals on the day, with a 4-1 win at Boston Garden. The home team got two goals from Derek Sanderson, plus one from John McKenzie and Bucyk, while Fred Stanfield had two assists.
The 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s
Through the first 44 seasons, Boston skated in six Leap Years, compiling a 3-3-0 record. They did not have a game in 1972, but played the Vancouver Canucks at Boston Garden in 1976, earning a 5-3 win. They had offensive contributions from several players, including Ken Hodge (goal and assist), Jean Ratelle (two helpers), and Bobby Schmautz (two goals). That year’s contest marked the first time the Bruins played a team other than an Original Six opponent and would be their last Leap Day game for 16 years.
Skipping through the 1980s without any Leap Year games, the Bruins finally returned to the ice in 1992 to face off against the Washington Capitals at Boston Garden. In one of their wildest contests on this particular day, the two teams battled to a 5-5 tie, with Boston rallying from a 5-2 deficit with three third-period goals. Brent Ashton (two goals and an assist) tied Ray Bourque (one goal and two helpers) with three points. Overall, 16 players from both teams had a point in the game.
Eighteen years later, in 2000, the Bruins’ undefeated streak (3-0-1) would end at the FleetCenter when they lost to the Ottawa Senators by a 5-3 score. Marion Hossa led the attack for the visitors, scoring two goals just 36 seconds apart to begin the second period, where Boston fell behind 4-0. Despite a comeback led by goals from Cameron Mann, Joe Thornton, and Sergei Samsonov, Ottawa added an empty net goal to seal the win. Interestingly, this is the only Leap Day game where Boston gave up an empty net goal, plus did a goalie switch when Robbie Tallas replaced John Grahame after 32 minutes of play.
Finally, the last time the Bruins played on Leap Day was in 2020, when Tuukka Rask earned a 25-save shutout in a 4-0 win over the New York Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Boston got goals from four players still in the lineup for this year’s contest: David Pastrnak, Matt Grzelyck, Brad Marchand, and Charlie McAvoy. McAvoy led all scorers with three points, while Marchand and Torey Krug had two. In his only appearance during a Leap Day game, Patrice Bergeron and The Perfection Line were plus-three.
Historical Perspective
The Bruins have played in 10 Leap Day games in their history, earning a 5-4-1 record, including a 3-2-1 record at home and a 2-2-0 record on the road. Overall, 147 skaters have worn a Spoked B jersey in a Leap Day game, with 20 of them skating in two contests, while Bucyk remains at the top of the list with three appearances in 1964, 1968, and 1976. Meanwhile, 10 goalies have logged minutes in a Leap Day game for the Bruins, with Hall of Famer Frank Brimsek the only one to appear in two games.
Surprisingly, the Bruins have scored 33 goals and surrendered 33 goals. Bert Gardiner gave up the most in a single game (seven) in 1944, while Brimsek (1948) and Andy Moog (1992) each surrendered five. Brimsek is tied with Gardiner with seven goals against in Leap Day games, while Rask is the only one with a shutout.
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The Bruins’ all-time leading scorer in Leap Day games is Cowley, who collected five points in two games (1940 and 1944) thanks to a goal and four assists. He set the original franchise record with three points in a single game, a milestone matched by Ashton (1992), Bourque (1992), and McAvoy (2020).
Finally, when Boston plays a game in a Leap Year, the franchise has never won the Stanley Cup or appeared in the Finals while missing the playoffs in 1944, 1956, 1964, and 2000. Their best performances in Leap Years include losing the Wales Conference Final in 1992 and Semi-Final defeats in 1940, 1948, and 1976.